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Fourteen years apart, on May 31, two announcements made and moved two franchises. In 1997, a company in Columbus, Ohio promised to finance an arena in return for an NHL franchise. In 2011, the NHL franchise in Atlanta, Georgia announced they had sold the franchise to be relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Something New

Ohio had briefly had an NHL franchise, the Cleveland Barons, for the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons. Columbus had had an ECHL team, the Chill, since 1991. Come late 1996, on November 1, Columbus Hockey Limited (a group of five investors including John H. McConnell) applied for an NHL franchise and paid the necessary $100,000 fee. The following January 13, they formally presented to the NHL but had to wait until June for the verdict.

In the meantime, they had concerns over the lack of a suitable arena in Columbus. A referendum to publicly fund the arena failed in May 1997. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company came to the rescue on the final day of that month. They promised to finance a $150-million arena next to One Nationwide Plaza, their national headquarters. Once built, the new franchise would play at Nationwide Arena, which became the focal point of Columbus’s Arena District in the Short North neighborhood.

Thanks to Nationwide’s pledge, the NHL granted Columbus a franchise on June 25, 1997. Joining them would be new teams given to Nashville, St. Paul, and Atlanta. Columbus’s team would begin playing at the start of the 2000-01 season.

Something Blue

Throughout August 1997, with the help of Wendy’s, a “Name the Team” contest drew about 14,000 entries from all throughout central Ohio. After first selecting a top ten, McConnell supplied a bit of Ohio history and helped the NHL narrow the list to two names – Blue Jackets and Justice.

The name “Blue Jackets” drew the most interest. Rather than being named for a chief from Xenia, Ohio, the name honored Ohio’s Union Army soldiers from the Civil War. More of Ohio’s population served than any other state, and most of the uniform coats were made right there in Columbus. On November 11, 1997, officials formally announced that Columbus’s team would be called the Blue Jackets.

Something Old

What happened to Atlanta’s franchise in 2011 could trace its origins at least back to 1996. That year, the Winnipeg Jets (because of their small market and inadequate arena) relocated to Arizona to become the Phoenix Coyotes. Having a great enthusiasm for hockey, Winnipeg’s residents were devastated.

About a year later, the NHL chose to try another franchise in Atlanta. The Flames had begun playing there back in 1972, but eight seasons later, they had relocated to Calgary. Some had doubts that a hockey franchise could succeed in that part of the south, but this new franchise was backed with high profile money. Named the Thrashers for the state bird, with they start of the 1999-2000 season, they began playing at the same location where the Flames previously played.

Those doubtful about supporting a hockey team in Atlanta turned out to be right. By the 2010-11 season, the Atlanta Spirit Group who owned the team (and Philips Arena operating rights) had already lost $130 million and could not afford to keep funding the team. One of the owners, Michael Gearon, Jr., explained that they had searched for additional investors at least as early as 2007 but had received limited interest. The other owners also had a legal dispute with former part-owner Steve Belkin that lasted until December 2010. With that settled, they looked for buyers, but they could not find anyone who could keep the team in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, in mid-May 2011, Glendale, Arizona paid $25 million to cover the Coyotes’ losses. That prevented the team from returning to Winnipeg, who really wanted the NHL to return.

Something Borrowed

Finally, on May 31, 2011, the owners announced that they had sold the franchise. Their open letter to their fans began, “Earlier today, we, along with our partners, signed an asset purchase agreement to sell the Atlanta Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment. If ratified by the NHL, Commissioner (Gary) Bettman and the league’s Board of Governors, this will result in the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, Canada, beginning with the 2011-2012 season.” The sale price was $170 million, with $60 million of that going to the NHL to pay the relocation fee.

In order for this to all go through, the NHL Commissioner and Board of Governors had to ratify the sale (with 75% of the vote) and the relocation (with a majority vote). It was understood that was just a formality. Commissioner Gary Bettman said at the time of the announcement, “We’re not happy about leaving Atlanta. This was never about whether Winnipeg is better than Atlanta.” So it came to pass on June 21 that the NHL officially approved.

Atlanta became the first American city to lose two NHL franchises. Gearon commented, “Fans deserve to be angry. It’s an emotional process and I can understand it and appreciate it. Dealing with that with my own family has been brutal.” Yet, his open letter ended, “Thank you for the opportunity to be entertained, thrilled and inspired alongside you by Atlanta Thrashers hockey. None of this would have been possible without your support.” Meanwhile, Winnipeg celebrated in the streets. They wore old Jets gear and the former team’s red, white, and blue. They gathered at “The Forks” to watch the announcement on a big screen. Being warned that they would need to sell out their small 15,015-seat arena did not seem to dim the enthusiasm at having the NHL return. True North Sports and Entertainment already had an AHL team, the Manitoba Moose, that they planned to move to a different town and offer their fans first dibs at NHL season tickets. As Winnipeg had hoped, their new franchise would take the old one’s name, the Jets.

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