Atlanta Loses NHL Team, Thrashers Moving To Winnipeg
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) -- The Atlanta Thrashers are moving to Winnipeg.
True North Sports and Entertainment announced Tuesday at Winnipeg's MTS Centre that it has purchased the struggling team and will shift it to Canada next season.
The deal is reportedly worth $170 million, including a $60 million relocation fee that would be split by the rest of the league.
Winnipeg has been without NHL hockey since the Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996. The Thrashers entered the league three years later as an expansion franchise, but ownership problems, a losing team and dwindling attendance doomed the club.
The deal still must be approved by the board of governors, but that shouldn't be an issue.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
