New Jersey's Ilya Kovalchuk retires from the NHL at age 30

New insider? "@AngelinaLawton: Guess I was 7 months early on this secret :) #kovalchuk @NHL @NHLDevils pic.twitter.com/tWeIpErkZc”
— Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) July 11, 2013

As announced today, the Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk retired from the NHL leaving the New Jersey Devils holding the bag. I am thankful that I don't have  Ilya Kovalchuk in a keeper fantasy hockey league.

NHL.COM --- Kovalchuk's departure frees up more than $6 million in salary-cap space for the Devils, allowing the club to be more active in free agency. But the Devils will have to pay between $250,000 and $300,000 per year in cap-benefit recapture fees for each of the next dozen years.

"Right now we just have to take a step back to go forward," Lamoriello said. 'We'll just have to re-evaluate what our options are and do the best we can, but we'll be ready to play when September comes."

Kovalchuk leaves the NHL after 11 seasons; he had 417 goals and 399 assists for 816 points in 816 games. After being taken by the Atlanta Thrashers with the first pick in the 2001 NHL Draft, Kovalchuk had 29 goals as a rookie in 2001-02. He scored at least 30 goals in each of the next nine seasons, including six in a row with at least 40 from 2002-03 to 2009-10.

With Ilya Kovalchuk departure, the Devils free up six million dollars that that they can use to go after a forward to take Kovalchuk's place, of course forwards like that don't grown on trees. With the departure of Kovalchuk, former Fighting Sioux forward Travis Zajac is now the top paid forward with the Devils. The Devils also have about 10 million dollars to work with under the cap. Kovalchuck is now going to play for SKA in the KHL.

Dodgers exec wants Winter Classic

Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Oh boy most of us are probably just chomping at the bit to see this hockey game. Or not! I see these outdoor games as a distraction away from the actual hockey game. Hey I admit, that I liked the 24/7 Flyers and Rangers on HBO this past winter; that was an awesome show and you got to know the players from the two teams quite well.

But now some want to have hockey in Chavez Ravine.  Why not go for Aloha stadium in Honolulu? I can't imagine that there have been that many hockey games in Hawaii. 

LOS ANGELES --- Dodgers president Stan Kasten was hoping to capitalize on rare Stanley Cup fever in Los Angeles with a pitch to bring the NHL Winter Classic game to baseball's biggest ballpark.

Kasten, the former president of the Atlanta Thrashers, said Dodger Stadium was equipped for the finals-bound Kings to host the annual outdoor showcase event and he was exploring plans to make it happen.

"Facility-wise, we could certainly handle it," Kasten told the Los Angeles Times, saying technology existed to keep the ice playable in hot weather.

The report cited an outdoor exhibition game in 1991 in which Wayne Gretzky and the Kings played in temperatures of around 85F (29C) in Las Vegas.

Personally, I think we have overdone the outdoor hockey game - just a bit - how many more of them do we need to have? Next season, there are at least three outdoor games in college hockey that I can think of off the top of my head. Do we really need anymore of these things? How much is enough? At what point do we hit the over saturation mark?

If I had to make a choice, I would rather be able to see a hockey game in a stadium built for hockey, most of the stadiums that I watched hockey in are designed with the hockey viewer in mind. I am really not all that thrilled about trying to watch a hockey game in a baseball stadium or a football stadium where your seat is going to be a long ways away from the ice and you have a hard time seeing the puck.  Can you imagine trying to watch a hockey game in Memorial Stadium in Grand Forks, ND when it 30-40 below zero, with the wind chill factored in. That might be one game I that I sit out.

Dustin Byfuglien arrested on drunk boating allegation

Winnipeg Jets Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien was arrested in Minnesota for boating while intoxicated. As of this afternoon Byfuglien has yet to be charged.

WINNIPEG - Authorities in Minnesota say Winnipeg Jets star Dustin Byfuglien(notes) has been arrested on suspicion of boating while intoxicated.

The sheriff's jail roster in Hennepin County says the 26-year-old defenseman was brought in just before midnight Wednesday night and released shortly after 2 a.m.

An employee with the county sheriff's office says he was arrested on probable cause and officers have 36 hours to determine if he will actually be charged.

During that time, blood or urine tests will confirm if he was intoxicated.

Another jail official said a mug shot of Byfuglien was taken but a decision was made not to release it to the media.

In the U.S., it is an offense to operate a motorboat with a blood-alcohol limit higher than .08. A conviction carries a maximum $1,000 fine, possible jail time and loss of a boating licence. The offense is raised to a gross misdemeanour, increasing the fine and jail time, if the driver's blood-alcohol level is more than .20, he has similar past convictions or there were children on the boat.

Related articles

• Dustin Byfuglien's arrest for BWI not most shocking part of arrest report (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• Jets' Byfuglien arrested in Minnesota incident (espn.go.com)
• Jets defenceman charged with drunk boating in U.S. (ctv.ca)
• Jets' Byfuglien charged for drunk boating (cbc.ca)

Blake Wheeler re-signs with the Jets...

Image via Wikipedia The Winnipeg Jets have re-signed former Boston Bruins and Minnesota Golden Gopher Blake Wheeler to a two year deal . In my opinion; I believe the Jets have overpaid Blake Wheeler who is set to be paid 2.5+ million a year. Wheeler has never scored more than 45 points in a season (21g-24a-45pts) and the knock on Blake Wheeler is he is a 6'5" player that plays like he is 5'8".

TSN.COM ---- The Winnipeg Jets were busy on Monday signing seven players including right-winger Blake Wheeler to new contract. Wheeler signed a two-year deal worth $5.1 million total.

Wheeler scored seven goals and 17 points in 23 games with the Thrashers last season after being acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins. He scored 18 goals and 44 points in 81 games overall last year.

The Thrashers acquired the 24-year-old from the Bruins on Feb. 28, 2011, along with defenceman Mark Stuart in exchange for centre Rich Peverley and defenceman Boris Valabik.

Related articles

• Wheeler among seven Jets signings Monday (tsn.ca)
• Wheeler, Jets agree on two-year deal (canada.com)
• Blake Wheeler Signs Two-Year Contract With Winnipeg Jets (sbnation.com)
• Winnipeg Jets re-sign right winger Blake Wheeler to two-year contract (thehockeynews.com)

Winnipeg Expected to announce 'Jets' name before draft pick...

Image via WikipediaTSN.CA is reporting that the Winnipeg team will now be called the Jets. I believe that this is the right move, nice to see the Jets back in Winnipeg, Manitoba where they belong. Claude Noel has also been name head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, Noel was the head coach of the Manitoba Moose.

It looks like the Winnipeg Jets are cleared for landing.

The team, which is expected to officially announce their name before making the 7th overall pick in tonight's NHL Entry Draft, is reportedly going to go with the very popular Jets nickname.

You can watch the Draft live on TSN, TSN.ca and TSN Mobile TV tonight at 7pm et/4pm pt. Make sure to check out TSN.ca for a live hockey blog with TSN Analyst Craig Button, beginning at 6:30 pm et/3:30 pm pt.

After an explosive Thursday that watched big name players get moved, Friday could be just as volatile as the NHL Entry Draft goes tonight in Minnesota.

Winnipeg NHL team to play Les Habitants to open 2011- 2012 season

Image by Jordon via FlickrThe Winnipeg NHL team _________ ( the what-evers) are going to open with Les Habitants on Sunday, October 9th at 4 p.m. at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Go ________...

ST. PAUL, MINN. - Break out the tuxedos folks, the Montreal Canadiens will serve as the first regular-season opponent for Winnipeg’s new NHL franchise.

Although the full NHL schedule will be released on Thursday afternoon, True North confirmed Wednesday evening that they’ll host the fabled Habs on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. at the MTS Centre in a game that will serve as the season and home opener for Winnipeg.

“To be honest, I could care less about who we’re playing,” Winnipeg captain Andrew Ladd said in a text message. “It’s going to be more about the first game back in Winnipeg and how crazy the fans will be!”

Manitobans will get a double dose of scheduling pleasure on Thursday.

In the morning, the preseason schedule for Winnipeg’s NHL team will be unveiled.

Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff revealed on Wednesday that Winnipeg has simply picked up the preseason schedule the Atlanta Thrashers planned to play.

Winnipeg will play seven preseason tilts, three at home, three on the road and one neutral site game against the Ottawa Senators on Sept. 26 in Conception Bay South in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Having a game in the same province as their American Hockey League affiliate is a bonus.

“It was very fortuitous that the exhibition schedule for Atlanta already had a game already scheduled out there,” said Cheveldayoff. “For us, it’s great. It’s an exciting time for the fans of Newfoundland to really get to see a lot of players that could be there way, but certainly a lot of players who will be in Winnipeg as well.”

That game against the Senators will be part of the Kraft Hockeyville promotion

Related articles

• True North and MTS Allstream agree on 10-year naming rights deal for MTS Centre in Winnipeg (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• NHL To Vote On Winnipeg Relocation Of Atlanta Thrashers Tuesday (sbnation.com)
• Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff prepares staff for first NHL draft (thehockeynews.com)
• NHL approves Atlanta sale to Winnipeg (cbc.ca)

It's official Thrashers to Winnipeg

Illegal Curve

The NHL will officially will now only be about 150 miles from Grand Forks, ND. I believe one reader told me I was out of touch and delusional if I thought that the NHL would make it's return to Winnipeg, Manitoba. I guess I wasn't delusional after all. The vote to move the Thrashers to Winnipeg was unanimous as well. For all of you're Jets news visit the Illegal Curve blog.

NEW YORK (AP) —Don Waddell has been through it all with the Atlanta Thrashers since they entered the NHL in 1999.

From general manager to coach to team president, Waddell endured the ups and downs—mostly downs—as the franchise struggled on and off the ice.

After 13 years and only one playoff appearance that produced no wins, Tuesday was the day for Waddell and Atlanta to finally say goodbye to its second hockey team.

The NHL board of governors unanimously approved the sale and relocation of the Thrashers to Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Tuesday, clearing the final big hurdle in the process.

“We’ve been through the emotions and the frustrations the last few weeks, but when I look back and being there 13 years, it’s been a great run,” said Waddell, who served as general manager from the start until the 2009-10 season. “Since ’98 when I got hired, there are only four general managers that are currently with their teams.

“You’ve got to look at the positives. To be able to stay in one place for so long, it’s been tremendous for me.”

The same can’t be said of the team that once featured star players such as Dany Heatley(notes) and Ilya Kovalchuk(notes) and Marian Hossa(notes), but couldn’t keep them for one reason or another.

True North Sports and Entertainment bought the team last month and announced it was bringing the Thrashers to Winnipeg, which lost the Jets to Phoenix after the 1995-96 season.

“Obviously, everybody is sorry and distressed and unhappy that we found ourselves in the circumstance where our franchise was leaving Atlanta,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We’re particularly sorry for the fans that are there, but obviously based on the reception that we’ve gotten, everybody is extremely excited about the opportunities in Winnipeg for our return.”

Winnipeg press conference with Gary Bettman

Wow!!! I can’t be the only one that thinks the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is a smug little pompous jerk? When I watch Gary Bettman talk in press conferences on television or listen to him speak on XM radio; Bettman reminds me of one of the many empty suits that make up Washington, D.C., arrogant, condescending, smug, gets short with people… Frankly I think Bettman is a jerk the way he conducts himself. I would have loved to hook up a lie detector during his press conference today.

 Related articles

• Bettman say MTS Centre must sell out for success (ctv.ca)
• Thrashers sale, move to Winnipeg decision announced (aol.sportingnews.com)
• NHL back in Winnipeg (macleans.ca)
• B&C Morning Show: Gary Bettman Calls In To Talk About Boomer Buying The Coyotes (newyork.cbslocal.com)

Thrashers, Atlanta were never given a chance

Image via Wikipedia Here is an interesting perspective from Atlanta.

Jeff Schultz; AJC.COM --- This is how it ends: With the weasel of a commissioner not stepping foot in the city, with another season passing without a playoff game, with a lying ownership group maintaining it did all it could to save a franchise that in reality it spent most of seven years wrecking.

Atlanta has lost an NHL expansion team to a Canadian outpost for the second time. The Thrashers are going to Winnipeg just like the Flames went to Calgary in 1980. A noon press conference today is expected to make this long, slow death official.

This isn’t about the fans or the market or certainly Gary Bettman’s fictional “covenant” with fans, which I believe he left in the same sock drawer with his conscience. It’s about greed and abandonment, plain and simple. It’s about a disingenuous ownership group, which had long lost any semblance of credibility, serving up fans swill and gruel and then wondering why the turnstiles sleep at night.

They’ll tell you they care. They don’t. They’re walking away with a fat check. While you mourn the loss of a franchise, they’re waving goodbye with one middle finger.

The NHL is leaving a city that never really was given a chance. It’s going back to a city that it left 15 years ago and that has grown by about 60,000 people and a couple of doughnut shops since. They will be discussing this decision one day at business schools, right after the sections on Charles Ponzi and Enron.

Winnipeg group schedules news conference to announce NHL franchise acquisition

Today is a good day for the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I had said in the past that the NHL would be making a come back in Winnipeg it was just a matter of time and I had many readers of this blog say that it was never going to happen.

WINNIPEG - The waiting is over for Winnipeg hockey fans.

True North Sports and Entertainment has scheduled a news conference for noon ET at Winnipeg's MTS Centre to make "a significant community announcement."

True North has been in negotiations with the owners of the Atlanta Thrashers to buy the NHL team and move it to Winnipeg.

Winnipeg has been without NHL hockey since the Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996.

Atlanta is saying goodbye to an NHL franchise for the second time. The Flames moved from Atlanta to Calgary in 1980.

The NHL was unable to find an owner who wants to keep the team in Atlanta.

The MTS Centre has been home to the American Hockey league's Manitoba Moose. Both the team and arena are owned by True North, whose ownership includes Canadian billionaire David Thomson.

True North Sports was founded by chairman Mark Chipman.

Chipman is president and chief executive of Winnipeg-based Megill Stephenson Co. Ltd. and director of the Hockey Canada Foundation.

Opened in 2004 with the Moose, the farm team for the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, as its anchor tenant, the 15,000-seat MTS Centre cost $133.5 million to build, including $40.5 million in public money.

The arena is small by NHL standards with 15,015 seats _ that's 1,159 fewer than Nassau Coliseum, where the New York Islanders play.

Atlanta finished 25th in the 30-team league with a 34-36-12 record and missed the playoffs last season.

It's been a long wait for Winnipeg fans.

Jet diehards kept the spirit of the team alive on websites and chatrooms, lobbying for a team and keeping track of Jets alumni like Bobby Hull, Thomas Steen and Dale Hawerchuk.

Earlier this year it appeared Winnipeg was about to get its own franchise back, but last-minute subsidies and deal-making kept the red-ink-stained Coyotes in Arizona

But just as the Coyote door closed, the Thrasher one opened.

Related articles

• Winnipeg group schedules news conference to announce NHL franchise acquisition (thehockeynews.com)
• Expect Winnipeg to welcome NHL today at noon (thestar.com)
• Winnipeg cheers return of NHL (cbc.ca)
• True North set to announce Winnipeg NHL deal (cbc.ca)
• NHL team on way to Winnipeg (cbc.ca)

Announcement coming soon?

It looks like the Thrasher are coming to Winnipeg and we will should have an announcement soon, might even be on Tuesday. For all of the news related to the NHL’s return to Winnipeg stop by our friends at the Illegal Curve for all of the news.

TSN.CA --- The Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg situation has narrowed to a point where it's quite possible there could be an announcement as early as Tuesday.

Lawyers on the Winnipeg side have signed off on the deal and the Atlanta legal team is doing their due diligence today. If they sign off on the deal, the sale will go through, pending league approval.

If there is no announcement Tuesday, the next likely target would be Thursday.

Once an agreement has been reached, True North is expected to launch a season ticket drive.

Links to the Story

Thrashers-to-Winnipeg deal draws closer [AJC.COM]

Toews likes NHL in Manitoba [CBC.CA]

Cool your Jets - root for 'Canada's Team'No love for Canucks - it's all 'B.C. sucks' [Winnipeg Free Press]

The Queen maybe making a return to Winnipeg

Illegal Curve Picture

If you ever went to a Winnipeg Jets game or a Manitoba Moose game in the old Winnipeg arena you would have seen the Queen Elizabeth II picture that hung in the arena.That picture could be making a come back.

CBC --- An NHL hockey team may not be the only thing returning to Manitoba's capital.

The largest known portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, which hung from the rafters in the Winnipeg Arena for 20 years, may also be coming home.

Anya Wilson, custodian of the portrait, says she got an exciting phone call which suggests the Queen may be returning to Winnipeg.

Wilson says she can't say much more but would love to see the portrait hung once again.

At five-by-seven metres, the portrait has been homeless since it was taken down from the Winnipeg Arena, where the former NHL Winnipeg Jets used to play.

The Arena was demolished in 2005.

Related articles

• Largest known portrait of Queen may return to Winnipeg along with NHL team (thehockeynews.com)
• A REMINISCE: NHL franchise hopes give Winnipeg its groove back (cbc.ca)
• NHL franchise hopes give Winnipeg its groove back (cbc.ca)

Negotiations inch forward on Thrashers deal

The latest news on the NHL's return to Winnipeg, Manitoba. TSN is also reporting that there will be no announcement on the sale and relocation of the Thrashers before next Tuesday at the earliest.

Winnipeg Free Press ---- A deal between True North Sports and Entertainment, the Atlanta Spirit Group and the NHL to move the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg is inching forward but still requires some work.

Multiple sources involved in the negotiations said this morning there are a number of items remaining to be worked out before a deal can be closed and an official announcement made.

A source said the purchase price of $110 million for the Thrashers and a $60 million relocation fee going to the league are set.

Details described as "consent, owner approval, proof of financial information, etc." remain on the table.

"There are complex issues that take time to work through," said a source.

It's understood none of the issues are deal-breakers but until they are resolved the sale cannot be completed.

Winnipeg Appears NHL's Only Option for Thrashers.

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeHere is an interesting article from the Spector blog about the NHL possibly making a return to Winnipeg. All I can say is whatever KDP, what does he know about Winnipeg? I wonder if Kevin can find Winnipeg on a map or even knows where the city of Winnipeg is at?

Spector Blog --- Since mid-May various reports suggesting the sale of the Atlanta Thrashers to True North Sports & Entertainment and their subsequent relocation this summer to the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, may occur in the near future has generated considerable stir in the NHL world.

As of this writing there's been no confirmation a deal is in place or imminent but various media sources claim it's either all but done, or will be in a matter of weeks, perhaps even days.

It remains to be seen when an official announcement could be made, but unquestionably this is the closest the city of Winnipeg has come to getting back an NHL franchise since their beloved Jets were sold and moved to Phoenix, becoming the Coyotes, in 1996.

Winnpegers in particular and a majority of Canadian-based hockey fans in general are thrilled by the prospect, but there is some question if the city of roughly 750,000 souls can be a viable hockey market, given its market size, location and other economic factors.

Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe raised those questions in his May 22, 2011 column, suggesting the Thrashers would enjoy an initial rush of strong support in Winnipeg until the team's losses started to pile up, Winnipegers realize the sticker shock of attending NHL games, and American TV interests make it clear they're not interested in televising games involving a Winnipeg team.

So are the Thrashing moving to Winnipeg?

Image via WikipediaThere seems to be a buzz around the "Internet" that the Atlanta Thrashers are going to be moving to Winnipeg, I know we have seen and heard this story before but this time it sounds like this might actually be true. Of course Gary Bettman denies that there is a deal in place to sell the Thrashers to True North, which would in turn relocate the team from Atlanta to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Here is the link to the interview that was on Sports Radio 1290 A.M. CFRW out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. [Click to listen]

Stephen Brunt; Globe and Mail ---- An agreement to sell the National Hockey League’s Atlanta Thrashers to a Winnipeg group which plans to relocate the franchise to the Manitoba capital is done.

Sources confirmed tonight that preparations are being made for an announcement Tuesday, confirming the sale and transfer of the Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns and operates the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League and the MTS Centre arena, which would become the NHL team’s new home.

Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the National Hockey League, is expected to travel to Winnipeg to make the news official.

The announcement would end months of speculation about whether one of the NHL’s financially-troubled American sunbelt teams might move north, filling the void left when the Winnipeg Jets packed up and left for Phoenix in 1996, where they became the Coyotes.

Much of the talk this spring had centred on that failing franchise, which was bought by the league after being placed in bankruptcy by its former owner Jerry Moyes in 2009.

But sources in Winnipeg suggest that the Thrashers had in fact been the primary target of potential owners Mark Chipman and David Thomson all along, and that some months back, the NHL board of governors quietly approved the sale and transfer of the team, pending the negotiation of a purchase agreement between Atlanta Spirit LLC, the Thrashers’ owners, and True North.

In the meantime, no potential owner materialized who was prepared to keep the team in Georgia, and local governments there showed no interest in propping up the Thrashers.

“There seems to be a consensus there is going to be a team in Winnpeg,” former major league pitcher Tom Glavine, who had tried unsuccessfully to find new ownership for the hockey team in Atlanta, acknowledged last week. ““The question is who, and unfortunately the bullseye seems to be on the Thrashers’ back.”

Atlanta Spirit, True North in negotiations about Thrashers sale, relocation

Image via WikipediaThis newspaper article gives me hope that we could still see the NHL return to Winnipeg, Manitoba.  That being said I have to remain realistic and I am not going to hold my breath just yet, but I do like where this conversation is going.

By Chris Vivlamore The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ----- The Atlanta Spirit has begun negotiations with True North Sports and Entertainment on the sale of the Thrashers, which would result in relocation to Winnipeg, according to a person familiar with the NHL’s sale process.

A deal has not been completed and it is also not known how long the two sides have been negotiating. However, the fact that talks are on-going could mean the Thrashers would relocate to Manitoba perhaps as soon as next season. "I have never confirmed nor denied specific parties we have been talking to in regards to a possible sale of the Thrashers," Atlanta Spirit co-owner Bruce Levenson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday.

Typically, confidentiality agreements are signed between parties in negotiations which would prohibit Atlanta Spirit ownership from identifying suitors NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, reached via e-mail, said there was "nothing I'm prepared to say at this point." A True North Sports and Entertainment spokesperson had no comment.

NHL owners do not have to get league approval get league approval to identify potential buyers and work out an agreement to sell their franchise. However they would have to get permission to negotiate with a party interested in relocation. Once an agreement in principle has been reached, the NHL’s Board of Govenors would be asked to judge the acceptability of the new ownership.

Are the Trashers going to Winnipeg?

First off it appears that a whole day of posts that were posted on Goon’s World after 05-11-2011 are now gone, toast, índice de, acabado, pasado and or flashed into hyper space, because of a Blogger.com screw up or glitch or whatever happened... I am not a techie, don’t pretend to be a techie so I have no clue what happened to two blog posts of mine. None-the-less, Goon's World is moving forward because this really is just a minor inconvenience and I am not going to spend a lot of time ranting and raving about it.

The new buzz around the “twitter world and the Internet” is that the Atlanta Thrasher hockey team is now rumored to be the next NHL team “that could be headed” to Winnipeg, Manitoba; I am not holding my breath waiting to see what happens, I applaud the effort by some to get an NHL hockey team in Winnipeg again but it does appear that this is going to be a tall order and we may or may not see it happen anytime soon. The prospects of a team landing in Winnipeg are more possible than they were in 1997.

Chris Vivlamore; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution --- It is unclear this morning if the Thrashers have been granted permission by the NHL to begin negotiations with True North Sports and Entertainment, the entity that would purchase the franchise and move it to Winnipeg, or if those talks have already begun.

However, it does appear the situation is headed in that direction. All attempts to find a buyer with the intention – and wherewithal – to keep the franchise in Atlanta have not moved past the preliminary stage. After signing a non-disclosure agreement for an initial look at team financial records, a prospective buyer must provide proof of the financial assets to complete a sale. No interested party has done so to this point. Time is running out.

As I was told and reported this week, things could move quickly in regard to a sale and relocation. Although, contrary to reports, it won’t get done by this weekend.

There is also no timetable on the possible completion of a deal with True North. It is also not known if such an agreement could be reached in time for next season. The structure for a deal could be in place as True North had first hoped to acquire the Phoenix Coyotes, owned by the NHL, until a resolution was reached to kept the team in Arizona for another season earlier this week. The Glendale City Council voted to pay $25 million to the NHL for operating expenses to keep the team at least for next season.

NHL bylaws require that an owner seeking to relocate a team submit a written application to the commissioner by Jan. 1 of the year preceding the proposed move — “unless a majority of the [clubs] consents to a later filing date.” That clause and caveat leave open the question of whether a move, if a deal is reached, would be for the 2011-12 or 2012-13 season.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, speaking on NHL Live radio Thursday, said the situation in Phoenix differs from Atlanta.

Atlanta Thrashers Will Likely Be Sold For $110 Million

For 110.00 million you can be a proud owner of an NHL franchise…

blogs.forbes.com --- The group that owns the Atlanta Thrashers is looking for $110 million for the NHL club from investors that include former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine.

We valued the money-losing Thrashers at $135 million in December. The Thrashers have made the playoffs only once in their 11 seasons and averaged just 13,403 at Philips Arena this past season, 27th in the league. The attraction for a buyer is that the NBA’s Hawks, who share Philips Arena with the Thrashers, are responsible for the arena’s bond payments. The hockey team is debt-free and under the terms currently being discussed would pay a flat rent that would net the team about $7 million in non-ticket revenue while the owners of the basketball team ran the arena.

Mark Stuart vs Jean-Francois Jacques Feb 19, 2011

Former C.C. Tiger and Boston Bruin Mark Stuart makes his presence known in his first game with his new team the Atlanta Thrashers. Looks like another example of where a player throws a good clean check, then the teammate of that player that was checked challenges that player to a fight. None takes a number anymore.

Thrasher's Owner: ‘Sense of urgency' to keep Thrashers from moving

One cities loss could be another cities gain. Here is an interesting story that could affect hockey fans that live close to Winnipeg Manitoba. Roseau native Dustin Byfuglien has a new contract with the Atlanta Trasher but will he be playing closer to home? According to the Atlanta Constitution the Thrasher are losing a boat load of money and they probably won’t be able to continue losing millions every year.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution --- Atlanta Spirit co-owner Michael Gearon said there is now a “sense of urgency” to find additional investors or a buyer willing to keep the Thrashers in Atlanta. If the ownership group does not get additional financial help in the near future the franchise could be sold and moved to another city.

“If we are faced with that as the only alternative, that’s what’s going to happen,” Gearon told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an exclusive interview Tuesday. “I don’t think there is an ability to stomach another $20 million in losses. We just can’t do it.

“The reality is we need fans showing up and we need investors, or a primary investor.”

There is no buyer currently lined up to purchase the Thrashers, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The Thrashers have long been the subject of speculation that the franchise would be sold and moved with Canadian cities Winnipeg, Quebec and Hamilton most often mentioned

Atlanta Spirit has been trying to sell the Thrashers for six years – starting almost immediately after purchasing the team – according to the Jan. 21 lawsuit filed in Fulton County Superior Court against Atlanta law firm King & Spalding.

The group filed a $200 million malpractice lawsuit against the firm saying a “fatally flawed” and “botched” contract written to buyout former partner Steve Belkin prevented any Thrashers sale the nearly five years before that suit was finally settled in December.

Before the current litigation, the Atlanta Spirit stated publicly that it was looking for investors for the past two years for the Thrashers, Hawks or both franchises. According to the lawsuit, ownership reported more than $130 million in operating losses since 2005. The Thrashers value also has dropped by more than $50 million, the document says.

“I want to see this team in Atlanta,” Gearon said. “We are working to keep it in Atlanta. We need others to step in and help and, as of now, no one in the Atlanta community has.”