The moving of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg has not yet been finalized, but one aspect of the move has been cemented, according to Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz. There will be no return of the city’s beloved Winnipeg Jets.
The Jets played in Winnipeg from 1972 to 1996 before relocating to Phoenix and becoming the Coyotes, and many had speculated that the return of an NHL franchise to Winnipeg would mean a return of the “Jets” nickname. But this is not the case, Katz told the Toronto Sun.
“I relate to the Jets . . . Our hearts were just torn when the Jets left,” Katz said. “I can now tell you that [the new team] will be called the Manitoba something.”
This fact gives more credence to another popular rumor — that the new team will be called the Manitoba Moose, the moniker currently used by the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate.
The exclusion of the Jets as an option appears to be unpopular amongst Winnipeg fans, however, as 58 percent of voters in a Winnipeg Sun poll favored the Jets as the team’s new nickname. No other option garnered more than 11 percent of the vote, with Moose receiving only 4 percent.
