Winnipeg Predators?

I’m not talking about the street thugs, gangsters and criminals that are roaming the streets of Winnipeg just waiting to steal your car, but the Nashville Predators franchise sale.

Was the ‘Bring back the Jets’ announcement a campaign blunder or a statement with vision? The speech that “crystallized the campaign” in the words of a colleague, should have been sounded off of more minds than just the inner policy circle, but that very statement could be the words that make Hugh McFadyen our next Premier. It shows a willingness to take a risk to gain the votes of Manitobans as a perk of success under a PC government. This was probably an inappropriate comment for that time and stage in the election and probably something that should have been announced after winning, but at this point, it makes no difference.

Bringing the NHL back to Winnipeg might not as far fetched as it may seem. I wouldn’t call it a “reckless promise” but an inquiry into the possibility of Winnipeg being the host of a world class hockey team again. As we all see now, the Nashville Predators are for sale. Granted, the team will probably go to a large market area, but it is an indicator that it may still be possible to land a team in Winnipeg in the next 4 years. It is an indicator that as support for hockey in the US falls; the NHL will eventually have to look north of the border. Winnipeg is the next likely city north of the border for an NHL franchise.

If it is to occur (a team taking root in Winnipeg), what will the result be? How will Hugh McFadyen’s campaign speech be remembered? Will he be seen as a visionary, as he rightfully should be?

By making the speech it had alienated some party members and most importantly - voters, but is it truly a look at the big picture in that he had the foresight to market himself in a manner which reflects an heir of optimism. Now that the election is lost, if it is to occur, McFadyen will be portrayed with an angelic white glow. The fact that this man was daring enough to announce publicly such an ambitious concept bodes well for him in years to come, especially if a team is placed in Winnipeg. If a team actually comes to Winnipeg, Hugh McFadyen will be seen as the man who made it happen, the man with the vision, and the man who supports progress and a better Manitoba.

Over the next 4 years of NDP government, we get to say “I told you so” as the province declines even further, but if an NHL team arrives in Winnipeg within the next decade, Hugh McFadyen will be the one who can legitimately say “I told you so.”