Day 11: ATL-To-WPG- It's Up To The Lawyers...

((HT: TSN/Sportsnet/Winnipeg Sun/Winnipeg Free Press via Howard Bloom))

Here's what we've found out via the HQ's subscriptions to various dudes...

TSN's Bob McKenzie is reporting that Winnipeg lawyers have signed off on the deal, but are awaiting Atlanta lawyers to sign off. On his Twitter account:

Soon as they sign off, deal is done, pending board approval. If ATL lawyers sign off today, announcement tomorrow morning. If ATL lawyers don't sign off today, drags out another day or two.

Winnipeg police are preparing for parties and street closures in the downtown core, particularly the corner of Portage and Main. City officials have not been informed by True North of a firm time for any announcement.

True North Sports and Entertainment, the company trying to purchase the Atlanta Thrashers, has informed local media to be on standby.

"They were told to be ready as early as tomorrow," TNSE spokesman Scott Brown told the Winnipeg Sun...

Ken Wiebe's article in the Sun we hear from Bill Daly at the NHL:

"It's certainly possible something could be finalized this week," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Sun on Monday.

Darren Dreger of TSN added on his Twitter: The waiting continues. True North is waiting for Atlanta Spirit to complete some of its legal fine tuning. It's now an hour by hour wait.

Meanwhile, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet says "barring any last minute changes, the plan is to formally announce the Thrashers move to Winnipeg as early as 10 a.m. Tuesday."

Once the deal is complete, obviously, it still must obtain approval from the NHL
board of governors and their next meeting is scheduled for June 21 in New York.

Winnipeg's Scott Taylor is thinking somewhere between Tuesday and Thursday...

ESPN's Pierre LeBrun is relaying that haggling is still going on...

So, now we may actually be closer than we think...

FOSG/WXIA-TV-11Alive's Jeff Hullinger caught up with part of the ASG, Rutherford Seydel... it sounds like a dirge...



Crystal Goomansingh was in Winnipeg for the preview of the inevitable celebration...
((HT: GlobalNews))