WINNIPEG - It has long been suggested the Winnipeg Jets owners have no say in the current labour negotiations, and a report out of Boston confirms that line of thinking.
Bruins insider Joe Haggerty of Comcast Sportsnet New England reports a Jets alternate governor, not principal owner Mark Chipman, was admonished recently by Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs at a Board of Governors meeting, for suggesting the NHL's newest franchise is not in favour of a prolonged lockout.
Haggerty says the Jets alternate governor, whom he did not identify, said the franchise "was opposed to engaging in a long, bloody lockout sure to stymie their franchise's momentum and hurt the game of hockey."
At that point Jacobs, considered one of the owners' driving forces behind the lockout, "answered by reprimanding the Winnipeg representative as one of the 'new kids on the block' and informed him that he would know when he was allowed to speak in the NHL boardroom."
Mark Chipman and David Thomson of True North Sports and Entertainment paid $170 million in 2011 to purchase the Atlanta Thrashers and move them to Winnipeg. About $60 million of that money was a franchise relocation fee which was divvied up amongst the other owners.
The Jets were extremely successful in their return to Winnipeg, selling out every game and becoming a top seller in terms of merchandise.
When Forbes released its NHL franchise values report Wednesday, it pegged the Jets at about $200 million, which is $90 million more than what it was worth in Atlanta.
Despite that, Jets ownership has been forced to go along with the rest of the league in a lockout that is hurting their momentum and putting a sour taste back into the mouths of fans who went 15 years without a team before the Jets finally returned last season.
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