Thrashers move to Canada – Statesboro Herald

ATLANTA — First the Flames. Now the Thrashers.

The struggling NHL franchise was sold Tuesday to a group that will move it to Winnipeg next season, making Atlanta the first city in the league’s modern era to lose two teams.

The Flames left for Calgary in 1980. The Thrashers followed them to Canada three decades later.

“I want to thank all the Thrashers fans who supported us in Atlanta during my two years there. It’s a shame there’s no NHL hockey,” tweeted Evander Kane, one of the team’s most promising young players. “I’m going to miss the great people and the city of Atlanta.”

True North Sports and Entertainment announced the deal at a news conference at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre, the 15,015-seat arena where the team will play. The news sparked a wild celebration in Manitoba’s largest city, which joined the league after the Jets lost to Phoenix in 1996.

The new team could also be known as the Jets, though no decision has been made on the name. The Thrashers name, coined by former owner Ted Turner and referencing Georgia’s state bird, will not be used north of the border.

Thousands of fans in red, white and blue Jets jerseys cheered, waved flags and played pick-up games of street hockey. While the deal is subject to approval by league owners, it will likely be a formality when the board of governors meets June 21 in New York.

“It’s nice to be back in Winnipeg after all these years,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who attended True North’s news conference.

In Atlanta, the reaction was minimal, aside from a tearful news conference by co-owner Michael Gearon. He said the group that controls the Thrashers, the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and the operating rights to Philips Arena had done everything it could to find someone to help keep the financially struggling team in town.

No one has made a serious offer.

“I tried hard to avoid that day,” said Gearon, who was glassy-eyed and slumped several times as he met with a small group of reporters at Philips Arena. “I spent time with potential investors four years ago because I was afraid this day would come. I made a desperate appeal in February. Unfortunately, it didn’t lead to any real prospects. Sitting here today is just horrible for me.”

On the city’s sports radio stations, there was more talk of college football and the scandal that cost Ohio State coach Jim Tressel his job than of the loss of an NHL team that, at best, attracted a niche audience.

The Thrashers have made the playoffs just once in 11 seasons and have never won a postseason game. The owners have been plagued by financial problems, and attendance has become a major problem in recent years. The Thrashers have averaged fewer than 14,000 fans per game this season, ranking 28th out of 30 teams.

Ultimately, the group known as the Atlanta Spirit decided to get out of the hockey business. Three weeks ago, after Glendale, Ariz., voted to subsidize the Phoenix Coyotes for an extra season while the struggling team tries to find new ownership, True North turned its attention to the Thrashers.

The deal is reportedly worth $170 million, including a $60 million relocation fee that would be shared by the remaining owners.

“Our spirit is back!” said Winnipeg’s Braden Hill, wearing a Jets jersey and hockey helmet with a Canadian flag draped across his back. “Our city lost it 15 years ago. Now it’s back.”

Meanwhile, the Thrashers’ training complex in suburban Duluth was locked down and no one answered the door. Many employees were probably brushing up their resumes, knowing they wouldn’t be heading to Winnipeg with the team.

Next door, a half-dozen customers ate lunch at the Breakaway Grill, which overlooks the rink where the team has been practicing and plans to remain open.

“Luckily, we’re called the Breakaway Grill. We’re not called the Thrashers Nest or anything like that,” said Rhashida Chandler, who works as a bartender and server. “It’s going to be an adjustment. We’ll be here for lunches. We’re lucky to have a strong youth hockey program and a men’s league program that usually keeps us here until 2 a.m.”

She said the economic crisis and years of losses have made it difficult for the franchise to succeed in a city that has three other major league franchises, two minor league teams and a strong tradition in college sports that revolves around Georgia and Georgia Tech.

“I just wish they had had more success as a team,” Chandler said.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has tried to drum up business support for the team, but acknowledged last week that a move was inevitable.

“Like thousands of loyal fans, I was disappointed to learn today that the Atlanta Thrashers were leaving the city for Winnipeg,” said Reed. “As they move on, I wish them continued success.”

The mood was much different in Winnipeg, of course. The new ownership group, which includes Canadian billionaire David Thomson, began a fierce search for another NHL team when it became clear that both the Coyotes and Thrashers were in dire financial straits.

The Coyotes are now in the league and likely would have returned to Winnipeg had suburban Glendale not agreed to provide a $25 million subsidy this year and then approved another for the 2011-12 season while the team tries to finalize a deal with a potential new owner.

In Atlanta, where the financially troubled city faces possible layoffs, there was never any question of bailing out the hockey team.