Containing Grand Announcement Will Be Challenging

A rumour suggests that one Gary Bettman flew by private jet into Winnipeg two weeks ago only to be whisked away by limo from the tarmac. The rumour concludes that the NHL Commissioner stayed in Winnipeg for a total of 6 hours before departing.

Curiously no media reported on his arrival, departure or the nature of the visit. No press conference was held.

So one would be OFFside not to ask if a visitor of this rank could escape hockey-mad Winnipeg with nary a trace beyond rumours, two weeks removed?

Is this story plausible? It was suggested it was, considering that his arrival would be roughly around the time that the NHL leader was making press appearances in both Alberta NHL stops.

Conspiracy theorists are often lumped into the same category as the terminally insane. Some theories like Roswell, 911 and JFK will be with us as long as the internet and cockroaches crawl earth. But something related has baffled yours truly for a long time now.

With nothing but respect, I call it the "Darren Ford effect" for obvious pioneering in his work. To understand this "effect" ask yourself one question: "Just who would spill the beans of such sensitive information, knowing full well that possibly breaking this story publicly could rock the boat hard enough to lose the NHL's return?"

The media, by keeping the secret now, may be offered plum positions within the NHL club once arrived. Ditto Manitoba Moose and True North staffers. So while the glory may be very short-lived for the bean-spiller, there are many who would say nothing to be part of a much bigger and lucrative spot later. In the case of some believers, I know how badly they want the NHL to return and that alone is the greatest reward they can receive by keeping lips sealed.

However to maintain this "black curtain of silence", around the MTS Centre and True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd., would require alot of NHL fans and zero NHL haters that work for the media, TNSE, The Moose, a select number of hockey fans in the know and now of course air ground crew staff at the JAR (James A. Richardson) Airport. As time progress, more activity occurs to bring the NHL home. More activities require a wider net of supporters and zero haters as this secret trip to Winnipeg implies.

As one example of the silence-in-effect, debates over Al Strachan's early October "bean-spilling" on Hockey Night in Canada (if you missed it: Strachan reported that big Toronto money will buy and move the Thrashers to Winnipeg) have ranged from advancing the NHL return, to potentially killing it, with both sides agreeing that it was curious timing that Strachan was whisked out of that role soon after.

So while upholding the various pieces of the secret may be in some people's best interest, it seems like the odds are long much like trying to tie the game with the net empty being down by two goals, late in the third.

The last two pieces of the NHL puzzle, Ownership and the MTS Centre, have now been in place since November 2004. Years of building this NHL business plan and ownership profile have no doubt required alot of extremely quiet work on behalf of Mark Chipman and David Thomson. This is especially true with the topic gaining more and more national coverage, albeit from mostly outsider perspectives due to extremely low public profiles kept by both men. As the plan and time progresses the ability to keep the plan quiet gets less likely.

Once the deal is reached, the NHL board votes to accept both the ownership transfer and the relocation date and both the seasons of the Moose and the NHL team in question have wrapped up (to limit any disruption to ticket sales), there will be no reason for the silence to continue.

One of these springs or summers, the "black curtain" on the MTS Centre upper bowl will be removed for the last time.

Perhaps Gary Bettman will be publicly back in Winnipeg soon, as part of the "Grand Announcement" at the MTS Centre or even at Portage and Main a la Bobby Hull's signing. Bettman's visibility then would certainly "settle the score" with many Manitobans thinking that Gary Bettman taketh and giveth once more.

If you have your own conspiracy theory related to the NHL returning to Manitoba, dump it deep into the Forum before heading for a line change! www.mbmbforum.com

Chris
President, www.myNHLincludesWinnipeg.com
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