Wearing on Winnipeg Wondering

As much as I would love to get that 90s nostalgia I recently talked about back into the fold, am I the only one tired of the Winnipeg Jets talk?? It's not so much that I wouldn't want another team in Canada-- I do, it'd be good for the game; but the hype surrounding this whole "Will they, won't they" when it comes to any team relocation to possibly Winnipeg; it's getting on my nerves. It's gotten to the point where TSN has a "Jets Meter" on their NHL page.

Look, we're not kidding anyone when we all agree that Winnipeg is probably the best suited Canadian city to get a relocated team. They have the fan-base, the local sponsorship backing, and a great arena-- though some could say it's too small for an NHL franchise. It's ready for a team, but at the same time, I fear this hype could be for naught should one thing or another go awry in their planning when it comes to waiting for the Phoenix Coyotes to come back. I don't want the people to get their hopes up only to be let down again.

Even if another team not the Coyotes decides to relocate-- they couldn't be called the Jets because the current day Coyotes hold that name and it's history. Though the NHL could pull a Cleveland Browns situation, stripping the Jets history from the Coyotes and giving it to the new Winnipeg franchise that happens to come to fruition.

However, this whole thing about the Jets coming back could be for naught-- even if Winnipeg gets a team. Dave Wheeler for the Winnipeg Sun said that should the NHL return-- they won't be called the Jets. It seems that the jersey, logo, and colors have been created and they'll be called the Manitoba.......and a nickname will come later. So, instead of being very specific about where the team will be at-- the team will encompass the entire Province of Manitoba. Whether that's good or not, we'll have no idea until it happens. Off the bat-- it's smart because of the fact they will probably get more governmental support by including everyone. For what it's worth, Mike Cole of NESN said some sources are saying the team will adopt the AHL moniker of the Manitoba Moose-- so there's that.

Plus, I like the idea of a new team name. When a team comes back, I would rather a new identity so that this team coming in and their players won't have to live up to the team this city had lost. The heritage a team has leaving is something some wouldn't want to tarnish should the team turn out to be craptastic and want to remember the good times the team has before they left. A new team coming in should have a new identity, but not forget the identities that may have been in the city beforehand.

In the end, you have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The Winnipeg contingency and Jets die-hards are keeping the faith and proving to the NHL that they deserve a team. It's great for their case against another city and it's great for the NHL to see that if they put a team in there; it'll flourish. That said, the fact many are acting like this is all done but the shouting-- yet that's far from the case. There's going to be a lot of red-tape for the Coyotes deal or any deal to go through to make this happen-- but at least they're ready for it, should it fall into their lap....as it should.