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Winnipeg’s team name announcement should come today; Reports indicate it will be the Jets

FRASER ZHAMNOV

FILE - In this April 26, 1996 photo, Winnipeg Jets’ Iain Fraser, left, celebrates an empty net goal by teammate Alexei Zhamnov, right, against the Detroit Red Wings during an NHL hockey game at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. True North Sports and Entertainment has scheduled a news conference, Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre to make “a significant community announcement.” True North has been in negotiations with the owners of the Atlanta Thrashers to buy the NHL team and move it to Winnipeg. Winnipeg has been without NHL hockey since the Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996. Atlanta is saying goodbye to an NHL franchise for the second time. The Flames moved from Atlanta to Calgary in 1980. The NHL was unable to find an owner who wants to keep the team in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Tom Pidgeon)

AP

During the “Drive to 13,” True North Sports and Entertainment implied that they would unveil Winnipeg’s new team name right after that sales drive was complete. That didn’t happen, of course, but there are rumblings that we’ll finally be able to fill in the blank sometime today.

The latest word from TSN is that True North plans to announce the new team name before making their first draft pick (the seventh selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft). Could the new team hand out jerseys with their new team logo during the draft itself? That much remains unclear, so we will just need to wait and see.

Want to let the hockey world know which team name would best fit this new Winnipeg club? Vote in this poll.

Update: If Elliotte Friedman of the CBC is correct, then the masses in Winnipeg will get what they wanted: to return of the Winnipeg Jets.