The most compelling sports story in Winnipeg these days has nothing to do with what's happening on the field of play.
The city has been abuzz since early in the new year that the National Hockey League is on the cusp of returning after a 15-year absence. The Phoenix Coyotes are on the front burner as the City of Glendale's attempts to sell a $116-million bond offering to help Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer buy the team has floundered with the threat of a lawsuit hanging overhead. The Goldwater Institute, an Arizona-based watchdog, has said it will file suit if the deal is consummated because it violates the gift clause in the state's constitution.
If this deal is somehow pulled from the fire, Winnipeggers are more than cautiously optimistic that the Atlanta Thrashers, whose owners have been trying unsuccessfully for months to unload the team, will be moved here.
Winnipeg's white knights are Mark Chipman, who spearheaded the construction of the 15,000-seat MTS Centre, home to the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose, and David Thomson, the 17th-richest man in the world.
Dave Angus, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said the performance of the Manitoba economy through the recent downturn should put to rest any doubts about the ability of the city's corporate community to support a team.
"We often don't celebrate the growth because it's not as dramatic [as failures]. When organizations like Great-West Lifeco and Investors Group achieve tremendous growth, it increases the overall corporate capacity [in Winnipeg]," he said.
from Western Investor, May 2011
