Atlanta Thrashes to Move to Winnipeg: NHL Will Make Announcement May 24

An official agreement has been confirmed between Winnipeg-based True North Sports and Entertainment and the Atlanta Spirit group to purchase the Atlanta Thrashers and move them to Winnipeg, according to The Globe and Mail.

Gary Bettman is expected to make the flight to Winnipeg to announce the relocation news on Tuesday in the Manitoban capital.

The MTS Centre would house the newly relocated Thrashers, bringing NHL hockey back to Manitoba for the first time since the Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix in 1996.

There are sources saying that True North has been targeting the Thrashers all along—instead of the Coyotes—to relocate the team.

Atlanta ranked 28th in average attendance during the 2010-11 season and had very little support from fans, local businesses and local government.

However, Manitoban premier Greg Selinger has promised to back a move of an NHL franchise to Winnipeg without letting taxpayers take the burden of paying for it.

The Winnipeg Free Press is reporting the story to be false until an official announcement on Tuesday.