Drive to 13,000 Complete in Record Time

The "Drive to 13,000" is complete in Winnipeg in record time.

True North Sports and Entertainment announced on Saturday that it had reached its goal of selling 13,000 season tickets less than 17 minutes after tickets were made available to the public. As of Friday, the group had sold 7,158 packages in a pre-sale to Manitoba Moose season ticket holders and corporate sponsors of the team.

“We would like to take a special moment to thank all of our fans in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Canada for their support over the past week, in particular, the overwhelming response of our fans which has resulted in a successful ‘Drive to 13,000’ campaign,” said Jim Ludlow, President & CEO, True North Sports & Entertainment. “The success of the campaign is a key ingredient to ensuring the sustainability and long-term viability of NHL hockey in this province. We look forward to seeing everyone this Fall at MTS Centre for opening night of regular season NHL hockey in Winnipeg.”

Fans still wanting to get their hands on season tickets were able to join a waiting list shortly after tickets had sold out, but that was soon filled up as True North capped the list at 8,000 people.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement prior to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Vancouver, praising the city of Winnipeg for reaching the 13,000 tickets sold goal so quickly.

"While I had no doubt the 'Drive to 13,000' would reach its destination, the remarkable speed at which it got there certifies the fans' hunger for NHL hockey and their commitment to True North's initiatives." Bettman said.

Now the attention turns from selling season tickets to what the team in Winnipeg will be named. True North communications director Scott Brown revealed on Thursday that the team name would be announced once the Drive to 13,000 had been reached.