In his 32 Thoughts article on Tuesday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman mentioned that one NHL executive posed the question if any Canadian teams would consider playing home games in Saskatoon given that they don't have any restrictions.
"Interesting question posed by one executive: would any Canadian teams consider temporarily playing home games at the 15,000-seat SaskTel Centre, home of the WHL's Saskatoon Blades? Saskatchewan is still allowing full capacity at this time. Obviously, the NHL, the NHLPA and the province would have to approve," Friedman said.
Now tonight, Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the Winnipeg Jets are exploring the possibility of playing some home games in Saskatoon. The team has also sent out a survey to their season ticket holders asking for their thoughts on having the Jets play home games in a different city.
"Earlier tonight, the Winnipeg Jets sent out a survey asking season-seat holders their opinion on the possibility of home games in another jurisdiction. It is believed the Jets are exploring playing some games at Saskatoon's SaskTel Centre while there are attendance restrictions in Manitoba. That arena seats 15,000. At this point, Saskatchewan does not have restrictions. Obviously, there is work that needs to be done, and approvals to be secured. But the Jets are doing their legwork," Friedman said.
Winnipeg's next home game isn't until Saturday, January 15th against the Ottawa Senators. If they are wanting to play a home game in Saskatoon that quick, then they'll have to reach an agreement with the NHL, NHLPA and province of Saskatchewan within the next few days.
attendance restrictions in Manitoba. That arena seats 15,000. At this point, Saskatchewan does not have restrictions. Obviously, there is work that needs to be done, and approvals to be secured. But the Jets are doing their legwork.— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 7, 2022
Related: SASKATOON MAY BE AN OPTION FOR CANADIAN NHL TEAMS THIS SEASON TO PLAY IN FRONT OF FANS
