NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman "would use the gains from the impending sale of the Atlanta Thrashers to recover losses incurred by NHL owners from buying the Coyotes out of bankruptcy and operating the team in the red for the past two seasons," according to David Shoalts of the GLOBE & MAIL. Bettman "should have at least $60-million -- the reported relocation fee included in the sale price -- and possibly up to $90-million or more to apply to the Coyotes, once the pending sale of the Thrashers is completed." The "key move was to prevent the Coyotes from moving to Winnipeg." By working to keep the Coyotes in Glendale, Bettman "maintained Winnipeg as an open NHL market." The strategy "arguably propped up the value of the Thrashers as the only franchise available for relocation, in turn creating capital to subsidize the Coyotes losses." Had the Coyotes moved to Winnipeg, sources said that the "value of the Thrashers would have dropped as low as $80-million without a viable market to accommodate the team." It is "now conceivable that Bettman will deprive the Atlanta Spirit group ... of any proceeds from the $60-million relocation fee." He "may even insist that the league deserves a $30-million cut from the $110-million franchise price, too" (GLOBE & MAIL, 5/21). A source said that talks between Winnipeg-based True North Sports & Entertainment and the Thrashers "didn't begin" until last weekend when Bettman "gave both sides the green light to commence the process" (ESPN.com, 5/21).
TAKE A SEAT, MAYBE: In Atlanta, Steve Hummer reported despite the "persistent reports that they will be sold soon and moved" to Winnipeg, the Thrashers "went ahead with their select-a-seat promotion" for the '11-12 season at Philips Arena on Saturday. A "few hundred Thrashers fans held a tailgate gathering outside the arena that afternoon, one final opportunity to come together." The mood at both locations "was a little sad, a little nostalgic, something akin to an Irish wake for this 11-year-old franchise." Long-time season-ticket holders "were invited in Saturday morning for snacks and drinks, and to look over the seating at Philips in case they wanted to upgrade for that tenuous next season." Most "merely used the opportunity to visit their old seats, perhaps to tell them goodbye." Thrashers Fan Club VP Stan Hauseman "seemed pleased enough with the tailgate turnout, around 250 or so." He said, "I don’t know if it would have mattered if we had 45,000. Just one more time we wanted to stand up for the hockey fans in Atlanta, and show the NHL that if you leave Atlanta, you leave us" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 5/22).
MIXED FEELINGS: In Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont wrote, "Contrary to the view of most Americans, and even a lot of Canadians, there are good things happening in Manitoba, and one is that it has a ready-for-the-NHL arena sitting there waiting." But is a "shift back in time to Winnipeg really where the NHL needs to go?" That is a "very large, mixed bag of pucks" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/22). The GLOBE & MAIL's Jeff Blair wrote under the header, "Why Winnipeg Is The Perfect Place For Another NHL Team" (GLOBE & MAIL, 5/21). A GLOBE & MAIL editorial is written under the header, "NHL's Return To Winnipeg Is Canada's Redemption." The "loss of Atlanta, for the second time, is a rebuke to its southern-growth strategy" (GLOBE & MAIL, 5/21). In Denver, Terry Frei wrote, "I'm not opposed to the move, given the financial realities and the Thrashers ownership's overwhelming losses." But the "familiar yammering about 'nontraditional' markets involves such selective memory and acknowledgement of realities past and present that it's galling." Many "nontraditional" hockey markets in the U.S. "have become youth hockey hotbeds," and even the "once-belittled Tampa Bay region has shown it will produce decent or better attendance figures for teams worthy of support" (DENVER POST, 5/22).
MINIMAL GAINS? In Toronto, Chris Stevenson writes, "Apart from the good folks of Winnipeg, does it really impact any of the other Canadian cities? Of course not, but we can feel like we have a little greater ownership of the game we love at its top level." Some might argue Canadian fans would rather see a Winnipeg team "coming into Rexall Place or the Bell Centre or the rink in Vancouver rather than the Atlanta Thrashers." Stevenson: "But is that going to sell more tickets? In every Canadian city, except for Ottawa, every ticket has been sold since the lockout, so there's no uptick coming there. Television? Does having Winnipeg in the mix do anything to boost the ratings for the CBC or TSN or Sportsnet? ... I bet there's a good chance the increase in ratings in the regular season is going to be minimal" (TORONTO SUN, 5/23).
MOOSE ON THE MOVE: In Newfoundland, Robin Short reported an announcement "outlining the relocation" of the AHL Manitoba Moose to Mile One Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland, is set for Friday. Only the "official signing of papers is needed to complete" the transaction, which would see the team move from MTS Centre in Winnipeg. The franchise "will remain the property" of True North "for at least one year, at which time the team will be purchased by local ownership" (St. John's TELEGRAM, 5/21). True North Dir of Corporate Communications & Hockey Operations Scott Brown "would not confirm the report." He said that the suggestion of a Friday press conference "was false, but because of ongoing negotiations to relocate the Moose for the 2011-12 season, he would not comment on the suggestions that the team was headed to Newfoundland" (WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.com, 5/21).
