I understand the excitement. NHL hockey is coming back to Winnipeg. Former Jet fans are thrilled. They should be, as a market that lost their team, to get them back is thrilling to them. Welcome back Winnipeg, but please remember… your thrills come at the expense of the hockey fans in Atlanta, whose hearts are broken just like Jets fans were 15 years ago. Pred Nation can understand how these fans are feeling, given that they dodged the same type of bullet four years ago.

The joyous dancing on the grave of the Thrashers is unseemly but not unsurprising, especially by so-called journalists using the move to Winnipeg as proof positive of their opinion that the NHL’s “southern strategy” is a failure.

Bull.

Once you take off the “I hate Gary Bettman” glasses and look, you see how the development of youth programs, the growth in television ratings, the younger players from new traditional areas in the league show that the “southern strategy” has been a success. Not one without bumps in the road, but it HAS grown the game. Look… Atlanta’s failure was a failure of ownership, not a failure of the fans. The Thrashers have a diehard base of fans that love this sport. Allow me to quote some very unpopular stats… The Thrashers last five years in Atlanta outdrew the last five years of the Jets in Winnipeg. Six of the Thrashers seasons they outdrew the current capacity of the MTS center. The fans are there in Atlanta… but let’s face it… the ownership and leadership stunk on ice.

This story sounds incredibly familiar… a diehard fanbase, a terrible arena agreement, lousy teams, really bad ownership, with a city government that just didn’t care, and no new local ownership willing to step up to invest… sounds like Winnipeg 15-18 years ago.

The misinformation on this whole story has truly been astounding. A large group of Atlanta fans believe that the NHL did nothing to help save their franchise, completely untrue. The league has been working behind the scenes for over two years to try and find a new local owner. For once, I agree with Ken Campbell. His Atlanta obituary in the Hockey News talks about the difficulty in an expansion team in any market, he posits that if the Quebec Nordiques ended up in Atlanta instead of Colorado, things would be radically different… especially since winning cures all.

These new traditional markets are just now beginning to bear fruit in the development phases. Players born and developed in states like Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and California dot the rosters of NHL teams, all a result of expanding into areas where hockey is not a traditional sport.

I am truly happy for the great fans in Winnipeg. You guys have been jerked around for years and your patience has finally been rewarded. But there is a reality check in this, True North’s Mark Chipman stated yesterday that his team would be “a mid to lower cap team.” True North does receive a significant subsidy from the city of Winnipeg in the form of a tax break deal for the MTS Centre that was signed in 2004 and the statement that “this isn’t going to work very well unless this building is sold out every night” does give one pause. The three and five year commitment for season tickets is a very wise strategy, the down payments are reasonable.

Winnipeg will make their 13,000 season ticket goal, at ticket prices that are the second most expensive in Canada and the third most expensive in the NHL (according to the National Post.) While the excitement of getting an NHL team back will carry this city and ticket sales for the first few years, True North does have a lot of work to do to put a winner on the ice, which will be critical to maintain the enthusiasm… even in a hockey-mad Manitoba.

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Tonight is the start of the Stanley Cup Finals. This should be a good matchup. I am looking forward to a close series. The key in my eyes is how Boston’s defense matches up against the Sedins. The twins struggled a bit against Chicago and Nashville, Zdeno Chara may present a challenge for them.

That being said… I think that Vancouver wins their first cup in six games.

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Random Notes

- I had a nice vacation with my family… took a well needed break. I’m back and ready to rock for the Stanley Cup final!

- Congrats to the Globe and Mail, they finally were correct in their reporting that the Phoenix Coyotes… err… Atlanta Thrashers were moving to Winnipeg.

- Our good friends in Atlanta aren’t going down without a fight. A group of fans have posted a petition to try and lobby the NHL Board of Governors to not approve the sale of the Thrashers. You can find it here. They are taking one last shot, and I say… good for them.

- Nice to see Kevin Dineen get the shot as Florida's head coach. I think that is a good fit for him.

- Tonight’s playoff schedule – Boston @ Vancouver – Game One – 7pm CDT (NBC, CBC)

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You are invited to follow me on Twitter. Search for @PredPAPaul… Not only will I be updating when I get news or updates, but we are having a bit of fun by getting your input on Gnash introductions, weigh in on Twitter and who knows, we may use your introduction for the best mascot in the NHL at the next Preds game!

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COMING UP ON THE NEXT SLAPSHOT RADIO…

Tonight’s show features ESPN’s Scott Burnside discussing the Atlanta / Winnipeg situation, and the editor of the Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo.com, Greg Wyshynski. We’ll also talk about the NHL combine with Shane Malloy… 6pm tonight on Nashville’s Sports Radio WNSR.

You can get check out our podcasts at the SlapShot Radio podcast page.

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