With a sudden yet staggering announcement, it seems that the Atlanta Thrashers have finally found new ownership. Except those owners happen to be True North Sports and Entertainment – a company who already owns the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and the MTS Centre arena. Stephen Brunt, who broke the news Thursday night, has already taken significant heat for doing his job because, as expected, nobody would allow such ground-breaking news to just take off.

Representatives from the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers and True North are all denying the reports, as well as several rival media outlets, but you know what they say: where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and Atlanta is billowing. But absent any “official” word, the blogosphere has been taken over by those questioning whether Brunt is printing fact or fiction. It’s yet another classic case of one guy getting the story and the rest attacking him for doing his job better.

Three things run in Brunt’s favor: One, he’s been around a very, very long time and is considered one of the finest journalists in Canada. Two, he writes for The Globe and Mail; a highly-recognized and reputable national newspaper that often, plainly, “gets it right.” Brunt didn’t name his sources in his news-breaking article, but chances are, the guys he talked to aren’t your run of the mill business executives or agents representing agents.

Perhaps the biggest thing going for Brunt right now is his competition. As well as a journalist, Brunt is also a frequent guest on Prime Time Sports on Sportsnet, a radio and television sports talk show owned by media giant Rogers Communications. Their biggest rival is TSN. Even TSN’s hockey experts were quick to admit that although their sources say a deal has not been reached, it’s possible (and probable) that one will. They’re just making sure Brunt doesn’t eat his cake, too.