Atlanta Thrashers Moving to Winnipeg

LRMAM12 · Post #1 » by **LRMAM12** » Fri May 20, 2011 1:31 am

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/h ... le2029179/

WEFFPIM · Post #2 » by **WEFFPIM** » Fri May 20, 2011 1:40 am

Every place else is saying it's not done.

Post #3 » by **Celtics_Champs** » Fri May 20, 2011 1:42 am

Wait what?

I thought we were talking about Phoenix moving there...

Post #4 » by **Nolan** » Fri May 20, 2011 1:42 am

Wow this really just came out of nowhere. My one is concern is how much True North Sports is going to paying for the team. They've already come out and asked the province for money to buy a team and they also have to address the upgrades that need to be made to the MTS center as well. They're going to need alot of capital to pull this off and it really seems like they don't have it right now. I'd love to see a team back in Winnipeg but I'd hate to see them lose another team because of bad ownership.

WEFFPIM · Post #5 » by **WEFFPIM** » Fri May 20, 2011 1:43 am

Guys, there is one source reporting this has happened. A Canadian media source.

How about we wait until the NHL actually says it's happening, eh?

LRMAM12 · Post #6 » by **LRMAM12** » Fri May 20, 2011 1:49 am

There's a "Save the Thrashers" rally planned for Saturday. It'll be interesting to see what kind of turnout this has.

trwi7 · Post #7 » by **trwi7** » Fri May 20, 2011 2:48 am

Celtics_Champs wrote:Wait what?

I thought we were talking about Phoenix moving there...

The city of Glendale paid $25 million to keep the Coyotes there for at least one more year hoping they can figure out a deal with Hulsizer or somebody else.

ASG has been trying to sell with the hope of getting local ownership. There were rumors of an anonymous buyer named "The Balkan" to keep the team in Atlanta but it never went anywhere. ASG is desperate to sell and if they had to sell to somebody who would move the team, they would. In this case TNSE.

Have to think that was Atlanta's last chance. The NHL has failed twice there now.

Post #8 » by **OldNo7** » Fri May 20, 2011 3:27 am

Nolan wrote:Wow this really just came out of nowhere.

No, it didn't. Once Phoenix agreed to cover $25M in losses for next year, the Coyotes were off the market and Atlanta was under the microscope. It was bound to happen.

Sadly, I think True North should have waited a year and go the Coyotes back because then they would be getting their original Jets franchise back. Now they are getting a completely different franchise back and they can't really go back to the Jets...

WEFFPIM · Post #9 » by **WEFFPIM** » Fri May 20, 2011 3:29 am

Bettman has shot down this report.

trwi7 · Post #10 » by **trwi7** » Fri May 20, 2011 3:30 am

Dude, Bettman, STFU.

The first two callers to Bettman’s show, broadcast on satellite radio and the Internet, were Thrashers fans. The first said Atlanta will support a hockey team if ownership meets the fans halfway by putting a competitive product on the ice.

“I understand and respect that,” Bettman said, “but the key to this may be, in the final analysis, whether or not somebody wants to own the team in Atlanta. In the absence of either the current ownership group continuing to own and operate or somebody stepping forward who wants to buy the club, that becomes the situation that concerns us or any sports league.

“We’ll only leave a market - in this case Atlanta, picking up on the caller’s statements – if we have to. And hopefully the current ownership group will figure a way out of this that makes sense for everybody,” he said.

The caller told Bettman that the Thrashers drew strong crowds in their first five seasons and that a fan rally will be held Saturday to show support for the team.

Noting that the Thrashers have ranked near the bottom of the league in attendance the past two seasons, Bettman said: “I understand that there may be dissatisfaction there, but demonstrating your dissatisfaction by not going to games is an interesting strategy. It’s your absolute right. But if it becomes a turnoff for anybody who might want to buy the franchise, the long-term consequences could be severe.

“It will be interesting to see how many people show up at the rally on Saturday,” Bettman said.

http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-thrashers- ... ers/#start

trwi7 · Post #11 » by **trwi7** » Fri May 20, 2011 4:24 am

This is a done deal. Ton of other people reporting it, people in Winnipeg partying in the streets, nhl.com even has the report up. Why would nhl.com put up the report if there wasn't at least a little truth to it?

Post #12 » by **Nolan** » Fri May 20, 2011 4:24 am

WEFFPIM wrote:Guys, there is one source reporting this has happened. A Canadian media source.

How about we wait until the NHL actually says it's happening, eh?

The Globe and Mail isn't exactly some joke news source they're pretty legit.

But now True North is denying the deal. Who knows what's going on here.

Post #13 » by **Nolan** » Fri May 20, 2011 4:26 am

trwi7 wrote:This is a done deal. Ton of other people reporting it, people in Winnipeg partying in the streets, nhl.com even has the report up. Why would nhl.com put up the report if there wasn't at least a little truth to it?

So now two legit sources are reporting this, but the so called buyers and Bettman are denying it?

trwi7 · Post #14 » by **trwi7** » Fri May 20, 2011 4:36 am

TNSE has been trying to get two teams either the Coyotes or Thrashers for how long now? I doubt they want to say anything until they're announcing that the Thrashers are moving there at a press conference.

Bettman probably doesn't want attention being taken away from the playoffs.

Just wondering though, how many times have the people of Winnipeg been out in the streets celebrating? There have been plenty of rumors about a team going there with reports of deals being "close to done" yet I don't remember hearing or seeing anyone outside celebrating.

Post #15 » by **Nolan** » Fri May 20, 2011 4:44 am

More news this time from ESPN.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=6568200

"It's simply not true, it's not a done deal," a source from True North -- the group negotiating with the Thrashers to bring the team to Winnipeg -- told ESPN.com.

A source at True North did, however, confirm to ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun Thursday night that negotiations are ongoing with the Thrashers.

Post #16 » by **Nolan** » Fri May 20, 2011 4:47 am

trwi7 wrote:TNSE has been trying to get two teams either the Coyotes or Thrashers for how long now? I doubt they want to say anything until they're announcing that the Thrashers are moving there at a press conference.

Bettman probably doesn't want attention being taken away from the playoffs.

Just wondering though, how many times have the people of Winnipeg been out in the streets celebrating? There have been plenty of rumors about a team going there with reports of deals being "close to done" yet I don't remember hearing or seeing anyone outside celebrating.

Ya i'm not really suprised either party is denying it either, just a little suprised that more people aren't reporting this.

sule · Post #17 » by **sule** » Fri May 20, 2011 6:43 am

Stephen Brunt is a legitimate reporter. Plus Thomson, one of the guys involved in the deal, owns the Globe and Mail. So I figure there has to be some legitimacy to this.

WEFFPIM · Post #18 » by **WEFFPIM** » Fri May 20, 2011 3:08 pm

There very well could be some legitimacy to this deal. But until the NHL actually comes out and says it has happened, this is just another case of the Canadian media jumping the gun.

Post #19 » by **OldNo7** » Sat May 21, 2011 3:45 pm

It's going to happen, it's just a matter of when.

What I am sick of is guys like Tom Glavine, who say they are big Thrashers fans , love hockey and have a boatload of money and say they dont want the team to go. Then ante up or get out.

Post #20 » by **Nolan** » Sat May 21, 2011 5:04 pm

Sounds like this is a done deal now. The mayor of Winnipeg said the Thrashers are moving its just a manner of the deal being finalized.