the 4th star

Is this man going to bring the National Hockey League to Winnipeg?

Maybe. Reports are swirling that David Thomson is currently working on the Atlanta Thrashers file. People are whispering. Thomson, one of the biggest wheels in Canada, has a stake in True North, the organization which owns and operates the MTS Centre and the Manitoba Moose. The dots are there and being connected by everyone.

I’m sorry, Moose who? The city is alive with Thrasher talk. People are running out to buy Evander Kane jerseys. I’ve just renewed my subscription to Thrasher. Kevin Benson is not answering his phone and the rumours are so contagious I might need my H1N1 shot right now. I’m thinking about getting a BMX next summer. Maybe. Depends if I can get one from Nashville. Apparently BMXs aren’t doing too well there. Enough jokes.

Al Strachan defended his position today.

“This is not a torqued story. This is a good, solid business story,” Strachan told CBC News on Monday. “There is a desire on the part of these people to move Atlanta to Winnipeg, but as I stress, it is not imminent.”

Oh. OK. How long is it going to be? Do I have time to take a shower?

In any case, a very trusting party told me that the story does have some legs. When those legs will stop running and strap on some shin pads remains to be seen. That seems to be my position on this whole thing. We’ll see. While we do that, why not take a look at just how well Thomson has done for himself?

The poor Winnipeg NHL hockey fan. First, he/she gets teased by the prospects of the league returning every time a franchise comes up in the news as ‘struggling.’ Now, in a new twist, he/she is being subjected to not new rumours, BUT RECYCLED ONES. The Atlanta Thrashers are coming to Winnipeg! Right on! I better apply for a new VISA!

Yes, Al Strachan is on top of it. Four months after the fact.

Sources have told ESPN.com that a number of groups, including one from Winnipeg, have explored the potential of buying the Thrashers and moving them out of Atlanta. However, the reality of the situation is that there are a number of factors that likely mean the team will remain in Atlanta for the foreseeable future.

Saturday’s *revelation* that the Atlanta Thrashers are coming to Winnipeg found some space in the local papers. The Sun threw some much-needed water on the topic, while the Freep went one step further, giving readers a history lesson of the NHL rumours, telling us who the Winnipeg connection is in Toronto, and how this *latest rumour* should be digested.

This is what I take from both: Until Mark Chipman says something about the NHL returning — as he will be the point person here in Winnipeg — why should anyone care about another *rumour* that finds the public broadcast airwaves?

This latest *hot-button conversation topic* comes on the heels of Dan Don Cherry’s ridiculous proclamation last month that the Phoenix Coyotes will be playing in Winnipeg next winter. I say “ridiculous,” as it was a total pander to a Winnipeg radio audience. To put his statement in a different context, if I close my eyes and throw a dart at the board, eventually I’m going to hit the bulls-eye. Of course, when pressed on the basis of his statement by yours truly, Grapes had little to add or expand on.

“I was here in the spring and all everybody talked about was the Jets. I see Jets hats, I see Jets T-shirts. They got a 15,000-seat arena. They didn’t build that for the American Hockey League. What I say is the truth. That’s what I base it on.”

Cherry then went on to call me “negative.” Upon hearing that I thought to myself, I wonder why he would call someone who is just questioning the basis of his statement negative. That’s the funny thing about our exchange at City Hall that day. It’s almost like he was looking off camera for direction when the heat came on. Further into my tape recorder, when pressed more on the subject, he says this beauty, deflecting the topic with a little playful sarcasm.

“Whaddya want me to say — that they’re not coming? OK, the NHL’s not coming!”

Got to hand it to the old guy — he knows how to keep the room. The 50 or so city hall staffers in attendance laughed. The people standing up by the podium beside Cherry laughed. I laughed, too. But for a different reason, I suspect.

UPDATE: According to the Freep, the Thrashers are big fans of old rumours, too.

UPDATE#2: PF jumps into the rumour quagmire, questioning the speculative skills of the Thrashers beat writers and the resilience of ice in southern climes. Or something like that. The only thing Winnipeg needs from Atlanta is Matt Ryan.

After ignoring a 25 year layoff, with three of those spent begging to play, I have decided to make a triumphant return to the beautiful game. In a stunning act of charity, the Crescentwood Saturday Soccer Club has done the unthinkable and allowed me to play with them in the Winnipeg Soccer Division this summer. If I can score one goal this year, I’d be pretty happy. Judging from my inconsistent play, my teammates would be equally ecstatic, too. Here’s the weekly update:

Post and a Penalty

First half. All I really remember is the ball screaming past my waist, just inches away from deflecting off me. With the wind at their backs, the CSSC carried the play right to their best chance of the game. A crossed ball, mishandled by the Elmwood Football Club defender, bounced right back into the middle of the box to the eager foot of Sean Brown. He got all of it on the one-touch, blasting it back towards the goal as players in the vicinity dealt with the pinball effect of the moment. It went right by me. Its passing velocity ruffled my shorts, I think. Unfortunately, the ball never found the netting behind the static goaltender. He watched, we all watched, as the Brown bullet compressed into the post and bounced through the crease — behind the goaltender, no less — and into the corner of the pitch. The was the best chance for the red on this day. Later it was remarked that if the post was square and not round, the ball would have found its way in.

Second half. With the wind at their back, Elmwood comes on strong at the beginning. They carry the play for most of the first 20 minutes before CSSC settles the ball down on the deck and finds a way to move the momentum up the field. As Pete smartly observes, most of our crosses into the box are not finding the red jerseys, thanks to the collective size of the opponents. Easy headers out of danger was their best defence. One of those clears comes after a lapse in CSSC judgement following a free kick. Elmwood clears the ball into a brief 2-on-1 chance the other way. The action finds its way into a 2-on-2, but the opportunity is won by the whites — a brilliant shot to the top of the goal over the outstretched arms of our brilliant keeper.

Later in the half, with time winding down, our side works the ball into the far reaches of the box with a series of short and smart passes. The ball ends up on the favourable foot of Ian Hudson, who beats his man clean on the way to a better position for a shot on goal. Before he gets there, though, Hudson is taken down by the beaten defender, his out-stretched leg coming short of making any contact with the ball. The man in the big yellow jersey does not blow the whistle, deeming the takedown a legal play. The resulting uproar from the red side does not change his confusing account and an automatic penalty kick does not reach the dot. Game.

Elmwood 1, Saturday 0

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Some credit should certainly be given to Elmwood. Not only did they win the playoffs, they won the league weeks before its conclusion and they claimed the President’s Cup. According to mainstays on the CSSC side, this trifecta may be a first. Seeing how this was my first game against them this summer, I’d like to point out that judging from the amount of baseless complaining to the officials they did in the championship final, they also lead the lead in that category, as well.

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So that’s it. The season is over. Despite injuries to an ankle and a quad muscle I felt I finished strong on Sunday, with a few smart touches (a heel!) and even a cross into the box. As mentioned in an earlier update, two scores by yours truly this season — 100 percent more than the goal set at the start of the year. Hard to be unhappy with that. Now that I have some idea what’s going on out there, I’m going to shoot for three next summer. If they’ll have me back, that is.