Winnipeg Jets are back!

[Greco Roman]

Originally Posted by CanadianDemon

You've just made a false statment to. "There will be a team in Winnipeg in the next 5 year or so." You can't prove that can you? Because you CAN'T prove the future only PREDICT it.

So I will say to you "Please get your facts straight before making false statements, thanks."

No, I don't feel my statement is false. Southern teams are crumbling fast, examples Phoenix and Atlanta. Also, GB has publicly admitted that Winnipeg and QC are viable NHL calibre cities. Also, there was (and still is) a deal in place for TNSE to purchase the Coyotes should no one complete a deal to keep the team in the desert by Dec. 31 of this year. It's been almost 2 years and still no valid offer has secured the team to stay in the desert. Based on the way things have been going, I would bet big money that a deal will not be reached and the team will move to Winnipeg for the 2011-2012 season, making this a lame duck season in the desert.

And BTW, there is indeed a strong arrogance towards Winnipeg, thinking they deserve a team more then we do, and I'm pretty sure you know that for a FACT! Just look at the vast majority of the media propeganda from SO; it's pathetic the way they bash Winnipeg.

[Greco Roman]

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/...297/story.html

[Yellow Fever]

Canadians support NHL return to Winnipeg, Quebec City — but not with federal cash


Winnipeg Free Press September 23, 2010 10:58 AM


WINNIPEG — A new poll says most Canadians want to see the NHL return to Winnipeg and Quebec City — especially Winnipeg — but they don’t want federal dollars spent to make it happen.

The Angus Reid Public Opinion poll found that 62 per cent of those surveyed think it’s a good idea for the NHL to return to Winnipeg, while 57 per cent want to see big-league ice come back to Quebec City.

However, 57 per cent of those polled oppose Ottawa spending funds to facilitate the relocation of an existing NHL team to any Canadian city.

Not surprisingly, Canadians who describe themselves as “hockey fans” are more supportive of having a team in Winnipeg (82 per cent) and Quebec City (75 per cent).

Support for Ottawa’s involvement in relocating an NHL team to Canada is highest (54%) among hockey fans — but even among strong fans, 40 per cent oppose federal tax dollars being spent on the effort.

British Columbians (71 per cent) and Albertans (64 per cent) are particularly critical of the prospect of federal funds being used to subsidize new franchises. Among Manitoba and Saskatchewan residents, 33 per cent support spending federal funds to help relocate a team to Canada, while 56 per cent oppose.

Two-in-five Quebecers (44 per cent) see no problem with using federal cash to bring back an NHL team.

The Angus Reid Public Opinion poll was conducted online, from Sept. 17-19, among 1,009 randomly selected adults who are Angus Reid Forum panellists. Angus Reid says the poll has a 3.1 per cent margin of error.



Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Canadian...#ixzz10NfpC0PX

[Rhino]

Betmans comments on HNIC today were verly optimistic. He said Winnipeg has everything in place to have a team including an ownership group. He said nothing would make him happier then putting a team back in the Peg and in Quebec city as well.

[Greco Roman]

NHL Considers A Winnipeg Move
CHRIS JOHNSTON
Raleigh, N.C.— The Canadian Press
Published Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011 8:57PM EST


Even though NHL commissioner Gary Bettman acknowledges time is running short on the Phoenix Coyotes sale, he doesn't want fans in Winnipeg to start getting excited just yet.

The league has had the right to start exploring relocation options since Dec. 31, but Bettman says he's still hopeful the proposed sale to Matthew Hulsizer will go through soon. Winnipeg is a possible destination if that deal falls apart.

“We'll hang in there as long as it makes sense and as long as we can,” Bettman said Saturday before the NHL's skills competition. “But time is getting short. Make no mistake about that. This is not something that is of infinite duration. I have tried to be as careful as I could be not to raise expectations in Winnipeg.

“Everybody knows my view on that — if we have to move a club, it would be good to go back to a place that we were once in that has a different situation, vis-a-vis building and ownership and the like, but it's one of the reasons we get concerned.

“We think it's unfair when baseless stories come out suggesting things that aren't true to get people in Winnipeg all excited. If there's something to announce, I promise we'll announce it.”

The NHL has been running the Coyotes for 15 months after a U.S. bankruptcy judge ruled the league, and not BlackBerry billionaire Jim Balsillie, could purchase the team. The NHL paid US$140 million and is reported to be selling it to Hulsizer for about $170 million.

The last thing the league wants to do is run the franchise again next season so a deal will have to be in place by the time the 2011-12 schedule is being completed in the spring or early summer. Bettman has not given Hulsizer a deadline to complete the sale.

“I know it would satisfy everybody's sense of finality to announce a drop-dead date,” he said. “As long as the process is holding together in a timeframe that we can deal with a schedule and the like, we're going to hang in there. If it becomes clear that the train is off the rails or that the train isn't getting to the station any time soon then we'll have to re-evaluate our position.

“But we're not going to, by a matter of a day or two, just simply make an artificial date.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle1887720/

[Yellow Fever]

Canucks to move AHL affiliate to Abbotsford?


Abbotsford Times March 10, 2011 11:14 AM


Speculation about where the Vancouver Canucks' American Hockey League affiliate will land should the NHL move back to Winnipeg is sure to pick up today.

CKNW has reported that talks are underway about possibly moving the Calgary Flames affiliate from Abbotsford to Chilliwack, citing a deal to move the WHL Bruins to Victoria, which is reportedly 70 per cent complete.

It was also reported that talks have also begun about the prospect of moving the Canucks affiliate to Abbotsford, as the NHL gets closer to having to relocate the moribund Phoenix Coyotes franchise to Winnipeg, current home of the AHL Moose.The Abbotsford Heat are in the second year of a 10-year deal with the Flames.

The Canucks' affiliate has been the biggest draw in terms of attendance at Heat games. In eight regular season meetings between the Heat and Moose at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre, the average fan attendance has been slightly more than 6,394. That's compared to the Heat's overall average attendance records of 3,797.

© Copyright (c) Abbotsford Times

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/C...#ixzz1GEGzfnWF

[Greco Roman]

True North expected to trigger campaign for NHL season ticketsBy: Gary Lawless
Posted: 04/14/2011 5:15 PM WINNIPEG - Time to put up or shut up.

The next time we hear from True North Sports and Entertainment it likely won’t be to announce the return of the NHL to our city but will instead be a call for Winnipeggers to demonstrate their ability to support an NHL team.

Related Items
Polls
Are you ready to pony up for NHL season tickets? Does this city want an NHL franchise and is it willing to pay for it? Are Winnipeggers willing to buy tickets at NHL prices with a long-term financial commitment?

A Winnipeg franchise is not a guaranteed economic success in the minds of many NHL types and it’s a certainty the league’s board of governors will tell True North, should they get to the point where they are prepared to relocate to Winnipeg, to go to its constituents and ask for a vote of confidence.

Such a cash call could come as early as next week.

True North, in order to satisfy the board of governors, will likely ask Winnipeggers to commit to purchasing season tickets for a minimum of three seasons.

It’s unknown how long the community will have to respond but count on a week to sell the vast majority of the MTS Centre’s 15,000 seats.

A poor response from the community would likely scuttle True North’s attempt to land an NHL franchise.

"There is nothing in the constitution on this," said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly in an email to the Free Press on Thursday. "Certainly, one of the things the board has to have satisfied is that the market is capable of supporting an NHL team at NHL prices. But that can be done in a variety of ways, depending on the market. There is no one ‘cookie cutter’ approach here."

It’s believed the NHL and True North are working on a deal for partners Mark Chipman and David Thomson to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes from the league should the NHL fail to conclude a deal to keep the team in Arizona.

The NHL bought the team out of bankruptcy in 2009 and has been trying to sell it ever since. The league appears to be at an impasse in Arizona with no buyer willing to pay their asking price of $170 million to keep the team in Glendale, Ariz., at Jobing.com Arena.

Chipman and Thomson are prepared to meet the NHL’s asking price and move the team to Winnipeg to play out of the MTS Centre.

The league has been working with Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer to keep the team in Glendale but the deal has stalled. The NHL has been patient but appears close to imposing a deadline on the transaction or moving on altogether.

For Winnipeg, the moment of truth may be close at hand.

There will likely be only one crack at gaining an NHL franchise and no time for hesitation if the city truly wants its beloved Jets or an NHL team of another name.

The bald truth of the matter is we are viewed as failures in the NHL boardroom and will have to prove otherwise before they determine that we can be welcomed back into the world’s finest hockey league.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

[as87930]

Am a regular poster at the Jetsowner message board! Their return is so close I can almost taste it with my tongue! Can't wait! And don't forget Don Cherry recently said on Coaches' Corner "Winnipeg, Get Ready!". Exciting times for hockey!

[Greco Roman]

Here is a post from another website that someone shared on a rumor thread:

"Well Ive heard good things from the city this week. Not official just city sometimes plans things. The police and transit are planing on the spontaneous closure of p&m on Friday. So on that note if nothing changes in Glendale sounds like Fri could see our team come home. Remember the NHL is very weird with there decisions and as we all know it could change, but the city does need to prepared for those kinda things so just thought you all should know. This is the email I received from my father who works in planing and overseeing in one of these municipal services.

April 29th, mark it on your calendar...we're planning for the Portage/Main closure.

So all this deadline talk and I am assuming there is a deadline and that date is approaching soon..."

Hopefully this means that this saga will be over in no more than 6 days and we will have a team back!

[Rhino]

what I cant stand, is Gerry " the jack ass " Betman, saying he is not talking to Winnipeg at all right now. Like come on you dumb son of a bitch, this is the worst secret in the league.

[koolio]

If both the Habs and the Nucks get eliminated in the first round, this will become the biggest hockey news in Canada

[Yellow Fever]

I listened to radio on my way home today and they were talking about the coyotes will stay in Phoenix for at least one more season but the Thrashers might move to Winnipeg.

[winnipegger]

The Glendale city council voted to give 25 million to keep the coyotes for another year but hopefully we'll get Atlanta

[xzmattzx]

Relocation talks for the Thrashers are underway

[Rhino]

Well, I wonder where the Moose would end up? Perhaps on the lower main land? That would make sence. Anywhere in B.C. would make sence.

[reidjr]

Originally Posted by Rhino

Well, I wonder where the Moose would end up? Perhaps on the lower main land? That would make sence. Anywhere in B.C. would make sence.

My guess would be thunder bay.

[Yellow Fever]

Originally Posted by Rhino

Well, I wonder where the Moose would end up? Perhaps on the lower main land? That would make sence. Anywhere in B.C. would make sence.

Originally Posted by reidjr

My guess would be thunder bay.

Read my post #47.

[Greco Roman]

Manitoba Moose could head to St. John’s: report

Postmedia News May 21, 2011 – 1:34 PM ET | Last Updated: May 21, 2011 2:20 PM ET


By Robin Short

ST. JOHN’S — The potential return of the NHL to Winnipeg is prompting the American Hockey League to come back to St. John’s, according a report in the St. John’s Telegram.

The newspaper reported Saturday that the Manitoba Moose franchise will be relocated to Newfoundland for the 2011-12 hockey season.

However, the report was quickly denied by the Moose. The team’s official Twitter feed said Saturday that “there is no agreement that would see the Moose move to St. John’s” and that “reports of a press conference on Friday to announce such a move are false.”

The Telegram report said the move was the culmination of a campaign undertaken by former Newfoundland premier Danny Williams, among others.

The news comes amid several reports that a deal has been reached, but not yet officially announced, to relocate the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, which lost its NHL team, the Jets, in 1996.

Quoting unnamed sources, the Telegram said the negotiations to bring the Moose to Newfoundland had been going on for some time, but had been contingent upon Winnipeg landing an NHL franchise — a development that now could be imminent.

It’s been six years since the AHL’s Maple Leafs left St. John’s.

The Maple Leafs franchise lasted 14 years in St. John’s. The team played its final game in Winnipeg on April 30, 2005, when the Moose eliminated St. John’s from the Calder Cup playoffs.

The new St. John’s franchise would reportedly remain the property of Mark Chipman’s True North Sports and Entertainment for at least one year, at which time the team will be purchased by ownership in Newfoundland.

The prospective new owner is former premier Williams, the Telegram said.

It’s been Williams, vice-chairman of the initial St. John’s Maple Leafs’ board of directors, and Glenn Stanford — the team’s director of operations during its 14-year run — who have worked with Chipman and True North over the past several weeks spearheading the relocation deal, the Telegram reported.

Neither Williams nor Stanford were available for comment Friday.

Since 2001-02, when the Moose joined the AHL after five years in the old International Hockey League, Manitoba has been the primary farm team of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.

However, with the potential transfer of the Atlanta franchise to Winnipeg, the new St. John’s club would be the farm team of the fledgling Winnipeg franchise, with the Canucks looking elsewhere for an AHL partner, the Telegram reported.

The landscape of the AHL has certainly changed since 2004-05.

Since then, the league has grown by two teams to 30, and has eight new franchises — Charlotte Checkers, Adirondack Phantoms, Lake Erie Monsters, Abbotsford Heat, Peoria Rivermen, Texas Stars, Oklahoma City Barons and Rockford IceHogs.

The Moose played in the Western Conference’s North Division last season. There’s a chance St. John’s could remain in the North, though a move to the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division seems more likely.

However, that will not happen in time for next season, when St. John’s will be lumped in with divisional rivals Hamilton, Lake Erie (Cleveland), Abbotsford, B.C., Grand Rapids Griffins, Rochester Americans and the Toronto Marlies.

St. John’s Telegram

Source: http://sports.nationalpost.com/2011/...-johns-report/

[Yellow Fever]

watch the sportnet news tonight and it seems the deal of moving the Thrashers to Winnipeg is pretty much done and it will be officially announced the move in the next few days.

[1ajs]

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
True North to announce purchase of Thrashers at news conference
By: Gary Lawless and Tim Campbell
Posted: 05/31/2011 6:44 AM

True North Sports and Entertainment has called an 11 a.m. press conference to announce it has purchased the Atlanta Thrashers subject to NHL board of governors' approval.
The Free Press learned early this morning that a deal had not been finalized but that there was enough confidence among the parties involved, True North, the NHL and Atlanta Spirit Group, to call a press conference.
Lawyers worked all night and will continue to in order to complete the transaction prior to an announcement.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and True North partner David Thomson are en route to Winnipeg for the announcement.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bre...122858484.html