Consider that when the original Jets franchise left Winnipeg in 1996, it came at a time when relocations were coming in fairly quick succession. The Minnesota North Stars, Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers had, in the several years prior, moved to Dallas, Colorado and North Carolina. Look back a couple of decades further, too, and the NHL had moved on from Atlanta, Kansas City and Cleveland. And more often than not, it’s been the case that the league has not returned to the markets from which it has departed. For a time, Minnesota and Atlanta were the lone exceptions.
