NEW YORK – If ticket sales and optimism count, the former Thrashers franchise is going to do a whole lot better in Winnipeg than it ever did in 13 years in Atlanta.
What was all but inevitable after the team changed hands a few weeks ago became reality on Tuesday when the sale of the Thrashers and the relocation of the club to Winnipeg were unanimously approved by the NHL’s board of governors.
“They deserve it,” New Jersey Devils president Lou Lamoriello said. “Another team in Canada, everyone is excited about it. I think it’s going to work out fantastic.”
The Thrashers’ move makes seven teams north of the border. That reverses a recent trend in which teams shifted to the United States from Canada. The last time a club relocated into Canada was 31 years ago when Atlanta’s first NHL team, the Flames, moved to Calgary.
Seven of the NHL’s 30 franchises are located in Canada. With two failed hockey teams, Atlanta isn’t likely to get another chance anytime soon.
“It’s going to be tough,” said Thrashers president Don Waddell, who has been with the team since the beginning but won’t be joining it in Winnipeg. “Sports in general have been tough in Atlanta.
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