The NHL or the National Hockey League is in the playoff season which means exciting hockey for fans of the sport. In the Globe and Mail there was an article about the Winnipeg Jets titled Jets set the bar for small-market franchises. On the same day there was a picture of some of the fans who attended the game and it seemed everyone was wearing $ 100 Winnipeg Jets’ sweaters. In simpler terms the fans are very passionate about their team being in the playoffs. How well they will do is another issue, but how did they get there is today’s subject. The commissioner of the league Gary Bettman said there were 3 reasons why the Jets are very popular in the city.

1. Ownership – they have deep pockets as well as very committed and passionate about the game. The owners have done many things correct.

2. The arena is new with the bells and whistles in it as well as seemingly to be an intimate setting.

3. the NHL has a system of parity (revenue sharing) which allows all teams to be competitive and sustainable. Although big market teams can and often spend more money.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, the 3 above reasons can easily be translated to any sector of the economy. Ownership or management is a deciding factor in the success of an organization. The building or the equipment the people use or the technology the people use to deliver their goods and services has to be current. (there are very few organizations you deal with that do not have email). The third factor is the competitive environment, in the NHL they try to keep large areas as monopolies, although the competition is whatever else people do if they were not watching hockey. When you are evaluating your investments, if you are a sports fan bridge to investments.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions