Atlanta Thrashers Are Relocating to Winnipeg

Joshy · #1 Posted **Jun 2, 2011, 6:43 PM**

Don't know how many of you are aware, but Atlanta will no longer have an NHL team come next season. The Thrashers have been bought by True North Sports & Entertainment (TNSE) and are being relocated to Winnipeg, Canada. The deal was officially complete on May 31, 2011, pending BOG approval, although everyone involved anticipats this will get voted through easily.

What is the general reaction like about this in Atlanta? Does anyone care about this down there? Which of you showed up to any of the "Save the Thrashers" rally?

I'm just curious to get some local feedback on this issue.

Thanks.

dirtybird · #2 Posted **Jun 2, 2011, 9:16 PM**

Hockey never caught on down here (hence the poor attendance). I don't know anyone who went to a game (including myself) actually paid for their tickets. It was always some hookup.

North of 49 · #3 Posted **Jun 3, 2011, 12:34 AM**

Hopefully The Winnipeg team can retain some fans from the Atlanta Area......What ever the new team may be called....I send my heart felt concerns for Thrasher fans who didn't want the team to go.

I know what that feeling was like.

Joshy · #4 Posted **Jun 9, 2011, 12:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtybird

Hockey never caught on down here (hence the poor attendance). I don't know anyone who went to a game (including myself) actually paid for their tickets. It was always some hookup.

yeah, I'm gathering by the lack of outcries coming from Atlanta that no one really gives a damn about hockey down there. A real shame.

Uptowngirl · #5 Posted **Jun 9, 2011, 1:43 AM**

I dont know that people weren't fans but they didn't like a losing hockey team and the ticket prices were outrageous.

I used to attend Atlanta Knights IHL games at the Omni...the games were fun, inexpensive entertainment. But the Thrashers killed it.

ThrashATL · #6 Posted **Jun 9, 2011, 11:26 PM**

The team won't last long in Winnipeg either. They will not be able to field a team with what they'll get from that market that will compete, it will be worse than Atlanta. How can a team survive on an eighth (population and disposable income) of what it had in Atlanta?

Joshy · #7 Posted **Jun 10, 2011, 1:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThrashATL

The team won't last long in Winnipeg either. They will not be able to field a team with what they'll get from that market that will compete, it will be worse than Atlanta. How can a team survive on an eighth (population and disposable income) of what it had in Atlanta?

Sorry to say, but this team will never be relocated once planted in Winnipeg. We learned the harsh realities of losing a team once, and we certainly won't let that mistake happened twice. And you are mistaken if you think the economics aren't here to keep this team in the city.

We have a very strong corporate community, one that has supported the Moose since their inception with a waiting list for season tickets. And they are doing the exact same thing with our new NHL team. Also, the fans have put their money where their mouths are. Firstly, with Moose Season Ticket holders snatching up more than half of the available 13,000 STs since they were given first dibs, then the public gobbling up the rest in under 4 minutes when they were made available, with a waiting that was at 20,000 one point but capped at 8k. All of this with some of the highest ticket prices in the league. Not too bad for a city of under one million, eh? Our income levels are much higher than in the 90s and we can afford to splurge more than we ever did in the past. Not only this, but we also set a record with our CFL team for season ticket sales at 20K, and this is with a team that has been the shits for about a decade!

Where were the fans in Atlanta? Why is it with a city of what, 5 million people, that it failed not only once, but TWICE? You can blame poor managment for everything, but the bottom line is hockey doesn't work on a large scale in Atlanta. Fans in your city didn't put their money where their mouths were and as a result lost the team.

Maybe one day you'll get a third shot at hockey, but not at our expense. We are a strong hockey market and our team is here to stay. I would say Atlanta should get some form of minor league hockey team, say an AHL team, and continue to introduce the sport to people in that area. Once tickets sales prove that there is a fanbase in Atlanta, then try another expansion team and see how that works out. But don't get a team unless you are sure that you have a fan base willing to support it, and decent owners as well. Learn from your mistakes in the past, like we have.

Strange Meat · #8 Posted **Jun 10, 2011, 2:04 AM**

Good to have the Jets back in the league.

shivtim · #9 Posted **Jun 10, 2011, 2:04 AM**

^Why are you trolling the Atlanta forums? I don't see anyone on this board defending Atlanta's hockey fan base, so don't try to claim we need to put our money where our mouth is. Our mouth was never there.

Strange Meat · #10 Posted **Jun 10, 2011, 2:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by shivtim

^Why are you trolling the Atlanta forums? I don't see anyone on this board defending Atlanta's hockey fan base, so don't try to claim we need to put our money where our mouth is. Our mouth was never there.

I'm a hockey fan and this thread was the first one that popped up in the US section on the main page. I grew up playing hockey, and it was sad to see teams like Hartford move to Carolina, and the Jets move down to Phoenix (talk about a BAD place for hockey...), so it's good to see some of these teams start coming back.

shivtim · #11 Posted **Jun 10, 2011, 2:24 AM**

Sorry strangemeat, I wasn't referring to you, I was referring to Joshy in the post before you. We posted at the same time (10:04) so it looked like I was talking to you. No offense intended.

ATLaffinity · #12 Posted **Jun 11, 2011, 12:02 AM**

They will survive. I'm sure it will be the number 1 sports attraction.

Pittsburgh is small and supports teams.

AGm · #13 Posted **Jun 11, 2011, 4:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshy

yeah, I'm gathering by the lack of outcries coming from Atlanta that no one really gives a damn about hockey down there. A real shame.

You're looking in the wrong damn place, pal. Look at the thousands of comments on the numerous articles in the sports section of our local newspaper. There was a huge outcry there, a lot of hatred for ASG and a lot of sadness over our impending and eventual loss.

Why are people on this forum celebrating at the expense of fans like myself? (People not even from either place at that?) The Thrashers were an infant of a team, barely even given time to grow and succeed before their parents threw them out like an unwanted child.

The Flames never failed Atlanta. Tom Cousins was forced to sell the team to recoup losses elsewhere, and they were successful until that happened. And it takes some musky ass BALLS to come in here from CO and make comments about teams going back to where they used to be.

Gabe · #14 Posted **Sep 7, 2012, 1:23 PM**

They want be missed by many. Most people didn't even know we had a hockey team.

Sunstorm · #15 Posted **Oct 31, 2012, 5:08 PM**

Hockey and the South go together like grits and rat poison. There is no tradition or history of it here. The only logic I can see for putting a team here is so relocated yankees and Canadians can get to see their old home teams play. It's also an example that there is an over saturation of too many pro sport franchises.

echinatl · #16 Posted **Oct 31, 2012, 8:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunstorm

Hockey and the South go together like grits and rat poison. There is no tradition or history of it here. The only logic I can see for putting a team here is so relocated yankees and Canadians can get to see their old home teams play. It's also an example that there is an over saturation of too many pro sport franchises.

Born and raised in the South and I'm a huge hockey fan. The logic to put a team here is because some people like hockey. The team not doing well had more to do with terrible management and ownership.

Sunstorm · #17 Posted **Nov 16, 2012, 5:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by echinatl

Born and raised in the South and I'm a huge hockey fan. The logic to put a team here is because some people like hockey. The team not doing well had more to do with terrible management and ownership.

The key word in your reply is "some". Your being a native Southerner and liking hockey is the exception, not the rule. The NHL putting teams in the South is like pro soccer trying to attract American fans, it just won't fly.

MWP_MWP · #18 Posted **Nov 26, 2012, 8:58 PM**

This response is to Sunstorm.

You should start paying better attention to pro sports. American fans are attracted to pro soccer. MLS has already surpassed the NBA and NHL in average attendance. It will fly!

As far as the Thrashers leaving....I think the way they left was a bit sketchy. The NHL and the other owners were supporting the Phoenix team. They put millions of dollars into running the team. The only way the owners could recoup their money was to move an existing franchise like Atlanta, so they could get the relocation money and be paid back. If Phoenix was sold to someone, the other owners wouldn't get anything. Look it up, the info is out there.

The Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL are in an Atlanta suburb, but it's not quite the same.

Shinook · #19 Posted **Dec 20, 2012, 5:55 PM**

I'm sorry but NHL hockey just isn't viable in Atlanta. Never has been and never will be. Hell, even locals admit that very few people in Metro Atlanta care about hockey. Why is this such a bad thing to think? There are still plenty of sports options in the Big A. So what if hockey doesn't have a presence? Some people need to accept this, make peace with it and move on.