U of M athletics shakes up sport rosters, starting with Tier stair runners report: Bettman planning to move Jets to Arizona... again

Rob Mackenzie, staff

At the National Hockey League’s

(NHL) most recent board of governors meeting, commissioner and malevolent NHL overlord Gary Bettman let something slip that all Winnipeg Jets fans should find truly harrowing.

It is an open secret that Bettman has a certain disdain for Canadian markets. Bettman’s job is to bring the league revenue, and Canadian dollars just aren’t quite as lucrative as American ones.

Indeed, Bettman’s track record speaks for itself. Under his guidance, the NHL relocated the first rendition of the Jets to Arizona. It also plucked the Quebec Nordiques from Quebec City, Que., dropping them down in Denver, Col., where the team became the Avalanche.

Moreover, under Bettman’s management, the NHL has expanded to multiple very suspect hockey markets such as Las

Vegas, Nev., Dallas, Tx., Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and of course, Phoenix, Az.

But, on the possibility of expansion to Canadian markets, Bettman has said, “no, the NHL won’t give Canada another team because Canadians will watch hockey anyway, so we’ll make money off them whether they have a team or not.”

A perfect example of Bettman’s affinity for American teams is the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes myriad financial struggles have been well documented, including a bankruptcy in 2009, but like a stubborn mule, Bettman refuses to put them out of their misery.

Recently, the Coyotes were evicted from their home arena for missing payments. The team now plays on the Arizona State University campus in an arena that seats only 5,000 people.

Despite this lacklustre track record,

Bettman approved the construction of a new arena for the Coyotes, set to open in 2026.

Here’s where it gets interesting for Jets fans. Apparently, Bettman is quite pleased with the Coyotes’ financial numbers while playing at their miniscule college rink.

Forgetting to turn off his mic, Bettman turned to a colleague and murmured, “you know how Arizona’s building a new arena? Well, I’m starting to think, since the Coyotes are doing so well at Arizona State, those infernal Winnipeg Jets would look pretty good in it.” ivorybuffalo@themanitoban.com

“Even if both teams go bankrupt in the U.S., they’ll still be more profitable than anything based in Winnipeg,” he continued with a manic gleam in his eye.