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This article was published 24/6/2011 (3386 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

JOHN WOODS Ryan Purpur, Jesse Martin, Janeen Martin, Ray Braun and Cam Friesen celebrate the naming of the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg on Friday.

ST. PAUL — True North chairman Mark Chipman confirmed the name of Winnipeg’s NHL team is the Jets Friday night at the NHL entry draft in Minnesota.

He said the name makes sense.

"We listened to a lot of people. Certainly the fans, that was obvious. Although I was overwhelmed by the number of unsolicited suggestions, a lot of them very good and thought we had to go in a different direction.

"But we talked to our scouts at dinner (Thursday) night and the kids that were interviewed this year all wanted to know what the name of the team was going to be. And there was a strong preference (for Jets).

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Thousands of fans celebrate at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg Friday after the city's new NHL team is named the Jets.

"I talked to family, I talked to close friends, guys I grew up playing hockey with... just trying to get an authentic feel for what the right thing to do would be. And in the end it just kept coming to that name.

Word started to leak out around Minneapolis and St. Paul, the site of the NHL draft, that Winnipeg’s new franchise was going to be called the Jets.

Even though the Winnipeg Jets fled to Phoenix, Ariz., in 1996, the relocated franchise that used to be the Atlanta Thrashers had not adopted a name until chipman's announcement.

No logo, sweaters or colours accompanied the announcement but the Free Press has been told when it does, it will likely bear no resemblance to the style used by the former NHL team in Winnipeg.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca