The OFFside Blog: The Grand Announcement
Hopes and fears, past, present and future: Lest we forget.

The Grand Announcement will take place on Tuesday, May 31th, 2011 within the MTS Centre at 11am.

Potentially hours beforehand, expect thousands of fans to close Portage and Main and possibly Portage Avenue West up to the MTS Centre. However, the police may try to guide the celebration to The Forks.

The Forks will have a large screen to watch the announcement and if a large enough crowd gathers, they will use the main stage area too.

Suggest for those parking to do so well away from the scene as traffic inside the area will be trapped until potentially as late as the next morning.

Celebrate long and hard as this day is at least 15 years in the making, but please be respectful to property and fellow fans, as we all are representing our city and province on a national and international scale.

~ ~ ~

At this time, some emotions spill forth, no doubt many of them will be very familiar.
There are many, so please accept them in point form:

Hoped that a salary cap would come in 1994 to level the playing field for Canadian teams.

Hoped that 35,000 people at the “Save the Jets Rally” might have helped fundraising and save the team.

Hoped that the 1990’s Mark Chipman as the then ‘Young Turk’, who saw the Jets slip away right at the very boardroom table, would really take to heart the dream of the return that Manitobans shared.

Hoped that the IHL Moose would fill a horrible void.

Hoped that True North didn’t see the Jets as the enemy to be unnamed and forced out of our collective consciousness.

Hoped that the loss of the empty Eaton’s building meant bigger and brighter things for our city.

Hoped that the collective courage within Winnipeg was found by Mark Chipman to bring True North into the proper alignment with the NHL.

Hoped that David Thomson’s arrival to True North was not a mirage.

Hoped that the partnership between these two leaders meant more than AHL hockey and a thriving concert promotions business.

Hoped that Mark Chipman’s Moose allowed him the opportunity to rub shoulders with NHL brass to showcase his skills, his organization and our city.

Hoped that the first class hockey operation at the new NHL-caliber MTS Centre would get noticed by NHL owners and general managers.

Hoped that the NHL lockout will bring in a hard salary cap and meaningful revenue sharing to give hope, beyond fantasy, to Manitoba.

Hoped that the year without NHL hockey opened hearts and minds to what Winnipeg and Quebec City has gone through for more than 9 years.

Hoped that Mark Chipman’s appearance with Peter Mansbridge on the CBC national newscast was the start of True North’s NHL quest.

Hoped that the successful return in the Twin Cities and Denver meant that the same story could be penned here.

Hoped that Atlanta’s second NHL misfortune would not be replicated here, if only given the chance.

Hoped that the NHL would not count too few seats and suites at the MTS Centre, nor too few residents.

Hoped that the NHL Exhibition games drew attention from the NHL and media alike.

Hoped that the sheer emptiness of watching two visiting NHL teams play in our home rink would not be the closest NHL experience I would live to see in Winnipeg.

Hoped that Wayne Gretzky’s positive statements would carry favour with the NHL.

Hoped that Wayne Gretzky’s later negative comments would fall on deaf ears at the NHL Head Office.

Hoped that the absence of Winnipeg Enterprises’ control over the rink offers flexibility to True North’s business plans.

Hoped that Kevin Donnelly’s wizardry in concert promotions gives Mark Chipman and David Thomson confidence to forge ahead even with sticker prices in the $150 million range.

Hoped that the Dollar wouldn’t tank just before a purchase might occur.

Hoped that no personality clash scuttled True North’s acceptance into NHL ownership.

Hoped for little government intervention so as to avoid negative local backlash and divide the province into two.

Hoped that no media leaks about negotiations scuttled any deal.

Hoped that the very first game could be enjoyed by all people across Winnipeg, all people across Manitoba, all people across Canada.

Hoped that my dad and mom lived long enough to take them to an NHL game.

Hoped that we would be likewise granted the chance to show to our kids the game, live, at its’ highest level to instill that wonder for a lifetime.

~ ~ ~

Feared that by not seeing a $111 million 18,000 seat arena, built north of The Forks, that our government leaders let us down.

Feared that the demolishing of the Winnipeg Arena would be the eradication of all tangible memories of the NHL in Winnipeg.

Feared that I would never again look fondly upon memories of Curt Keilback’s play by play.

Feared that the last WhiteOUT was a permanent loss to the Red Wings.

Feared that the franchise funeral meant forever and ever and ever.

Feared that my kids would never understand why Daddy ever fell head over heels for hockey.

Feared that Ken Nicolson’s family and fans would never have the occasion again to reminisce over his classic delivery in his home NHL rink.

Feared that Brian Swain’s family and fans would never have the occasion again to remember his trademark Jets play-by-play in his home NHL rink.

Feared that John Ferguson’s family and fans would never have the occasion again to honour him in his home NHL rink.

Feared that Don Wittman’s family and fans would never have the occasion again to raise a toast to him in his home NHL rink.

Feared that Cactus Jack Wells’ family and fans would never have the occasion again to admire him in his home NHL rink.

Feared that Jack Matheson would not see this great day.

~ ~ ~

Hope that other Canadian cities, especially Quebec City, enjoy their own team soon.

Hope that memories of Ben Hatskin and the many late players that followed our first owner with a great vision will be forever cherished.

Hope that the Goals for Kids and the Yearling Foundation efforts spring eternal the desire of all to improve our province through charity.

Hope that the team holds their first charity-driven event to invite all former owners and Manitoba pro-hockey players of all leagues back as we collectively welcome the NHL roster of players and staff to Winnipeg and Friendly Manitoba.

Hope that Mark Chipman and David Thomson, the owners with the great vision like Hatskin before, recruit and retain the very best, as they put Manitoba’s best foot forward.

Hope that we the fans similarly take oath to put Manitoba’s best foot forward and support the team regardless of standings, the price of beer, team colours and team name.

Hope that Hull, Hawerchuk, Steen and Selanne along with Wayne Gretzky, hockey’s chief ambassador and former on-ice foe, may return for the first game so that the ceremonial faceoff may occur using the final Jets regular season game puck that Wayne Gretzky anticipated in his trademark on-ice style and carefully saved for this moment.

Hope that the good memories outshine the bad ones, while tears at NHL games will be only good ones as we remember both.

Hope that the good memories outshine the bad ones, while tears at NHL games will be only good ones as we remember our loved ones no longer able to sit with us.

Today’s Grand Announcement releases nearly four decades of our hopes and fears.

Hopes and fears, past present and future: Lest we forget.

Chris Mackie Phil Bonomo
President President
www.myNHLincludesWinnipeg.com www.ManitobaMythbusters.com
~ The Reality HAS Excited Us! ~

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Need to be Thanked From the Bottom of Our Hearts
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The TSN JetsMeter Burying the Needle Credit: TSN.ca

The OFFside Blog: Team Name Jetserendum
May 26, 2011

We fans have all rowed the same boat to get to this close to the shore together, but there is a sense of strong dissention growing amongst the fans. That is a concern, considering the team hasn't even landed yet.

While some of us may be sporting Winnipeg Jet tattoos, and have considerable emotional capital still invested in the name and several versions of logos (I speak for no one in particular), we need to be a bit more considerate of our ownership group.

Now maybe this is a network time-filler between the rumours, the deal and the wait for the eventual announcement, but it seems to have become bigger that a media-driven chosen topic.

Think of the position that Mark Chipman and David Thomson are being put in here:

1) They can do no wrong in bringing a team back to Manitoba and selecting the team colours!

2) They can do no right in selecting a team name.

Whatever name they choose, they will have fans and detractors. That is sad for the very people taking the biggest risk in this whole story.

So why do some feel that the fans have the right to add even more pressure to their plate when they are yet trying to close the deal over the past week? Are the fans OFFside for thinking they should have the final say over their team's name?

As a fan we have a right to complain about warm or too cold beer, the Timmys line being way too long (seriously), trades, drafts, line combos, ice time for my favorite player, the power play unit (shoot it already!) and even which guys should coach and manage the team.

Besides why should your vote count larger than anyone else's? So following that logic, then should that force TNSE into a sort of Jetserendum? Have everyone drop into the MTSC or the major malls in Winnipeg, Brandon, Thompson, Steinbach, Portage, Dauphin, Arborg, Flin Flon, The Pas and Churchill to cast their one and only vote off of an Elections Canada eligible voters list? Remember internet voting is akin to vote rigging so that's out insofar as a fair way to decide too!

So even if the fans agreed on a method that was fair, so many people would be upset in the end as there seems to be way more than just two choices. And the more choices, the bigger overall percentage of fans will not be happy with the final call.

So while my text here may have solved nothing, it just might make a few people ease up on the full throttle, because in the end, even if yours truly doesn't get the team name of choice, as long as the name invokes a threatening animal image or is a classic and classy reference, yours truly will always love the team.

Is this something we the fans can all agree to?

Head on down to the forum and convince us and others that it is the fans' right to demand a team name. www.manitobamythbusters.com/forum

Chris
President, www.myNHLincludeWinnipeg.com
~ The Reality May Surprise You! Excite You! ~

Thank you for continuing to Spread the Word
30,000 Unique Monthly Visitors and Growing

PS> Add legalese here: Any potential colours used in the making of this website does not necessarily yield an implied reference to any name and logo. Such depictions are purely conincidental. ((Jets))

Exclusive to the Globe and Mail

Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg
STEPHEN BRUNT
Globe and Mail Update
Published Thursday, May. 19, 2011 8:57PM EDT
Last updated Thursday, May. 19, 2011 10:54PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/atlanta-thrashers-moving-to-winnipeg/article2029179/

An agreement to sell the National Hockey League’s Atlanta Thrashers to a Winnipeg group which plans to relocate the franchise to the Manitoba capital is done.

Sources confirmed tonight that preparations are being made for an announcement Tuesday, confirming the sale and transfer of the Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns and operates the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League and the MTS Centre arena, which would become the NHL team’s new home.

The announcement would end months of speculation about whether one of the NHL’s financially-troubled American sunbelt teams might move north, filling the void left when the Winnipeg Jets packed up and left for Phoenix in 1996, where they became the Coyotes.

Much of the talk this spring had centred on that failing franchise, which was bought by the league after being placed in bankruptcy by its former owner Jerry Moyes in 2009.

But sources in Winnipeg suggest that the Thrashers had in fact been the primary target of potential owners Mark Chipman and David Thomson all along, and that some months back, the NHL board of governors quietly approved the sale and transfer of the team, pending the negotiation of a purchase agreement between Atlanta Spirit LLC, the Thrashers’ owners, and True North.

In the meantime, no potential owner materialized who was prepared to keep the team in Georgia, and local governments there showed no interest in propping up the Thrashers.

“There seems to be a consensus there is going to be a team in Winnpeg,” former major league pitcher Tom Glavine, who had tried unsuccessfully to find new ownership for the hockey team in Atlanta, acknowledged last week. ““The question is who, and unfortunately the bullseye seems to be on the Thrashers’ back.”

When it appeared this spring that the Coyotes might also be in play, after a deal to sell the team to Matthew Hulsizer underwritten by a municipal bond issue fell apart in the face of political opposition from the Goldwater Institute, the Winnipeg group sought to take advantage of what suddenly seemed a buyers’ market, with two teams available and no other potential owners or relocations sites on the horizon.

After the City of Glendale agreed to cover $25-million of the Coyotes losses for the 2011-2012 season, and the NHL opted to operate the club in Arizona for at least one more year, True North’s full focus returned to Atlanta, and a deal was hammered out this week.

Even before those final negotiations took place, the potential Winnipeg owners concluded an agreement with the Manitoba government which will allow revenues from a sports bar with slot machine to be used for improvements to the arena, and to be used towards the debt service on the building.

That’s consistent with what Manitoba premier Greg Selinger told reporters earlier this week, when he said that the provincial government had no interest in subsidizing an NHL team, but that the province had financially supported the renovation of the MTS Centre in the past, and would continue to be willing to do so.

~~~

Given the Globe and Mail's stature in Canadian news reporting and that of Stephen Brunt as one of the country's most recognized and respected journalists, we feel compelled to forward this story to you even though we have weighed that need for news against the fear of setting up ourselves and our readers for a potential re-direction of the ever-evolving story.

It is also anticipated that with this news breaking, the NHL, TNSE and ASG may in fact change the timing of the planned announcement to much earlier than the Tuesday as reported above. So please stay tuned for updates!

Have a Great Long Weekend and a Happy Victoria Day!!

Head over to our forum and pour out your last bit of trepidation, as we may not need cling to it for much longer! www.ManitobaMythbusters.com/forum

Chris
President, www.myNHLincludesWinnipeg.com
~ The Reality May Surprise You! Excite You! ~

Thank you for continuing to Spread the Word!
30,000 Unique Visitors Monthly and Growing

Atlanta Spirit May Soon Be Holding a Press Conference

NHL's Silent Blessing Finally Realized
Manitoba Soon to Make It Seven?
May 16, 2011

Chris Vivlamore from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today broke the news that Atlanta Spirit and True North are in negotiations for the Thrashers over Twitter and followed that up with a full story that you can see here:

http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-thrashers/atlanta-spirit-true-north-947628.html

The key section of the story is the NHL reaction that this news brings. "NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, reached via e-mail, said there was “nothing I’m prepared to say at this point.”

It was anticipated by yours truly that when negotiation news broke, the NHL would be forced to make a statement that will either clearly knock down any attempt to relocate to Winnipeg or it may make no statement at all and thereby give its' silent blessing to True North, Winnipeg as a market and Manitoba as an NHL destination.

With all the compliments that the NHL has offered Manitoba over the past few years, push has finally come to shove.

One would be OFFside to take for granted the NHL reply when True North came knocking with a deal under its' arm.

By the rather abrupt reply from Bill Daly, and none from the NHL Commissioner now hours later, it is finally clear that the NHL has publicly accepted our city for an NHL relocation and willing to allow the move to take place.

For those in flood-affected areas I offer my apology for a rather poor analogy, but this reality is a watershed moment for NHL fans across Winnipeg, across Manitoba and indeed across Canada that is 15 years in the making, when millions of hockey fans viewed the NHL as draining Canadian teams not adding them.

Let's hear your Hoots and Hollers over at our forum! www.ManitobaMythubsters.com/forum

Chris
President, www.myNHLincludesWinnipeg.com
~ The Reality May Surprise You! Excite You! ~

Thank you for continuing to Spread the Word!
30,000 Unique Monthly Visitors and Growing!

Media Talking Conference Realignment
May 15, 2011

The Calgary Sun's Eric Francis wrote about the Thrashers-to-Manitoba story today. See the full story here:

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/15/clock-ticking-on-future-of-thrashers

As he also suggested on Saturday's HNIC Hotstove segment, his key question is whether the NHL has given the green light to ASG and TNSE to proceed with their discussions. Additionally, he moves the discussion over to realignment saying that his source has told him that there is not enough time to consider conference realignment in the next three weeks before a schedule must be released.

If the schedule maker has three weeks to play around with different scenarios such as Winnipeg versus Atlanta in the SE division, then there is also time for other scenarios like Detroit moving in the eastern conference and a potential series of moves to rebalance the divisions.

The schedule dropped in the last week of June last year, which is earlier than other years, when it usually came down the first week of July. So a delay could occur beyond this three week window without harm.

If there were several versions of a schedule last year between Manitoba and Glendale as was the rumour, then it is very possible that over the course of the last few months that the NHL schedule makers could have plotted all sorts of scenarios that include conference realignment.

The fans and the hockey media would be OFFside to assume that the schedule makers are only starting their work right now. Knowing how Gary Bettman is always several steps ahead of what is public knowledge, it can be easily suggested that the NHL Commissioner may have asked his staff to provide several schedules months ago for Glendale to Winnipeg and Atlanta to Winnipeg options.

Now the next three weeks may be for the governors to debate and haggle over the various scenarios before finally making a decision. The outcome may be like predicting the weather and Winnipeg may very well stay in the SE division for one year. But to confirm such before the governors make the final call seems callous. And hockey fans will not know their decision until after a relocation to Manitoba is announced.

This extended stay in the eatern conference happened with Calgary's first season coming out of Atlanta and offers Manitoban fans extra eastern conference team visits to Manitoba. There is even a chance that True North may receive a bonus payment for staying in the east for that one season before taking their rightful and potentially previously bargained position to be in the NW division. This compensation is very possible, much like how Jets' former owner Barry Shenkarow extracted extra cash out of his fellow governors when Winnipeg was forced to move to the Smythe for the sake of the New Jersey Devils move from Colorado.

Have a difference of opinion? Is it surprising to you that the media is talking about 'how' and 'when' a return occurs instead of 'if'? Post your thoughts over at the forum's boards www.ManitobaMythbusters.com/forum

Chris
Preisdent, www.myNHLincludesWinnipeg.com
~ The Reality May Surprise You! Excite You! ~