Atlanta Thrashers Move To Winnipeg

[Fiddy]

gotta love the rumor mill..

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Peter...ving/119/26296

Peter Tessier

Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSS • Archive • CONTACT

This started with a post by Scott Taylor of Winnipeg radio station 92 CITI FM and also of the National Post. In his post on the station's website he claims that David Thompson, son of Ken Thompson and controlling shareholder in Thompson Reuters has purchased the Atlanta Thrashers and is moving it to Winnipeg for the 2010-11 Season. This is to be announced after the Olympics.

Okay now that you are all agog, the shock is settling in and the countless theories of why this will or will not work are being formulated... that's just the beginning.

The Manitoba Moose, farm team for Vancouver will be moving to Saskatoon and the Saskatoon Blades WHL team will moving to Winnipeg.

So it gets better...

The Phoenix Coyotes will be moving to Kansas City. The NHL has apparently brokered a deal for the Coyotes to move to Kansas City. This is the crazy one. How did this happen with the iron clad lease and the wonderful relationship with the City of Glendale?

I may be some one who loves to drink but I'm not even close to a bottle right now so don't tell me to put it down.

I think it's all crazy. I know Mark Chipman, owner of the Moose, has been working hand in hand with the NHL to build a situation where the league feels everything is in place to support a team in the 'new NHL' but this fast?

I'm putting this out there as the story is gaining some strength and it might as well get discussed, laughed at or be investigated further.

Have fun with this one!

[slickdtc]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

I'll believe it when I see.

Them saying next year just makes it sound ridiculous, though.

[Money99]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

As soon as I saw the link was from Pecker-lend,'s "HockeyBuzz" I knew this rumor was full of hot air.
Eklund has a whopping 3% success rate.

Phoenix and Atlanta aren't going anywhere.
And the last time I checked the Blades had a great standing and won't be moving from Saskatoon anytime soon.

And as much as I'd love to see Canada get another NHL team, it won't be going to Winnipeg. That arena is new but it's not up to NHL standards. Only 40 luxery boxes and 15,000 seats.

If Canada is getting another team it'll be going to either Quebec City or Hamilton.

Finally, doesn't Atlanta have a 99-year lease?

[SPTO]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

The Atlanta part may be true (The citation is Scott Taylor of the National Post who worked for YEARS at the Winnipeg Free Press) I can also buy the Atlanta rumor because even though no one talks about it a lot the prospects for moving that franchise has been the most likely out of all the "troubled" franchises in the league.

The PHX stuff? Color me skeptical.

[tyler289]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

I'm hoping Atlanta and Phoenix would move, but I don't see either happening. Bettman doesn't want to admit defeat.

[SPTO]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

I'm hoping Atlanta and Phoenix would move, but I don't see either happening. Bettman doesn't want to admit defeat.

Well if it's true that Thompson bought the Thrashers then I sure as hell wouldn't go up against him if I were Bettman. Thompson has an entire national newswire service at his beck and call. Thompson would be dumb not to apply real pressure by getting Reuters stories painting Bettman as the bad guy if there's a relocation fight.

[tyler289]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

Well if it's true that Thompson bought the Thrashers then I sure as hell wouldn't go up against him if I were Bettman. Thompson has an entire national newswire service at his beck and call. Thompson would be dumb not to apply real pressure by getting Reuters stories painting Bettman as the bad guy if there's a relocation fight.

Not hard to do.

Would love to see Bettman get slammed.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

Would rather the Coyotes move to Hamilton, but KC has that brand new arena going for it.

Only downfalls for Winnepeg are that the arena there is tiny and they probably wouldn't be able to use the Jets name.

[Fiddy]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

As soon as I saw the link was from Pecker-lend,'s "HockeyBuzz" I knew this rumor was full of hot air.
Eklund has a whopping 3% success rate.

but its not Eklunds rumor. he has some very solid guys that blog on his site from around the league. he is just the main joke. bc he blows!!

[Money99]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

but its not Eklunds rumor. he has some very solid guys that blog on his site from around the league. he is just the main joke. bc he blows!!

Hahaha. Very true.

I guess I'm just sick of all this relocation talk. We've heard so much of it the past 10 years and nothing's every come out of it.

Atlanta deserves to be moved. Nobody cares for hockey there and they have morons running the ship.
If Bettman really wanted to help the Thrashers he'd force the owners to fire Wadell.

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

The only thing the Thrashers new ownership could do that would be smarter than moving the team would be to finally get rid of Waddell. He is the new Mike Milbury.

[Money99]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

The only thing the Thrashers new ownership could do that would be smarter than moving the team would be to finally get rid of Waddell. He is the new Mike Milbury.

Watch them replace Wadell with Milbury. Hahaha!

[BooShay]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

Winnipeg Jets or Winnipeg Thrashers?

[rspencer86]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

I know KC is wanting to find a sports tenant for the Sprint Center pretty badly—it would be interesting to see how pro hockey would fare in Kansas City. My guess is not real well, but I would like to be proven wrong. It would give me a very good reason to start getting into hockey.

[Money99]

Re: New Rumor - Both Atlanta and Phoenix Moving.. Next Year?

I know KC is wanting to find a sports tenant for the Sprint Center pretty badly—it would be interesting to see how pro hockey would fare in Kansas City. My guess is not real well, but I would like to be proven wrong. It would give me a very good reason to start getting into hockey.

You never know.
Colorado didn't make it as a hockey town it's first go around, but when the very talented Nordiques moved there in '95, the city fell in love with them.

If KC were to get a team that was fairly successful right off the bat, it could be a hit. Especially if it had a bonified star in it's lineup.