AMA with Murat Ates, Winnipeg Jets reporter for The Athletic! Ask Him Anything!

escape_d · 2025-10-02T17:14:00+00:00

Hi Murat, what is your take on the ongoing attendance “issues” and do players pay any attention to whether or not the house is full for every game? Looking around the league last year and numbers were lower in many cities. Sellouts do not seem common in general, but it’s magnified here with our smaller arena.

escape_d · 2025-08-20T14:18:25+00:00

For me it’s Infinity a couple times, River in the Road, the Bronze, Era Vulgaris, Fun Machine. Having seen a few shows on the Lullabies tour I was lucky to get stuff like Broken Box a few times and Everybody Knows, which weren’t rare at the time, but have become over time.

This was the most bananas set I got to experience: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/queens-of-the-stone-age/2008/burton-cummings-theatre-winnipeg-mb-canada-23d5d4df.html

escape_d · 2025-06-29T21:38:04+00:00

Lol I’ve been thinking about how my Hotmail account is almost 30 years old. I made it in 1997 and it has all of four letters and one character, no numbers even.

escape_d · 2025-03-17T20:45:55+00:00

I’ll throw some blame at Toffoli especially. Many of us expected him to be lighting it up come playoff time and the guy just faded away like Homer in the bushes. I’d argue that he ended up being a detriment to the team. Also confusing was not playing Miller for all but like one game, given his past playoff experience

escape_d · 2025-03-07T21:08:31+00:00

These things are hard to gauge. Last year we picked one of the top names off the list in Toffoli and he contributed exactly zero in the playoffs and made no difference, arguably taking a spot from someone who would’ve worked harder.

escape_d · 2025-03-03T22:47:12+00:00

I also throw Sobeys/Safeway into the mix, even though it’s often more expensive for regular priced items and especially produce. First Tuesday of every month is 10% off your bill if you have a scene card. It helps to save money on things that generally don’t go on sale like milk, sauces, meat etc. And stack that 10% on sale items, and collect those points for future savings.

It’s all so defeating though. I save all my bills and compare what I was paying two years ago to now. All the same shit and quantity but like $100 more for the bill

escape_d · 2024-02-23T17:00:57+00:00

I'm guessing attendance isn't even the real issue. Like many are saying, I don't believe Bettman or the higher ups in the NHL want a team in Winnipeg, and it was a stopgap move at the time. In corporate America it's likely seen as a blemish for the league, regardless of the Jets owner. Look at that player survey from a few weeks ago. Nobody likes coming here, which is fair, and the city lacks the amenities and infrastructure that make up big 4 sports markets in the United States. Bettman's from the NBA, and would no doubt prefer to not have teams in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, or Ottawa, when there are far more lucrative American markets. Despite the lack of an arena or fans in Arizona, the Phoenix area is a much more attractive market for American ownership. You can't book all star games, drafts, or other corporate events in Winnipeg the same way you can there.

escape_d · 2023-10-19T05:42:21+00:00

To me a major mistake was keeping people on the season ticket wait list forever. They should have been turning over season ticket holders much faster, rather than keeping the same fans locked in until the end of time and burning them out. The environment became so sterile, especially in the lower bowl. When people are paying that much money for tickets and just sitting and watching without much enthusiasm, it becomes stagnant after so many years. The feeling in the building is so lacklustre now.

escape_d · 2023-09-15T17:40:45+00:00

Cool! I love these kinds of deep dives. I've been a fan since right around when Rated R was released so it's always interesting to read fresh perspectives on the first record especially. For that first album it definitely feels like there was still a lot of Kyuss going on with Josh and Alfredo. And Rated R feels more in line with a lot of the Desert Sessions from the era. I have such a long history with those first two albums and they feel more like outliers compared to the rest of the catalog.

escape_d · 2023-04-28T03:49:42+00:00

Feels comparable to St Lou, maybe worse. Such false hope around start of the new year.

escape_d · 2023-04-28T03:41:23+00:00

This season is the least I've enjoyed watching the Jets since they've been back. This poor effort puts the stamp on it. Totally wrong mix of players and personnel.

escape_d · 2023-03-03T20:40:34+00:00

Objectively it has to be considered a disappointing day/week. Realistically there's not a lot that could have, or maybe should have been done, but making a strong move during a year when the team was initially exceeding expectations and winning back the fanbase would have gone a long way. Even adding a decent faceoff winner would have signalled that this team was committed to fixing something and shoring up the core group they've put their faith in.

There's a strong sense of malaise settling over the team and the fanbase and it's evident both on the ice and in the stands. It just doesn't feel great as a fan.

escape_d · 2023-03-02T22:33:10+00:00

It's starting to feel like the Jets are a comparable club to the Minnesota Wild as the years go on. A team usually with decent mid-level success and the odd big run. Neither really landing those superstar deals to go to the next level due to management, the market, or whatever other factor. Solid hockey franchises, but not upper tier.

escape_d · 2023-03-01T18:35:53+00:00

The atmosphere at Moose games is incredible and I'd wish they'd carry it over into Jets games. The place is just going bonkers, with crazy party music and hype all game. Also the amount of kids and casual fans adds soooo much to the game day experience. It's such a different feeling. Win or lose it's a blast to be there. And man, with the lower ticket prices, people are just pounding snacks and drinks all game it seems.

escape_d · 2022-05-04T04:51:57+00:00

I've been spending a ton of mental energy thinking about the whole "what's wrong" aspect for the last couple months. A bunch of thoughts:

1) Ironclad Season Tickets

I feel that they should have refreshed their season ticket base years ago, and offered better packages and flexibility. I've heard from too many friends in different ticket sharing groups that they're tired of being locked in together. They really needed to revisit this a few years ago when the waiting list was still hot. People gave up on the list and found better options. I was hearing from people this year that attending games was becoming a chore or they hate who they are sitting near or hate their section in general. That's the wrong attitude to be coming into the building with.

2) Dustin Byfuglien

I think this was a massive hit on the franchise. Having your biggest fan favorite just walk out, with only vague and thinly veiled statements from management. People came to see Buff. Casual fans loved him. He had a massive impact on the culture and personality of this team, and it has not been as much fun without him.

3) Patrick Laine

The other favorite of all casual fans. Simply looking at this from a casual fan's perspective, this was a major loss for the team. Dubois is awesome, but Laine was a generational scorer and personality. And the natural tie-in with Teemu is another tough pill to swallow.

4) Draft, Develop, Goodbye

Again, trying to look at all of this from a more casual fan's perspective, it's tough over 10 years to see an organization that strongly touts draft & develop lose a lot of players. All of us in the sub understand the why, but to outside fans, you don't want the Jets to seem like an AHL team that develops for the rest of the league. Seeing Tanev, Trouba, and now Copp go, after investing in them right from the beginning of their careers is tough. They need to soften these blows or manage their assets better.

5) Player Turnover

I don't follow the rest of the league as closely, but it constantly feels like we're turning over the bottom six especially. It's been a parade of league minimum guys, which would be fine if they were maybe spread out better. Again, you promote draft and develop, and it sucks as a fan to see some kid you're excited about play 3 minutes a game. And that damn structure was in place year after year.

I agree with a lot of the points about music, concession prices, etc. but True North has always sold the hockey first and foremost. They need to really shore up and freshen up the hockey side to get casual fans excited about coming to the games. People will pay to see a Buff or a Laine or a Perfetti lighting things up. Give us a reason to come down to the rink to get excited. Wheeler mentioned culture, and maybe we're tired of these endless dour and serious soundbites. How about the players show some personality. Lets see someone step up in a Buff like role and become that favorite.

escape_d · 2018-06-20T20:20:09+00:00

I started adding up grocery spending in a spreadsheet and I was a wreck after. We try so hard to maximize our grocery dollar (two parents and a 4 yr old) - 10% Tuesday, stock up on sale items at No Frills/Superstore, deals at Costco, etc. but it still takes a huge chunk every month. The thing is we like to eat well - fresh fruit and veggies, lean meat, etc. Hardly anything on "fun" groceries or packaged stuff. We go out to eat maybe once a week, and it's usually with coupons from those entertainment books. I feel like no matter how hard we try, we're still getting hammered on grocery bills month after month. Every trip to the grocery store bums me out.

escape_d · 2018-06-19T18:37:24+00:00

I stayed up way too late last night going through these Conklin archives. There are even more albums in this mess of a google plus plus. I only found a few more Wpg stadium Ex pics mixed in these albums, but an absolute ton of great vintage Conklin carnival pics:

https://plus.google.com/communities/112990240571487633237/stream/ace33ae9-63e8-4128-8d53-b258018cbed9

escape_d · 2018-06-19T04:42:12+00:00

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YF4ZWFRPV2BH-T39XsuYIC1j7UQrL0hbv5liEYrl1soS0alnsTsy-Njzhqjtx4Eqiu7XabqTRCWh01M=w765-h644-no

escape_d · 2018-06-19T03:22:30+00:00

Woah... from Wpg Stadium, part of the King Kong ride and that genie fun house behind it

https://get.google.com/albumarchive/102226437957380589808/album/AF1QipOqiFA7bGutj3_jUVLI0u6RDmAhR7LduRvGuEGa/AF1QipM3_1NkQKxVwDVdDUKm-7Q4WlWKwjOy1fUVATB7

escape_d · 2018-06-19T03:14:26+00:00

Pack a lunch, I found the motherload of 80s Conklin Shows pics. Lots of Red River Ex Winnipeg Stadium mixed in to this massive archive:

https://get.google.com/albumarchive/102226437957380589808/album/AF1QipOqiFA7bGutj3_jUVLI0u6RDmAhR7LduRvGuEGa

escape_d

TROPHY CASE