NHL franchise relocated to St. Louis, Missouri. The Ottawa Senators continued as a senior amateur, and later a professional, team until 1954. The founders of the current franchise received permission from the descendants of Tommy Gorman, who owned the Senators in 1954, to use the name. The new Senators also adopted the colours of the original franchise. In 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers were sold and relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the team was renamed the Winnipeg Jets. The 'original' Winnipeg Jets team existed from 1972 to 1996 until it moved to Phoenix in 1996 to become the Phoenix Coyotes. The Jets' team name and trademarks had reverted to the possession of the NHL after the move, although the franchise history (retired jerseys, team statistics) is continued by the Coyotes. While the new team revived the Jets name, new jerseys and team colours were developed. Franchise history reversions In two cases, a newly granted franchise has revived a team that was inactive, and has been granted the rights to the previous team's history: The Cleveland Browns were a professional football team from 1946 until owner Art Modell moved the club to Baltimore in 1995. However, in a deal with the NFL and the City of Cleveland, the team was declared inactive for three years until a new expansion club, under the old name and colors, was established in 1999. The new Browns are considered a continuation of the old franchise. The Montreal Alouettes are named after an earlier franchise which became defunct in 1981. The Baltimore Stallions, which were formed through expansion, relocated to Montreal after playing in Baltimore from 1994 until 1996. The CFL considers all clubs that have played in Montreal since 1946 as one franchise in their league records, including those of the original Alouettes (1946–1981), Montreal Concordes (1982–1985) and Montreal Alouettes (1986). The Alouettes and the CFL, however, do not recognize the Baltimore franchise, or its records, as part of the official team history. See also Phoenix club (sports) References Sports culture Sports teams Sports terminology