NHL Approves Thrashers Move To Winnipeg

(NewsCore) - NEW YORK -- The 11-season tenure of the Atlanta Thrashers in the NHL came to a formal close Tuesday, as the NHL's Board of Governors approved the team's sale and relocation to Canada.

The board unanimously approved the sale of the team from Atlanta Spirit Group to True North Sports and Entertainment, which will move the franchise to Winnipeg starting next season.

Winnipeg, whose province of Manitoba sits north of Minnesota and North Dakota, will play in the Southeast Division next season.

Giving itself a full year to study realignment issues, the NHL will wait until 2012-13 before moving the franchise to a more geographically-sensible division and conference.

On Monday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Craig Ramsay, who coached the Thrashers in 2010-11 and remained under contract, would not be retained by the new Winnipeg franchise, which has yet to announce its name.

According to reports, Claude Noel, who coached True North's American Hockey League franchise last season, was a finalist for the job, as was Chicago Blackhawks assistant Mike Haviland.

TSN reported Thrashers assistant coaches John Torchetti and Mike Stothers also would not be retained.

Most Thrashers employees will remain working through the end of the month. It has been reported that none were retained by True North, which has kept most of its staff intact from the AHL's Manitoba Moose, the franchise it formerly owned and operated until the Moose relocated to St. John's, Newfoundland, to make room for the new NHL team.

New Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will represent the franchise at Friday's draft in St. Paul, Minn.

Read more: FOX Sports South