Thrashers to winnipeg?

[mikemike]

here a link to my citys paper here in winnipeg in which they say 95% they might move the team. my fingers a crossed and i hope we get this team. What do you think.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/05/1...-for-thrashers

[LegendsCollector]

I don't see it happening. I think bettman just said like 2 or 3 days ago that it was just bogus rumors by writers.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=6542939

"I mean, people who are reporting on this stuff are simply making it up, and that's unfortunate for our fans. It's unfortunate for the fans who have a club they don't want to lose, and it's unfortunate for building up expectations in other places."

If they announced they were moving right after he says something like that, he loses what little credibility he has left.

[duwal]

hahaha, so soon as the Phoenix rumors stop here come the Atlanta rumors

[mikemike]

But the NHL is not doing what there are in Phoenix in Altanta, trying to keep the team in atlanta that because the NHL owns the phoenix coyotes. the owner has had it losing 30 to 40 mill a year.

[RGM81]

Twitter is presently exploding...

RT @ajcthrashers: I have confirmed that the Atlanta Spirit and True North are in negotiations about sale and relocation of #Thrashers.Twitter - seconds ago

[edthesandwich]

No surprise here. Any local guy who may have had even the slightest interest in the team is going to see an average attendance of just over 13,000, losses in the tens of millions and local TV ratings that are the lowest of any of the four major pro sports leagues. The Thrashers would have to win the Stanley Cup, Super Bowl and World Series in the same season to generate enough of an increase in the key numbers to warrant a decent offer from local interests.

There is absolutely NO guarantee this team will thrive in Winnipeg, but moving there can't be any worse than staying in Georgia.

[flemingc04]

Here's an interesting line from the latest Toronto Star article on the situation

But the pressure to get a deal is on with the league working on a schedule for next season. The Winnipeg team could play in the Eastern Conference's Southeast division because it could be too late for conference realignment.
http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey...-winnipeg?bn=1

Ouch and we sometimes hear about how rough it is on teams like Detroit have a ton of flying within the conference. Imagine having to do this much flying just for your own division let along the conference!

[sholi2000]

I've got money set aside for two season seats, I only want to go to 3 games/month so I would be renting my other seats lol. I want section 204.

Pavelec in Winnipeg

Here comes your "Winnipeg Freeze"

[thesnake87]

I had a feeling this would come.

My prediction (IMO)

Atlanta moves to Winnipeg
Phoenix situation resolves, HS gets the team, become a force in the West next year
Columbus moves to the East (makes playoffs then)
Phoenix wins division with new owner and solid lineup (has 15k avg attendance during season)
Winnipeg makes playoffs in 8th, but show potential for years to come


Again, my opinion, but this would be optimal for the NHL.

[kovyheater]

I live in Atlanta and I can say since the Kovalchuk trade, the interest in the Thrashers has fallen considerably. Evander Kane, Dustin Byfuglien, Pavelec, Little, Bogosian, Burmistrov just don't equal what Kovalchuk did for the game down south.

Even if they won the Cup, it would have to take years on consistent winning and a more developed youth hockey program to make Thrasher hockey more mainstream. There is so much more interest in college football and basketball then the NBA and NFL. And the Atlanta Braves is by far more followed than all of those teams combined.

With all of that said, I highly doubt a sale would happen in time before next season to start. There are so many legal issues surrounding the lease that ties the Hawks and Thrashers with Philips arena and the Atlanta Spirit themselves are a conglomeration of several people who all have different financial interests.

Could it happen in the next few years? Yes, if the team cannot produce a winning product. But this can be said of many teams in the NHL beyond the Thrashers and Coyotes. There is so much financial uncertainty going forward, I think many owners will always be listening to offers to sell.