It’s taken a while but the stink of last season has finally come off for most Flames fans. With the upcoming draft Calgary is able to look towards the future and that means the draft.

First off I’ll suggest that there is a better than 50/50 chance the Flames won’t end up using their 13th overall pick in this years draft. There are a lot of rumblings that depending on what is in play the Flames would love to get into the top 6, and if they can’t then trade down to add a few more prospects to the system. If the Flames find a way to move up I would guess that they will be doing so to take C Sean Couturier or LW Gabriel Landeskog. Couturier has a chance to develop into a true #1 play making center who is solid in the own zone in the NHL. A position the Flames have been trying to fill ever since trading Joe Nieuwendyk. Landeskog is the player I am most interested in. The captain of the Kitchener Rangers was the first European player to be the captain of the Rangers. He is honestly in the mold of a Jarome Iginla on the left wing with the style of game he plays. Also a very well spoken and intelligent player, he will certainly be a captain in the NHL someday.

If the Flames do stick around at #13 I’d think they will pick Mark McNeil whom they could probably still get trading down. McNeil is a classic risk versus reward pick. If Mark wants to play he can be a dominant player up the middle or on the wing. If he doesn’t want to play then you have a skilled but floating player in way too big of a frame. I believe he interviewed well with the Flames though I don’t think anyone can be convinced 100% that he would turn out to be a top 6 forward that he does have the skill to be.

On the subject of Robyn Regher he has indeed been asked to waive his no trade clause with the rumored destination being Buffalo. If the Flames could get a first and a young player back for Robyn I can see this deal happening to give GM Jay Feaster an additional first round pick in order to trade up to get one of the previously mentioned players. It also would not be surprising to hear that Jay Bouwmeester’s name has been connected to talks with the Ottawa Senators. Finally word is that Jay Feaster has inquired to the LA Kings about Ryan Smyth and Smyth has been asked if he would waive his no trade clause to come to Calgary. If Smyth would agree I can see this being a move Calgary would make as a second line of Smyth-Jokinen-Bourque would be a interesting one to watch.

After the Flyers made their trades today it could be the dominoes falling for a very busy next 48 hours in the NHL. It should be fun to watch!

Have a good one!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer

As of this morning True North Sports and Entertainment have purchased the Atlanta Thrashers with the intention of moving them to the Manitoba capital of Winnipeg for play next season. The deal was finalized early this morning as the Thrashers lawyers were going over all the details before signing in time for today’s announcement.

Obviously the emotions poured out into the streets in Winnipeg today as the announcement was made and broadcasted at the Forks in Winnipeg with thousands of fans in the streets just waiting to hear the NHL say ‘yes the deal is done’ The party continues as I’m typing this and will continue all day and night.

It appears that the purchase price was indeed $170M with $60M of that going to the NHL as a relocation fee. The deal is subject to BoG approval June 21st, and TNSE has begun their season ticket campaign to ensure the BoG’s blessing on that.

The process for purchasing season tickets for the Winnipeg franchise will take place online at www.driveto13.com the goal has been set by TNSE to reach 13,000 season tickets sold before the 21st. Starting Wednesday – Friday season ticket and mini pack holders of the Manitoba Moose will get first priority for NHL tickets as well as corporate Winnipeg. On Saturday season tickets will go on sale to the general public through the same website.

The prices for season tickets are extremely reasonable with price per game packages ranging from $39-$129 per game. Season ticket holders will be required to place a deposit of $500-$1000 down for their seats. There is also a limit of 4 seats per account. It is expected that walk up sales will be about 40% higher in price and obviously there will be very few tickets available.

As for the team name it has not been decided or released as of yet. It however is expected to be announced in the next 7-10 days. Obviously retaining the name Winnipeg Jets has the support of the masses but do not be too surprised if the team is named one of Manitoba Moose, Manitoba Falcons, or Manitoba Polar Bears. I’m going to take a guess that it may be the Manitoba Jets.

The first order of business for the new Winnipeg franchise will be to talk to and make decisions about the current coaching staff and management of the team. I do not expect Don Waddell to be brought to Winnipeg but I would think that Gm Rick Dudley and head coach Craig Ramsay will be retained. It will be a whirlwind for everyone as TNSE has not been legally allowed to talk to any of the staff until the deal was official.

The Winnipeg/Manitoba Jets/Moose/Falcons/Polar Bears will play next season in the South East division of the Eastern Conference as the deal was made too late in the year to have a full relocation plan ready for next season. After 2011/12 the team will be moved back to the Western Conference. The rest of realignment will be up in the air as teams try to push their own agendas for swapping divisions. Also if the Coyotes situation is not settled where they potentially get relocated to could affect things as well.

Congratulations to the city of Winnipeg and TNSE! Now it is up to the fans to prove the doubters wrong and sell out the MTS Centre on a nightly basis! Of that I have no doubt. Welcome back to the NHL!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer

Stephen Brunt of the Globe and Mail, and now a report has been put up on NHL.com confirming that the NHL is returning to Winnipeg!

The Atlanta Thrashers have been (or shortly will be) sold to True North Sports and Entertainment. I expect a announcement as early as tomorrow but most likely Tuesday after the long weekend.

Congratulations Winnipeg. The party is currently starting on Portage and Main!

Also take a moment to reflect on the feelings of the true Thrashers fans in Atlanta who are having their team ripped from them. It’s too bad there just weren’t enough of them.

Have a good one Winnipeg!

Follow me on twitter @shanehoopfer

Prediction time again! After a not so impressive 2-2 in the second round I’m sitting at 9-3 in this years post season picks. We have a couple really intriguing match-ups in the Conference Finals lets get picking!

Vancouver Canucks (1) vs San Jose Sharks (2)

I don’t know if it could have worked out much better for the Canucks in this match-up. San Jose got taken to the limit and were quite fortunate to get a win over the Wings in 7 games, but it came at a cost as Ryan Clowe is clearly hurting and won’t have a ton of time to recover. Vancouver has been home and cooled for a few days now and is getting healthier with the exception of Manny Malholtra who the Canucks are going to dearly miss.

This series is one where you almost have to give the check mark to the Canucks in all three of goaltending, defense, and offense. I suspect the Sedin twins will finally break out this series as San Jose doesn’t really have the nasty shutdown defense that causes them trouble. Both teams will also be grateful that they don’t have to leave their time zone in this series which should help their travel schedules and make things easier for whoever comes out of this series.

I have a sneaking suspicion this one won’t be that close.

Vancouver in 5

Boston Bruins (3) vs Tampa Bay Lightning (5)

This one could be a lot of fun or it could be a tough series to watch loaded with defensive play. I choose to pick the first option for this one! Both teams have been resting up so neither side has an advantage in that regard. Boston killed a lot of Demons in their sweep of the Flyers, while the Lightning are proving how good they are in their total destruction of the Capitals in the second round. Both sides have to be feeling good going into the series.

I’m actually having a tough time handicapping the series but I will give Boston a slight edge in net, and a big edge on the defensive side as Chara will be a huge factor for the Bruins chances. Up front Tampa Bay clearly has more firepower than Boston, it will just come down to how well they can fight through the Bruins much stronger team defense.

It’s going to be a tough and long series!

Boston in 7

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I wondered out loud last night about this and I will share it with you all to get your opinions.. Is the reason that most of the hockey teams in ‘non traditional hockey markets’ having financial trouble because they are competing with the NBA teams in the same market? If you looks at the teams that are doing better in the southern markets such as Anaheim, San Jose, Nashville, and Tampa Bay as opposed to Dallas, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Florida (Miami) you can see the cities I mention that are doing alright don’t have the direct competition from the NBA.

I tried putting it into perspective for myself. Take the City of Calgary. Well over a million people and the Flames and Stampeders do very well here, but do I think the NBA would survive here? No chance. It would likely do alright for the first few seasons as a novelty. And if the team had any success the fans would flock to the building. But if they ended up having struggles like the Toronto Raptors face I don’t believe the fans would pack the building.

The main reason is we don’t grow up with Basketball being a primary sport here. Sure some of us played in school and at the playgrounds but it doesn’t even come close to measuring up with hockey in our eyes. Do most of us know the rules? Yup. But do we know the fine details of the game? Not really. Is there a small following of hardcore basketball fans here? Of course there are. Is it enough to support a NBA franchise that is struggling? Probably not.

If the NBA were the only game in Calgary would fans go and support a team even in lean years? Absolutely! Fans would probably sell out the Saddledome because it’s the only game in town. Does this sound like some of the cities i previously mentioned that are having troubles with their NHL franchises?

The answer is becoming increasingly obvious when it comes to the location of NHL franchises in the USA. If it’s a non traditional market it can’t survive with direct competition from the NBA (or some college sports). I think this really needs to be a blue print for the NHL moving forward. A sun belt team can work but it can’t have direct competition for the entertainment dollar of local fans. Also as I’ve said before winning is not a business plan!

What are your thoughts?

Have a good one!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer

Thankfully for the hockey fans in Winnipeg and unfortunately for the fans in Atlanta it is now a matter of days until the NHL announces that the Atlanta Thrashers will be heading north to the city of Winnipeg immediately.

Now that the situation in Glendale has been settled with the City of Glendale continuing their insanity by agreeing to fund another $25M in losses for 2011-2012 the NHL was finally able to move forward with the sale of the Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment, now that the Phoenix Coyotes are firmly in place for next season.

With the information I have been receiving from my (admittedly limited) sources, and what we are now seeing in the main stream media it looks as if the sale of the Thrashers to Winnipeg will happen as early as today or tomorrow! But I could see this easily going into next week as the move to Winnipeg will require a majority vote from the Board of Governors to become official. It appears that the total price of the sale for TNSE will be $170M in which the Atlanta Spirit Group will receive $110M and the NHL will receive $60M in a transfer fee that is rumored to be used to help cover the losses of the Coyotes for last year and this year, and potentially into the future.

So why is Atlanta such an easy franchise to move after the NHL has spent years going to the wall with the Phoenix fiasco? It’s a great question and I’ll try and summarize it for you here with the key differences for you…

The NHL owns the Phoenix Coyotes. It does not own the Thrashers.

The City of Glendale built a new building for the NHL. Atlanta did not.

The City of Glendale was willing to fund losses while searching for a owner. Atlanta was not prepared to do so.

The relocation clause of the Atlanta Thrashers has now expired, and no local ownership has been found to purchase the team.

And finally there is speculation (which I believe is true) that the reward to TNSE for their patience in being used as a relocation threat for Phoenix is the Atlanta Thrashers who has proven for the second time that Atlanta is a poor market for hockey.

Now while this is all incredible news for the City of Winnipeg, it is also an incredibly sad day for the true hockey fans in Atlanta, a few of which I have the pleasure to talk to via twitter. They are true hockey fans unfortunately there are not enough of them to support a NHL franchise. Take a minute to think about how you would feel if your team was ripped from you. This is what the fans of the Thrashers will be going through soon.

The Atlanta situation should also serve as a reminder to other teams that you must put butts into the seats wherever your team is located! The Columbus Blue Jackets were reported yesterday to have lost $80M since the lockout ended! If you can’t sell 14,000+ seats at NHL prices you will not survive in this gate driven league. I must also use this line to summarize for all teams in this matter..

WINNING IS NOT A BUSINESS PLAN!!!

Almost half the teams in the NHL miss the playoffs every year. A team cannot plan their fiscal health on making the playoffs or a long post season run to make ends meet. If the market can’t support a team under those circumstances then they probably shouldn’t have a team, or they need an owner who is willing to pay out of his own pocket to cover the losses.

So it’s nearly time to celebrate the arrival of the Manitoba Falcons (my best guess) Winnipeg! I’d suggest packing a hockey stick in the trunk of your car for the inevitable party at Portage and Main! Sounds like a good time for some road hockey to me!

Have a good one!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer

Damn you Dwayne Roloson! A shutout by the ageless one in game seven was the only thing keeping me from going 8-0 in round one. Oh well I’ll take 7-1 anytime. The first round may go down as one of the best in NHL history and it would be tough to disagree with that assessment. Overtime game after overtime game, and enough drama to satisfy the cast of Glee! We can only hope that the second round is just as good and I think we should be in for a treat again!

Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Nashville Predators (5)

That was the biggest goal that Alex Burrows has ever scored in game seven since his days with the Montreal Red Light (look it up) with his goal the Canucks barely escaped with their lives. The Nashville Predators also managed to break on through to the other side thanks in large part to Jordan Tootoo and his emergence as a playoff performer. The Canucks have some serious questions in net with Roberto Luongo despite his gutty performance in game 7 and I have to give the Preds and Pekka Rinne the edge in net. Up front and on the blue line it’s tough for anyone to match up with Vancouver. I really think Nashville is going to catch the Canucks off guard in game 1 and possibly steal that game, but in the end Vancouver has the depth that Nashville won’t be able to handle.

Canucks in 6

San Jose Sharks (2) vs Detroit Red Wings (3)

Ho hum just another Detroit and San Jose match up. The Wings made short work of Phoenix in four straight, while the San Jose Sharks barely hung on to avoid being shocked by the LA Kings. Starting in net these teams match up evenly Howard and Niemi are pretty much a wash. Up front San Jose can come at you in waves and have more depth than even the Wings do. On the back end Detroit has the edge. Anyone with Nicklas Lidstrom always has an edge on the blue line! I’ve waffled a couple times on this series and want to lean towards the Sharks but I just don’t trust that team. I’ll take the Wings in a bit of an upset.

Detroit in 7

Washington Capitals (1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (5)

The Capitals finally got some stable goaltending and were able to dispatch the Rangers in short order, while the Tampa Bay Lightning barely got by the Penguins in seven. I’m going to give the edge to the Lightning in net but that is it in this series. While the Penguins were missing Crosby and Malkin the Capitals look to be in good shape and Tampa will have all they can handle across the board. I don’t see a scenario where Tampa wins unless the Caps goaltending collapses which I don’t think happens yet.

Washington in 5

Philadelphia Flyers (2) vs Boston Bruins (3)

Two of the better first round series’ happened with the Flyers getting by Buffalo in seven while the Bruins got a Nathan Horton game seven OT winner to beat the Canadiens in quite possible the best first round series ever. In net there is no question that the Bruins have the edge with Tim (yes I still have a goalie crush on him) Thomas ahead of anyone the Flyers throw between the pipes. Up front Philly has a clear edge in talent, on the back end it is very close. A key could be how healthy Chris Pronger is because you know the Bruin forwards are going to be taking runs at him every chance they get. Zdeno Chara will be a rock for the Bruins as well so call it a wash. I’m not sure how the Bruins are going to score enough but I think they will just squeak through.

Boston in 7

Quick update on the Winnipeg relocation story. The media will be going crazy over the next few days with all the talk surrounding both the Phoenix Coyotes and Atlanta Thrashers. There is the potential of a lawsuit coming the way of the Coyotes which may hold their situation up for a year. However there is growing talk that the Atlanta Thrashers are pretty much sold to the Winnipeg group True North Sports and Entertainment. I don’t believe that is a done deal yet but is looking increasingly possible.

The easiest way I think I can explain it is as follows…

Winnipeg is getting their team for next year.

The NHL will do everything possible to keep the Coyotes in Glendale. A legal battle could determine their fate.

Once that is decided then either the Coyotes or Thrashers will be relocated to Winnipeg.

If it’s the Coyotes moving (which I’m now leaning against happening but still possible) then Quebec City could be tapped as a emergency landing spot for the Thrashers.

“The Balkan” is a desperate attempt to get twitter hits by a certain reporter in Atlanta. Don’t believe it.

If I had to guess what will happen in the end I think the Thrashers go to Winnipeg. $45M or so of the relocation fee will be used to lower the purchase price of the Coyotes. Along with the $25M that the City of Glendale owes the NHL it could lower the price enough to avoid using bonds or to lower the bonds needed in half. The CoG and NHL may be willing to take on Goldwater in the courts. If they do then the future of the Coyotes will hinge on that legal action. If the NHL loses they may be forced to relocate the following season. Quebec City is not quite on the NHL radar yet until they start building the new facility. But could be an emergency landing pad if things go south in both cities.

Have a good one!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer

Perhaps for the last time? I don’t know but that is for a different blog anyways.

The Coyotes played their best game as a group in game 4 of their series against the Detroit Red Wings but Ilya Bryzgalov let the desert dogs down again giving up two bad third period goals en route to a 6-3 loss and a sweep at the hands of the Wings.

Tied at three in the third period Bryzgalov gave up a terrible goal to Dan Cleary on a shot from behind the goal line in where Ilya cheated off the post and Cleary bounced it off Bryzgalov’s side and into the net. Followed a couple minutes later by a Todd Bertuzzi wrap around that hit a skate a trickled into the net. You wouldn’t think of that as a bad goal except for the fact that Bryzgalov lost the puck in his vision and was looking the wrong way when it went in. It wasn’t a goal he would be very happy with himself for letting in.

Those goals broke the back of the Coyotes who had battled so much better than they had in the first three games. Captain Shane Doan was more controlled in game four and really led the troops well. But all is not bad for the future of the Coyotes. Players like Kyle Turris, Laurie Korpikoski, and David Schlemko took some huge steps forward in this series and show promise for the future.

At the end of the day the Detroit Red Wings were just better than the Phoenix Coyotes up front, on the back end, and between the pipes. No matter what the future holds for the Coyotes there are pieces in place for a bright future and no one should take away their great season making the playoffs in the hardest conference in NHL history.

The Red Wings will now go home and wait to see who their next opponent will be, and I would suggest that there will be a lot of work done on their penalty killing which Phoenix did expose in the first round as being weak.

Let the insane rumors commence!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer

Detroit took the play again to the Phoenix Coyotes and came out with a 4-2 win to go up 3-0 in the first round series. There is no big secret or magic formula as to why the Coyotes have dropped all three games so far and it was the same reason tonight. Once again the Coyotes best players were not their best players.

Ilya Bryzgalov and Shane Doan were simply just not good enough again tonight. Starting with Ilya he just wasn’t sharp and ready to play and Detroit’s Jimmy Howard completely outplayed Bryzgalov. Dave Tippett is going to have to seriously consider giving Jason Labarbera the start in game 4 as the Ilya Bryzgalov of the regular season has yet to arrive in the playoffs when his team has needed him the most.

Shane Doan seems to have completely forgotten that he is this teams leading scorer and not a third line grinder. It’s fine to go out and finish your checks, but going out of your way to lay a hit also takes yourself out of the play. Couple that with a couple undisciplined penalties and you can see why the Coyotes best line has been their fourth line so far.

I honestly don’t know where to draw hope from for Wednesday nights game 4 of the series. The Phoenix crowd showed up and was loud and did their jobs the players however have to step up and make plays. Good on the Coyotes fans for not letting jobing.com turn into Joe Louis in the desert!

All I know is the Coyotes had better be ready to play Wednesday from the opening face-off or this series will be over in four games. Detroit is just too experienced and disciplined that if Phoenix doesn’t come out strong the Wings will eat them alive.

Have a good one!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer

Well I’m sure being down 2-0 in the series was not part of Dave Tippett’s plans. But thanks largely to another all world effort from Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk’s goal and three assists that is the situation they are facing heading into Monday night’s game 3 back in Glendale.

Detroit came out and was ready to go from the start and overwhelmed the Coyotes early and built it up to a early 4-0 lead early in the second period. But the Coyotes have a positive to build on. They didn’t quit. Radim Vrbata got his second goal of the series on the power play in the second period to cut the lead to 4-1

Fast forward to the third period and Phoenix’s physical play started to show signs of paying of as Johan Franzen and Todd Bertuzzi took a couple of dumb stick penalties, and Darren Helm got nailed for interference to give the Yotes a 5 on 3 PP as well. The Coyotes capitalized on their chances and made the game 4-3 with all three of the Coyotes goals coming on the PP. Certainly a far cry from game one. In the end the Coyotes could not generate enough pressure 5 on 5 to push ahead for the tying goal and Detroit held on for the win.

First off you have to give it up to Johan Franzen who got crushed by Shane Doan in the first period when he went face first into the boards on a clean hit. Twenty one stitches, and a period later Franzen was back in the game. ‘The Mule’ certainly showed he was as tough as one.

If the Coyotes want to get back in the series they are going to have to do a much better job of containing Datsyuk. Pavel is just killing Phoenix all over the ice. Phoenix also has to be much better 5 on 5 against the Wings or this series is going to be over quickly.

Keith Yandle who has been under the weather didn’t have his best game again tonight, but the biggest problem for the Coyotes is that Ilya Bryzgalov was once again average in net. Detroit’s Jimmy Howard has played save for save with Ilya so far for the first two games and Ilya is going to have to find a way to step up and steal a game.

But it is not all bad for the Coyotes. They need to hold serve back home and even the series to make it a best of three. If they can keep pounding the Wings they may be able to draw them into more undisciplined penalties. They also need to start taking advantage of Brad Stuart who has looked shaky on the Wings blue line for the first couple of games.

Lets also see how the fans of the Coyotes respond Monday night. Could be a big boost for the players.

Have a good one!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer

Well you couldn’t have asked for a better start in game 1 for the Phoenix Coyotes when Kyle Turris went roof on Jimmy Howard a couple minutes into the game for a quick 1-0 lead. It quickly went downhill from there. The Yotes had numerous opportunities to put the game to bed after that goal getting five power plays in the first period including a 5 on 3 for a minute and a half and couldn’t get another goal or two. The Red Wings survived the first period only down 1-0 and it should have been much more.

Detroit woke up in the second period and Ilya Bryzgalov looked human. Datsyuk, Franzen, and Rafalski powered the Wings to three second period goals and a 3-1 after two periods. Ilya Bryzgalov got beat a couple times on the blocker side on shots he has to have.

It was curious to see how the Coyotes would respond coming out for the third period and their response was not what coach Tippett had in mind. three minutes in and Jiri Hudler potted another one for Detroit and the Wings had a 4-1 lead. The Coyotes never had a great push to get back in it though Radim Vrbata tucked one home to cut the lead down to 4-2 but that would be as close as the desert dogs would get.

Two things were absolute disasters for the Coyotes is game 1. First the special teams were atrocious! 0/6 on the PP killed them, and the Wings went 1/3 on their chances. Secondly Jimmy Howard was Ilya Bryzgalov’s equal if not the better goaltender in game 1. If Bryz can’t pick up his game this will be a short series.

The good news for Phoenix is the old saying that a team isn’t really in trouble until it loses a game at home. I agree with that assessment so no need to panic yet for the Coyotes but the special teams have to be better.

Have a good one!

Follow me on twitter! @shanehoopfer