By Ray Bennett
Tuesday May 31, 2011
In 1996, after 23 years of existence, the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada bid farewell to their professional hockey team, the Winnipeg Jets. For years, the Winnipeg community has clamored for support for a team to return to the city.
16 years later, the citizens of Winnipeg and Manitoba got their wish from a group of investors trying to buy a struggling franchise in Atlanta, Georgia.
On Tuesday, a Canadian group of investors known as True North Sports and Entertainment announced that they have finalized a sale that would move the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg and begin play just in time for the 2011-2012 NHL season. The announcement was made at the MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg as former Jets fans cheered outside the town's main square.
After certain league approval in the Board of Governors meeting on June 21, the team will pack up and move north of the boarder. The Thrashers will also have to change their name because the Thrasher name was coined after the official state bird of Georgia. Rumors are going around that the Jets name could be used, however no decision has been made by the soon-to-be new owners. The team will play in the Eastern Conference for the 2011-2012 season.
After the Jets moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1996, the city of Winnipeg pushed the NHL and Commissioner Gary Bettman to bring back the franchise or create an expansion team. After the original Jets, now named the Coyotes, got into trouble looking for a new owner, Winnipeg was hoping that their Jets would return. The closest the Coyotes were to possibly moving back to Canada was after their elimination in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past season. However, the City of Phoenix struck a deal to keep the team in the desert for at least another year.
After the Coyotes to Winnipeg talk died down, rumors started to circulate that True North started talks with the struggling Thrashers franchise. A couple of weeks ago, league officials were sure that the Thrashers' owners Atlanta Spirit, who also owns the Atlanta Hawks NBA franchise and Phillips Arena, would sell the team to True North.
Since the team's inaugural season in 1999-2000, the Thrashers have struggled to find a fan base in the largely urban city of Atlanta. The team has served as the launching pad for the career's of Danny Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuck. In the team's eleven seasons of existence, the Thrashers have only made it to the playoffs once, getting swept by the New York Rangers in the First Round of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Thrashers have been plagued by financial trouble and low attendance. Since their first and only playoff appearance, average attendance for Thrashers games at Phillips Arena have been the near the bottom of the league for the past few seasons. With the team losing money and fan support, Atlanta Spirit had no choice but to sell and move the team.
The move of the Thrashers also marks the second time an NHL franchise will relocate from the city of Atlanta. Back in 1980, the Flames moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada after struggling in Atlanta for eight seasons. After the relocation to Canada, the Flames have been to the Stanley Cup Finals three times in 1986, 1989, and 2004. The Flames won their first and only Cup in 1989. Atlanta is the first city in the modern era of the NHL to lose two separate franchises.
The new Winnipeg franchise will play their games at the 15,000+ seat MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg. The deal to buy the Thrashers is reportedly priced at $170 million. The new owners will have to pay a $60 million relocation fee to the league to ensure the move of the team.
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