The reports of the demise of the Atlanta Thrasher’s hockey franchise may have been exaggerated. Upholding the always vigorous journalistic standards of Canadian sports media, Stephen Brunt of the Globe and Mail penned a piece of rubbish that sent jubilant Manitobans into the streets last night.
While the future of the Thrashers certainly does look bleak and full of questions, so did the long term survival of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, and Phoenix Coyotes within the past few seasons. It may very well be true that this is the end for Atlanta hockey, but it is just as likely that somebody will come along and save this situation from ‘the brink’.
The Canadian sports media loves to pile on about attendance problems in Southern US markets and stoke the fires of possible relocation and Northward migration of any team that appears vulnerable at the moment. None of the underlying factors have changed however in the past few days. The NHL is dedicated as it ever has been to keep as large of a US footprint as possible for corporate support and TV money.
Here are the two ‘big picture’ numbers that matter most to the league:
US Gross GDP, 14.119 Trillion
Canadian Gross GDP, 1.336 Trillion
I don’t doubt Winnipeg’s passion for hockey, not one bit. But they would, by far, be the smallest market in the league in terms of population, corporate base to draw from, and media market size. It is certainly a possible move for the league, but it is one that they will think long and hard about, as they should. Careful deliberation and not rampant fanboy speculation is what is going to drive this process going forward.
I would like to take this chance to also give a shout-out to one of my all time favorite hockey bloggers, The Falconer at Bird Watchers Anonymous at this time of uncertainty about the future of his beloved team. Trust me, I’ve been there before, and it sucks. I don’t wish this situation of your team possibly moving on anybody.
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