A press conference is being held by ownership group True North Sports and Entertainment to announce the move by the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, where it is assumed they will be renamed the Jets.
Here is live streaming video of the press conference:
The news is spreading like wildfire that the team most likely to end up the Winnipeg Jets is not the Phoenix Coyotes but the Atlanta Thrashers. And that the move could happen as early as next season.
While it would be great to see an NHL franchise return to Manitoba's capital, it should not be Atlanta.
If an NHL team fails in the ATL again (the Flames moved to Calgary in 1980) it would be seen as a missed opportunity for Commissioner Gary Bettman and the league because the Southeast Division city is simply too big of a market for the league to abandon it without a fight.
The Atlanta metropolitan area contains nearly six million residents -- many of whom are Northern transplants who would jump on the bandwagon and pack in Philips Arena if the Thrashers became a playoff contender. That demographic figure makes Atlanta the ninth largest urban area in the country. There are also the many African-American players on the Thrashers roster, such as Dustin Byfuglien, who personify the league's progressive "hockey is everybody" approach to diversity. Atlanta has one of the wealthiest and most educated black populations in the country, and it might not be politically correct to say this but having players on the team that look like the community matters. Perception is everything and the Thrashers have a real opportunity to put a major stamp on the Atlanta community.
It would be unconscionable for the NHL to abandon Atlanta again. There is too much at stake. Hopefully the ownership will come to its senses and keep the franchise in Georgia where it belongs.
It is looking more likely that either Phoenix or Atlanta will be moving to Winnipeg, Manitoba. If both the Coyotes and Thrashers don't stay in their cities, then Quebec City could be next in line after Winnipeg. But there are other American cities that could compete with Quebec for a team. So perhaps no Nordiques, but probably yes to the Jets (or whatever they will be called).
The new Winnipeg team could play there as early as next season and would play their home games at MTS Centre (pictured, above). The downtown venue would be the smallest arena in the NHL at 15,015 seats. But the enthusiasm of the local population will not be lacking, unlike the half-empty arenas in Glendale and Atlanta. Win or lose, expect hockey-crazy Winnipeggers to support their team on and off the ice.
So what do you think? Will the NHL return to Winnipeg? Will it be Phoenix or Atlanta?
The NHL's Southeast Division until as recently as last season was considered the weakest division in hockey. Except for the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals, the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers and Florida Panthers were awful compared to the rest of the league.
But ten games into this young season there have been noticeable improvements in every team, most notably the Lightning, who as of October 31st have the second best record in the league at 7-2-1 for 15 points -- one point behind the Los Angeles Kings.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING:
New General Manager Steve Yzerman has brought his wealth of experience and winning ways from the Detroit Red Wings to this franchise and has started to put the pieces together to rebuild the Bolts into a championship-caliber team that will challenge the Caps for Southeast supremacy.
In the offseason, Yzerman resigned Martin St. Louis; signed defensemen Pavel Kubina, Brett Clark and goaltender Dan Ellis; and brought in Simon Gagne via trade. Those acquisitions added to an already potent lineup that includes Vincent Lecavalier and reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner and goal-scoring machine Steven Stamkos. Last season Stamkos finished with 51 goals and 44 assists for 91 points.
ATLANTA THRASHERS:
The Thrashers, or Chicago South, made a bunch of big moves in the offseason. It started with the organization deciding not to renew the contract of Head Coach Jon Anderson and his coaching staff. Former General Manager Don Waddell was promoted to President of Hockey Operations, Rick Dudley former Assistant GM was promoted to General Manager.
The first move was a major nine-player trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that brought Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel and Akim Aliu to Atlanta. Later the Thrashers also traded for Blackhawk Andrew Ladd. The next day the team named Craig Ramsay as the new head coach, along with new staff in other key positions within the organization.
The Thrashers currently sit in third place in the Southeast division with a record of 5-4-2 for 12 points.
CAROLINA HURRICANES:
After an atrocious start to last season, one in which they finished with only 35 wins, the Canes are rebuilding with a youth movement and a veteran goaltender to back them up. So far in this young season former Vezina Award winner Cam Ward has been playing brilliantly.
Carolina has a mix of proven veterans like Ward, Captain Eric Staal, Tuomo Ruttu and Erik Cole and young talent like Jeff Skinner, Brandon Sutter, and eventually, when they are called up, Jon Matsumoto and Bobby Sanguinetti.
The Canes are currently sitting at 5-5-0 with 10 points.
FLORIDA PANTHERS:
The Panthers still have a ways to go until they become an elite team in the NHL. But they are making progress. And they might just be able to avoid the distinction of being the first city with ten consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs, although they are probably too soon in their rebuild to make the postseason.
Like the Hurricanes, the Panthers at least have a rock-solid goaltender in Thomas Vokoun, who has the ability to keep them in every game. And new General Manager Dale Tallon is beginning to put his imprint upon the organization. Tallon built the Blackhawks to the current Stanley Cup championship team so the Panthers are in good hands.
Some of the players Tallon nabbed in the offseason were blueliner Dennis Wideman and forward Steve Bernier. Tallon also added Christopher Higgins, Marty Reasoner, Mike Santorelli and Mike Weaver.
The new-look Panthers are currently 4-5-0 with eight points.
A tougher Southeast Division is good for professional hockey because it makes more games competitive and means that there will be more of a fight for every playoff spot. Also, the Capitals are finding out that they won't be able to cruise through the regular season like they have in past years, and the rest of the league is starting to figure out that they can't take any Southeast Division opponent for granted.
The Washington Capitals had a busy time at the trade deadline, adding toughness to the front and back lines. Carolina defenseman Joe Corvo (pictured above) is heading to Washington for Brian Pothier and prospect Oskar Osala. The Capitals also picked up Hurricanes forward Scott Walker in exchange for a 7th round pick in the 2010 draft. Washington also nabbed Wild center Eric Belanger for a 2010 2nd round pick. And in a surprise move the Blue Jackets' Milan Jurcina will be returning to Washington. The Caps traded Jurcina and Chris Clark to Columbus earlier this season for Jason Chimera. The blueliner played for Team Slovakia in the Winter Olympics.
More trades at the deadline:
Sabres forward Clarke Macarthur to Thrashers for 3rd and 4th round picks
Blue Jackets forward Raffi Torres to Sabres for defenseman Nathan Paetsch and 2nd round pick.
Ducks goalie Vesa Toskala to Flames for goalie Curtis Mcelhinney.
Lightning forward Jeff Halpern to Kings for forward Teddy Purcell and 3rd round pick.
Canucks defenseman Mathieu Schneider to Coyotes for defenseman Sean Zimmerman and 6th round pick.
The Ducks nabbed Hurricanes defenseman Aaron Ward in exchange for goalie Justin Pogge and a 2010 or 2010 4th round draft pick.
Defenseman Derek Morris is returning to Phoenix as the Bruins traded the player to the Coyotes for a 2011 fourth-round pick. The Bruins then replaced Morris by picking up defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and a prospect from the Panthers in exchange for Craig Weller, Byron Bitz and a second-round draft pick.
The Blues nabbed forward Matt D'Agostini from the Canadians for Aaron Palushaj.
Well it didn't take long for the Isles' Andy Sutton to find a home -- and it isn't with the Capitals. The Ottawa Senators acquired the veteran defenseman in exchange for a 2010 second-round pick that formerly belonged to the San Jose Sharks.
The Atlanta Thrashers have signed 48-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios. The three-time Stanley Cup winner would be the oldest NHL player if he returns this year. The deal is for $700,000 and Chelios will stay with the Chicago Wolves minor league team unless he is claimed on waivers.
Right hip injury sidelines Flyers goalie Ray Emery for the season.
The Sports Network is reporting that a deal is in place to trade Toronto forward Alexei Ponikarovsky to Pittsburgh for prospect Luca Caputi.
Many NHL franchises and sports venues are getting on board the green bandwagon by taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
This trend encompasses all of professsional sports, as The New York Times noted in a recent article titled "Getting Sports Events to Go Green," which focused mostly on Major League Baseball's efforts to green the game. For example, the Boston Red Sox use solar panels to heat water at Fenway Park.
So what has hockey done to lessen waste and pollution when thousands of fans pack arenas across North America? One initiative is called NHL Green -- a partnership between the league and GreenLife with technical guidance from the Natural Resources Defense Council. The NHL will use this alliance to develop a league "Green Plan." But what are individual teams doing right now to reduce their carbon footprint?
Here are the greenest NHL arenas based on factors such as easy access to public transportation, energy efficiency, eco-friendly construction materials, recycling options and other environmentally friendly aspects.
Arena: Consol Energy Center
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
City: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Neighborhood: Downtown
The Stanley Cup champs are moving into a shiny new venue after waddling in the decrepit Mellon Arena -- the oldest and lowest capacity arena in the NHL. And what an arena it will be! The Consol Energy Center will not only help the Penguins in Pittsburgh, but the real penguins in the rapidly melting polar ice caps. When the arena opens for the 2010-11 season it aims to be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified NHL arena. The Consol Energy Center will feature a gigantic glass atrium facing downtown that will bring in more natural light, lots of green space around the building, environmentally friendly paints, alternative energy sources and locally purchased construction materials. Plus easy access to public transportation allows fans to take the subway or bus to the game instead of driving.
Arena: General Motors Place
Team: Vancouver Canucks
City: Vancouver, Canada
Neighborhood: Downtown
Vancouver aims to be the greenest host city ever when the 21st Winter Olympic Games head to British Columbia in February, 2010. In June of 2006 the Vancouver Organizing Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation announced that the hockey games would be played on NHL-sized rinks so there would be no environmental impact by expanding the ice size at GM Place (to be called Canada Hockey Place for the Olympics) and UBC Thunderbird Arena. GM Place is serviced by the SkyTrain "Stadium-Chinatown" station. SkyTrain is Vancouver's elevated rapid transit system.
Arena: Madison Square Garden
Team: New York Rangers
City: New York City, New York
Neighborhood: Chelsea
It's hard not to be green when garden is in your name and you are situated atop the busiest train station in North America -- Penn Station. Thus, "the world's most famous arena" makes the list for being so damn accessible without a car.
Arena: Pepsi Center
Team: Colorado Avalanche
City: Denver, Colorado
Neighborhood: Downtown
The Pepsi Center is not only retrofitting their building to make it more environmentally friendly, but also is taking the initiative to educate visitors about the importance of energy conservation. The arena teamed with Xcel Energy to launch a website with tips on how Colorado residents and businesses can save money and energy by going green. The Pepsi Center also features the Power Zone where kids and adults alike can play interactive trivia games, learn about wind and solar power, and more. The venue has also installed solar panels and designated hybrid-only parking spaces and a no-idling zone. The Pepsi Center is serviced by bus and Denver's light rail system. The closest station is Pepsi Center/Elitch Gardens on the C and E lines.
Arena: Philips Arena
Team: Atlanta Thrashers
City: Atlanta, Georgia
Neighborhood: Downtown
The 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak caused minor exterior damage to the Philips Arena. Since then it has been only good news. The arena not only survived the tornado but is thriving -- Pollstar recently named Philips Arena the No. 1 U.S. venue for the first half of 2009 and earlier this year the arena became the first existing NBA or NHL arena to achieve LEED certification. The arena is also served by mass transit. The Philips Arena/CNN Center subway stop is an easy walk to the venue.
Arena: Staples Center
Team: Los Angeles Kings
City: Los Angeles, California
Neighborhood: Downtown
The Staples Center makes the list simply for trying to get car-centric Angelenos out of their leased luxury SUVs and onto the subway to see a game. The L.A. Metro recently released the above video advertisement to encourage fans to take the Blue Line light rail to the Staples Center. The Kings offer ticket discounts to metro riders and the venue provides secure bike racks. Other green initiatives include a dynamic recycling program, low-energy lighting, green cleaning chemicals, waterfree urinals and 1,727 solar panels installed on its rooftop.
Arena: TD Garden
Team: Boston Bruins
City: Boston, Massachusetts
Neighborhood: Downtown North section
The future just got brighter for Boston and the planet because TD Garden recently installed an energy-saving LED lighting system that will light up the arena's exterior at night. According to the website GreenSportsVenues.com: "The project provides a 60% decrease in kilowatt consumption over the previous equipment." The lighting system also automatically shuts off at 2 a.m. to save energy. The lighting changes colors depending on the team playing, so for example when the Bruins hit the ice the color will be yellow. And to celebrate a victory the lights can even do the wave with special effects.
Arena: Verizon Center
Team: Washington Capitals
City: Washington, D.C.
Neighborhood: Gallery Place/Chinatown
The "Phone Booth" has turned Gallery Place/Chinatown into the hottest neighborhood in the nation's capital while doing its part to cool down the planet. When former Caps owner Abe Pollin decided to replace the U.S. Air Arena in Landover, Maryland he significantly reduced the carbon footprint by locating the new arena above the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station -- making the arena easily accessible via subway for fans in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs. The Verizon Center was also the first indoor venue to install a high-definition LED scoreboard. Light-emitting diodes are significantly more energy efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs.
Honorable Mentions:
Honda Center -- Anaheim Ducks
Large recycling program and locally grown produce used in restaurant.
Air Canada Centre -- Toronto Maple Leafs
Located next to Union Station so easy access to public transit.
Bell Centre -- Montreal Canadians
Located in the heart of downtown, the arena provides easy access to public transit.
Xcel Energy Center -- Minnesota Wild
Recycling program, green cleaning products, low-energy lighting, low-flow water in restrooms, bike racks and bus vouchers for employees, education zone display with info on renewable and alternative energy.
Prudential Center -- New Jersey Devils
The newest arena in the NHL is also one of the most accessible via public transit -- the facility is located two blocks from Newark Penn Station.
The news is spreading like wildfire that the team most likely to end up the Winnipeg Jets is not the Phoenix Coyotes but the Atlanta Thrashers. And that the move could happen as early as next season.
It is looking more likely that either Phoenix or Atlanta will be moving to Winnipeg, Manitoba. If both the Coyotes and Thrashers don't stay in their cities, then Quebec City could be next in line after Winnipeg. But there are other American cities that could compete with Quebec for a team. So perhaps no Nordiques, but probably yes to the Jets (or whatever they will be called).
After an atrocious start to last season, one in which they finished with only 35 wins, the Canes are rebuilding with a youth movement and a veteran goaltender to back them up. So far in this young season former Vezina Award winner Cam Ward has been playing brilliantly.
Arena: Consol Energy Center
