Many of the avid hockey fans on here will most likely now have heard the news that The True North Sports group has purchased the Atlanta Thrashers and is planning to move them to Winnipeg to bring back the NHL in Manitoba.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=564247

Obviously with the good comes the bad, and it is sad to see a city and its fans loose a team; but at the same time it is always great to see a city so excited and enthusiastic about having an NHL team.

So what are your opinions on this? Are you an excited Winnipeg resident looking forward to supporting NHL hockey again, or are you an Atlanta Thrashers fan still in disbelief that its almost all over for your team?

Yeah I'm sure the Thrashers fan are saddened by the move, after all of the memories of the long 12-year history of the franchise...

Congrats to Winnipeg, will they be changing the team name back to the Jets? What will become of the AHL's Moose?

Quoting homer71 (Reply 1): Congrats to Winnipeg, will they be changing the team name back to the Jets? What will become of the AHL's Moose?

The Jets name is owned and trademarked by the Coyotes. The Moose is going to be moved to St. John's, Newfoundland.

Quoting homer71 (Reply 1): Congrats to Winnipeg, will they be changing the team name back to the Jets?

I would hope so, but there may be too much legal wrangling involved.

Quoting homer71 (Reply 1): Yeah I'm sure the Thrashers fan are saddened by the move,

All eight of them.

Quoting FlyKev (Thread starter): Obviously with the good comes the bad, and it is sad to see a city and its fans loose a team; but at the same time it is always great to see a city so excited and enthusiastic about having an NHL team.

Will these enthusiastic Winnipeg fans support the Thrashers (or what ever name they choose) as will as they did the Jets? If so, in 10 years they will be looking at Oklahoma City?

Quoting BMI727 (Reply 3): All eight of them.

I seem to recall seeing quite a few more than that at the games I went to.

Too bad they're leaving. Oh well.

I attended the first Atlanta Thrasher game ever. It was an exhibition game with the Boston Bruins played in Columbus, Georgia in August 1999.

I feel bad for the fans, even if there weren't that many of them. Losing a team always sucks.
A couple things from my persepctive as a hawks fan are that I have got to feel bad for Ladd and Byfuglien. They come off a cup win only to be shipped off to an admittingly second rate team and as soon as they adjust to at least being in a warm climate...

Also, True North wants to keep the Moose as the affiliate team which unfortunately means unless a third team gets involved in a deal the Wolves are going to end up with Vancouver. Hopefully their management is smart enough to know that aligning with a team that is absolutely despised by nearly every hockey fan in your city is probably a bad idea, especially since they've already been losing attendence the last few years since the Hawks have been relevant again.

I am very pleased to see the city of Winnipeg getting an NHL franchise back. It was kind of a bummer to see them leave for PHX. My first NHL game was St. Louis Blues vs the Winnipeg Jets. So they hold a small place in my heart. lol

The NHL is officially dead to me.

Signed,

An Angry Atlanta Thrashers Fan.

One thing to remember is that this still requires approval from the Board Of Governors (75% must approve the sale and only a majority approval to relocate.) and there are rumblings that the numbers may not be there. I'm sure the teams in the Southeast aren't looking forward to the extra travel costs this season since if the Thrashers do relocate, the team (whatever the name is) will remain in the Southeast for this season (Same can be said about the rest of the Eastern Conference teams.). Plus I'm sure some will object to the majority owner of the Thrashers getting $20 million of the $60 million relocation fee (This is the first time the NHL has charged a relocation fee. They have forced a few teams (Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils) to pay a territory fee for moving into the territory of an existing NHL club (in the case of the Devils, to multiple clubs).


Atlanta Spirit Group never wanted this team to begin with and only took it as it was the only way Turner Sports was going to sell them the Hawks and the Philips Arena operating rights. In recent months, they've claimed they've been trying to sell the team for a number of years, but because of the longtime legal battle with former member of the ownership group Steve Belkin (triggered by his refusal to allow the Hawks to trade for Joe Johnson), they've only had several months in which they've had clear title to all of the assets they owned (They settled with Belkin back in December in which he relinquished his stake in the ownership, but no money changed hands, as he owed the rest of the ownership since he was not required to contribute to capital calls due to the lawsuit.). Not too long after that, Atlanta Spirit decided to sue the law firm that wrote up the ownership agreement (Supposedly this agreement is over 600 pages and fills up 6 binders.) Supposedly, a group lead by former NHL player Anson Carter made an offer in January to ASG for everything (Thrashers, Hawks, arena operating rights) of $350 million, but were rebuffed.

I think nobody interested in keeping the Thrashers here wanted to buy the team if they had to be tenants to Atlanta Spirit, as they really had let a lot of things interior-wise stay in disrepair.

The Atlanta Spirit Group is really going to shoot itself in the foot if the NBA has a lockout, as there's no telling how many game dates would be wiped out in addition to the 43+ home games (including preseason) lost if the Thrashers do in fact relocate. They've been losing concerts and other events to venues in the suburbs (Arena @ Gwinnett Center and Cobb Energy Center), so one begins to wonder how much longer they will remain a viable entity.

Quoting srbmod (Reply 9):

Interesting, hadn't heard the BOG were against moving the Thrashers. Bettman's comments were bland, as usual, during the press conference. But why would the TrueNorth group really go through with this if they knew the BOG were dead-set against it? Lord, the Canadian media must be having a field day with this story. NHL Network blocked off four hours of regular coverage for the press conference and Q&A.

Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 10): Interesting, hadn't heard the BOG were against moving the Thrashers. Bettman's comments were bland, as usual, during the press conference. But why would the TrueNorth group really go through with this if they knew the BOG were dead-set against it? Lord, the Canadian media must be having a field day with this story. NHL Network blocked off four hours of regular coverage for the press conference and Q&A.

There's been reports in a few articles in the last week of there possibly not being enough votes. There's been so many conflicting articles in regards to this entire matter, that who really knows what the truth is. I could potentially see TNSE being approved to buy the team, but get denied relocation (more than likely a one season delay since this is coming so suddenly that realignment is not possible). Then again, if there isn't enough support for the sale and it gets vetoed, could Atlanta Spirit possibly do like what Ralston Purina did in 1983 after the BoG vetoed the sale and relocation of the Blues from St. Louis to Saskatoon and turn the keys over to the NHL?

My own thought is that the NHL should get its' own house in order with the Coyotes before they allow any other teams to be relocated. More than likely, the NHL will be back in the same place they were with the Coyotes just a few weeks back, and at this point, I highly doubt the City of Glendale will subsidize another $25 million in losses. What are they going to do then? Move them to somewhere like Kansas City, Houston, Hamilton, Portland or Quebec City and hope someone buys them from them (The way it looks, the deal the NHL had to sale the Coyotes to Hulsizer is dead in the water.)?

If the Thrashers move, there's very little chance of another NHL team coming here (Crazier things have happened.), and the only way an AHL team is put here is via relocation. For the time being, it looks as though Atlanta's sole pro hockey team could be the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL. But who knows if they could still be successful if the Thrashers move (The Gladiators have an affiliation with the Thrashers and the Chicago Wolves, the Thrashers' AHL affiliate.). There's no way their owners will move the team Downtown.

Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 2): The Jets name is owned and trademarked by the Coyotes.

And the Coyotes are themselves owned by the NHL, so it really doesn't matter.

Quoting srbmod (Reply 11): There's been reports in a few articles in the last week of there possibly not being enough votes. There's been so many conflicting articles in regards to this entire matter, that who really knows what the truth is. I could potentially see TNSE being approved to buy the team, but get denied relocation (more than likely a one season delay since this is coming so suddenly that realignment is not possible). Then again, if there isn't enough support for the sale and it gets vetoed, could Atlanta Spirit possibly do like what Ralston Purina did in 1983 after the BoG vetoed the sale and relocation of the Blues from St. Louis to Saskatoon and turn the keys over to the NHL?

I haven't heard any reports of that nature, but Bettman, while disappointed ATL didn't work out, has been totally supportive of TrueNorth. He also was trying to stem the tide of speculation that could have reports of the Coyotes to Quebec or the Panthers to Quebec spreading like wildfire through the Canadian media. I could never understand why ATL ownership has been so terrible, it's a major market with plenty of potential. If Nashville and Raleigh can make NHL hockey work, why on earth does Atlanta have problems?

Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 13): If Nashville and Raleigh can make NHL hockey work, why on earth does Atlanta have problems?

I have been told by co-workers who either worked in Atlanta or grew up there that, outside of college football, it is a horrible "sports town." Can anyone from ATL elaborate?

[Edited 2011-05-31 14:34:29]

Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 13): I could never understand why ATL ownership has been so terrible, it's a major market with plenty of potential. If Nashville and Raleigh can make NHL hockey work, why on earth does Atlanta have problems?

Because the ownership only cared about the Hawks. They barely marketed the Thrashers, and what marketing they did was confined to a certain part of town (I guess they didn't think there were hockey fans all over Metro Atlanta.). There are huge banners inside of Philips Arena promoting the Hawks and Hawks players, but only a handful of blink and you miss them ones for the Thrashers. They spend to the cap once and that was it. They alienated the season ticket holder base by insulting some of them and by raising prices after a losing season that had been preceded by the Division title. They did away for the majority of home games this season, an entire section of the upper deck that used to draw huge crowds because tickets were $10, and made the $10 seats some of the worst seats in the ends upper deck.

What's going to hurt is that there are restaurants in the neighboring CNN Center that more than likely will close their doors or severely cut their staffs, as the fans going to Thrashers games filled these places up, but the same was not true when the Hawks were playing.

Some have said that had the Thrashers played in an arena located elsewhere in town that was easier for the bulk of their fan base to get to, they probably would have drawn better. I know I would go to games and folks would show up to a 7:30 game in the middle of the first period or at the first intermission because they had to fight traffic. Supposedly, there had originally been an arena proposed (before Philips Arena was built) on the northside of Atlanta near where GA-400 meets I-285. It would have been on the MARTA line, so that folks who live intown or on the southside could easily get to games, but in the end, the deal to build the arena on the site of the Omni ended up happening.

Quoting srbmod (Reply 9): The NHL is officially dead to me. Signed, An Angry Atlanta Thrashers Fan.

Why be angry at the NHL when it seems, from your post, that it's the management in Atlanta that's the reason the team is leaving?

I feel bad for the Atlanta fans, who deserved better. But Winnipeg is a big hockey town, and it's nice that they'll get another shot to make it work.

Quoting Maverick623 (Reply 12): Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 2): The Jets name is owned and trademarked by the Coyotes. And the Coyotes are themselves owned by the NHL, so it really doesn't matter.

   And the Coyotes are next, anyway.

Quoting P3Orion (Reply 14): I have been told by co-workers who either worked in Atlanta or grew up there that, outside of college football, it is a horrible "sports town." Can anyone from ATL elaborate?

They do fail to sell out Braves games during the Division Series.

-Mir

Quoting P3Orion (Reply 14): I have been told by co-workers who either worked in Atlanta or grew up there that, outside of college football, it is a horrible "sports town." Can anyone from ATL elaborate?

To sum up the Atlanta sports fan: When I first moved here 1991 you saw lots of bumper stickers that read: GO BRAVES & TAKE THE FALCONS WITH YOU or GO BRAVES & TAKE THE HAWKS WITH YOU!

I been to a lot of Brave, Thrashers and Falcon games (never been to a basketball game and don't care if I ever do) most of the time the fans for the visiting team would almost out number the Atlanta team fans.

Quoting srbmod (Reply 15):

Great post, I have heard about the problems, I even read a favorite blog of mine commenting "what a terrible hockey market" to acres and acres of empty seats at Phillips. The ATL fans commented back saying how much they hated ownership and wished for a sale.

Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 2): The Jets name is owned and trademarked by the Coyotes. The Moose is going to be moved to St. John's, Newfoundland.

As far as i know, and the patent and trademark office agrees, the Jets name is owned by the NHL(which yes, in turn owns the coyotes, but as far as i have heard it is not because they own the coyotes). As far as the moose, its either going to be saskatchewan or newfoundland.

Anyway, congrats to True North. The ownership group is one of the strongest out there and they have run the moose franchise and MTS Centre the best way possible over the last 7 years. I have heard from friends that have worked closely with True North in the past, the group has a great acumen for their business.

Anyway, my friends and I will be purchasing, or putting a deposit down, on our season tickets tomorrow. Hope the rest of the Winnipeggers do the same. I know the company I work for will be doing the same.

As far as the BOG of the NHL not agreeing, i can't imagine they would have a problem. Bettman would have been in contact with most or all of them and he would have a better handle than any other media person. The problem is there is no other choice. They either give revenue sharing to the team in Atlanta, or they give revenue sharing to the team in Winnipeg. The owners of True North have deep pockets and have the other revenue from the MTS Centre to fall back on.

This is the second NHL team in ATL to leave for another Canadian city.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Flames

If history repeats itself, ATL will get another hockey team.

Quoting elbandgeek (Reply 7): A couple things from my persepctive as a hawks fan are that I have got to feel bad for Ladd and Byfuglien.

They're both going closer to home. Ladd is from BC and Byfuglien is from Minnesota.

Quoting srbmod (Reply 9): I'm sure the teams in the Southeast aren't looking forward to the extra travel costs this season since if the Thrashers do relocate, the team (whatever the name is) will remain in the Southeast for this season (Same can be said about the rest of the Eastern Conference teams.).

They can keep it for one season and then send the Preds or someone else to the Eastern conference.

Quoting srbmod (Reply 9): The Atlanta Spirit Group is really going to shoot itself in the foot if the NBA has a lockout, as there's no telling how many game dates would be wiped out in addition to the 43+ home games (including preseason) lost if the Thrashers do in fact relocate.

Rumblings are the NBA lockout could be worse than the NFL.

Quoting srbmod (Reply 15): It would have been on the MARTA line, so that folks who live intown or on the southside could easily get to games, but in the end, the deal to build the arena on the site of the Omni ended up happening.

Seems easier to get a light rail line to a stadium than a stadium to a light rail line.

Quoting BMI727 (Reply 21): Quoting srbmod (Reply 9): I'm sure the teams in the Southeast aren't looking forward to the extra travel costs this season since if the Thrashers do relocate, the team (whatever the name is) will remain in the Southeast for this season (Same can be said about the rest of the Eastern Conference teams.). They can keep it for one season and then send the Preds or someone else to the Eastern conference.

Oh, boo-hoo... Travel time in the east. Boo-hoo.... Look what the West has been dealing with since the conferences and divisions were named after people. Toronto used to be in the Campbell (West) conference. I think Nashville to the Southeast and Winnipeg in the Central.

While we're at it, let's go back to the old way of things in the NHL: Conferences and divisions named after the important people in the history of the game. Wales, Campbell, Smythe, and so forth. Adds to the history and uniqueness that is hockey.

I'm not a avid NHL fan but this decision is stupid from the NHL's point of view. World Sport is becoming more and more competitive and to move one team even if it was losing money from a developing area to an area where Hockey will always be the number 1 sport is managment stupidity of the highest order. It doesn't make any sense and Not trying to harp on Winnipeg but the city is a dump and I very much doubt that they have thecCorporate support to run a team on top of a small seater capacity stadium to make it any more viable than Atlanta.

It will be nice to have a team, in addition to the Sioux, within 3 hours of GFK to really root for.

My friend is a Canad-o-phile, and I haven't stopped hearing about this since the news first broke.    Hopefully, YWG isn't so fickle this time around.

As a southern hockey fan, I'm sad to see my birth city loose its Thrashers, but there was not much that could be done. The owners wanted out, the city wouldn't touch the team with a 10 foot pole, and no local owners stepped up. I wish Winnipeg better luck than Atlanta had with the team.
GO PREDS!
Matt in Nashville, TN

Quoting weebie (Reply 23): I'm not a avid NHL fan but this decision is stupid from the NHL's point of view. World Sport is becoming more and more competitive and to move one team even if it was losing money from a developing area to an area where Hockey will always be the number 1 sport is managment stupidity of the highest order. It doesn't make any sense and Not trying to harp on Winnipeg but the city is a dump and I very much doubt that they have thecCorporate support to run a team on top of a small seater capacity stadium to make it any more viable than Atlanta.

The NHL's stupidity in Atlanta started when they approved the last ownership group. They didn't really care about hockey or even running the team. Their best players were shipped away while the owners kept themselves busy in the courtroom fighting each other. Meanwhile in Winnipeg, True North spent their time running a club that was pretty much the crown jewel of the AHL, produced a coach that went on to win the Stanley cup, and one that is in the finals, and being the proving ground for many of the stars of the current crop of canucks. They operate an arena and entertainment promotion company that is ranked in the top 5 of Canada for non sporting events for tickets sold in a dump of a city.

Winnipeg isn't the be all and end all, but it isn't as bad as visitors think it is. Our unemployment is very low and our economy essentially got through the last few years without much of a blip. Our housing market has not had even a down year for as long as I can remember. I know i sound like a cheerleader but Winnipeg has really been on an upswing the last 5 years or so. Do we have a long way to go? Sure. We will never be Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, but we can be the best Winnipeg can be. This is just another step along the way.

The problem was they had no choice really with the Thrashers. The NHL's hands are full supporting the Coyotes and with no other options for owners they had to either relocate or contract.

Quoting seb146 (Reply 22): While we're at it, let's go back to the old way of things in the NHL: Conferences and divisions named after the important people in the history of the game. Wales, Campbell, Smythe, and so forth. Adds to the history and uniqueness that is hockey.

Non-hockey people did not care or understand the reasoning behind the division names when that was done. The whole reason the divisions and conference were renamed was marketing. Why make something even more of a niche sport than it already is?

Quoting scrubbsywg (Reply 26): The NHL's stupidity in Atlanta started when they approved the last ownership group. They didn't really care about hockey or even running the team. Their best players were shipped away while the owners kept themselves busy in the courtroom fighting each other.

The part that's even crazier is that Atlanta Spirit buying the teams actually ended up costing Turner Broadcasting a bunch of money in the end (more than what they sold the Hawks and Thrashers for), as they were found to be in breach of contract to David McDavid, with whom Turner had made a deal to buy the Thrashers, Hawks and arena operating rights (For a reported $96 million.). They dumped the deal, disclosed information about the deal to Atlanta Spirit. The case went to trial and in December 2008, Turner Broadcasting was ordered a to pay Mr. McDavid $281 million for breach of contract (He had been asking for $450 million). They appealed the verdict and last August, they dropped their appeals and agreed to pay him the $281 million he had been awarded.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2003/09/15/daily8.html
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/....html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
http://www.ajc.com/business/turner-b...adcasting-system-drops-602714.html

Quoting seb146 (Reply 22): Seems easier to get a light rail line to a stadium than a stadium to a light rail line.

There's no light rail in Atlanta; MARTA has a heavy rail subway type system. The Philips Arena stop on the MARTA line dates back to when the Omni was on that site and when the MARTA rail system was being laid out, it was a natural location for a stop. At the time the northside arena was being proposed, MARTA was getting ready to open a station near the site being proposed. As shown with Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and later with Turner Field, not having a dedicated transit link meant that more folks would drive to events at those venues instead of taking MARTA and walking from the nearest station (or taking the shuttle bus service, which is always crowded, as in the past, it was free to anyone headed to/from the stadium). Next year, there is a metro-wide vote on a penny sales tax to fund a number of transportation projects, and if approved, one county is looking at building a light rail line to connect to the MARTA network (which would also see some of their lines extended) and would have a stop at that county's arena.

Quoting seb146 (Reply 22): While we're at it, let's go back to the old way of things in the NHL: Conferences and divisions named after the important people in the history of the game. Wales, Campbell, Smythe, and so forth. Adds to the history and uniqueness that is hockey.

Actually, the old way are the geographically-named conferences/divisions. The Wales/Campbell/Smythe/Patrick/Adams/Norris crap only came around in 1974. When the NHL added the Expansion Six in '67, the League was divided into East and West Divisions. Prior to that, (before the Original 6 era), the NHL was divided into the American and Canadian Divisions. You want to honor people in the history of the game? We have trophies for that. Everybody who had a division named for them (except Adams) has a trophy named for them already. Besides, in a six-division league, whose names are you going to use?

At any rate, SRB - sorry to see your Thrashers fly the coop. There's still some hope that the BOG will quash this. Winnipeg has to sell 13,000 season tickets within the next month and they're asking fans for a pretty significant financial commitment. I'm not a fan of the Winnipeg team playing in the Southeast division, even for a year. Divisional roadtrips would be hell - the Canes would be swapping a quick RDU-ATL jaunt for a much longer trip. As SRBMod has pointed out quite well - this is an ownership problem, not a fan problem. Ownership was openly hostile towards fans, willfully ignorant of the team, and cared about their darling Hawks above all else, except suing each other. I can only hope that Atlanta gets another crack at it with an owner who actually has a clue. In the meanwhile it's my hope that at least to soften the blow the ECHL Gwinnett Gladiators move up into the AHL.

Quoting garnetpalmetto (Reply 29): In the meanwhile it's my hope that at least to soften the blow the ECHL Gwinnett Gladiators move up into the AHL.

The only way that happens would be if the owners of the Gladiators bought an AHL team and moved them to Atlanta. The AHL is not planning on adding any teams since as they are currently constituted, every team has an affiliation with an NHL team. The Gladiators currently have affiliations with the Thrashers and Blue Jackets organizations (including their AHL affiliates). Now whether the affiliation with the Thrashers (or whatever they may be called if they are moved to Winnipeg) will continue, who knows?

One thing lost in this is that it shakes up things in the AHL as well if the deal is approved. The Chicago Wolves would definitely be out as their AHL affiliate if they relocate since True North owns the Moose, who appear to be headed most likely to St. John's, Newfoundland (and not Saskatoon), which last hosted an AHL team in the 2004-05 season. There would definitely have to be some sort of realignment within the AHL as well as a result of that move.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...headed-to-st-johns/article2043373/

Quoting srbmod (Reply 30): The only way that happens would be if the owners of the Gladiators bought an AHL team and moved them to Atlanta. The AHL is not planning on adding any teams since as they are currently constituted, every team has an affiliation with an NHL team. The Gladiators currently have affiliations with the Thrashers and Blue Jackets organizations (including their AHL affiliates). Now whether the affiliation with the Thrashers (or whatever they may be called if they are moved to Winnipeg) will continue, who knows?

Which could happen. The Glads outdraw some AHL teams in "traditional markets" and it seems there's always one or two ownership groups in the Northeast that wants out of the AHL every year. See: Albany River Rats moving to Charlotte, NC this past season.

I will miss seeing the LA Kings play the Thrashers, that one game every other year, but over all I can live without the NHL. When I first moved to Georgia my wife and I started going to minor league hockey and baseball games. We found them more enjoyable for may reasons including: The smaller venues allow you to sit closer to the action, the players are more accessible, the prices are cheape and parking lots is much easier to get in and out.

One day we took a drive to Birmingham, Alabama, we saw there was a Birmingham Bulls game that night. Will we were a little early about 4 hours but we stopped to get tickets. The lady selling the tickets said we should visit their gift shop. When we got to the gift shop we met the GM, he took us on a tour of the locker room and out on the ice. Try that at an NHL game.

Another time we got to see the team that was voted as having the best name in sports: The Macon Whoopee!

just an FYI

4170 season tickets have been sold in 27 hours. Until Saturday, the only people who can buy tickets are corporate sponsors or moose season and mini-pack ticketholders. On sale to the general public starts saturday.

just another update.

Winnipeg has spoken loud and clear with their wallets.

Season tickets sold out today within 17 minutes of going on sale to the general public. They sold just over 7000 to pre-sale people who held moose season tickets. The remaining 6k went in 17 minutes.

sold out arena for 3 years minimum which is the minimum commitment you could go for with season tickets.

Man, there are a lot of uninformed comments in this thread...  

Quoting BMI727 (Reply 3): Quoting homer71 (Reply 1): Yeah I'm sure the Thrashers fan are saddened by the move, All eight of them.

I read that there was a "Save the Thrashers" rally and all the attendees carpooled.

Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 10): Interesting, hadn't heard the BOG were against moving the Thrashers. Bettman's comments were bland, as usual, during the press conference. But why would the TrueNorth group really go through with this if they knew the BOG were dead-set against it? Lord, the Canadian media must be having a field day with this story. NHL Network blocked off four hours of regular coverage for the press conference and Q&A.

The BoG will not nix the deal, which has a) gotten the league a $60M fee, and b) removed the possibility of the league having to own the Thrashers for some time, a la Phoenix.

Quoting Maverick623 (Reply 12): Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 2): The Jets name is owned and trademarked by the Coyotes. And the Coyotes are themselves owned by the NHL, so it really doesn't matter.

Jets name and logo/image rights are owned by the league. Bettman has said he would return those rights if asked.

Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 13): I haven't heard any reports of that nature, but Bettman, while disappointed ATL didn't work out, has been totally supportive of TrueNorth.

Yes, because TNSE has done everything the NHL asked it to do: a) have a solid business plan, and b) keep quiet. Something Jim Balsillie didn't do when he tried to buy first Pittsburgh, then Nashville, and then Phoenix, and move them to Hamilton Ontario.

Quoting Mir (Reply 16): Quoting Maverick623 (Reply 12): Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 2): The Jets name is owned and trademarked by the Coyotes. And the Coyotes are themselves owned by the NHL, so it really doesn't matter. And the Coyotes are next, anyway.

See my comment above re name and image rights. Re Coyotes moving, might not happen. Phoenix is I believe the 5th largest US TV market, and a big part of the new NHL-Versus TV contract is access to selected markets for either cable or PPV. In my view that's why Phoenix is still there and not in Winnipeg.

As for next moves, if ask around, the following teams are in trouble and can be had:
Phoenix (obviously, but only to move to a large American market, like Seattle, Portland, or Houston)
Florida, they desperately need a new building, but time is running out
Nashville
Carolina
Columbus, apparently lost over $25M last year
NY Islanders (apparently Mr Wang isn't getting the juicy development deal he wanted to support them)

Where would they go ?
Canada: Quebec City, once the new arena is ready
Hamilton, once the Copps Coliseum is renovated
Toronto, can easily support a 2nd team. I mean, really, now that Winnipeg has an NHL team, Toronto will want one too.
Some have said Saskatoon, but there is no adequate building, and the city is only 300,000. The idea is a reach.
Ditto for Halifax.

USA: Houston, big market, might help secure Dallas
Seattle
Portland, Paul Allen would bankroll
Kansas City, maybe, they have a vacant arena. NHL was there in the 70s but it failed, moved to Colorado, failed, then moved to New Jersey. All this nice talk by Mr Bettman about not moving franchises is simply BS.
Oklahoma City, maybe
Milwaukee, maybe

Quoting scrubbsywg (Reply 19): Anyway, congrats to True North. The ownership group is one of the strongest out there and they have run the moose franchise and MTS Centre the best way possible over the last 7 years. I have heard from friends that have worked closely with True North in the past, the group has a great acumen for their business.

Exactly, Scrubbs. They've been working on this plan for a decade or so. Solid business plan, locked up corporate support early on, and they were straight with the fans that the ticket price would be steep compared to the Jets. The only risk here I think is if the C$ crashes relative to the US$, but I don't think that's going to happen.

Quoting BMI727 (Reply 21): They're both going closer to home. Ladd is from BC and Byfuglien is from Minnesota.

Big Buff has said he's looking forward to Winnipeg and Manitoba. He's a big fisherman in the off-season, and there's tons of that here.

Quoting weebie (Reply 23): I'm not a avid NHL fan but this decision is stupid from the NHL's point of view. World Sport is becoming more and more competitive and to move one team even if it was losing money from a developing area to an area where Hockey will always be the number 1 sport is managment stupidity of the highest order. It doesn't make any sense and Not trying to harp on Winnipeg but the city is a dump and I very much doubt that they have thecCorporate support to run a team on top of a small seater capacity stadium to make it any more viable than Atlanta.

Apparently you haven't been to Winnipeg for a long time, if ever. In 1996 Winnipeg was in the economic doldrums, now it has the lowest unemployment rate in the country. Household income is well above the national average. LRT is under construction, from downtown to the new football stadium. The new airport terminal is opening this fall. There are more corporate head offices in Winnipeg than either Edmonton or Ottawa, both significantly larger than Winnipeg. Construction permits are well up each year. Culturally it's better served than any city this size in North America, and I could make an argument than Toronto is. Not only does Toronto not have an NHL team (or NHL calibre, at any rate), it does not have a professional ballet, for example. Winnipeg does, as well as opera, dance, three professional theatres, symphony, yadda yadda.

Check the facts.

Quoting 474218 (Reply 4): Will these enthusiastic Winnipeg fans support the Thrashers (or what ever name they choose) as will as they did the Jets? If so, in 10 years they will be looking at Oklahoma City?

See below. 13,000 season tickets in 3 days. All with either a 3 or 5 year commitment.

Quoting scrubbsywg (Reply 34): Winnipeg has spoken loud and clear with their wallets. Season tickets sold out today within 17 minutes of going on sale to the general public. They sold just over 7000 to pre-sale people who held moose season tickets. The remaining 6k went in 17 minutes.

Beat me to it Scrubbs. The hard part is that there will likely only be 800-1,00 tix for walk-ups, since the league reserves 300-400 for league officials, wives & gfs, etc. So there will always be fans wanting access. And no plans (currently) to expand the building, although it was designed to be expanded. Part of the business plan is to keep the tickets hard to get, that keeps demand at a high level.

So what will they be called ? Certainly a lot of desire for them to be the Jets, but TNSE has put a lot of effort in building the Moose brand, and my gut says that's the way they will go, and the current Moose will move to St John's to become the Newfoundland Moose, playing in Mile One Arena.

This is a great development for Winnipeg (my home town, and soon to be my home town again), for Manitoba, and for Canada. I would hazard that in the next 3-4 years there will be another Canadian team, most likely in Quebec, but possibly Toronto.

See you on the ice !

Quoting homer71 (Reply 1): Yeah I'm sure the Thrashers fan are saddened by the move

I'm sorry, but IMO, no city that does not see a significant average amount of snow every year should not have a hockey team. And I'm from south Florida.

I'm just sayin'.

Quoting Mir (Reply 16): Why be angry at the NHL when it seems, from your post, that it's the management in Atlanta that's the reason the team is leaving? I feel bad for the Atlanta fans, who deserved better. But Winnipeg is a big hockey town, and it's nice that they'll get another shot to make it work.

Because the NHL bent over backwards to help Phoenix in arguably a worse market, but they couldn't have cared less about Atlanta.
Atlanta never properly developed for two reasons, neither of which are related to the fans:
1. The ownership group--which has been discussed in depth
2. The management of the team--GM Waddell has the opposite of the Midas touch--everything he touched seemed to turn to, well, s---. They made some horrible trades, got unlucky in the draft, and weren't helped by an uncooperative ownership. How Waddell managed to keep his job for so long is beyond me, but in a non-traditional market like that, once the novelty wears off, you need to start winning to bring in fans--or at least showing signs of improvement. Atlanta never did.

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): Phoenix (obviously, but only to move to a large American market, like Seattle, Portland, or Houston) Florida, they desperately need a new building, but time is running out Nashville Carolina Columbus, apparently lost over $25M last year NY Islanders (apparently Mr Wang isn't getting the juicy development deal he wanted to support them)

Nashville and Carolina aren't vulnerable franchises--nashville may have been at one point, but no longer. Both have strong local ownership groups and a devoted fan market. Nashville is a team on the rise, and is effectively the only game in town once the Titans' season is over

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): USA: Houston, big market, might help secure Dallas Seattle Portland, Paul Allen would bankroll Kansas City, maybe, they have a vacant arena. NHL was there in the 70s but it failed, moved to Colorado, failed, then moved to New Jersey. All this nice talk by Mr Bettman about not moving franchises is simply BS. Oklahoma City, maybe Milwaukee, maybe

City by city:
Houston is a big market--but on its own merits--it has nothing to do with needing to secure Dallas--Dallas is one of the league's ten most valuable franchises, helped in part by an arena deal that sees the Stars splitting 50% of all arena revenue for non-NBA and NHL events with the Mavericks. We (I'm a loyal stars fan since day one) were fine until our owner got up in the economic downturn and made some bad bets that were completely unrelated to his sports ownership interests and the bank took control of the team. We now have a buyer in place, but it will take some time for approval.
Seattle: not until they build an arena--that's the articulated reason for why the Sonics left (the main reason: cause their buyer was from OKC)
Portland: maybe, but Allen is a Seattleite--he owns the Blazers, but he actually lives in Seattle where he owns the Seahawks--but the market is relatively small
Kansas City is the most likely because they have a new arena.
OKC: too small--they got lucky when they got the Thunder because the owner wanted his hometown to have a team
Milwaukee: too small--they can barely support the Bucks as it is

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): The BoG will not nix the deal, which has a) gotten the league a $60M fee, and b) removed the possibility of the league having to own the Thrashers for some time, a la Phoenix.

The NHL is supposedly only getting $40 million of that $60 million as $20 million is being given to the majority owner of the Thrashers, Bruce Levenson.

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): Florida, they desperately need a new building, but time is running out

The BankAtlantic Center is not that old, it was build in 1998. There are a number of NHL arenas built before then (Buffalo, Boston, Ottawa, Chicago, Rangers, Islanders, Tampa Bay, Washington, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, St. Louis, Detroit, Nashville, Anaheim, San Jose, Montreal, and Philly.)

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): USA: Houston, big market, might help secure Dallas

They'd probably have to compensate Minnesota, as they own the Houston Aeros of the AHL and would have to relocate them.

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): Oklahoma City, maybe

OKC tried to get a team during the NHL expansion in the late 90s and was in the running along with Houston for teams. With the success the Thunder have had since moving from Seattle, they may become a potential market.

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): Milwaukee, maybe

Highly doubt they'd get a sniff.

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): NY Islanders (apparently Mr Wang isn't getting the juicy development deal he wanted to support them)

Voters in Nassau County are voting on a bond referendum for a new arena to be built on the site (along with a baseball stadium and housing) of the NCVMC on August 1. If that vote doesn't go in the Islanders' favor, this would more than likely seal the Isles moving to either Brooklyn to play at the Barclay Center, possibly playing in an yet to be built arena in neighboring Queens or Suffolk County or perhaps relocation (K.C. has been mooted as destination in the past, but who knows where the team would end up if they leave the state.).

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): Kansas City, maybe, they have a vacant arena. NHL was there in the 70s but it failed, moved to Colorado, failed, then moved to New Jersey. All this nice talk by Mr Bettman about not moving franchises is simply BS.

The poor attendance at NHL preseason games has pretty much sunk any chance of the Sprint Center playing host to an NHL team anytime soon.

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): Toronto, can easily support a 2nd team. I mean, really, now that Winnipeg has an NHL team, Toronto will want one too.

You'd have to find an ownership group with some deep pockets, as the territory fee they'd have to pay to the Maple Leafs and potentially the Sabres (depending on where they locate the team) would be huge. I wouldn't be surprised if the territory fee (if the team is a relocated one and not an expansion team) would be in the $100+ plus million range.

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): Portland, Paul Allen would bankroll

That ship has long since sailed. Paul Allen's interest in an NHL team is slim to none these days.

Quoting us330 (Reply 37): 2. The management of the team--GM Waddell has the opposite of the Midas touch--everything he touched seemed to turn to, well, s---. They made some horrible trades, got unlucky in the draft, and weren't helped by an uncooperative ownership. How Waddell managed to keep his job for so long is beyond me, but in a non-traditional market like that, once the novelty wears off, you need to start winning to bring in fans--or at least showing signs of improvement. Atlanta never did.

Turner Sports must have thought that his success in building minor league teams and the fact he was the assistant GM when Detroit won the Stanley Cup in 1998 although he probably played a very minor role in that (His was hired to be the GM in Atlanta soon thereafter). Folks in Atlanta have often wondered if he had some blackmail photos of some prominent Atlantans that he used to keep his job for as long as he did. He should have been out after his infamous playoff promise.

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 35): As for next moves, if ask around, the following teams are in trouble and can be had: Phoenix (obviously, but only to move to a large American market, like Seattle, Portland, or Houston) Florida, they desperately need a new building, but time is running out Nashville Carolina Columbus, apparently lost over $25M last year NY Islanders (apparently Mr Wang isn't getting the juicy development deal he wanted to support them)

Haha, you are crazy if you think Nashville will be moved. This year we averaged over 16,000/17113 seats, made it to the second round (more season tickets were sold then than any other time except 1998). Furthermore, a 20% increase in season ticket sales occured this season, and Nashville has finally started to truly support our team. With the impending NFL lockout, NHL could only grow more in Nashville. Many people down here are saying that if the NFL locks out, then they will sell their PSL's and Titans season tickets, and buy Preds season tickets. Nashville has great ownership, the best management in the Leauge, and the best coaching staff in the league (Barry Trotz (who has been with the team since the inception in 1998, the second longest active tenured coach), is nominated for coach of the year (which we all know he won't win b/c of the southern hatred in the NHL). Nashville is not Atlanta, we actually support our team. When we were on the verge of selling, not only did 10,000+ fans show up at the rally, but the governor of Tennessee showed up and help up a sign someone in the audience had that said "Get Your Hands off my Da** Team Basille!". Hockey CAN and DOES work in certain southern cities (a la Nashville, Raleigh, and Tampa). That cannot be said about Florida and former Atlanta teams.

Quoting us330 (Reply 37): Nashville and Carolina aren't vulnerable franchises--nashville may have been at one point, but no longer. Both have strong local ownership groups and a devoted fan market. Nashville is a team on the rise, and is effectively the only game in town once the Titans' season is over

Try reading Dave Shoalts in the "Globe and Mail" for commentary on Nahville & Carolina. Although lately I'll concede there hasn't been much on them.

Quoting us330 (Reply 37): Houston is a big market--but on its own merits--it has nothing to do with needing to secure Dallas--Dallas is one of the league's ten most valuable franchises, helped in part by an arena deal that sees the Stars splitting 50% of all arena revenue for non-NBA and NHL events with the Mavericks. We (I'm a loyal stars fan since day one) were fine until our owner got up in the economic downturn and made some bad bets that were completely unrelated to his sports ownership interests and the bank took control of the team. We now have a buyer in place, but it will take some time for approval.

Dallas is a good franchise for sure, but why are they having such a hard time finding a new owner ? I thought Texas was full of gajillionaires.

Quoting srbmod (Reply 38): Voters in Nassau County are voting on a bond referendum for a new arena to be built on the site (along with a baseball stadium and housing) of the NCVMC on August 1. If that vote doesn't go in the Islanders' favor, this would more than likely seal the Isles moving to either Brooklyn to play at the Barclay Center, possibly playing in an yet to be built arena in neighboring Queens or Suffolk County or perhaps relocation (K.C. has been mooted as destination in the past, but who knows where the team would end up if they leave the state.).

Quoting srbmod (Reply 38): You'd have to find an ownership group with some deep pockets, as the territory fee they'd have to pay to the Maple Leafs and potentially the Sabres (depending on where they locate the team) would be huge. I wouldn't be surprised if the territory fee (if the team is a relocated one and not an expansion team) would be in the $100+ plus million range

Interesting info from srbmod re Isles situation. Shoalts (referred to above) has written that te Isles ultimate destination might be Toronto. As for deep pockets, a group fronted by Paul Godfrey. They are also pursuing an NFL franchise, with a new stadium.

Ach! I am getting so forgetful....

Quoting connies4ever (Reply 40): Quoting us330 (Reply 37): Nashville and Carolina aren't vulnerable franchises--nashville may have been at one point, but no longer. Both have strong local ownership groups and a devoted fan market. Nashville is a team on the rise, and is effectively the only game in town once the Titans' season is over

Actually, the 1st team TNSE seriously looked at was Nashville, about 3 years back. There were some prelim discussions, with Bettman's approval. But then Freeman's (?) group put in a bid.

I've always had an issue with NHL in Southern U.S markets in general...just never seemed like it belonged; that being said, I've been to quite a few Thrashers games over the past few years, so I'll be said to see them leave. I guess the good part of it is they are actually moving to a region where hockey is wildly popular. When I lived in MSY I used to enjoy the ECHL team that played there in the late 90's/early 2000's (New Orleans Brass). The Brass folded thanks to the State of Louisiana, which tried to force the team to pay the expense of converting the New Orleans Arena floor from a basketball floor (since the Hornets had just moved to town) to an ice playing surface as a condition of staying in the arena. The team couldn't pay it, so they folded. Louisiana politics at work for you.

Quoting MSYtristar (Reply 42): I've always had an issue with NHL in Southern U.S markets in general...just never seemed like it belonged;

There's been a lot of comments I've read online about the relocation in which some have said that the only ice that folks in Atlanta have any interest in is in their iced tea; I take umbrage at such comments as I'm an Atlanta native and had been a fan of hockey for going on 20 years.

I think True North has made their first mistake:

Thrashers' Dudley Not Retained As GM By True North

They bought out his contract (which he had signed only a few months ago). They look to be going after Blackhawks Assistant GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who interestingly enough, was the GM of the Chicago Wolves, which has been the Thrashers' AHL affiliate since 2001 when they joined the AHL along with several other IHL teams after that league went under (The Thrashers IHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears, was not brought along as their owner also owned the team in Grand Rapids that was joining the AHL from the IHL.).

Rick Dudley really only had a season in which to put his imprint, and he did make some noise with those trades with the Blackhawks.

I wonder if they'll retain Craig Ramsey as the Head Coach. I think that it would be a mistake to let him go as well.

At least there's another Canadian team to cheer for. Lord knows we've been needing a replacement for Vancouver & Toronto for awhile!

Quoting srbmod (Reply 43): I think True North has made their first mistake: Thrashers' Dudley Not Retained As GM By True North They bought out his contract (which he had signed only a few months ago). They look to be going after Blackhawks Assistant GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who interestingly enough, was the GM of the Chicago Wolves, which has been the Thrashers' AHL affiliate since 2001 when they joined the AHL along with several other IHL teams after that league went under (The Thrashers IHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears, was not brought along as their owner also owned the team in Grand Rapids that was joining the AHL from the IHL.). Rick Dudley really only had a season in which to put his imprint, and he did make some noise with those trades with the Blackhawks. I wonder if they'll retain Craig Ramsey as the Head Coach. I think that it would be a mistake to let him go as well.

Rumor has it Claude Noel will become coach(current coach of the AHL's Moose).

Quoting scrubbsywg (Reply 45): Rumor has it Claude Noel will become coach(current coach of the AHL's Moose).

I can understand the new ownership wanting to put their own stamp on the team once they officially get their hands on it, but I think that not retaining Dudley as well as the coaching staff is a bad idea on their part. If they do bring in a new coach, it will be the third coach in as many seasons for the bulk of the guys on the roster. I think they'd be more likely to be successful if they at the very least they retained the coaching staff (Craig Ramsay never seems to get a fair shot behind the bench, as the Thrashers job was the only time he's been the Head Coach for an entire season [He was the interim coach for the Sabres for the last 21 games of the 86-87 season and coached the Flyers for the first 28 games of the 2000-2001 season before getting fired.].). I think the Thrashers were finally getting his system, and had it not been for some injuries to Byfuglien, Enstrom, and Jim Slater, the Thrashers probably would have made the playoff (Slater's line was the straw that stirred the drink [they alternated between being the third and fourth line and at times were the guys doing the scoring at the right time] and when he got injured, it took some time before his linemates [Boulton and Thorburn] found a guy they were comfortable play with, and at that point, it was too late.).

Quoting PC12Fan (Reply 36): I'm sorry, but IMO, no city that does not see a significant average amount of snow every year should not have a hockey team. And I'm from south Florida. I'm just sayin'.

Quoting MSYtristar (Reply 42): I've always had an issue with NHL in Southern U.S markets in general..

You won't find an issue with Tampa Bay & the Lightning. Historically, they've had a very rocky road with positive highs ('04 Stanley Cup win), and very bad lows (late '90 near bankruptcy). Despite the shortcomings, there is a very loyal following in the Tampa Bay area.

Quoting phatfarmlines (Reply 47): You won't find an issue with Tampa Bay & the Lightning. Historically, they've had a very rocky road with positive highs ('04 Stanley Cup win), and very bad lows (late '90 near bankruptcy). Despite the shortcomings, there is a very loyal following in the Tampa Bay area.

I wholeheartedly agree. I went to Game 4 of Round 3 down in Tampa, and the game was awesome. The fans were great and it reminded me of the crowd intensity you see at Preds game. Hockey works in Tampa and Nashville for sure.

Quoting srbmod (Reply 43): I think True North has made their first mistake: Thrashers' Dudley Not Retained As GM By True North They bought out his contract (which he had signed only a few months ago). They look to be going after Blackhawks Assistant GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who interestingly enough, was the GM of the Chicago Wolves, which has been the Thrashers' AHL affiliate since 2001 when they joined the AHL along with several other IHL teams after that league went under (The Thrashers IHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears, was not brought along as their owner also owned the team in Grand Rapids that was joining the AHL from the IHL.). Rick Dudley really only had a season in which to put his imprint, and he did make some noise with those trades with the Blackhawks. I wonder if they'll retain Craig Ramsey as the Head Coach. I think that it would be a mistake to let him go as well.

It's ironic that Dudley finished his playing career in Winnipeg, too. Always liked him as a player, esp. with Cincinnati Stingers in the WHA. However, Cheveldayoff has a strong "approval" rating in the hockey business, and was part of the group that put the pieces (expensive ones) together for the hawks Cup win last year.

Per Scrubbs comment, I believe TNSE has almost anointed Claude Noel as the new head coach. He does already have NHL experience.

I think the current Moose GM, Craig Heisinger, will either be offered the AGM position in Winnipeg, or remain head push out in Newfoundland. "Zinger" is a classic example of starting at the bottom and working up: he was the original stick boy the the WHA Jets in 1972.

Quoting ipodguy7 (Reply 48): I wholeheartedly agree. I went to Game 4 of Round 3 down in Tampa, and the game was awesome. The fans were great and it reminded me of the crowd intensity you see at Preds game. Hockey works in Tampa and Nashville for sure.

Next next door neighbours were in Tampa this past winter and they decided to go to a weeknight Bolts game. They got decent seats for $20 each, a T-shirt, and a coupon for a hot dog. On that basis, there can't be enough money coming in to cover costs unless there is a phenomenal penetration of the PPV/cable market. Doesn't seem to be a realistic business plan, unless you are banking on going deep in the playoffs, where the team doesn't pay the players and the ticket prices are more demand-driven.