Canada struck back again at their hockey neighbors to the south by regaining another club from Georgia. Canada 2, Atlanta 0.
The Atlanta Thrashers owners sold their team to a group in Winnipeg, marking the return of pro hockey to the city who lost their own Jets team 15 years ago to Phoenix, where the club was renamed the Coyotes. It was 31 years ago that the Atlanta Flames also headed north, settling in Calgary.
True North Sports and Entertainment announced the deal at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre, their 15,000 seat home arena. Winnipeg is Manitoba's largest city, and Manitoba is in Canada. The move comes a few weeks after the city of Glendale voted to subsidize the Phoenix Coyotes for another season while as the equally troubled team tries to secure new ownership. At that point True North turned its attention to the Thrashers. While the few fans in Atlanta are suffering both Winnipeg residents and players are excited about the move.
"What I like about playing in Canada is the fans hold you accountable. They know when you’ve done something good and they give it to you when you've done something bad. You don’t want to get booed out of your building or have your own fans at the grocery store telling you how bad you played," said Rob Schremp. "I think the guys are real excited about it. It's a chance to play in Canada and there’s a lot of Canadian guys on the team." See, it was like, destiny or something.
The Thrashers made only one playoff appearance in 11 seasons and never won a postseason game. Their ownership was plagued by financial problems, and the team averaged less than 14,000 a game this season, rank 28th out of 30 teams. The deal is reportedly worth $170 million, including a $60 million relocation fee that would be split by the rest of the owners. League owners must give their approval, which should be a formality at their June 21st meeting.
Winnipeg's new team could reclaim the Jets nickname, though a decision has not been made. The Thrashers name was coined by former owner Ted Turner in reference to the state bird of Georgia, and is not part of the deal. Although he was keen on trying to send ex-wife Jane Fonda out of the country...
The Atlanta Thrashers owners sold their team to a group in Winnipeg, marking the return of pro hockey to the city who lost their own Jets team 15 years ago to Phoenix, where the club was renamed the Coyotes. It was 31 years ago that the Atlanta Flames also headed north, settling in Calgary.
True North Sports and Entertainment announced the deal at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre, their 15,000 seat home arena. Winnipeg is Manitoba's largest city, and Manitoba is in Canada. The move comes a few weeks after the city of Glendale voted to subsidize the Phoenix Coyotes for another season while as the equally troubled team tries to secure new ownership. At that point True North turned its attention to the Thrashers. While the few fans in Atlanta are suffering both Winnipeg residents and players are excited about the move.
"What I like about playing in Canada is the fans hold you accountable. They know when you’ve done something good and they give it to you when you've done something bad. You don’t want to get booed out of your building or have your own fans at the grocery store telling you how bad you played," said Rob Schremp. "I think the guys are real excited about it. It's a chance to play in Canada and there’s a lot of Canadian guys on the team." See, it was like, destiny or something.
The Thrashers made only one playoff appearance in 11 seasons and never won a postseason game. Their ownership was plagued by financial problems, and the team averaged less than 14,000 a game this season, rank 28th out of 30 teams. The deal is reportedly worth $170 million, including a $60 million relocation fee that would be split by the rest of the owners. League owners must give their approval, which should be a formality at their June 21st meeting.
Winnipeg's new team could reclaim the Jets nickname, though a decision has not been made. The Thrashers name was coined by former owner Ted Turner in reference to the state bird of Georgia, and is not part of the deal. Although he was keen on trying to send ex-wife Jane Fonda out of the country...
1 comment:
I left Winnipeg back when they left. I was overjoyed to hear this news when I skyped home- it came totally out of the blue. Not sure how it can happen; Winnipeg really is a small town in relation to others even in Canada and the weather hasn't been made more enticing for players. They better keep the name Jets, though!
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