Winnipeg Jets - Are we still talking about this business?

I cannot believe this is still going on people?! It's over! They're not coming back. And if they did...for anyone who hooked back up with an old girlfriend or boyfriend, we know how this ends.

Sure, its all hot and heavy to start. Love is back in the air. You change your schedule to make sure you see them all the time. They're on your mind constantly. You wear their sweater. You spend hours wondering how you ever survived without them. Then - once a week has passed - you question why you ever got yourself back in the mess?

I loved the Jets when they were here. I watched and went to a lot of games. Cheered madly when they were in the playoffs, wearing white everywhere I went. But its the past we're in love with. The business of the NHL has changed dramatically since the time of the Jets. We could see this coming well before that when our beloved Canadian son Wayne Gretzky moved from Edmonton to L.A. That was the beginning of the end.

Yes, we have a brand new facility to house the team that would look great on all the American T.V. stations. Yes, we have more corporations headquartered in Winnipeg that could provide sponsorship, but this isn't enough. The salaries have sky-rocketed since January 19, 1996, and so have ticket prices. Last time I checked, Winnipeg's wallets were strapped to their thighs tight as the pair of jeans I wore to the school dance back when the Jets were still here. Skin tight jeans are out of style - and so are the Jets! Hell... we can't even fill the Canad Inns Stadium when our Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in the playoffs! "Why would I go out in the cold when I can watch it from home?"

I realize that the Phoenix Coyotes are close to folding, so its natural to reminisce of the past, and fantasize about how good it can still be. "I know if I respect her more this time, and show how much I love her, we can make it work..." Not gonna happen.

So, instead of living in fantasy, why not go and cheer on our Manitoba Moose. Be thankful we have quality hockey that is affordable for the whole family. For the little ones, its just as exciting. It's only you old Jets' fans that suffer at the games. Psst...that's why they serve beer.