Thrashers Moved to Winnipeg

Several sources confirm the move and sale of the Atlanta Thrashers franchise to Winnipeg.  The Winnipeg market had been devoid of hockey since 1996, when the franchise was moved to Phoenix.  The former Winnipeg hockey team was the Jets, who were a staple of Canadian hockey, and were the first franchise in the NHL to orchestrate a white-out, with the fans in the stands all wearing white t-shirts.

The move is a great decision for the NHL.  The city of Winnipeg deserves an NHL hockey team again.  The city hosted an NHL team for 24 years, until 1996 when the team was sold for financial reasons.  Canada was in the midst of a financial crisis at the time, and the city was unable to support its franchise because of it.  As a result, the franchise was moved to Phoenix in the midst of the Sunbelt experiment, a decision by the NHL to attempt to move franchises to the unexplored market of the Southern United States.  Other franchises involved in this experiment are the Thrashers and Panthers, among others.  However, the experiment has not succeeded, as attendance and overall interest has been waning in these Southern markets.  As a result, the movement northward is beginning again, as the Thrashers have now been sold, and it appears the Coyotes are not far behind.

Winnipeg is now ready to support a hockey team.  While the world economy is not in a pristine state, Winnipeg is not struggling like it was in the 1990s, and the brand new arena and team will provide motivation for fans to pay ticket prices.  The absence of a hockey team for 15 years has created separation anxiety that will cause the city to back the team fanatically.  Winnipeg will provide a great atmosphere and venue for an NHL franchise.

It is unclear whether the franchise will be renamed the Jets, as it was through 1996.  Because the Jets franchise moved to Phoenix, the Coyotes are still the original Jets franchise.  The city of Winnipeg would need to make a decision similar to the one the Cleveland Browns made in 1999.  The Browns were moved to Baltimore in 1996, and became the Baltimore Ravens.  After 4 years without football in Cleveland, the franchise returned as an expansion team, led by first overall pick Tim Couch, and were renamed the Browns.  The Winnipeg franchise is in a similar situation.  While the original Jets franchise is the Phoenix Coyotes, the city has the opportunity to rename the Thrashers franchise the Winnipeg Jets.  It could certainly cause some logistics problems, however, especially with the probable relocation of the Coyotes franchise as well in the next few years.  Therefore, while the Jets nickname is a classic, for now we will leave the Winnipeg franchise unnamed.

The next issue is, where will the franchise be placed in terms of division and conference?  The Thrashers have been playing in the Southeast Division, in the Eastern Conference, but Winnipeg simply does not fit geographically in the Southeast.  Winnipeg is in Central Canada, and would be the proper fit in either the Central Division or Northwest Division, both in the Western Conference.  The Northwest Division is the best fit for Winnipeg, and it makes logistical sense for a few reasons.  First, one of the current Central Division teams will need to be moved to the Southeast Division to replace the void left by the Thrashers.  Second, with 5 teams per division, after one team moves to the Southeast, one team from the Northwest can move to the Central, which will be a much better geographic fit than Winnipeg in the Central.

The Central Division team who should move to the Southeast is the Nashville Predators.  The Predators are one of the newer franchises in the NHL (founded in 1997), and therefore do not have the tradition and history that would compel the NHL to keep them in the Central.  In addition, of all the teams in the Central, Nashville is the furthest south and closest to the heart of the Southeast Division (Tampa Bay, Carolina, Florida, Washington).  The Southeast would make a seamless transition with the move, and the Central would then be more confined to the north-central geography of America.

Then, the Central would have a void that would need to be filled.  This void would be best filled by the Minnesota Wild franchise.  The Minnesota Wild is in the Northwest Division, but is slightly out of place.  Three Canadian teams (Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver) and the Colorado Avalanche join Minnesota in the Northwest.  Minnesota is far closer to the heart of the Central Division than it is to the heart of the Northwest Division.  In addition, Minnesota is another fairly new NHL franchise, and the league would not suffer by losing the tradition of Minnesota in the Northwest Division.  If Minnesota moves to the Central Division, it makes logistic and geographic sense for both the Wild and the Winnipeg franchise.  Winnipeg will join three other Canadian franchises in the Northwest Division, and will be closer to the heart of the division.  Minnesota will join the Central Division, which then will be more representative of the midwestern United States.

The Thrashers move to Winnipeg will work out very well for everyone involved.  Winnipeg will recover a franchise that ignited the city for years, the Sunbelt experiment in the NHL will take an important first step towards dissolution, and the franchises will make moves to divisions that make more geographic sense than before the move.  Best of luck to the city of Winnipeg and its fans for its new franchise.