The Decline of the Atlanta Thrashers/What Happened?

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[@sammydee9215]

Piss poor ownership killed hockey in Atlanta.

[@JM_Solo]

Clayton Calder you’re half right. Bettman is the other half of that equation.

[@JM_Solo]

Great Whitenorte sorry but that’s just not true. Attendance wasn’t the problem. Revenue wasn’t the problem. You’re just wrong. Sorry.

[@tyryztoll]

@Great Whitenorte Not true. I lived in Atlanta for 20 years and went to many games. That town is filled with hockey fans who migrated from the northern US. The attendance was good - even though half the arena was always cheering for the other team because so many were from somewhere else - but that's the way it is in most southern and western sports towns. They're packed with people that fled the bad economies and weather of the northern part of the country. The Thrashers failed because of an ownership group that had too many chefs in the kitchen and a GM who thought he didn't have to put a decent goalie or defensive scheme onto the ice.

[@tyryztoll]

@@JM_Solo Don't forget bonehead Don "I don't need defense" Waddell.

[@JM_Solo]

Aaron Allenson As a native Atlantan, I can sadly do nothing but agree with every ting you’ve said. It was weird having the arena filled with other teams fans but I was used to that with Falcons games haha. It still translates to ticket sales. And the season tix holders were a dedicated group.

[@matthewmadden7455]

To say Heatley was never the same player after the Ottawa trade is laughable. Back to back 50 goal seasons and a trip to the Finals in 07.

[@dannythomas417]

If Hossa was still in Ottawa with him, they’d win.

[@jasonarokiaraj9817]

Matthew Madden if the Thrashers had drafted Dany Heatley a year earlier than they did, they would’ve attracted more fans and then losing Marian Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk, Karri Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg wouldn’t have cost them a lot of fans and then they would’ve stayed in Atlanta.

[@dannythomas417]

@@jasonarokiaraj9817 I sure wish Heatley and Hossa were in Ottawa together. They would've won the Finals. Or at least force the decisive seven.

[@JohnAlex1]

They never gave the Thrashers a chance...I was a season ticket holder and the fans were great and the games were exciting....they didn’t win a lot of games but look at the Jets now - one of the best teams in hockey. Great video and on point.

[@ErikZarins]

John Alex as a Jets fan I was so thrilled we returned but looking back I do think Atlanta got screwed over (we wanted Phoenix) Ownership did fuck over the Thrashers. And now look at the following for Atlanta United. I think Arthur Blank could bring in Atlanta hockey a third time and actually develop a great fan base and sold out every night

[@gamma21285]

@@ErikZarins That's all they needed was the right owner but Bettman didn't give it a chance. I miss hockey in Atlanta. For me between football season and baseball season it's pretty boring sports wise. I don't like basketball so I don't care about the Hawks but I loved the Thrashers

[@RaidingJaguarX]

@@gamma21285 Atlanta Spirit honestly didn't give a damn about either the Hawks or Thrashers. Well, the Hawks a little more than the Thrashers.

[@adamyoung899]

The current Winnipeg team has only one player that was drafted by Atlanta. There really is next to no relation to the franchises. So saying the Jets are great nowdoesn't mean Atlanta was good or ever would have been good.

[@bramstedt8997]

Jets are good now, but they continued to suck for a few years after the move. Took a few years of new GM Cheveldaoff and the new ownership to rebuild the team.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

The NHL’s biggest failure over the past two to three decades so far has been expanding all over the South and Southwest but never finding a way to truly make professional hockey popular in two of North America’s largest markets in those areas: Atlanta and Houston.

[@Jens95]

I cringed when the footage showed them stepping on the logo... No one should ever step on the sacred logo 😒♀‍🤦

[@AlyssaHope]

Haha fail 😆

[@johnfitzgeraldkennedy2015]

Can I have a reply jens Ps: I am a goalie too 🥅

[@Jens95]

@@johnfitzgeraldkennedy2015 Hi Jackson! 😁

[@johnfitzgeraldkennedy2015]

@@Jens95 omg😱

[@Jens95]

@@johnfitzgeraldkennedy2015 😱😱 What is going on?!

[@VoteWithABullet]

What a great name for a NHL hockey team. "Atlanta Thrashers"

[@BigHomieGav]

New Orleans Pelicans

[@donniefleuryy.29]

@@BigHomieGav that’s an NBA team

[@BigHomieGav]

@@donniefleuryy.29 thanks I had no idea

[@donniefleuryy.29]

@@BigHomieGav i cant tell if you’re joking or not tbh

[@bozo_brain9342]

@@donniefleuryy.29 ur dumb

[@tevster1316]

Chicago’s turn around began when their notoriously frugal owner died and his son took over and changed things for the better.

[@perryegolson833]

Great point!

[@shadytnu24]

Also, the Blackhawks are a bad example because the afore mentioned "frugal" owner had pissed off a BUNCH of fans who had followed the team for decades, and Atlanta didn't have that element.

[@alexjaeger566]

That owners philosophy was that of, if you want to watch the Blackhawks play then you have to show up to the games. He made sure that the Blackhawks were not televised as he thought that would cut into his arena revenues.

[@perryegolson833]

Alex Jaeger Another brilliant component of the Gary Bettman legacy. The failure to secure any kind of major television deal with a major network. ESPN used to carry NHL games and I am guessing the contract ran out. Instead of renewing it, Bettman decided to go with a basically unknown Versus network, which a lot of people couldn’t find or didn’t even get. Thus even LESS exposure.

[@shadytnu24]

@@perryegolson833 that's only PARTIALLY on Bettman. He had done so much to erode the footing of the game withbthe traditionl fanbase, that ESPN put in a bid for only 40 games TOTAL before the 04-05 lockout. When the season was scrapped, ESPN backed out

[@Bawbster1]

6:11 - I couldn't disagree more. GB will do anything to save a franchise. The ONLY reason the coyotes are still in Phoenix is they always had potential owners showing interest. The NHL even ran the the team for a while because they had prospective ownership. The same could not be said about Atlanta. Even the last owners of the team wanted nothing to do with hockey, in fact, the purchase that included the hockey team, the resale value of that said hockey team was considered and factored in before making the deal. There were no other prospective owners in Atlanta. Only one, that was in Winnipeg. The NHL had already committed to running the Phoenix franchise before the Atlanta franchise was considered to be "in trouble". The NHL, from it's own by-laws, could not run a second team as they would be like a single owner of two different teams. If the city of Glendale had it's act together and not scared off more than half the potential ownership groups in Phoenix, rest-assurured, the NHL would've taken over the Thrashers until a viable owner or ownership group was found to keep the team in Atlanta. It was just horrible timing. If the events involving the Thrashers happened a season or two sooner, or later, and the Atlanta Thrashers would still exist.

[@mikephalen3162]

As a former resident of the Valley of the Sun, I have to comment. The first mistake was building an arena on the west side of town. The team should have played its games either in downtown Phoenix or in the East Valley (Scottsdale). The City of Glendale finally realized that it was in over its head, having sacrificed tax revenue to keep the team in town. They weren't scaring off potential ownership teams. Residents of Glendale will be paying for this team long after it is gone.

[@77philesposito]

My heart :(

[@YooperHatesOhioState]

Do u still watch hockey or naw after they left?

[@letsgoblues9030]

@@YooperHatesOhioState I do I loved the thrasher's until they keft

[@YooperHatesOhioState]

@Letsgoblues 90 blues are a solid team I don’t mind them as a wings fan

[@letsgoblues9030]

@JESSE DENEKA you have greatly disappointed me

[@quartratic2389]

@JESSE DENEKA No

[@charlesmclearn4642]

In 1995, Winnipeg held a rally to save the Jets. It drew 35,000 people. In 2011, Atlanta had a similar rally to drive season ticket sales and save the Thrashers. It drew 200 people. Winnipeg has averaged 15,005 (100% capacity at the MTS center) or better every season they have been back in the NHL, regardless of Standings. The Best season for attendance in Atlanta was just under 93% attendance (Inaugural Season) and averaged around 80% for the remaining ten years (Less than the MTS center holds at capacity). Also, average ticket prices for the Thrashers peaked at about 48-49 dollars per seat, where as the Jets average ticket prices have topped 100 dollars and are usually double that of the Thrashers. As for TV deals, while Atlanta can be a great TV market, for hockey it just wasn't. Rogers deal for Winnipeg's (and all other Canadian teams) far outweighs the deals people were offering for Atlanta. However, the real kicker is, Winnipeg has made money, every season they have existed, and their immediate revenue went up 35% in the year of the relocation. Add in bad ownership and the Thrashers were always doomed and Winnipeg is just a better hockey market.

[@LeelssDelta]

Charles McLearn wait there’s was a rally to save the thrashers??? When??

[@brientaylorcohen]

@@LeelssDelta It was dissolved when the newspaper owned by True North leaked the agreement with the NHL to move the team.

[@dylan3488]

Don’t think anyone would argue Atlanta over Winnipeg the better comparison would be other southern cities. Atlanta has four pro teams and is the biggest city in the southeast and is filled with transplants from the north. There is no reason for a hockey team to fail here and hockey teams to flourish in Nashville and Charlotte. The failure of the Thrashers was 100% on the awful ownership of the ASG. Also fuck the NHL for not bailing us out our problems were not attendance it was having owners who rather sue each other than put money into the franchise

[@Vilgotczky]

I planned to be happy today...

[@aydenhenley7147]

F

[@Davidjon1946]

Maybe go watch the idiot box for a while ??? A certain shade of green comes on latter followed by new skin I'm sick of painting in black and white my pen is dry and im all uptight

[@methier767]

It's a shame that Atlanta doesn't have a NHL team...I saw the Flames in my youth...never was a fan cause I live in Montreal but still...you should never lose a franchise...I know believe me...we've lost the Expos in MLB

[@BessemerProd]

Being a long time Thrashers fan. I always hated Atlanta Spirit mainly because they really didn't do anything good with the team, they left it to die and instead looked towards the Hawks instead. I personally still think 11 years later the franchise would still be around if TW didn't sell it.

[@MichaelMcMahon1969]

As a former resident of Blueland, I hope that the Hawks NEVER win a championship. Plus the Atlanta market currently has FIVE major league franchises, as you forget about the NLL’s Georgia Swarm, which moved to Atlanta’s Northern Suburbs in 2016, and ended the 22 year championship drought in 2017, the year before the Atlanta United got their championship in 2018.

[@artursfilipovs7453]

Kovalchuk leaving was the final nail in the coffin

[@ryobibattery]

"Pulling a Kovy" was the act of scoring a goal 3 on 1

[@Kunkel5]

From a fan standpoint in the history of the roster, I would agree - but as the author pointed out, Kovy had nothing to do with what the owners did or did not want. The owners were the nail in the coffin. Atlanta Spirit can rot in hell.

[@jasonarokiaraj9817]

Arturs Filipovs No, it wasn’t. They had Evander Kane. The commissioner did this.

[@Storm-xs9qv]

Bring back the Thrashers

[@shawnwhite1972]

No

[@SPACE-g9u]

@@shawnwhite1972 yeah

[@adambeauvais2013]

@@SPACE-g9u no

[@Ltpotatobear]

Ottawa senators is also poorly managed I really hope they don't have the same fate as the Thrashers.

[@geebee6010]

Atlanta was and never will be a hockey town. It’s a black city that loves football basketball and baseball in that order.

[@WilbertAdams1]

Atlanta United?

[@guinsfan87]

Up until the hawks made it into the playoffs the thrashers consistently had better attendance. Just another reason management can be blamed for the failure of the thrashers

[@TheAngryCanadian1109]

I would’ve given Arizona coyotes to Winnipeg in a heartbeat

[@ryobibattery]

I agree. There were a done of politics behind the scene. Coyotes were last and they got to live

[@N_manMETA11]

I don't know about that. Sure, they were bad for a while, but not a single person wanted the Blue Jackets or Wild to move after a porous start yet the Coyotes in comparison to those teams have been pretty successful yet everyone wants them gone. Just because they're in the desert. But Vegas is just fine where they are. Same with Anaheim. Or LA, or Dallas, the Panthers, the Lightning, the Predators, etc. Neither place should have lost their team, Winnipeg should have been an expansion team. Shit ownership.

[@joemckim1183]

That would've been weird for them to move from Winnipeg to Arizona to eventually return in relative short fashion.

[@TheNickers69]

They should of never left Winnipeg to begin with. There’s always been a hockey market there! The coyotes should of left to come back. It would be cool to see Saskatchewan get a team.

[@jasonarokiaraj9817]

I would’ve given the Columbus Blue Jackets to Winnipeg or Quebec in a heartbeat. Then, John Tortorella would’ve been the Thrashers coach.

[@jamesbravomg7754]

Alyssa, I thank you for your efforts in assembling this video. It's really a shame the Thrashers didn't survive.

[@whatupdude4576]

Atlanta needs a 3rd chance for sure

[@whatupdude4576]

#WeBelieveInTheBlueLand bring back the Thrashers

[@tednugent-hopkis]

No

[@whatupdude4576]

Ted Nugent-Hopkis why

[@tednugent-hopkis]

@@whatupdude4576 you had the flames you lost them the Thrashers were a disaster and you lost them why would the nhl give you a 3rd team?

[@whatupdude4576]

Ted Nugent-Hopkis did you not hear what she said the owners didn't put any effort into have the team in Atlanta and just focused on the NBA team which​ fucked the Thrashers

[@hockeyinalabama]

Been deep dived by THG. It was ownership. Other teams go through worse attendance. Attendance had started to go up as the team started winning more games. Ownership just weren't interested.

[@hockeyinalabama]

Oh, and the arena deal was absolutely dreadful.

[@90sNickfan91]

Quebec City also deserves to have their team back.

[@prosportsclips5564]

Lebowskifan-2002: Cult Classic and hartford

[@TheIronyGiant]

I watch the Preds now, but I always dream that the Thrashers will come back to the ATL somehow. It’s a pipe dream, I know.

[@davesawchuk333]

never say never, if wpg can get a team back, so can Atlanta - plus its a great place to spawn future cdn nhl teams !!!!!

[@cowscrazy]

I really hate the argument that if the team sucks people won't show up. Your market needs to be strong enough in the worst of times. If you can't support a team while your losing then you don't deserve it. You can't ride band wagon jumpers all the time. Not every team is going to be successful.

[@raystrachan2731]

Great piece. Only issue is the end when comparing a traditional, Original 6 market in Chicago, to a 2nd attempt market in Atlanta.

[@fmagalhaes1521]

I grew up in Atlanta. Atlanta is not a hockey city. I watched three teams leave, the Flames, the Knights, and the Thrashers.

[@willp.8120]

Thrashers and Flames left on account of ownership not a lack of support in the team. The knights left because after Atlanta was awarded an NHL team, they needed a newer, bigger arena, so they imploded the Omni to make way for Philips Arena. With having nowhere to play, the team left for Quebec City.

[@goldendiamond5151]

We should get a team in Augusta. Georgia and South Carolina fans would both love it

[@kellyweyerman2722]

Sad when a team leaves a city... however despite its smaller population Winnipeg is a much stronger hockey market.

[@m1k3fx]

definitely a strong hockey market for sure!

[@marjoriemorris5849]

Winnipeg should never not have a hockey team. Remember the Manitoba Moose? I think they were IHL or something.

[@kellyweyerman2722]

@@marjoriemorris5849 Winnipeg still has the moose. It's the jets minor league team. The city is lucky and grateful to have them both. And despite having the smallest arena in the league it is sold out every game .

[@EveryoneIsAnIdiotExceptForMe]

@@marjoriemorris5849 Salt

[@Arkiasis]

Any Canadian city is a strong hockey market. Quebec City, Hamilton or even a 2nd Toronto team would sell out games every single night. Canada invented ice hockey after all and it's their national sport and obsession and 50% of players in the NHL are Canadian after all.

[@matthewpaluch777]

🤔🏒🥅 - Atlanta Flames - Atlanta Thrashers - Atlanta Gladiators There's only 1 sport in Atlanta & Georgia...COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

[@AV57]

Every level of that organization stunk. Bad players, bad coaches, bad scouts, bad GMs, bad presidents, bad owners, bad marketing. Unless you just liked hockey with no likelihood of seeing a winning team, why would you become interested in the Thrashers? I also thought it was interesting on a surface level that they seemed to be trying to bring in black players: Byufglien, Oduya, and Kane. It appeared they were trying to cater to their black population, but I really don’t think any black people give 2 shits about that, especially if the team stinks.

[@myothercarisadelorean8957]

How the hell did Heatley avoid prison time by getting off with reckless driving, DUI.... oh and VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER!? Who was his lawyer, Johnny Cochran?

[@jasonleetaiwan]

Was barely aware that this team existed as I paid no attention to hockey during this time period. Given the size of Atlanta, there should be a NHL team there.

[@nollieflipcrook]

Dany Heatley was never the same after? His BEST seasons were after that in Ottawa loll

[@magpiemaniac]

“Major Soccer League” 🧐

[@calzoneyyy]

it is a major north american league, their games get more attendees than than the nhl, if i’m remembering correctly

[@raetekusu1]

"The United FC of the Major Soccer League." The slapping sound you heard from a thousand miles away was my palm meeting my face.

[@DFMMei]

I got choked up watching this. They did us so dirty.

[@Lava1964]

They day the Thrashers announced they were moving to Winnipeg, the 24-hour sports talk radio station in Atlanta did dot have a single caller phone in to talk about it. That is very telling.

[@RaidingJaguarX]

Yeah because why talk about it. We all knew it was going to happen. The Atlanta Spirit Ownership group should have never been allowed to buy the team. I was living in Atlanta when it happened. They were cheap ass owners. They just cared about the Hawks just slightly more than they did for the Thrashers. People went to games but bone headed trades and apathetic owners don't make for a good experience.

[@FischerFan]

No surprise there at all.

[@garygagnon9655]

I live just out side of Atlanta, the people are not NHL people. They are just NFL and a college football city, anything after that is maybe ok if the tickets are cheap.

[@bretts2356]

This is a fair assessment. Too often, people ignorant of the situation lay the blame on the fans and the city. Truth is that Atlanta Spirit Group wanted to sell the team right off the bat, but they got so wrapped in suing each other over basketball operations that they couldn't until the lawsuits were completed. Once they did, the team went to the highest bidder, regardless of it was local in Atlanta or (obviously) not. Atlanta CAN support a hockey team, but the town has been very unlucky with owners twice. I doubt there will be a third chance any time soon.

[@CJEstradaMartinez]

Atlanta, Georgia. The only southeastern United States city to lose its hockey franchise to two western Canadian cities.

[@ErrisOfficial]

Carlos Martinez And the only one to lose 2 two teams not because of lack of support from the fans but because a group of billionaires never gave a fuck.

[@CJEstradaMartinez]

@@ErrisOfficial No wonder the National Hockey League won't even look their way. They're still wiping the egg from the faces of their second failure.

[@FischerFan]

@@ErrisOfficial Ah, in a city with a population of six million people, the fair-weather hockey fans of Atlanta have to shoulder some of the blame.

[@SigmaRho2922]

Gladiators are Atlanta’s team now

[@amd_hawk7318]

It sucks because they won’t give them a 3rd chance. They just won’t get it.

[@mbcan5]

The Thrashers came to Winnipeg with guys who should have never been given contracts with money or term. Took a few years to trade/release some contracts.

[@atlantafalconsaustralia]

The demise of the Atlanta thrashers was a true tragedy and one that certainly did not need to happen. Management is solely to blame for the collapse of this once great club.

[@Fantiniastic]

As a Winnipeg Jets fan the sane choice was to move the Arizona Coyotes back to Winnipeg, from where they came. They still lose money, always have. There was something going on behind the scenes we don't know about. Atlanta could have been a cornerstone market for the Southeast for sure.

[@suomifinn89]

anyone remember that time Dany Heatley killed his teammate and his only punishment was getting taken off the cover of the video game?

[@Lonestarr022]

Dan Snyder's family told the judge and prosecutors that nothing would be gained by imprisoning him. Want to go blame them for asking the judge not to sentence him to jail time? Wanna be that asshole?

[@u4ia420]

Hockey is growing in Georgia! ECHL Boston affiliate, the Gladiators, have a great venue, a somewhat competitive team, and a hardcore group of fans! The Thrashers will fly again one day!

[@JohnDoe-dh4fi]

Gary Bettman is strange in moving teams in 1996 Winnipeg had 50,000 fans to stop the move at a rally he said not enough fan base to stay they moved to Phoenix. when Phoenix wanted to move only 100 fans showed up to the rally to stop the move and he said to much fan base in Phoenix to move the team

[@willp.8120]

Winnipeg is really small. It is about the size of Columbia, South Carolina.

[@JohnDoe-dh4fi]

Winnipeg is bigger area wise Winnipeg . 464 km Population 705,200 Columbia. 349.5 km Population 133,500

[@willp.8120]

@@JohnDoe-dh4fi I'm talking about metro sreas. Both are in the 800,000 range. Columbia is also more spread out, making it s geographically larger urban area.

[@girhen]

I heard rumors of them moving all the way back to 2008 or so. When I got into NHL hockey in 2009-2010, everyone and their mother was saying they were on the way out. Sad, but not unnoticed.

[@williamnowacki]

I sure do Miss Atlanta. They used to be the Chicago Wolves affiliate and I really loved the Thrashers as a Wolves fan.

[@idontgivetkachuk]

Great vid Alyssa!! Enjoyed it very much.... When i did my vid on them i coudlnt find any clips of the team so this was awesome.....

[@MrT8599]

I wish the Thrashers stayed in Atlanta and the Coyotes moved to Winnipeg.

[@ZippoNatorr]

I would like to see Atlanta in the NHL. Well, they have failed twice, but I think if the Trashers management would have even tried, Trashers could be still in the NHL. I'm a Golden Knights fan and we all know how successfull the first 2 years have been for Vegas so Trashers would have had a chance too.

[@rhyser7463]

Getting the NHL back in Winnipeg was the right choice however moving Atlanta was wrong. Should have been Florida or Arizona

[@pantherman5955]

sorry but i'm a big fan of the florida panthers,just wait when they starts winning,i'm sure they will have a full house,hahaha

[@area.man.]

Should have been the Coyotes moving back to Winnipeg. Wish the Hurricanes would go back to Hartford.

[@drivethru6155]

They shouldn't move any team, they are all markets that can succeed but the ownership and management has been bad. NHL should be able to keep owners on a tighter leash when need be

[@sawyertuide7636]

Arizona should’ve moved to Seattle, not Winnipeg, IMO.

[@area.man.]

@@sawyertuide7636 Why would any team relocate to Seattle without a viable NHL arena in place?

[@datboi1123]

And yes fateful and awful car crash shocked us all... never the same after.

[@SushiParty]

Caught me off guard when it was announced that the Thrashers were the ones getting moved and not the Coyotes. I don't really know why Bettman was so gungho about saving the Coyotes instead of the Thrashers.

[@kellyweyerman2722]

To save face... he took the original jets away from Winnipeg in the first place

[@halon7476]

They should move the Detroit Red Wings to Hawaii 😂🤣

[@donniefleuryy.29]

u joking

[@darkkrad6]

I disagree with when you said that after the accident Danny Heatley was never the same player. His best two seasons came after he left the Thrashers and joined the Senators where he had 50 goals and over 100 points in back to back seasons. He did fall off towards the end of his career but still played his best hockey after he left the Thrashers.

[@totallyadude4032]

I know a ton of people here who want the Thrashers back, even though it was never pushed here the city still remembers

[@Lanwarder]

Well maybe the almost completely empty arena was a factor too...and that's a problem that you don't have in Winnipeg so far.

[@nikogardeakos4534]

I wanna see an Atlanta team again

[@MuffyCakeMan]

A franchise that had top 2 cup worthy players but unfortunately it all comes down to money :*(

[@S.M.214]

Not being able to find interested ownership is indicative of the NHL as a league. The more they expand the more diluted the product becomes. There are a slew of poor teams I the league that are losing money. The owners are a greedy bunch who are hoping to reap the benefits over the short term of franchise fees and willing to sacrifice the product over the long term.

[@TN-wv6ok]

I think it was completely possible for the NHL to keep the Thrashers where they are. They had potential, as they had a fan base. I think of this as the NHLs version of the SuperSonics, despite the Whalers maybe wanting that. With that said, Winnipeg still deserved the return of the Jets, Atlanta deserves the return of the Thrashers, and Quebec deserves the return of the Nordiques.

[@Blitzo2876]

Quebecers must hate the Avalanche. Their team sucked for the longest time then moved to Colorado and they win a cup right away. Avalanche are my team. Joe Sakic was from Burnaby BC and of course they had the goat of goalies Patrick Roy! Brodeur has more records but Roy won 2 cups with 2 different teams and he had that competitive fire u cannot teach. Besides, Brodeur had the trap system to thank for his cups.

[@ethang8515]

At the state of franchise at that point Atlanta needed to be moved the never had stable ownership, and also the team was getting ready to go through another round of perpetual rebuilding. And also at that point the Coyotes were getting better and a year after that the went on their franchise best playoff run to the Western Conference Finals.

[@TheSpikestr]

and the flames in the 70s

[@ChristinaLF]

Despite only being 21, I was raised going to Thrashers games. Kovalchuk was my hero and he's why my favorite number is 17. Not sure how I feel about him going to the caps though, as they're my least favorite team. Sure, we still have the Glads here, and I feel happy watching, but it's not the same. I'm not hopeful that we'd get a third team, but I would be ecstatic if we ever did.

[@davesawchuk333]

Short story about Thrasher Fans. myself a big wpg jets fan, and in 2012 I was absolutely thrilled to have the nhl hockey back in Wpg. Yes it was sad for atlanta but I honestly thought NOONE in atlanta would care. anyway that august before the the jets 2.0 first season I find myself in Chicago at some random restaurant having bfast and also happening to be proudly wearing my wpg jets baseball cap. Lo and behold a complete stranger comes up to me, looks me straight in the eyes and says "Take care of our boys" I am confused why is this complete stranger telling me to take care of his boys? He says again " I am a Thrashers Fan, and I will be rooting for them up in Winnipeg" Yah, in chicago, complete stranger and a Thrashers Fan that knew the significance of a wpg jets cap. So yah give them some respect!!!

[@samuelattias972]

The NHL Broke Georgia

[@angusmackaskill3035]

same with Nashville, Miami, Carolina, San Jose, Phoenix etc

[@JM_Solo]

Some of you will never know the pain of having your team wrenched from your community. We here in Atlanta know the truth. Between the Atlanta Spirit ownership and Bettman, the fix was always in. I still follow Winnipeg but it’ll never be the same.

[@emersombigguns8196]

Justin Price says the city who stole the Hawks to begin with.

[@JM_Solo]

Emersom Bigguns ... stole? Yikes man. That’s a good bit of revisionist history there. Even still, if we take your assertion as truth it doesn’t come close to how the Thrashers franchise was treated by its ownership group and the top brass in the NHL.

[@morningcoffeeatthebowl3456]

Hockey is still super popular in Atlanta and we've had 3-4 teams here. 1- Flames came from Calgary and went back to Calgary I believe. 2 -The IHL Knights, which paved the way for the Trashers. Attendance was always pretty good. 3- the Thrashers, which I honestly thought would keep the NHL in town. 4 finally the Gladiators, which are still here and I believe with great attendance. People forget about the Knights. Anyways, we need the NHL back.

[@gabetalks9275]

The Flames started out in Atlanta, but then eventually moved to Calgary where they remain to this day.

[@vonritter4945]

It starts from the top down. A bunch of half-in/half-out owners sets the tone throughout the organization- management and players and the fan base . How committed is this organization to being here let alone winning? Answer- not very to either. There are hardcore hockey fans in the ATL and lots of junior hockey players and their hockey loving parents (my son was a JR. Thrasher back then), but it always felt like a corporate gig overall. Ideally you want a benevolent dictator as owner with deep pockets who genuinely loves the game and hates to lose. Failing that, any ownership and a midsized market in Canada will do it. Winnipeg is not a big place, nor Edmonton. Not surprised but still saddened to see theThrashers leave town. I have caught 3x NHL pucks - one of them with the Thrashers’ logo on it which I still have and treasure.

[@HockeyGUY66871]

Phoenix has high attendance this year. I don’t think the team would have stayed in Atlanta

[@tonyd251]

ATLANTA THRASHERS 4 LIFE They will always be my favorite team I never lost faith of them returning

[@PantherFan11]

Is the Panthers leaving??

[@andrewcamarato472]

This video was.... well.... pretty informative. I think the narrator did a .... well..... pretty good job.

[@naz8846]

I’ve been a flames fan since Atlanta ... sad to see Atlanta not have a hockey team. It’s a good market with good people who live sports.

[@mississaugaicedogs]

Ownership and the car crash. I theorize that if the car crash never happened they would be still in Atlanta. The team was trending up.

[@YaoboyProd2K15]

Atlanta is not the only City in North America to have failed twice for NHL, Québec City alr did the same until 1995.

[@AKUNJIG]

Even though the Falcons are not good, I still thank Arthur Blank for starting Atlanta United FC. The Moving of The Thrashers was sad

[@generalbullmoose]

They couldn't afford Kovalchuk, and they couldn't get much for him since it was a trade deadline deal in his FA year.

[@jtmfire1632]

That is so sad 😭

[@schoey3156]

great video

[@kingofalaska23]

easy answer...crappy ownership

[@matthewnelson3763]

I always wondered what happened thanks for the info :)

[@Blue-Rose-25]

It would be cool to have Atlanta back in the NHL, the Thrashers have such a cool logo

[@Shawn6751]

Atlanta isn't a boiling pot in terms of culture like the City of Savannah has and the ECHL struck a gold mine regarding putting a hockey team in Savannah. The Savannah Arena will stay rocking when the first season starts in October 2022.

[@elijahdoesmine9964]

Bring Back The Thrashers

[@stephentruman382]

It's unfortunate that the fans in Atlanta were screwed by the ownership, but at least they went to a good home. I will miss seeing their uniforms on ice.

[@fluoxetene]

The only reason they failed is because they stepped on the logo in the lockeroom

[@FAITHandLOGIC]

I lived in Atlanta when this happened. No one cared.

[@fogdan]

Great Job!! I do agree with you on this...

[@gthyhtujjuk]

This is 100000% accurate.

[@princeofdarknessxyz1]

8:49...love those la kings jerseys...go kings go

[@keithchristiansen8542]

i miss watching my boy kovalchuk live in Philip's Arena. Bring back the Thrashers!

[@lostindaklouds3188]

As a cap fans....i low key enjoyed playing atlanta. So many memorable games against them. Like ovie scoring two goals and then getting a hat trick only like 6 seconds in ot

[@true2blueprint1967]

Look at the bright side.... Auston Matthews didn't grow up in Georgia. Honestly I think the growth thing is usually a crap shoot unless you're in Canada or other traditionally hockey city. It's how they sell it that causes so much trouble. The culture of Atlanta did not make hockey any kind of priority and I suspect few knew the trouble that was brewing. I hate when no one cares about hockey but... I'm not sure they could learn.

[@AlyssaHope]

Lol this is true! I think today the culture in Arizona is better for hockey partly because of him. Wonder what it would have been like if a good first rounder had come from Atlanta. Maybe better exposure?

[@true2blueprint1967]

@@AlyssaHope Of they had any kind of development system for kids, people would understand hockey better. To me this is the Michigan (and a couple other northern States) secret. Everyone here plays hockey and so the franchise is enriched by these children who dream. I'm sure there's hockey in Atlanta but the culture doesn't favor it over basketball, football or baseball so there can't be much there since two of those sports are played during the same season as hockey. It's not impossible but it starts with the kids. Pittsburgh is a shining example and still the penguins put a lot into youth hockey cuz some Mario knows.... It's the way to make hockey recognized for the great game it is.

[@shadytnu24]

it's not a crap shoot, but it's not a guarantee either. There are two "sun belt" markets where the NHL has really worked: Tampa and Nashville. Both are successful for the same reason. Both markets were saturared with transplanted hockey fans when the teams arrived: Tampa with snowbirds and Nashville with transplanted auto workers, the VAST majority of whom came from Michigan and grew up Red Wings fans. In both cases, the transplanted fans taught the locals the game and helped cultivate the fan base. That element really wasn't in play in Atlanta.

[@thedukeofswellington1827]

Kovalchuck was a machine

[@Jiltedin2007]

I am still asking myself between the two, what was worse: Hockey in Atlanta, or Baseball in Montreal?

[@jaynutz17bam60]

Hockey in Atlanta. Baseball in Montreal had been around 50 years. A horrible stadium and horrible ownership plus the 93 lockout killed the expos

[@Jiltedin2007]

@@jaynutz17bam60 The Lockout was in 1994, when Montreal was up 6 Games on Atlanta and sporting the best record in the National League. When Washington won The World Series in 2019, I only hoped that they shared that Championship with The City of Montreal considering that is where the Nationals were incepted.