NHL shuts down again: Does Atlanta notice, care?
The Thashers moved to Winnipeg.
Hockey fans in 30 cities are about to get a taste of what Atlanta has gone through in the last 16 months — no hockey.
Unable to reach agreement on a new labor deal, the National Hockey League locked out its players this weekend. The lockout came one season after the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg and became the Jets. Atlanta also lost an NHL team in 1980 when the Flames moved to Calgary.
The Flames moved to Calgary.
The lockout is the fourth shutdown for the NHL since 1992. As usual in pro sports, the issue is splitting money, in this case $3.3 billion in revenue. The owners want to decrease the amount that goes to players, while the union wants a guarantee that players get at least the $1.8 billion in salaries paid out last season.
The sides are so far apart that they didn’t even meet Sunday on the first day of the lockout. Here’s the latest news.
Do you still follow and miss hockey? Or are you bitter about Atlanta losing another team and fine if the NHL never plays another game — here or anywhere else?
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147 comments Add your comment
It's Bush's fault
September 17th, 2012
3:17 pm
One of the Thrashers’ major problems was the location of Philips Arena.
Combine this with the ineptitude of the ASG ownership/Waddell/Bettman , et, al…. and Mayor Reed’s lack of concern (one has to wonder if it had the Hawks on the auction block how much political pressure the Mayor’s office would have used).
90% of Atlanta-area hockey fans live north of the city..i.e., Alpharetta, Suwanee, Roswell, Johns Creek, etc. If from the start an NHL-quality arena had been in place in the northern suburbs the Thrashers would more than likely have thrived.
Instead, after the initial interest of the expansion years wore off (99-00) only the true hockey fans were willing to consistently make to trek to Philips Arena (i.e. the ‘hood) during mediocre seasons.
The Thrash Man
September 17th, 2012
3:18 pm
Miss Thrashers hockey so much. Atlanta Spirit never gave us a chance, and Waddell ran the team into the ground. Dudley would have had us back in the playoffs in no time, too. We cant have NHL hockey, neither will Winnipeg. And at least we still have ECHL hockey with the Glads. I run my own Thrashers page to update on where the former players are now. http://www.facebook.com/NHLAtlantaThrashers
Former Thrashers Fan
September 17th, 2012
3:21 pm
I’m still p#^@ed about the way The Thrashers situation was handled! The league stood by and did nothing while they’ve kept Phoenix afloat for the last three years! While I do miss the Thrashers, I could careless that the league is locked out. Actually I like the fact the league is locked out and hope it last longer than the last one.
ATL_Hockey
September 17th, 2012
3:23 pm
There’s tons of people that still care and follow hockey in this city. I don’t understand why so many here are taking joy in the fact that the NHL is no longer here. How did having a team here affect you in the slightest? Did the Thrashers throw rocks at your kids or something? Get a grip.
Atlanta Knights
September 17th, 2012
3:30 pm
Seriously…It is a sad state for sure, but I don’t really care. I am still a Pens fan, but I do not go out of my way or pay anything extra to see games on TV. Haven’t been to an NHL game since the Thrashers lost to the Rangers in the playoffs a few years back. Gary…Gary…Gary ~ YOU SUCK!
Brett
September 17th, 2012
3:32 pm
I was a STH since day one and NEVER missed a game. The Thrashers leaving town was and still has left me heartbroken. We never had a shot with the lying, smug, inept, and incompetent ownership group. Mainly Bruce Levenson, Michael Gearon, and Rutherford Seydel. Notice the Hawks were tied to the arena but the Thrashers were NOT. Consequently they were able to pick up and leave anytime. That along with the NHL owning the Phoenix franchise and having promised a team to Chipman we never had a chance. Thus when it was apparent Phoenix wasn’t going anywhere it was in stone that the ASG buffoons were going to sell, evict, and move our beloved team. The lying ASG clowns spin that they couldn’t find a local owner is complete garbage and utter deceit. NO ONE would have bought the team and keep them in Atlanta as they wouldn’t have any rights to Philips arena. All they ever said was they were looking for “investors” and NOT selling OR moving the team. The NHL lost a lifelong fan forever. I have nothing but contempt for the ASG and Bettman for being complicit in this crime against this city and it’s loyal fans.
kracker
September 17th, 2012
3:38 pm
I sissed the Thrashers a lot last season, so muchso that I only watched a few NHL games, actually just parts of some games. This season I was ready to follow the game again and now they go and strike/lockout! Bah!
Lance
September 17th, 2012
3:50 pm
Who cares it is football season!!
DWTOO
September 17th, 2012
4:06 pm
Good to see a few of the Rawhide Bloggers out today. Feel bad for the fans of every city, but, the ‘Peg. They can go……well have relations with their families. The way most of them acted it’s hard to forget. Miss the Thrashers and the hockey people I met. The Glads are Ok, but, it’s not the same.
And Gary Butthead is a tool.
sage
September 17th, 2012
4:07 pm
I moved to Ottawa when the thrashers left to play at a hockey school up here. The thrashers leaving was by far the worst day of my life i gotta say though.
ZAvs
September 17th, 2012
4:27 pm
I am with DWTOO on this, Thrashy leaving was painful, exacerbated by the pricks from ‘Peg (yes, I know everybody from Winnepeg is bad) . I am fortunate to have a hockey team here in CO, but the lower leagues just don’t do it for me. GB just plain sucks as far as I am concerned.
Sure did meet some nice people on Rawhide’s forum……..
ylojkt
September 17th, 2012
4:48 pm
Hell yes I miss the Thrashers! And I echo what many others have said on here – screw ASG, Gary Bettman, and the NHL. After this happened, I decided that the NHL wasn’t going to get one more penny out of my pocket unless a team was brought back to Atlanta, and they haven’t! I won’t watch on TV or go to any of their games.
I have enjoyed a few Gladiators games, but it’s nowhere near the same.
Also, I hope ASG is reading this blog, because they will never see another penny from me either – events at Phillips are no longer part of any equation for me, and I used to attend Hawks games as well as Thrashers games. No more Hawks apparel for my sons and no more concerts or circuses at Phillips. I hope you all shrivel up and die lonely in a corner!
kissmythrash
September 17th, 2012
5:00 pm
Still heartbroken…went to several games last year to watch “our” team…not sure what our plans will be should the NHL get this mess sorted out. As for Phillips arena and A$G…they are dead to me.
Flagstaff
September 17th, 2012
5:02 pm
Yeah, I care. I’m glad we’re in a lockout… The more people who want Bettman dead, the better.
I have the Thrashers logo tattooed on my arm. I was livid when the team left and my wrath has yet to truly dissipate.
StormeeATL
September 17th, 2012
5:55 pm
I miss the Thrashers, but I was born and raised in a college hockey town (Madison, WI, UW has 7 NCAA hockey championships) – more college hockey games are being broadcast now on some of the Fox sports affiliates and Big 10 network, always thought college hockey was more fun anyway
SomaAtl95
September 17th, 2012
5:55 pm
Yes, miss the Thrashers. Miss Rawhides blog on the AJC. I don’t miss all of you chodes saying negative stuff like “Good” or “who cares?” You guys can get bent.
Luke
September 17th, 2012
6:32 pm
haha reading all these comments makes me see why Atlanta is known as a “fair weather” town. If you’re a hockey fan, you’re a hockey fan, you’re going to watch hockey even if your team moves cities. WTF do you think they did in Winnipeg when they lost the Jets the first time? The south only cares about football and baseball anyway. Bunch of rednecks..
T Money
September 17th, 2012
6:44 pm
I was a Thrashers season ticket holder since day one. After getting hosed by Waddell, ASG, and their Commander in Thievery, Bettman, I can safely say that I hope the NHL dies a quick death. College hockey is much more exciting, plus there’s no way the NHL will every come close to drawing the kind of revenue seen in the NFL anyway. The NHL is hands down the most ill-managed of the major league sports. And we used to thing MLB was bad…
The Duke of Flatbush
September 17th, 2012
6:59 pm
Who cares? Well, it’s obvious people in Atlanta don’t care about sports.
Braves’ games are half full
Hawks’ games are half full
Tech football games are half full
Most of you loser clowns that DON’T care about hockey obviously don’t care about anything! Start showing up at something, then you can criticize hockey.
Worst sports fans in the country
ATLhockeyGRL
September 17th, 2012
7:02 pm
I certainly miss my Boys In Blue and was proud to call Blueland my second home for over 10 years. My family were season ticket holders from the very beginning and had our hearts broken when our team was sold right out from under us. I wish the NHL players the best of luck in their endeavors and pray that hockey will someday return to Atlanta. Thrashers in my heart forever!!!
noGO
September 17th, 2012
7:17 pm
no hockey? no big deal—boring, not enough scoring, too many fights, overpaid players
Luke
September 17th, 2012
7:26 pm
how are the players overpaid? i dont even…
Badkittygothgirl
September 17th, 2012
7:26 pm
I miss live hockey more than you know!!! We may not have been season ticket holders, but we went any chance we could get and we subscribed to the Centre Ice Ticket so he could get his Buffalo Sabres fix. This is my first lockout and I know the shakes have not begun yet, but they will soon. The fantasy hockey league that we manage is still having a draft just in case we do get a season. It will be bittersweet, but what are we supposed to do, throw in the towel like Bettman did? I can’t believe he has participated in now 3 lockouts and still has job!!
cole
September 17th, 2012
7:48 pm
I know about 13000 people who care a heck of a lot, those people wh dont are just ignorent and never gave hockey a chance
SteveS
September 17th, 2012
8:18 pm
I do care; it’s my favorite sport! However, I will endorse Gwinnett Gladiators Hockey more since we have no team. Still don’t like Gary Bettman and the owners for pulling the publicity stunt trying to get sympathy from the fans. We haven’t fallen for it. Will probably go back when season starts anyway as will many fans. Just think the lockout is stupid. Think Levenson and Gearon are also buttholes too. Worst owners ever!!!!
Jon
September 17th, 2012
8:30 pm
I DEFINITELY miss hockey and still feel nauseous over the thought of how it was ripped from us here in Atlanta by the crappy owners and Bettman. When the Thrash made the playoffs against the Rangers, Phillips Arena was PACKED FULL and ROCKIN like i never saw before. That would’ve/could’ve been the catalyst for growing interest in Atlanta IF they had an ownership group that gave a crap and INVESTED in the time to keep the winning and the MOMENTUM from that playoff season GOING.
DJE
September 17th, 2012
8:40 pm
A big miss losing the Thrashers – so disappointed in our city for letting them go.
Duke
September 17th, 2012
8:49 pm
I think the Glads sure try hard and what a great hard working franchise with amazing staffing in their office…But…seriously an inferior product. This is the last year of their 3 year lease at Gwinnett. It’s time to up the ante and sell the franchise and get an AHL team. AHL in Gwinnett will work!
Rev Whitaker
September 17th, 2012
9:17 pm
Do I miss NHL Hockey here in Atlanta? Hell Yeah! Do I think it has/will hurt the economy here? Yes. Do I truly think a NHL Team can profit here? Yes, with ownership that wants the team (ASG did not want the Thrashers) and can manage the team properly (The Flames were not). Who ever heard of a GM saying he did not want his D-Men to fight and stand up for the forwards? Yep, that was Donny Boy.
Bettman is a snake but in this case since the ASG painted the league into a corner since they did not want to sell the Thrashers and the Arena rights together, they just wanted to sell the Thrashers which means the new owners would NOT get moneys from anything sold in the food court and fan shops.
I pray everyday that NHL Hockey will come back to Atlanta.
lilibeter
September 17th, 2012
9:45 pm
Wow, do I miss hockey! I was raised in a typical Southern family on football, baseball, basketball and occasionally tennis/track. When I learned the nuances of hockey, there was no turning back for me. I find myself unable to watch or engage in any other sport now…they are all too boring now that I have known and loved hockey. I am (eternally?) pissed as ASG, Bettman, Waddell, and the NHL as a whole.
The Duke of Flatbush
September 17th, 2012
10:46 pm
Once again, as I said before, Atlanta supposed sports fans need to step and and support their teams before they can pass judgement on hockey and hockey fans.
Hockey haters have their idiot NASCAR, tractor pulls and rodeo.
bobbyjones
September 17th, 2012
11:04 pm
I care. I miss the Thrashers more than anything. ASG never gave us a chance and were only in it for the money, I don’t think that there are many fan bases that can support a team after 10 years without a single playoff win. During their brief regular season success, Thrashers fans were there, and would have grown if there was any sustained success at all. True hockey fans would want hockey to spread to less traditional markets so that more people get a chance to discovery the game.
Atlanta Flames Fan
September 17th, 2012
11:54 pm
I went to almost every Flames game. Once they left, I continued to passionately follow the NHL. I was thrilled when the NHL returned to Atlanta, and went to almost every Thrasher game.
Since the Thrashers left, I have not watched an NHL game, and refuse to spend a dime at Philips Arena. The premeditated murder of the Thrashers by Gearon, Levenson, and Seydel should never be forgotten. Make no mistake about this. The did it on purpose because they could never afford what they had purchased. They only wanted the Hawks, and the Thrashers were only viewed as an asset to flip in order to increase their equity in the Hawks.
And as for Bettman, he is without a doubt the sleaziest slime ball of a commissioner in the history of the North American sports. The SOB stabbed us in the back for the $60M relocation fee in order to cover the league’s losses in Phoenix due to his atrocious business decisions. He screwed up in Phoenix; we got screwed in Atlanta.
I watch NCAA hockey and local hockey. The NHL is dead to me.
Sean
September 18th, 2012
1:48 am
Go Gladiators! Do I need to say more?
RFrancis
September 18th, 2012
7:39 am
The AJC didn’t care, you guys even let go the one guy on your staff who could write compentently on the subject, and let a basketball guy take over. In the end, the only articles you guys could write were about how the Thrashers had more black players than anyone else in the league. I find it odd that the NHL allowed a team to be moved to a city that had fewer people showing up to a AA league game in the playoffs than, what the Gladiators can pull in the middle of December.
Bongo
September 18th, 2012
9:30 am
If we still had a team I might care. Thanks to the Atlanta Spirit Group we’ll never see NHL hockey in this town again. Quite possibly the worst owners in the history of professional sports, These clowns systematically set out to sabotage the team, setting them up to fail thus driving away the casual fans. And you guys at the AJC were either totally blind to that fact or just didn’t care. Either way, you failed the fans in this town every bit as much as ASG and Gary Bettman did. So screw the ASG, the NHL and the AJC.
Garth
September 18th, 2012
10:01 am
Only big citites with class have hockey teams. Maybe Atlanta would qualify for roller-derby if that cranks up again.
ALK
September 18th, 2012
10:54 am
I care, I miss the Thrash, and I still follow hockey. I now have to treck to Nashville to support my new team, the Predators. I completely agree with all anti-ASG and Bettman posts above.
Mitch
September 18th, 2012
12:07 pm
I miss hockey terribly it has not been the same since the Thrashers left. I still keep up with hockey and subscribe to the NHL Gamecenter package for computer. Atlanta will at some point be a great hockey town again with a coimmitted ownership group. Our ECHL affiliate hockey team is number two league wide in attendance. according to a former NHL study the southeast was in the top 3 in youth related hockey growth in the nation all we need is owners that care and believe in it and treat it as there primary focus not the thing that came with the basketball team. Constant losing and no major changes ( keeping the same Gm mixed with ther tight pockets making the club unable to secure crucial free agents) will kill any club no matter the sport. Atlanta Spirit’s failures can be summed up by there own sound bites my favorite being “Were not Hockey people” that sums it all up everyone wonders why the fans stopped coming imagine Arthur Blank saying I am not a football person or Braves ownership saying were not baseball people and watch the ticket sales hit the floor.
Old_Time_Hockey
September 18th, 2012
4:18 pm
I’ve always said the difference between the fans love for the FLAMES versus the THRASHERS was the Flames had names we could pronounce … like Vail … and Plett … and Flett … and Lysiak and Manery (speaking of bad trades) … and Shand … and Marsh … and Kea … and Quinn … and Pekka Rautakallio!! I swear 3/4 of the Thrashers had ten letters in their names with no vowels!!
Old_Time_Hockey
September 18th, 2012
4:20 pm
… … and … for eight seasons we had the one and the same starting goalie (Mr. Daniel Bouchard!!) … … heck … the Thrashers couldn’t go eight days without naming a new starting goalie!
Winnipeg Dude
September 19th, 2012
4:19 am
Even with the lock out. I’ll still wear my Kane jersey with pride! Winnipeg Jets jersey that is!!!
Ps. If theres any hott single women from Altanta coming here to Winnipeg next season. Come check it out.
The Duke of Flatbush
September 19th, 2012
8:17 pm
been to Winnipig – you want our women cuz all Winnipig women are fat, ugly hogs dogs.
Disgusted
September 21st, 2012
6:47 am
Why does Atlanta support the ECHL Gladiators and did not support the inept NHL Thrashers.
Two resasone — The Glads have put together a good organization together that treats its fans fairly and is reasonably priced for the product.
The Thrashers were mismanaged by the incompetent Dom Waddell & had an ownership group with peolle like Bruce Levinson who pretty much told people to “Just Deal With It.”
Well, ASG, I am dealing with it by staying away from the Phillips Arena because there are better things to support.
Go Braves and Falcons, and as for the Hawks, I could care less if they left.
Odd Man Rush
September 21st, 2012
1:54 pm
Just finding this article. Stopped looking to the AJC for hockey coverage when the Thrashers left and Chris V. moved on to other topics. Lockout is another big void for every hockey fan in the metro. Second blow to the gut in two years. Thanks again ASG.
Remieray
September 22nd, 2012
10:44 pm
I grew up with hockey in Detroit and have lived on both sides of the country. I love the game. I know Don Waddell. There is not a harder worker, a more decent and dedicated guy in the game. He had to work with the worst owners ever in ATL. He did everything humanly possible to make the Thrashers successful. It is very ignorant and unfair to blame him for the loss of hockey in Atlanta. Those in the know, know.
Derek
September 23rd, 2012
8:33 pm
I’m from Winnipeg and a Jets season ticket holder and I apologize for all the crappy things that were said online between our two cities. I also totally understand Atlanta rooting against the Jets. I hate the Coyotes for the same reason. I’m posting here to tell you all we won’t squander the opportunity to support your boys. We have an 8000 person waiting list to get a ticket and only 100 spots got tickets for the second season. Bogosian, Buff, Wheeler and Ladd are local heroes here.
The only thing worse than losing a team is losing a team to a city that doesn’t appreciate them.
Winnipeg will do everything we can to make the Thrashers champions to pay tribute to their birthplace!