Fresh Ice.

I don't normally get excited about sports news, but this morning The Globe and Mail confirmed what I have been hoping for: there will be a new NHL franchise (and better yet it will be a Canadian franchise)! Yes, Winnipeg is finally getting their second shot at the NHL! The interesting thing about this story is that the team that's moving to Winnipeg isn't the Phoenix Coyotes - like everyone thought and where the main attention and focus has been for the past couple years - but instead it is the Atlanta Thrashers, who have been having their own financial woes as of late. It doesn't really matter to me which franchise moves, I'm just happy that, come next season, there will be a fresh team in the NHL, one that I can hopefully develop some attachment to and therefore enhance my interest in the sport.

The Winnipeg story, however, has not been the only rumbling about possible NHL franchise relocation this week. According to AM640, hockey insider Bill Waters has been tipped off about a possible franchise coming to the city of Markham. While officially nothing has been proposed or revealed, it is still an interesting speculative claim. If a team were to come to Markham at some point I would probably have to follow that one as well. Not only would the Markham team be new and Canadian, but it'd also have the characteristic of being my home team as Markham is closer to me geographically, and more similar to my current residence than Toronto is - supposedly my default "home team".

Overall, I am just excited to see at least one team relocate and I plan to support the new Winnipeg team - however it formally manifest itself - from day one. I just hope to live through this Saturday's supposed rapture so that I can see them play.