Ticket Drive a Test for Winnipeg's NHL Hopes

True North Sports and Entertainment seems set on bringing an NHL team back to Winnipeg. But is the market big enough?

Winnipeg hockey fans are going to have to fork over millions of dollars if they're serious about bringing an NHL team back. True North Sports and Entertainment, the ownership group priming to bring the Phoenix Coyotes back to their rightful home, is likely to soon call upon Winnipeggers to buy season tickets for the next three seasons in an expensive pledge of support. Helmed by Canada's richest man, David Thomson, the group's call for ticket purchases would gauge the viability of keeping a team afloat in a small market whose arena, with a capacity of 15,000, is much smaller than the NHL average.

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