{"id":41884,"date":"2026-02-07T04:26:37","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T09:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/07\/beyond-the-ice-exploring-the-billion-dollar-dream-driving-the-winnipeg-jets\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T04:26:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T09:26:37","slug":"beyond-the-ice-exploring-the-billion-dollar-dream-driving-the-winnipeg-jets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/07\/beyond-the-ice-exploring-the-billion-dollar-dream-driving-the-winnipeg-jets\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Ice: Exploring the Billion-Dollar Dream Driving the Winnipeg Jets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hockey News has announced that their extensive 76-year collection of historical stories, features, and other content is now accessible to all subscribers of THN. Subscribers can explore the entire archive through a provided link or sign up for free at thn.com\/free. <\/p>\n<p>Regarding the NHL\u2019s valuation, estimates vary: Forbes places it at $1.35 billion, Sportico at $1.33 billion, and Rustan at $1.5 billion. The discussion also highlights the ownership of the Winnipeg Jets, notably Mark Chipman. It\u2019s remarkable that 15 years have passed since the Jets\u2019 return to Winnipeg. Chipman\u2019s vision turned into reality despite the failures of other leagues to regain markets lost to relocation, such as Minnesota and Atlanta. After the Jets left in 1996, Chipman\u2019s strategic move to buy and relocate the Minnesota Moose to Winnipeg proved instrumental in proving fan support and prompting the team&#8217;s NHL return. Since then, True North Sports &amp; Entertainment has energized Winnipeg through significant investments in the team and downtown development, including constructing True North Square\u2014comprising residential, office, retail, and healthcare facilities\u2014and acquiring the Portage Place Mall to expand the downtown core.<\/p>\n<p>A rising business leader within the organization is John Olfert, who became President and COO a decade after graduating from the University of Winnipeg. Olfert has played a pivotal role in the team\u2019s business expansions, including the Jets\u2019 acquisition, the return of the Manitoba Moose, and the purchase of the Burton Cummings Theatre.<\/p>\n<p>In hockey operations, Kevin Cheveldayoff serves as the general manager and EVP. Despite Winnipeg\u2019s reputation as a less desirable destination, Cheveldayoff has successfully managed trades and signings, demonstrating strong leadership and a positive team culture that attracts and retains key players like Scheifele, Hellebuyck, and Connor, even amidst players\u2019 desires to leave.<\/p>\n<p>The Jets\u2019 social media approach is notably innovative, earning them the Stanley Award for Social Media Club of the Year. Under leaders like Adam Krueger and Tyler Esquivel, their strategy emphasizes engaging, social-first content\u2014such as behind-the-scenes videos, live shows, and community features\u2014that fosters a strong connection with fans. Their YouTube channel, in particular, has expanded with exclusive content like pre- and post-game shows and a documentary series called &#8220;Runway,&#8221; offering an inside look at the team\u2019s season.<\/p>\n<p>To access the full magazine archive, free issues, or subscribe to The Hockey News, fans can visit THN.com\/Free. The platform also encourages community engagement through comments and forums to share opinions and insights on hockey topics.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fan Take:<\/strong> This news underscores how integral fan engagement and strategic investments are to the sport\u2019s growth and sustainability. As teams like Winnipeg demonstrate, building community loyalty through content and real estate development can redefine a franchise\u2019s future, inspiring hope for other markets seeking NHL inclusion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hockey News has announced that their extensive 76-year collection of historical stories, features, and other content is now accessible to all subscribers of THN. Subscribers can explore the entire archive through a provided link or sign up for free at thn.com\/free. Regarding the NHL\u2019s valuation, estimates vary: Forbes places it at $1.35 billion, Sportico at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[730],"tags":[734],"class_list":{"0":"post-41884","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-nhl"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}