Winnipeg Jets are back

It's been a lot of years, 16 to be exact, but the Winnipeg Jets are back in the National Hockey League (NHL).

The name was announced yesterday at the Xcel Energy Center during the NHL Draft. It's funny, because there were a ton of people saying that the Jets' name would not be resurrected. The original Jets moved to Phoenix and became the Coyotes in the 1996-97 season.

Which means, that all the history, color schemes, uniforms, logos and everything attached to the Jets in some fashion moved with the team to Phoenix in 1996. Even the mayor of Winnipeg said that the Jets name wouldn't come back.

Unless they had been smart, like Cleveland was. When Art Modell took the Cleveland Browns (NFL) to Baltimore, the city of Cleveland retained the rights to everything: history, logos, team colors, uniforms, etc. Essentially, Modell was bringing an expansion team to Baltimore. Two years later when Cleveland was awarded another NFL franchise, it was as if the team never left.

But, the newest installment of the Jets won't have too much history. Eleven years, all of which were in Atlanta. The Thrashers weren't the best team, winning only a handful of games every season. So, the short history the Jets will have once they make it up to Winnipeg won't be looked upon fondly, if at all.

Some teams don't really even acknowledge the history of the team once they've moved. Case in point, the Minnesota Twins. Relocated to the Twin Cities from Washington DC in 1960, the Twins technically have been a franchise since the early 1900s. Incidentally, the Twins technically have won three World Series, their first coming in 1924, but as the Washington Senators.

As for the Jets, they'll somewhat be starting all over again: a new logo, color scheme, corporate identity, etc. will be chosen in the months ahead. As for the folks in Atlanta, they might be scratching their heads trying to figure out how they've lost two NHL franchises, both to Canada. Atlanta lost the Flames to Calgary in 1980.

It will be nice to see "Winnipeg Jets" back in the standings next season.