The NHL is back in Winnipeg. 15 years after the Detroit Red Wings helped bring the Jets' stay in Winnipeg to an end, the city is set to have a new NHL team.
True North Sports and Entertainment held a press conference on Tuesday to announce the purchase of the Atlanta Thrashers and the relocation of the franchise to Winnipeg. The NHL's Board of Governors must vote on the move to make it official, but as Travis Hughes points out, that is merely a formality at this point.
In the coming months, Winnipeg will get its new franchise ready for the 2011-12 season, starting first with a season-ticket drive that has a goal of selling 13,000 seats. The franchise then needs to decide on a new name, logo and jerseys for the team. It hasn't sounded like the team will be named the Jets since that technically is the Coyotes franchise, but you can bet there will be a big push to go with the old name.