Atlanta to Winnipeg: "Done Deal"

[skatingtripods]

Aportzline Aaron Portzline
Globe and Mail reporting that Atlanta to Winnipeg is a done deal, will be made official on Tuesday.


Wow. Can't wait to see how this plays out.

[skatingtripods]

And then this, from TSN's (Canada)Darren Dreger

DarrenDreger Darren Dreger
Update on Atl-Wpg coming up in 2nd int. Will it get done? Likely. Is it done? Not yet, according to key sources.

[skatingtripods]

Now officially a done deal. Press conference at noon. No re-alignment until the 12-13 season. NHL schedule's probably almost done, if not already done.

Shame for what Thrashers fans there were out there in ATL, but this is best for the league. At least until the new Winnipeg team faces financial difficulties when the novelty wears off and no free agents want to go there.

[swerb]

What are they gonna call the team?

[skatingtripods]

What are they gonna call the team?

From what I gathered from various Tweets, the new ownership group wants to go away from the Jets name. The reason that they haven't announced a new name is because of the enormous public support to call them the Jets.

The public's going to win out in this case, IMO. Last thing you want to do to a increasingly passionate, financially volatile fan base is piss them off right away.

I'd be shocked if they're anything but the Jets.

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

Atlanta still drew 13.5k a game, had a fantastic modern arena, and they still got the shaft because their ownership couldn't handle an NHL franchise.

As much as I feel for the fans in Winnepeg, I feel the same for the ATL. Ugly ugly situation.

[Spin]

What's this shit about Commish mandating they better have high attendance figures, or he'll pull the team???

Yeah? and move them where? Phoenix?

JHC, if all teams had to live by the figures I heard, the league would be pulling half of the franchises.

[skatingtripods]

What's this shit about Commish mandating they better have high attendance figures, or he'll pull the team???

Yeah? and move them where? Phoenix?

JHC, if all teams had to live by the figures I heard, the league would be pulling half of the franchises.

Already yanked a team from there because of bad attendance. Really bad attendance.

He's totally against this move. Every Commissioner wants a legacy. Bettman's is to give hockey to non-traditional (read: southern US) markets. ATL to WPG erases a portion of what he did AND does it by returning to a place where hockey failed once already.

I can't blame him for being disappointed.

[Spin]

He said on NHL Network there are now five markets they want to put hockey in, from "dozens" that have requested it.

What five? Seattle? Hartford? Portland?

Would any of those work???

[DrPoove]

He said on NHL Network there are now five markets they want to put hockey in, from "dozens" that have requested it.

What five? Seattle? Hartford? Portland?

Would any of those work???

Kansas City wants one but what will that do to the Blues? I have heard Portland or Seattle as well.

Ontario is always rumored to put another team in the Toronto area but how many would defect from the Leafs?

I have heard Saskatchewan and Quebec but those are smaller markets that may have attendance issues as well.

I agree with the Bill Simmons theory (shoot me) that you need to have 24-28 teams max and and equal balance of US and Canadian teams.

[skatingtripods]

He said on NHL Network there are now five markets they want to put hockey in, from "dozens" that have requested it.

What five? Seattle? Hartford? Portland?

Would any of those work???

Seattle is the one calling the most for a team now, supposedly. But, a decent amount of the hockey fan base follows the Canucks. There's a junior team in Seattle, I have no idea how they draw.

Kansas City's another one. Midwest city, had some minor league teams that had minimal success.

Hartford failed once, would likely fail again.

Portland has a Western Hockey League team as well. No idea how they'd support a pro hockey team, but, they don't have to divide dollars among multiple teams like the other cities (except Hartford) do. Just the Blazers who draw nothing.

I don't think relocation is the way to go. I think finding a way to make it work in the current markets is the way to go.

[Spin]

Ontario is always rumored to put another team in the Toronto area but how many would defect from the Leafs?

The Leafs? Probably all of them LOL

[Spin]

Seattle and KC have no NBA to compete against (like we do )

Neither does Hartford, but again, how many chances does a small market with previous attendance problems get?

[swerb]

Sticking with the Jets nickname, I like it

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=A ... ipeg-coach