San Jose Sharks wingman Ben Eager, who enjoyed—or, rather, did not enjoy—a 34-game stint with the Atlanta Thrashers in the early stages of the 2010/11 season totally understands why the team might move to Winnipeg. Indeed, he seems downright thrilled.
“I think it’s great,” Eager told Nicholas J. Cotsonika of Yahoo! Sports. He believes the Thrashers franchise has given Atlanta plenty of chances to be supportive, but the fans haven’t responded well enough. “Seven thousand people at games? It’s the National Hockey League,” he said.
Maybe that seems like sour grapes coming from a guy who shot just 7.3 percent as a Thrasher before Atlanta shipped him to San Jose for Dustin Byfuglien, but Cotsonika is careful to add more context: Eager grew up in hockey-mad Canada, so for him, perhaps low attendance and lukewarm-at-best overall support are sure signs that a team ought to move on. That a Canadian city will likely benefit can only add to his joy.