The Drive To 13K Begins... Winnipeg Has Pro Hockey Back...

In a standard press release, it's over and attempted to be explained...

"Our objective was always to find a solution to keep the team in Atlanta, and we spent a considerable amount of time, effort and resources trying to do so,” said Co-Owner Bruce Levenson. “This is not the outcome we wanted and it’s extremely disappointing that a buyer or significant investor did not come forward that would enable us to keep the team in Atlanta.”

And, after a 15-minute delay, the presser to announce the shift of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg begins...

The parameters: Commissioner Gary Bettman is encouraging that the MTS Centre be sold out every night for "this to work." And the number of season ticket sales for consecutive seasons ranges from three to five- depending on which seat you want- and is 13,000 instead of the normal 10,000...

Which is fine... it shouldn't be a problem... even with the city of Winnipeg being the smallest Canadian city to join the fray once again.

Michael Gearon, Junior broke down in a difficult interview with FOSG John Kincade in the 680TheFan studios this afternoon. Few question Gearon's love for sport as a gentleman who grew up here, but more question his nature as a part owner of a geographically-disjointed, financially ill-equipped gaggle of dudes who seemed more interested in in-fighting, lawsuits, and suing their ex-lawyers than investing in their product in a proportionally-correct manner.

In the interview, Gearon expressed the idea that the one year the Thrash made the playoffs, they still lost US$20-million with a midline payroll. Thus the decision to grow talent citing previous examples in Tampa, Pittsburgh, or Nashville. The problem was the organization never recovered from the gutting of the team to make that playoff run ((See the Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik trades as your examples...))

FOSG Jeff Schultz went off the rails and poked Atlanta Spirit between the eyes...And, for that, we commend him...

"Hockey in Canada has never been stronger," said Commissioner Gary Bettman. "We get to be back in a place we wish had not left in 1996. Sometimes we simply have no choice, as was the case back in 1996 when the Jets left Winnipeg," he said.

The man, certainly, thinks that someone else was responsible for that move, eh...???
And for him to talk like it was a goal and aim if his to have a team there all along was an interesting contradiction in terms for the dynamic that was set forth.

The sale of the Atlanta Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment is conditional the approval of 75 per cent of the league's owners at the NHL's Board of Governors meeting in New York on June 21.

Here's the obit from FOSG Buck Lanford
((HT: MyFoxAtlanta))

Sold: Atlanta Thrashers Moving to Winnipeg: MyFoxATLANTA.com

The Thrashers held a 1PM presser for selected media- the four television station network affils, Bloomberg, and the Associated Press...

Strangely typical... and equally cowardly.. it fits Spirit's modus operandi from the jump...

More when we know more...

1515 UPDATE: We know more...

FOSG Ted Bauer's sister station in London, Ontario "A-News London" caught up with Pegger property Robbie Schrempf and got his take...
((HT: ANews London))


Here's what it looked like at the key Winnipeg intersection of Portage and Main
((HT: youtube))


But the one aspect that the HQ wasn't a fan of during today's procession was a bump music out used on XMHomeIce: The Band's "The Day They Drove Ol' Dixie Down..."


Not cool... not cool at all...

More when we know more...