The Jets Back on Home Ice: an in-depth look at two fan bases supporting one team

As the Jets returned to Winnipeg, there were tears of joy. In Atlanta, there were tears of heartbreak. Sportsnet magazine profiles the two fan bases connected by one team.

Also in this issue, on newsstands now:

• The Roar Returns: Lions and Tigers and, finally, optimism in Motown  

• Georges St-Pierre’s Toughest Test Yet

TORONTO (October 13, 2011) – The long-awaited moment finally arrived on Sunday, when the Winnipeg Jets took to the ice in their NHL season opener. As excitement and celebration shook Winnipeg’s core, little thought was given to those who were left in the dust last spring.

Once heralded as a “hockey-crazed” town, Atlanta is now home to a group of fans and former employees who once called themselves Thrashers Nation and fought to keep their team in Georgia’s capital. Sportsnet contributor Dan Robson profiles the two communities—one joyous, one heartbroken— that have emerged out of the relocation.

The Roar Returns

In a city that has seen more than its share of hardships over the past years, two Detroit teams are creating an unlikely boost to civic pride.  With the Detroit Tigers in contention for the American League Championship and the Detroit Lions— long the NFL’s punching bag— currently undefeated this season, it would appear that Motown is finally getting its swagger back.

Ryan Dixon reports from the “long-suffering city with a sports-mad population” on the eve of the Lions’ first Monday Night Football appearance in a decade.

Georges St-Pierre’s Toughest Test Yet

The mixed martial arts idol and Canadian superstar has been criticized for his lacklustre performances and for dodging big fights. With UFC 137 looming, how will Georges St-Pierre fare in his upcoming battle with Carlos Condit? Brian J. D’Souza weighs in on what to expect from the October 27 fight.

Also in this edition:

· Is Anthony Calvillo the best quarterback in CFL history? Despite not having the biggest arm or the fastest feet, Ryan Dixon makes a compelling case for Calvillo

· Prince’s Ransom: Prince Fielder looks to cash in along with the rest of the MLB free-agent class of 2011

· Meet the Wayne Gretzky of Canadian sprinting: a profile of 16-year-old Christian Brennan

· Scott Feschuk schools his children on the finer points of tailgating

Final Say: Stephen Brunt on the Jets’ historic return to an already-great city

About Sportsnet magazine

Sportsnet is Canada’s only biweekly sports magazine. It is Canada's leading source for in-depth perspective and inside reports on hockey, baseball, football, soccer and other professional sports and premier amateur sports. Sportsnet magazine is part of the multiplatform Sportsnet brand, which exists on five platforms: television, radio, digital, mobile and print. It is published 26 times a year by Rogers Publishing Limited, a division of Rogers Media Inc.

To subscribe to the print or iPad versions, visit http://www.sportsnet.ca/magazine

Twitter: @Sportsnetmag

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