Cool your jets Thrasherville and remember four letters: WWGD
Just as soon as the Glendale City Council voted 5-2 to pony up the $25 million to the NHL to keep the Coyotes there for at least another year, it was clear that Thrasherville was soon to become the new frontrunner in the ongoing relocation saga. Clearly the media, at least the cyber media, was ready to turn its attention to our team once the dust became settled in the Arizona desert.
The “news makers” of the web need traffic and they’ll direct whatever they can however they can, after all.
And sure as hell is hot, it only took about a day before a rumor was posted in the cybersphere that within 24-48 hours it would be announced the team was sold to TNSE and will be moving to Winnipeg for the 2011-12 season. Making people’s reaction to it even that much more interesting is that the “breaking news” came from a source that so many brush aside as “unreliable”…but that didn’t keep some from pointing to it as the sure sign that the end was near.
Of course that period of time came and went with no such announcement being made and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the story was purely fiction.
“So people just make this stuff up, right?” Bettman told ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun while attending game seven of the Sharks-Red Wings series. “Where’s the accountability from all the people who a month ago were saying that Phoenix was definitely going? Whatever is being written [about Atlanta] is being made up.”
Thus, we are now able to place that fabrication in the same trash bin we have so any other “Relocation Announcement Eminent” rumor.
Now this is in no way, shape, manner or form an attempt to sugarcoat the troubling position Thrasherville finds itself in today with the ownership issues. Nor am I wanting to appear to be “whistling my way past the graveyard” in regards to the fact that the Atlanta Spirit, LLC…our brutally bad owners… may very well be in the process of delivering its final insult and slap to the faces of Thrashers fans.
However, I would simply caution you to not fall prey to some of the stuff being cranked out of the rumor mill while this saga plays out. And don’t allow your emotions to be yanked up and down whenever you read about “impending announcements” from sources that have no names.
In the end, the outcome of this drama will be directed by not the internet pundits or talking heads on sports shows across North America. Nor will the matter be settled by those cyber-warriors who infiltrate blog sites and debate the merits of Atlanta, Phoenix, Winnipeg or [insert name of city here] as an NHL city.
Nope, all one needs to know when it comes to how this is all going to play out are these four letters…WWGD. What Would Gary Do?
In the end I truly believe this all comes down to Gary Bettman and if he intends to make any sort of stand here in protection of an NHL presence in the Atlanta market, or if he and the league lack the stomach for another fight to save the team from relocation and allow the franchise to uproot to move to points north.
There are all sorts of theories and ideas from all sides of the debate attempting justify why Bettman will do “this” or do “that”. To some he simply cannot…could not…would not…turn his back on a market the size of Atlanta, (or Phoenix for that matter), and let it land in one the size of Winnipeg.
To others it matters not the size and potential of the market, but how many fans will pony up the funds to come out and see the team play right now. 17,000 from 750,000 is greater, they would say, then 10,000 from 6 million.
Some will argue…and rightfully so I would add… that Bettman and Co. understands fully the problems in Thrasherville rest squarely on the shoulders of the uncaring, apathetic, dysfunctional ownership cluster flop known as the AS, LLC. Any professional sports franchise would difficulty succeeding given the way the Great Octocluster, (the seven owners and Don Waddell) have run it and the empty seats in Philips Arena are the product of their ineptitude, not a weak fan base.
Others simply see the empty seats and insist new owners are not the answer, a new location is. A new location where fans will show up no matter how much the team under-performs or how badly they are treated by ownership. A place where you’ll never have to see the team president pull out a hand-made sign during an intermission interview on TV that requests fans call and buy tickets.
(Yes…that actually happened here last winter. Why Don Waddell even bothers hiring a sales and marketing staff and doesn’t just go it alone with his brilliant ideas is simply baffling to me.)
Obviously, I side with those who understand the fact that this city not only can provide rabid support for the NHL franchise, it has done so in the past. In the years leading up to the lockout and just after, attendance was not an issue. Fans came out to watch a team on the rise. Unfortunately after the current ownership took over and it was clear the Thrashers were the ugly, redheaded stepchildren to them, and were being operated at bargain basement levels…many fans simply chose not to return.
“If the Spirit Clowns don’t care enough to invest in the team, why should I?” was the prevailing question from those fans.
You may discuss amongst yourselves whether or not those fans were right to do so…but I can’t argue with their reasoning. The Atlanta Spirit, LLC could not have inflicted more damage upon the future of hockey here if they had intended to do so from the day they took over in 2004.
But while the endless rumors, conjecture and premature prediction of possible relocations continue to cloud the subject, there is one thing for certain to happen here. The Atlanta Thrashers will indeed be sold, either along with the NBA Hawks and Philips Arena or alone. As such, we will once and for all be rid of the most dysfunctional band of [insert appropriate descriptive words for the AS, LLC here] ever to own a professional sports franchise.
The $110 million question is, of course, will the new owner(s) be intent to keep the team here… or will they whisk them away to a venue far, far away?
Whether it is the former or the latter, like I said, that’s up to one man in my opinion… Mr. Bettman. And so all eyes will be upon him in the coming weeks as hockey fans here, in Winnipeg and all across the NHL landscape look to see just what will Gary do.
In the mean time, I would advise that everyone cool their jets and not allow themselves to be jerked around so easily by the relocation rumor de jour crowd.
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215 comments Add your comment
Winnipeg Jet
May 16th, 2011
2:22 pm
Thanks to everyone in Atlanta. We could not have done this without you!
EA
May 16th, 2011
2:25 pm
I have sent letters to every representative I could think of in Atlanta. The response has been along the lines of ASG is a private company. There is not much they can do. However, that was a few months ago. Keep up the campaign of polite e-mails to gbettman@nhl.com.
Relocationist
May 16th, 2011
2:25 pm
What a great victory it would be to have this lame duck (or lame thrasher) team for one more year with the same GM, the same poorly located arena and the same ECHL roster.
Gary is a joke
May 16th, 2011
2:25 pm
Bettman is a gutless coward. He protects one franchise (Phoenix) while letting another get moved.
Unbelievable.
Atlanta Spirit Sucks
May 16th, 2011
2:27 pm
Want to contact Bruce, come visit:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Atlanta-Georgia/Atlanta-Spirit-Sucks/114671988618038
Red Light
May 16th, 2011
2:29 pm
The Flames have given Curtis Glencross a four-year contract worth $10.2 million dollars according to reports, a Cap hit of $2.55 million. The Flames now have $55.8 million assigned for 2011-12 already.
Dwayne
May 16th, 2011
2:38 pm
All I ask is that Don Wadell go with the team to Winnipeg.
Brian powdertown
May 16th, 2011
2:43 pm
to bad we don’t have a watchdog watching over this deal we have got to do something!!!!
We've Been Bamboozled.....
May 16th, 2011
2:48 pm
I think the reason why nobody locally has tried to buy the Thrashers is that they don’t want to be tenant to the slumlords that are Atlanta Spirit. You think they’re bad hockey team owners, I’m sure they’re pretty bad as landlords too. I’m sure they’re glad to have the WNBA team here since it gives them some dates during what is essentially a dead period for many arenas.
The ultimate decision on relocation comes down to the NHL and the Board Of Governors. There cannot be that many short-sighted members of the NHL BoG to chase after what would equate to a few million in their pockets. At this point, emailing our state and local officials is a waste of time, we as fans need to start putting pressure on the members of the NHL Board Of Governors, starting the the governors for the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, and Nashville Predators. All of these teams will be greatly affected by the relocation of the Thrashers, as their fans and our fans have a history of venturing to each others’ barns. Nashville, besides being the nearest NHL team, is the team that would get screwed over by the NHL if the Thrashers move, as while them switching conferences and joining the SE Division would make the most sense, Mike Illitch’s “gentleman’s agreement” with the NHL means that the Red Wings would switch conferences if the Thrashers (or any other Eastern Conference team moves to the West).
The Real Thrash
May 16th, 2011
2:53 pm
sad to see.
we will never have a nhl team again.
Atlanta Flames Fan
May 16th, 2011
2:55 pm
Sorry EA, but the fact that they are negotiating means that they have already been given approval. Unless something drastic happens, the BOG approval is only a formality.
Red Light
May 16th, 2011
2:56 pm
Out of the Sharks’ lineup since Feb. 19 with an upper-body injury, coach Todd McLellan inserted the 32-year-old veteran defenseman into active duty for fellow defenseman Jason Demers in a 3-2 San Jose loss, which put them down 1-0 in the best-of-seven series.
“(Huskins) went in and I thought played a pretty honest game, and we’ll see what we do for Game 2,” said McLellan, adding that Demers was “bumped and bruised, just like everyone else.”
There were conflicting reports that Demers was a healthy scratch, but word from within the Sharks organization is that he is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Atlanta Flames Fan
May 16th, 2011
2:58 pm
@Bamboozled
I agree with you that no one wanted to buy just the Thrasher and then have to lease Philips from ASG. However, I disagree with you about politicians being a waste of time. The BOG members in the SE are aware of what losing ATL means to them. Obviously they did not seem to believe that this was more important than taking the $60M cash.
Let your congressmen know how you feel about Atlanta being dumped on to make up for the NHL’s financial losses in Phoenix.
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Devil's Advocate
May 16th, 2011
3:04 pm
Hey, we still have the Gwinnett Gladiators!
moe
May 16th, 2011
3:06 pm
Thanks for the update Red Light. It looks like Demers has some injury. Even so, Maclellan should put Justin Braun in instead of Huskins, Huskins is too slow just like Murray and Wallin.
rob
May 16th, 2011
3:09 pm
Sad that so much drama surrounds our team. Makes me sick just thinking about it. ASG sucks. Everything about this deal sucks. If the team somehow manages to stay here another season who else will want to go watch a game next season? We need accountability, longevity, and someone with HOCKEY LOVE running the team. ASG sucks.
Shutterpups
May 16th, 2011
3:13 pm
Great post Bill. This is the first time I’ve visited your blog – was sent over from a link you tweeted. I’m from Winnipeg, and my only “beef” with your article is that you forgot a zero in Winnipeg’s population. Not a huge deal, but when you’re up against a number like 6 million, you need all the zeros you can get! haha.
To the fans of Atlanta – I feel your pain. I loved our Winnipeg Jets and I was heartbroken when they were taken from us. I understand what it’s like to be a fan of a team that’s owned by people who don’t believe in them in a league that doesn’t believe all during crippling economic times.
I sincerely hope that the NHL returns to Winnipeg so that my son can enjoy the thrill of NHL hockey in person, but I am truly sorry that the answer to my wish might come at your expense.
I hope that regardless of the outcome of this drama – the fans of Atlanta hold their heads high and tell the world that geographic location doesn’t automatically determine the quality of your fan base.
steve brown
May 16th, 2011
3:13 pm
If a major market like Atlanta with a metro population of 6 million can lose its team to a Canadian city with a metro population of 750,000 then the NHL is in fact a minor league sport and will forever be during our life times. This is the ultimate litmus test for the NHL, you can’t have one of the top 10 markets in North America get dumped on a second time and expect fans to ever care again. This will be a deathblow to accessing future venture money for the NHL and they will deserve every negative article and comment they receive in the future.
Rawhide
May 16th, 2011
3:21 pm
Shutterpups – Thank you for the kind words, both for me and Thrasherville as a whole. Let’s just see how all this pans out…not looking good right now, though.
I put the extra ZERO in the population for ya, thanks for pointing that out. If you’d like another “ZERO” in Winnipeg, then you can have Don Waddell if the team winds up there.
…rimshot…
Shutterpups
May 16th, 2011
3:30 pm
LOL @ Rawhide. Maybe we can send Waddell to Phoenix!
Rawhide
May 16th, 2011
3:37 pm
Shutterpups – Oh no…you buy the team you get Waddell too. LOL!
Hey, that may be a great way to keep the Thrashers. Insist that Waddell comes with the team. Even TNSE would reconsider that or insist a few million get shaved off the price.
…shrugs…
Well, it’s worth a shot, eh?
Shutterpups
May 16th, 2011
3:41 pm
LOL – I’m going to have to bookmark your blog. Funny is good.
Honestly though – I love Winnipeg, it’s a great city to live in and raise a family in – however that -40º isn’t a myth, why would you want to saddle us with Waddell too?
Brendan
May 16th, 2011
3:45 pm
Rawhide, thank you for writing this well reasoned blog. I think I felt the blood pressure of the whole 20-county metropolitan area ease a bit.
Really Bill?
May 16th, 2011
3:47 pm
Come on Bill. You know better.
The Thrashers are gone folks. Bill knows it and its wrong for him to give you all false hope.
SouthernFriedHockey
May 16th, 2011
3:50 pm
Not sure what to say here with the latest news today. It seems to me that this franchise and the ownership group have made every mis-step humanly possible.
I know for a fact that Atlanta can support hockey. I watched Atlanta support it with the Flames growing up, the Knights after the Flames left, and then the Thrashers.
In retrospect I think the blame falls squarely on the NHL in not properly vetting the ASG. Now we see the very real possibility of our team being sold and relocated so the league can recoup some of the monies that it used to prop up Phoenix.
At what point are ownership groups and the league held responsible? Why, in the past, did the league not step in before? I am beginning to think that word came down in January or early February, hence the teams’ slide. I guess we will only really know after they leave.
Rawhide
May 16th, 2011
3:59 pm
Per C-Viv tweet: “According to a source, there were talks again today with group interested in keeping #Thrashers in Atlanta. Time has become biggest issue.”
EA
May 16th, 2011
3:59 pm
Atlanta Flames Fan, why does Bettman have to give permissionto peoplewho want to discuss business deal.? You may be right, but I am confused. Bettman repeatedly says that he is not in charge of who talks to who about negotiating a deal. You may be right, but it just doesn’t make sense to me. Taking a break from this situation. It is giving me a headache.
Jets fan
May 16th, 2011
4:03 pm
Great article,
I hope you keep your team and we end up getting the coyotes. Ownership is the thrashers problem as it was here in Winnipeg 15 years ago. Atlanta deserves better and taking your team will not be good for either city.
This is just the NHL’s way of protecting their own bad investment in Phoenix. Don’t give up on your team but please hang your owners.
Jets fan
Thesawch
May 16th, 2011
4:13 pm
The board of Govenors will rubber stamp this. It would not get that far and then turn it down. It looks like its a done deal…
Red Light
May 16th, 2011
4:17 pm
Would be apropos if the St. Louis hockey team was sold and then moved to Atlanta, thereby creating the Winnipeg Thrashers and the Atlanta Blues. A minor league organization that deserves a minor league outpost like Winnipeg and a hockey team in our fair city would also be appropriately named since the past ownership groups have created that mood here, not once but twice in 31 years.
No offence intended Winnipegers, it’s more of a fair comment about this organization than your town.
Spud Webb
May 16th, 2011
4:19 pm
New ownership in winnipeg will fire waddell as any smart owner(s) would do. BETTMAN IS A FLIPPING LIAR…he knows EXACTLY what is going on and wants that money. We’ve been lied to and lied to by EVERYONE. WTF ISNT HE TAKING OVER THIS TEAM LIKE THEY DID IN BUFFALO AND IN PHOENIX?? and why isn’t that being explained to us? the NHL should take over until a proper buyer is found down here in the south. IM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PISSED, MY HEAD IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE.
K-Town Dawg
May 16th, 2011
4:25 pm
I don’t proclaim to be the biggest hockey fan, but the dealings of the ASG are underhanded at best. How can they manage to get the Hawks into the playoffs for the last 3 years while claiming they can’t support the Thrashers due to monetary losses?
In the unfortunate event that the Thrashers are sold and move, I propose we run the ASG out of Atlanta. These SOBs have destroyed hockey in Atlanta and left to their own devices may also destroy basketball as well. They should lose their rights to the Thrashers, Hawks, and Philips Arena and should be dispatched of swiftly.
Like I said, I’m not that big of a hockey fan, but what the ASG has done is irresponsible and self-serving. These gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, deserve the wrath and disdain of every citizen of Atlanta and they should be ashamed to call themselves businessmen.
ZAvalanche
May 16th, 2011
4:29 pm
@Jets Fan – nice comments, you show class and knowledge. I hope you get a team too. No kid should grow up without hockey
ZAvalanche
May 16th, 2011
4:33 pm
Spud – are you LAC? Only reason I ask is due to the SHOUTING! LOL. Like Blog Master said, everybody relax and take a deep breath. And a personal “thank you” to the nice Canadian posters here. Yup, I know we took the Nordiques but many of you have handled the on-going situation with class. Then again, some have not, hence the retribution from some of us.
D. Scott
May 16th, 2011
4:38 pm
Regarding the comment that a city of 6 million loses a team to a city of 750K makes the NHL a bush league. The NFL seems to have done quite well without a team in LA while maintaining a team in Greenbay Wisconsin and Winnipeg is approximately 7 times larger than Greenbay, with a similar climate.
That being said, I don’t blame the fans of the Thrashers for being mad, but take it out on who is at fault; current ownership of the team. They obviously didn’t do enough to properly market and manage the team, but to be honest I don’t know how they can’t make a run of it in a city the size of Atlanta. Nevertheless no one else seems to want to take on that challenge either so there must be some dynamics involved that makes Atlanta an unattractive hockey market for prospective owners.
WinnipegFan
May 16th, 2011
4:38 pm
I feel bad about your situation in Atlanta. Having gone through the whole situation with the Jets leaving in 1996 – I understand what Thrasher fans are going through at the moment.
What’s got to hurt the most is the fact that Gary Bettman, and the NHL, don’t seem the least bit interested in fighting for Altanta and they have been for Phoenix for the past 2 years. Once again, I can sympathize with Atlanta. Bettman and the NHL didn’t put a fraction of the effort into saving the Jets as they have in saving the Coyotes.
I think that’s the point. If Bettman allows the Coyotes to return to Winnipeg – he might have to admit he was wrong back in 1996. That isn’t going to happen with his ego. The same can’t be said for Atlanta which is why there’s a good chance they’ll be moving.
In the end, I can’t say for certain that they’ll move. I’d like to have an NHL team back in Winnipeg. However, Gary Bettman has always shown a disdain for Canada and Canadian teams. I have my doubts he’s going to allow a team to move here. I hope things work out for Atlanta fans. I also hope Winnipeg returns to the NHL at some point.
Spud Webb
May 16th, 2011
4:39 pm
Sorry ZAvalanche!! Just very upset. Sitting here thinking about not going to the few games a year I was able to go. Where do I wear my jerseys? How can you explain to the girls what it’s like to be at an NHL hockey game? How I can’t call my brother in philly and discuss the flyers and the thrashers. How all of this is happening, I’ve made some life long friends due to the Thrashers, just a LOT of things suck about this. What happens to Kamal & others?? What happens to the iceman Bill Tiller? JUST SUCKS!
ZAvalanche
May 16th, 2011
4:42 pm
Moe and RL – I thought Demers was injured. There is no way you “healthy scratch” him if he is actually healthy.
steve brown
May 16th, 2011
4:46 pm
D. Scott-the TV ratings tell you that the NHL is bush league. The brutality of the cheap hits tell that the NHL is bush league. Bettman, Waddell and The Spirit scream out that the NHL is bush league. The games are on channel 82 for goodness sake, wake up.
ZAvalanche
May 16th, 2011
4:46 pm
Spud – I totally agree, this is a sh!tty situation all around. I hope it doesn’t go through, but the more I hear nothing from the league the more I worry. And my comment about you being LAC was not an insult, I like his/her viewpoint and it creates some good argument. Glad to see some passion out of Thrashy Nation!
ZAvalanche
May 16th, 2011
4:51 pm
Interesting thought: the Avs averaged only about 1300 more in attendance than Thrashy, had a worse record and there are no rumors of them moving. It is all in the management, as many have stated before. A$$G could have made a killing in Atlanta if they did it correctly.
Fan from Carolina
May 16th, 2011
4:55 pm
WWGD??? The genius that brought us the ‘glowing puck’ to enhance TV ratings?? If that is what we are concerned about, kiss this club goodbye. In reality, this is sad news. I could go to a few games each year with just a 2 hour drive and make it home by 1:00 a.m.. I really like Philips Arena too. It was always a fun experience. Raleigh is 5 hours away and so is Nashville, both which would require overnight stays. This would end my live NHL hockey action most likely. Long live NHL Center Ice! I will follow the Thrashers/Jets and with proper ownership we will see Kane and Big Buff in the playoffs soon.
Red Light
May 16th, 2011
4:59 pm
This post is for World Be Free, who pointed out to me last night that Heatley has become a terrible post-season performer. The stats don’t argue…
In his first 30 playoff games (in Ottawa) since escaping the Thrashers lair, Dany Heatley had 10 goals (3 game winners), 24 assists, a +5 rating and took 91 shots on goal.
In the subsequent 32 playoff games in which he has appeared (4 in Ottawa and 28 in San Jose), Heatley has five goals, 17 assists, a -14 rating and took 89 shots on goal.
It looks as if the fall-off in production can be traced to getting fewer minutes on the power play unit.
2005-06 5:54 pp time
2006-07 5:25 pp time
2007-08 3:27 pp time
2009-10 4:11 pp time
2010-11 2:22 pp time
D. Scott
May 16th, 2011
4:59 pm
Steve Brown – If it such a “bush league” then why do you care? The fact of the matter is that the TV ratings in many Northern markets are very good, especially and most obviously the Canadian markets. Once again I don’t blame the fans in Atlanta for being disgusted with the way it appears that no one is making a pitch to keep the team in Atlanta, but money doesn’t talk it swears. If there was money to be made with hockey in Atlanta someone would certainly step up to take this organization over and run it profitably.
ZAvalanche
May 16th, 2011
5:00 pm
RL – Nice work! That is very telling.
Mrs. Zoomo
May 16th, 2011
5:12 pm
Great blog as always. We’ve been trying to take a wait and see approach as well, like you said it is out of our hands.
to the Commander in Chief Bettmen
May 16th, 2011
5:28 pm
don’t cave-in to terrorist.. teach WPG a lesson just like you did with Captain Blackberry!
Don Wadell
May 16th, 2011
5:32 pm
I am sorry for your loss, it was all my fault!
Just the facts
May 16th, 2011
5:37 pm
Until an announcement is made, relax and let this play out. If the economics dictate a new owner emerge in Atlanta so be it, if no one is interested then what happens will happen. For those claiming that a move to a city of 700K would be an embarrasement to the league, NO,, the emberrassment for the NHL would be the failure of a city of 6 million to support a professional franchise regardless of ownership issues,, do you think Toronto has never endured poor ownership, losing seasons and difficulty with traffic, they still fill the arena at prices 5x that of Atlanta and they have other sports as well,, they are called hockey fans.. As far a Winnipegs cold is concerned,, big deal, put a coat on and act like a man!
Glad's Fans in Denial
May 16th, 2011
5:41 pm
still think your 1000-2000 butts that should have been in phillips doesn’t make a difference now. How about we ship the glads to WPG next year and see if that helps.