Thrashers' move: Atlanta to Winnipeg

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called Winnipeg "a place we wish we had not left in 1996." The Canadian city will be back in the league, pending approval of the sale and transfer of the Atlanta Thrashers to new ownership in Winnipeg, where the Jets played from 1979-1996.

The Thrashers suffered from tumultuous ownership for nearly all of their 11 seasons, which included only one playoff appearance. When the NHL-operated Coyotes committed to staying in Arizona for another season, the Thrashers' move to Winnipeg went into overdrive.

Winnipeg, which has no nickname, will take Atlanta's place in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference next season before realignment takes place. The Jets left for Phoenix 15 years ago with an older arena, a weak Canadian dollar and Bettman's desire to expand into the southern United States. Bettman said things had changed drastically since then.

"The most important thing for any franchise is ownership, and having Mark Chipman and David Thomson is at the top of the list,'' he said of new owner True North's top executives.

"But back in 1996, [MTS Centre] didn't exist, we didn't have the same collective bargaining agreement and I believe the market from an economic standpoint for Winnipeg and Manitoba is stronger than it was."

The new arena holds only 15,000, and Winnipeg will be the smallest of the 30 NHL markets. But if the Board of Governors give a majority approval for the relocation and a 75-percent approval for the sale -- $170 million for the team and a $60 million relocation fee -- Winnipeg will return and Atlanta will exit the NHL for a second time. The Flames left for Calgary in 1979 after eight seasons.