The rumoured announcement that Winnipeg, Man. will again be home to a National Hockey League franchise may not be happening Tuesday, but the city's mayor says fans needn't cool their jets yet.
Responding to reports that negotiations to relocate the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers are ongoing, but not yet set for a public announcement, Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz said his belief is unshaken.
In an interview with CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday, Katz insisted a deal remains "imminent."
"Maybe later on this week or, if they decide, maybe after the Stanley Cup playoffs. But one way or the other we're quite confident the deal will be finalized and all the I's and T's will be dotted and crossed," he said, proudly sporting a vintage Jets' away jersey.
Winnipeg hockey fans could hardly contain their excitement last week, amidst a swirl of reports suggesting the Atlanta Spirit Group and True North Sports and Entertainment were set to announce a deal for the team.
But in an email sent to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said "it's safe to say there will be no announcement on Tuesday."
The NHL Board of Governors, 75 per cent of whom must approve any sale and relocation, are reportedly in favour of keeping the team in Atlanta. But according to the Journal-Constitution, the final prospective buyer who might have kept the Thrashers in Georgia is "probably, but not completely" out of the running.
Hockey fans in Manitoba bid farewell to the Winnipeg Jets in 1996, when the team moved to Phoenix, Ariz. and rebranded themselves the Coyotes.
"When the Jets left it had nothing to do with fan support," Katz said Tuesday, instead laying the blame on "lack of leadership and not getting a new building built."
Winnipeg is now a "very different city," he said, pointing to various construction projects in the city, including the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, a new CFL stadium, an Ikea development and a new international airport.
"Last fall, Winnipeg was voted the best city in Canada to invest in, so there's a lot of wonderful things happening and phenomenal momentum in our city," he said.
Besides fans' appetite for the return of NHL hockey to Winnipeg, the city does have a modern arena. The MTS Centre and the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose are both owned by True North.
The group controlled by Mark Chipman and David Thomson is reportedly offering up to US$110 million for the Thrashers, not including a $60 million relocation fee to the league.
It's expected that in the event a deal is announced, it will be contingent on season ticket sales.
If the deal goes through, Atlanta will have the dubious distinction of being the only city to lose two franchises since the NHL expanded in 1967. The first was in 1980, when the Flames moved to Calgary.
With files from The Canadian Press
