Atlanta Spirit, LLC slaps Thrashers fans in the face again
Ya know…it is seriously tough being a Thrashers fan. I mean, here we are celebrating the great news that Dustin Byfuglien has just signed a contract extension to remain with the team for five additional years and then…this info-bomb.
Seriously, couldn’t the Spirit Clowns at least have given us a full 24 hours before dropping this on us?
I guess the mighty revelation last month that he and his fellow partners had lied to us for years wasn’t enough of a slap to our collective faces, eh?
Like so many of you out there, what really frustrates me to no end is that the fans here in Atlanta are not to blame. Contrary to popular belief outside of Thrasherville, Atlanta is home to a great number of die-hard hockey fans and sports fans in general. However, given what this franchise has become since The Great Octocluster purchased them seven years ago…many of those fans have chosen to spend their sports entertainment dollars elsewhere.
So when someone like Michael Gearon makes the comment that whines about fan support and points to where he and his fellow Spiriteers have “put a lot of money in this team”…well, there’s just a lot of us who want to laugh in this guy’s face.
Of course, there are many of you who might use a different word than “laugh”.
What you and your fellow partners have indeed done, Mr. Gearon, has all but destroyed any chance for the NHL to work in this town. It a shame too, because this wasn’t always the case with this team.
Take a look back to the middle part of this decade when the Thrashers…along with the Hawks and Philips Arena…went under the ownership of Spirit Clowns. This was an exciting team to watch, they were on the way up as far as the standings were concerned and home games for the Thrashers was actually an event.
Now…well, the empty seats stand as a testament to just what has been put into this team.
Not surprisingly, this story was released as the team was winging its way westward for a three-game, weeklong road trip. Tomorrow night they’ll play in Phoenix…another team that has been targeted for relocation…then it’s up to Edmonton Saturday afternoon before a matchup in Buffalo next Wednesday.
That leaves quite some time for fans to stew before the next home game on Friday the 25th.
I don’t know about you, but I plan on being there, and I plan to be there for three main reasons.
1. I love NHL hockey and I support the Thrashers here in Atlanta.
2. I want as many people there to show any prospective buyer that there is indeed a market for NHL hockey here. A good one, that is, if there was ownership that had an ounce of passion for the sport and a semi-clue as to what it takes to be an owner. And right now, it appears the best hope for the Thrashers is for someone to understand that and step forward to rescue the franchise from this disaster of an ownership group.
3. I will be there to fully vocalize not only my support for the Thrashers as they host the Florida Panthers, but also to let it be known what I think of this cast of clowns that have run our team straight into the ground….and now threaten to move them right out of town.
Where are you going to be?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
281 comments Add your comment
biscuit
February 16th, 2011
6:49 pm
Boycotts only work on viable entities. You can’t boycott something that doesn’t want to exist. You boycott a tuna company because they want to continue selling tuna and make money. You don’t boycott an ownership that says this blows and I don’t want it anymore, somebody else come take it off my hands. What’s to boycott in that case? I can’t think of anything more ineffectual.
Boycotting actually supports the ASG. It makes the Thrashers inviable faster. It makes the Thrashers go away faster. All of which accomplishes the major goal of the ASG which is to absolve itself of NHL ownership.
Once again. Boycotting something that doesn’t want to exist is plain silly.
The Dumpster
February 16th, 2011
6:51 pm
I wonder why fans don’t go to Thrashers games?
#1- TERRIBLE owners
#2- Record over the past 5 years speaks for itself.
If you can’t make the playoffs once in 5 years your organization is a FAILURE.
John
February 16th, 2011
6:53 pm
Nobody would watch this crappy team anywhere except for people who really loved the team. Remember when Chicago and Boston sucked? Nobody went there. This team lost 4 straight playoff games and the atmosphere was electric. Make the playoffs, win some games, get the job done on and off the ice and the fans will come.
Oh yeah and Gearon and his buddies can go to hell.
The Dumpster
February 16th, 2011
6:56 pm
Cleveland Browns of the NHL. WOOHOOOOOO!!!!!
The Dumpster
February 16th, 2011
6:58 pm
Sorry to break it to all you hockey enthusiasts alike, but in order to make money
you’ve gotta WIN and if the thrashers don’t finish with a respectable record by
the end of this season, they will get their lazy a$$es moved to Canada.
Yeah thats right, I said CANADA. Home of Maple Leaf trees and moose.
John
February 16th, 2011
6:59 pm
Dumpster: The rangers missed the playoffs 7 years in a row then got swept out of the first round. Nobody’s calling them a failure. I think the demand for success in this town could lend itself to a hell of a hockey team. We just have owners who seemingly drop acid before making decisions.
Nordiques Fan
February 16th, 2011
7:00 pm
Next stop is Quebec City.
What an ice hockey team does in Atlanta anyway? Any snow out there?
;o)
The Dumpster
February 16th, 2011
7:12 pm
Nordiques fan- Go f**k yourself and sidney crosby.
The Dumpster
February 16th, 2011
7:19 pm
Does quebec city have an MLB, NBA, NHL, or NCAA teams?
No i didn’t think so.
Keep enjoying the senators or canadiens (whoever is closest to you)
;o)
Sage of Bluesland
February 16th, 2011
7:22 pm
…Maybe a “little bird” had an email exchange with Joke Kincade is the reason he mentioned “boycott”…
(Now just where have I heard this word before?)
Kincade is all talk–and very little substance. He is nothing but a mouthpiece of the organization…
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
7:23 pm
where’s the last comment, hey this thing is broken
Brendan
February 16th, 2011
7:29 pm
Here’s what I’d like to see at the next game. “Fiiii-re the Ownnnn-ers!” Clap, clap … clap, clap, clap. See, that’s passionate. That will be heard. That will show that hockey fans in Atlanta care, and that they cannot and will not be placated by some ‘meet-n-greet’ with the GM, where they will be patronized for their support.
Do show up. Do be LOUD. Do be bawdy, with respect to ownership. The bearer of responsibility starts with ownership. I’m sure they understood the risks when they banded together to acquire these teams. It’s up to them to fulfill their obligations.
Look, I kinda want to try to be fair to Mr. Gearon, who is far more competentent than Mr. Levenson when it comes to dealing with fans, and trying to put the ‘best foot forward’ for the franchise, when times are difficult. If someone asked me, (but nobody did,) what I’d do if I were Michael Gearon, here would be my answer.
“I’m going to be totally available for questions from our loyal and concerned fanbase. I will keep you informed. I’m not selling this team. I’m merely looking for investment help. However, if it makes sense to sell the team to an interest that will keep the team in Atlanta, and playing games at Philips Arena, I will not rule out a sale under such conditions. When a new investor is found, our budgets for subsequent years will be bigger, as our goal is the pursuit of the Stanley Cup, in an intelligent and calculated manner. I promise that, if the team falters, it will not be met with INACTION and contract extensions for Don Waddell. But instead, it will be met with accountability, from the coaching staff, to the scouts, to the players, to the GM’s office, to the equipment manager and medical staff. We do not want to put forth league minimum budgets. On the contrary, we want to deliver a product that everyone wants to see, and pay for at a correspondingly fair price, that is moving towards the direction of winning the Stanley Cup. We ask fans to remember that the road to the Cup is like ‘rungs on a ladder.’ We climb them one by one, always with an eye towards what we still might need to capture the Cup. We need you onboard. We want your input. With a strong infusion of investment capital, we feel we can keep key players under contract, where we were unable to do so in previous seasons, when we didn’t have that capital. Players, and their representation (agents), will know that Atlanta is a viable option in free agency, for reaching their personal objectives of excellence and championship aspirations.”
A statement, like that, would do wonders for the hockey-going types in the greater Metropolitan Alanta area.
The Dumpster
February 16th, 2011
7:31 pm
Do you guys realize this is a Business, and owners don’t give a crap about us?
Atlanta or Bust 2011
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
7:43 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iudRPyX4934
Nordiques Fan – This is definitely not Atlanta, that’s definitely not snow or ice and no that’s absolutley not Tacks (652s maybe?). None of us play/played ice hockey either, let alone care about this team.
hockeymom92
February 16th, 2011
7:43 pm
First I lose my job and then we may lose our team. Bummer of a year thus far….
KLS1
February 16th, 2011
8:09 pm
I cant think of a more colossal failure in sports than starting a franchise and then losing it ten years later. The NHL should buy this team and help keep it here…these asg guys are pathetic.
They will kill the hawks eventually and have already killed the arena…have you seen the great tv’s Philips has upgraded around the arena….again pathetic.
We've Been Bamboozled.....
February 16th, 2011
8:12 pm
Atlanta Spirit has bamboozled Thrashers fans from the moment they signed the papers. They also bamboozled the NHL Board of Governors as well as Commissioner Gary Bettman. They put on their fake smiles and made it looks as though they were excited to own an NHL team. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the only things they truly carried about was the Hawks and the operating rights for Philips Arena.
Anytime someone made a peep about the team being sold and moved to parts unknown, possibly Canada, someone from the ownership group would pop up like a mole on one of those Whack-A-Mole games and do their best impression of Baghdad Bob.
What can be said about an ownership group that allowed a major drop in their season ticket holder base and did little if anything to stem that tide? What can you say about an ownership group that plastered their arena with huge posters for their basketball team, which at the time was a sorry team, while giving their hockey team, fresh from a Division title and a playoff appearance signs in the arena that were of a blink and you’d miss them sort of thing?
Atlanta Spirit make Charles Wang and the late Bill Wirtz look like Mike Ilitch. Hell, if the Thrashers leave town, I’ll probably jump on the Islanders bandwagon…..
R. Stroz
February 16th, 2011
8:20 pm
The ASG is CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP.
The proof was largely provided by Red Light, however I shall expound upon his point.
Gearon used a specious point, a single season example, to show the ASG isn’t cheap, so here’s the whole truth, something an ASG owner wouldn’t understand. Gearon stated that the Hawks payroll THIS SEASON is one of the highest in the NBA. We’ll assume this a true statement being that they re-signed Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Mike Bibby. HOWEVER, ONCE AGAIN, AN ASG OWNER FAILED TO TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH.
Over the last few NBA seasons, not including the present one, the Atlanta Hawks have been at or near the bottom of the NBA in payroll since the Spirit Clowns purchased the Hawks, Thrashers, and Philips Arena.
Notice in the list below that the Hawks payroll NEVER exceeds the 50th percentile of the 30 NBA teams. Only in the 2008-2009 season, when the Hawks brought in Mike Bibby at the trade deadline, did the Hawks payroll exceed the 30th percentile.
2005-06 $36,632,449 28th (29 teams) – Red Light – the website doubled counted the salaries
2006-07 $47,812,036 25th (29 teams)
2007-08 $58,531,493 22nd (29 teams)
2008-09 $68,607,953 17th (30 teams)
2009-10 $70,198,210 23rd (30 teams)
So since the ASG took over the Hawks, the team payroll ranked 28th, 25th, 22nd, 17th, and 23rd relative to the other 30 NBA teams.
LOOKS CHEAP TO ME. LOOKS LIKE THE ASG CAN’T PLAY AT THE BIG BOYS TABLE.
NOTE TO MICHAEL GEARON, YOU SHOULD STUDY THE TERM SAMPLING ERROR. YOU CAN FIND THIS TERM IN ANY STATISTICS BOOK.
The Thrashers, other than 2005-2006 season, have had a team payroll that has ranked in the bottom 20th percentile every season. The Thrashers payroll, since the 2005-2006 season, has ranked 24th, 26th, 29th, 28th, and currently 29th relative to the other 30 NHL teams.
LOOKS CHEAP TO ME. LOOKS LIKE THE ASG CAN’T PLAY AT THE BIG BOYS TABLE.
Mr. Gearon, those are the real facts, all of them, not just a specious anomaly.
So, what is the problem all of a sudden? Gearon told you: the Hawks now have a real payroll THIS SEASON. Yes, the ASG boys blew all their money on their Johnson, or the Hawks, whichever you prefer. Now, they don’t have enough dough for the Thrashers.
Once again, Gearon stated the problem today, alluding to the difficulty of MAINTAINING A PAYROLL FOR TWO TEAMS. And once again we reach the real conclusion, the ASG NEVER WANTED TWO TEAMS JUST ONE.
The ASG doesn’t have enough dough to run two franchises, something they should have thought of when they bought them, something that’s obvious with a little payroll analysis: BIG OOPS!
So instead of the ASG being merely CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP…we should add POOR, POOR, POOR.
Smoothie
February 16th, 2011
8:30 pm
Once again, Joe freakin Johnson will be the sole reason for failure among this incompetent collection of fools and thieves. Joe FREAKIN Johnson!
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
8:49 pm
Enter your comments here
kracker
February 16th, 2011
8:50 pm
@james If you have not already done so, mentioning that the Thrashers have an enthusiastic, rather large fan club will show that there is plenty of fan support for the Thrashers.
Wayne stuck in AL
February 16th, 2011
8:54 pm
Just last Saturday, I wrote about how easy it would be to move them:
http://www.birdwatchersanonymous.com/2011/2/12/1990773/why-the-thrashers-arent-long-for-atlanta
john in PA
February 16th, 2011
9:32 pm
First of all… I just want to give a heart-felt FU ASG! Burn in hell.
Second, Gary Bettman does an hour long call-in on XM/Sirius NHL station on thursday nights @ 6pmEST I believe. Might be nice to hear some Thrashers fans give the commish a call or two to voice our feelings….?
Budman
February 16th, 2011
9:34 pm
I will add my name to a list of individuals that will buy season tickets if we can get new ownership!!!!!! Hopefully, if enough people will commit to that pledge, that will provide more incentive for someone else to purchase our Thrashers and keep them here!!!
Nordiques Fan
February 16th, 2011
9:55 pm
Iron League 13
Nice movie.
The people skating-filming in the streets of Atlanta are most probably the only 2 you can see in the arena at the Thrashers games.
Just for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4os2ufb5EuE
More people there than at any Thrashers game. As a reference, this is what a hockey hotbed looks like.
Having an ice storm once every century does not make Atlanta a hockey hotbed. Same apply for Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas…
Thrashers will soon win the Stanley Cup… in Quebec City!
;o)
Curly
February 16th, 2011
9:56 pm
I like the idea of fan ownership (i.e. Green Bay Packers) as someone posted. It seems doable. Assume the Thrashers franchise could be bought for $100 million. It would take 20,000 fans $5000 each to purchase the franchise. It may require another infusion of $2500-5000 each to cover initial operating expenses. Once the ASG is out of the picture and the fans have a collective stake in the success of the Thrashers, I think the franchise can be successful. It could be a good investment.. all for the price of the equivalent of 100 shares of Coca-Cola.
SomaAtl95
February 16th, 2011
9:58 pm
I have an idea to help save Thrash, as it looks as if he is an Endangered Species. Anyone interested please by using a webcam or smart phone tape yourself in thrashers gear and email it to savethrash at gmail dot com. I want to get enough by Sunday so that I can put them all together and post. If it is put on us to save the team and create awareness, a little viral advertising should help. All I ask is that you make the video under 5 seconds so I can cram quite a few together.
Also send a picture in your thrashers gear and I will add those in as well.
Anyone going to the viewing party Saturday please try to get a video of everyone there saying “Save Thrash”
Thanks. Hopefully I can get something about 5 minutes in length together by the end of the weekend.
Fan Investor
February 16th, 2011
9:58 pm
I’d buy a share!
SomaAtl95
February 16th, 2011
10:10 pm
Nordiques Fan – Till you have been to Atlanta – STFU! You are one of the millions of Canadians who has dropped by just to present our blog with mouth feces. Why don’t you pull your pants up and go back home?
Me
February 16th, 2011
10:22 pm
This isn’t the fault of the fans for this situation. This is the fault of the owners and management of the Thrashers and the NHL. I understand that the NHL wants to expand its market into the United States. But expanding into the South wasn’t a good strategy. There are cities in the United States where hockey would more than likely do well such as Seattle (the team could use the former NBA building where the Supersonics played) or Portland, OR, or Anchorage, AK, or Salt Lake City.
Here’s an article from Forbes magazine on the most valuable NHL franchises on the market:
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/31/hockey-valuations-10_Atlanta-Thrashers_317422.html
But some of the Canadian franchises (Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, and Calgary Flames) aren’t as valuable as some of the others (LA Kings and Dallas Stars). So there’s no guarantee that if the Thrashers move to Canada that they’ll become a more financially successful franchise.
Plan Ahead - Pack Philips for THRASH
February 16th, 2011
11:01 pm
Never too early to start planning to show your support. Next Home Games –
Friday – 2/25 vs. FLA
Sunday – 2/27 vs. TOR
This facebook page is worth a look:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Arthurblankbuythethrashers/111234072286328
GO THRASHERS!
LAC
February 16th, 2011
11:07 pm
I agree quebec fan, Shut Your F’ing Dumb canada mouth ! You Idiots in canada don’t own the sport of hockey, plus canada has TOO MANY NHL teams as it is. What REALLY needs to happen, is
montreal move to Kansas City, toronto to Seattle, calgary to Houston, ottawa to Salt Lake City,
vancouver to New Orleans, edmonton to Jacksonville, and have NO NHL teams in canada to shut you fools up.
Lots of EMPTY seats in New Jersey tonight, why not go after them you fool ?
Quit bashing Atlanta, we WILL support a team with a committed owner, You lost a team because your owner was doing WHAT??? Losing MONEY !
Nordiques Fan
February 16th, 2011
11:07 pm
Nordiques Fan – How bout I just call you Dique, basically, Dick, but with a Quebecois accent or whatever you frenchie guys dialect is called.
Did I call Atlanta a hotbed? No, never have and won’t in my lifetime, but we’re a viable MARKET, which is different of course, as a hotbed implies a large concentration of quality playing at the developmental levels. Again, you’ve not been here and have no idea how largely NOT southern our large southern city is. I don’t think I should explain, you should think.
Have I called the NHL’s methods for expansion uncalculated and wreckless? Yes, but you wouldn’t know, this is seemingly the first time you’ve popped up…to troll. So I guess I won’t explain what I have said before about how I think it coulda/shoulda been done.
On the climate issue, I guess you should go wiki our climate and Vancouver’s then tell me how southern B.C. is so much more suitable for hockey in natural (unrefrigerated) settings than Atlanta? Hey, you brought up our mild climate in order to debase us, which is tarded.
Again on the climate thing, one day when your geritol taking, arthritis riddled, liver spotted, saggy a$$ can’t handle the cold you’ll be living in our sunbelt (along with some other ex-pats) hoping for or attending professional ice hockey games and putting up with the same grief your dishing out. _nlm mln_
R. Stroz
February 16th, 2011
11:12 pm
Do the Spirit Clowns own a USHL team?
This looks like something only the Atlanta Spirit would do.
http://www.fanhouse.com/2011/02/15/man-has-50-000-puck-shot-overturned-it-must-be-a-movie/
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
11:13 pm
Woops mixed the name up.
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
11:18 pm
Dique, that video was dare I say gay? Yes, yes I do, it was G-A-Y, gay, but more like in an ambiguous juvenile kinda sense of the word not the happy sense or the homophobic sense. Anyway, twas gay.
Seriously, what the (bleeep) did you just show me? Broke-ass Cannuckian X-games spin in hockey gear. Goddamn, lay off the syrup, Dique it’s making you silly.
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
11:29 pm
broke ass cannuckian x-games spin-off (rather)
blistering barnacles
February 16th, 2011
11:40 pm
here’s some more data. comparison of overall finish rank vs average attendance rank. looks like ole mike got about what he deserved….
standings attendance diff
1999 28 11 +17
2000 28 24 +4
2001 30 28 +2
2002 24 28 -4
2003 21 22 -1
2005 19 24 -5
2006 12 21 -9
2007 28 22 +6
2008 27 30 -3
2009 23 28 -5
avg 24 23.8 +2
Brendan
February 16th, 2011
11:56 pm
R.Stroz, that story was outrageous. It’s so easy to pick on insurance companies.
Brendan
February 17th, 2011
12:00 am
Red Light, I have to ask … what do you think the recent events have done to contract negotiations with Andrew Ladd? Is it a case of … Atlanta, out of desperation, will wayyyy overpay for Ladd, and Ladd will take it, simply because the price is so very overinflated, as a pending work stoppage looms? Or, will Ladd just sign until he is UFA eligible?
Joe McGrath
February 17th, 2011
12:24 am
Forget Art Blank, think about Tommy Glavine. He’s a hockey homer (drafted by LA Kings in ‘84) and an Atlanta homer. He may not have all the money needed to do the deed himself, but just because of who he is I’m sure he could arrange a nice local ownership package as the figurehead. I’d love to see him fire DW’s arse and take that office over. His street cred could do wonders for this franchise’s street cred, that’s for sure.
Joe McGrath
February 17th, 2011
12:29 am
Tommy Glavine SAVE US!
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/34091-The-Boylen-Point-Baseball-legend-Tom-Glavine-keeps-hockey-at-heart.html
Columbus
February 17th, 2011
12:46 am
Everyone needs to take signs to the remaining home games maybe ones that say the same thing or close to the same thing that tell the world that there are good fans and support here but the ownership is killing hockey in Atlanta. Let’s come up with a couple of GREAT slogans to put on signs that will be picked up by NATIONAL media including putting pressure on the NHL to help the ATL fan base from this terrible ownership. As far as moving the team, any city that would pay a DIME of tax money to this ownership would be very foolish and not good stewards of their citizens money. If they move the team it will only be for either money and to improve their chances of selling the team. If I were a city I would NOT want the current ownership affiliated with ANY team coming to my city. TO MAKE HOCKEY WORK IN ATLANTA AND IT WILL WORK BUT THERE HAS TO BE OWNERS WHO WANT TO BE OWNERS AND ARE COMPETENT.
Stop the MURDER OF HOCKEY in ATLANTA by the ASG, ….SLOGAN SUBMISSION #1
more….
ATL needs owners who give a $%^*
COMPETENT AND CARING OWNER NEEDED TO SAVE ATL HOCKEY
Centre of the Universe
February 17th, 2011
3:34 am
Nords Fan: take your insincere sympathies and trolling back to your socialist basket case that is Quebec.
Acer
February 17th, 2011
4:36 am
Nords Fan: One of the major problems of the Nords was the French factor. Is QC still a monolingual city like in the mid 90’s?
Fill Philips on 2/25 and 2/27
February 17th, 2011
7:00 am
The Atlanta Spirit is not in the long-term future of the Thrashers – either in Atlanta or Canada – so boycotting them really serves no purpose. LET”S PACK PHILIPS on the 25th and 27th. This Twitter is worth checking out:
http://twitter.com/AB_BuyThrashers
If you love hockey, it is time to support hockey.
Tony C
February 17th, 2011
7:09 am
Mr. T-you want that list of addresses?
EA
February 17th, 2011
7:25 am
Fill Philips-AMEN-at the point boycotting only hurts the team, not the owners.
EA
February 17th, 2011
7:28 am
oops-this,not the. The future of the ATLANTA Thrashers isobviously not the ASG.
squawksmcgrew
February 17th, 2011
7:34 am
Let’s designate a date — like the game against the Panthers on the 25th — as “We Want New Owners” night and fill the place. Show everybody what we can do if current ownership gets out of the way.