Private | |
Industry | Professional sports, property management, entertainment |
Founded | 2001 |
Headquarters | Second Floor, 345 Graham Ave. Winnipeg, Manitoba |
Key people
|
Mark Chipman, Chairman Jim Ludlow, President & CEO |
Products |
Winnipeg Jets (NHL) Manitoba Moose (AHL) MTS Centre MTS Iceplex Burton Cummings Theatre Formerly St. John's IceCaps (AHL), 2011–2015 |
Owner |
Megill-Stephenson Co. Osmington Incorporated |
Number of employees
|
175 |
Website | tnse |
True North Sports and Entertainment Limited (TNSE) is a Winnipeg, Manitoba based company that owns and operates the MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. The company also owns the Jets' minor league affiliate, the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. Aside from hockey, TNSE is also active in bringing high-profile concerts and entertainment acts to Winnipeg.
TNSE was founded in 2001 by Manitoba Moose co-owner Mark Chipman and several local investors. Their goal was to build a new entertainment and sports venue in downtown Winnipeg to help revive the city's downtown area and possibly one day bring an NHL franchise back to Winnipeg. The original Winnipeg Jets played in the city from 1972 to 1996 before relocating to Phoenix, Arizona. Ownership of the Moose was transferred to TNSE in 2003.
The 15,004-seat MTS Centre was completed in fall 2004 and became the new home of the Moose, replacing the Winnipeg Arena. The arena was built at a cost of $133.5 million on land acquired from Osmington Incorporated, a real estate firm owned by Toronto billionaire David Thomson. In exchange for the land, Osmington took a minority share in TNSE. Since its opening, the new arena has also hosted numerous concerts and other non-hockey events, and become one of the busiest entertainment venues in North America.
Since the MTS Centre's opening, Chipman and Thomson have gradually bought out TNSE's other shareholders to gain sole ownership of the company. Chipman's shares are held through his family's holding company, Megill-Stephenson Company, while Thomson's are held through Osmington Incorporated.