MTR NHL News: Atlanta Moving to Winnipeg Canada

NHL Hockey fans in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba Canada are ecstatic. 

The Atlanta Thrashers will be the second NHL franchise Atlanta has lost to Canada. The Atlanta Flames moved to Calgary, Alberta, in 1980.  Winnipeg lost its previous NHL team, the Jets, to Phoenix in 1996. That team was renamed the Coyotes in Phoenix. 

There has been no indication what the team’s new name will be. 

It is a shame that NHL hockey still cannot breakthrough in the US south.  After years of effort the NHL can seem to get it marketed correctly.  Do not be surprised that the Florida Panthers move north next. 

 

Comments

[Connie Mack]

It's not about marketing or breaking into the southern states. The simple fact is that hockey is just more popular in certain areas. The NHL tries to force it in certain American cities because of they are big markets, but market size does not equal enthusiasm. Everybody in Canada grows up with hockey, both watching it and playing it. There is a special personal attachment to the sport. Though hockey is huge in many US cities, the passion truly lies in Canada. There, it offers more than just an entertainment value!