The unfortunate 11-season saga of the Atlanta Thrashers has come to an end. The NHL announced in a news conference on Tuesday May 31st, 2011 that a Canadian group, True North Sports and Entertainment, has reached an agreement to purchase the Thrashers and move them to Winnipeg, Manitoba, effective the 2011-12 season. The sale is still subject to the approval of the NHL’s board of governors, who will meet on June 21 in New York; it is believed the Winnipeg team must sell at least 13,000 season tickets before then to guarantee approval.
By virtue of the reaction in Winnipeg, that should be the least of the team's problems. Video embedded below:
The Winnipeg franchise, yet to be nicknamed, will compete in the Southeast Division and Eastern Conference for at least a year as the league looks at possible realignment for the 2012-13 season. Many Winnipeg fans want the team to be nicknamed the Jets, after their previous franchise, and the NHL has released the name for use if the new ownership wants it.
True North Sports also retains ownership of the existing Winnipeg AHL franchise, the Manitoba Moose, and say they will be a farm club for the new Winnipeg NHL franchise next season. Relocation of the Moose is in the offing; True North Sports has yet to decide where, but are strongly considering St. John's in Newfoundland.
Team President Don Waddell spoke out for the Thrashers, and said they had held out for replacement local ownership in Atlanta for as long as possible. He explained that since a potential buyer in 2009 backed off due in large part to the internecine lawsuits that the Atlanta Spirit ownership group were involved with, there hadn't been a lot of heat for the struggling NHL club. He also said that while there were a number of inquiries since that date, only a handful came from persons or groups with the resources to buy a franchise, and that ultimately no sufficient local offers came forth. Waddell himself does not plan to move to Winnipeg with the team, so he'll be out of a job.
Atlanta Thrashers owner Rutherford Seydel insists the Thrashers "tried their hardest" to keep the team in Atlanta, but SB Nation accuses them of having never entered into actual good faith negotiations with any group interested in keeping the team in place.
The Thrashers didn't help matters on the ice by making the playoffs only one time in their 11-season history. In 2006-7, they were ousted by the New York Rangers 4 games to none in the conference quarterfinals. They promptly regressed thereafter. It is the second time Atlanta has coughed up their NHL franchise, having lost the Flames to Calgary after the 1979-80 season. Fan support was there, but there was piss-poor ownership. Since Atlanta has now lost two NHL franchises, questions are beginning to surface as to whether the Sun Belt can effectively support hockey, and whether other Sun Belt franchises may also try to retrench northward.
Certainly, it is fair to say that Atlanta is unlikely to ever receive another NHL franchise.
Had justice been effectively served, the Phoenix Coyotes would have been the team allowed to move back to Winnipeg. The original Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix after the 1995-6 season, not because of lack of fan support, but because of arena issues which have since been resolved. The city of Glendale, Arizona stepped forth at the last moment and rescued the Coyotes with a $25 million bailout -- but that's only good for one year. The Coyotes are still trying to find a buyer; there's a serious rumor afloat that the Coyotes may be Seattle-bound if they can't find a local buyer.
In the final analysis, the reaction of Winnipeg hockey fans makes it all worthwhile. Too bad the Atlanta hockey fans had to get screwed.
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