Surviving predictions of impending doom
Once again we seemed to have survived impending doom. After much anticipation, preparation, discussion and debate, the prediction of our demise seems to have been a tad premature and we made it through this past weekend without witness of “the end”.
Oh, I’m not talking about the current predicament the Atlanta Thrashers organization and its fans find themselves in…I’m referring to the doomsday prophecy of Harold Camping who insisted that the end of the world would take place last Saturday. He had it all mathematically figured out, he told us, and sent forth his followers to warn us of it all.
Of course Saturday came and went…and last I check, we are all still here.
Thrashers faithful congregated Saturday to show support for their team at a tailgate party outside of Philip Arena. Inside the Atlanta Spirit held their Select A Seat event (Photo by Brendan)
This isn’t the first time Camping has come forward with this type of prognostication of Armageddon. He did this back in the nineties as well, which is interesting because I would figure someone really only gets one shot at this kind of prediction. In the end, you’re either right or…well, there goes one’s credibility.
Instead of standing before his band of believers and with a shrug of the shoulders saying, “…or not”, Camping simply explains that his math was a bit fuzzy and we’ll do this all again in October. That’s missing the mark by quite a distance if you ask me… but I guess in the grand scheme of time and world history, what’s a measly five months or so?
Interestingly enough, from all the sources I’ve spoken to of late, the NHL is still moving forward with it’s planning of a new hockey season just prior to the newly scheduled doomsday. I guess the league has chosen to adopt the same posture of “business as usual” as the Thrashers front office has taken by going ahead with its Select A Seat event this past weekend.
They did so in light of the seemingly inevitable story that the hockey gods are about to pass their own form of justice upon Thrasherville and hold the fans here responsible for the sins of the Atlanta Spirit, LLC. If so, this team will be spirited away to Winnipeg and we will be…ahem…left behind.
To that point, just last Thursday night news broke from the Mail and Globe that this deal was already done and come Tuesday…i.e. today…Gary Bettman would be standing in front of the podium to announce to the hockey world that Manitoba’s capital city would be given their second crack at the NHL.
Thrash poses with a fan Saturday afternoon. There has been no official word on whether or not he will become a snow bird next season (Photo by Brendan)
But then just yesterday NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the AJC that “it’s safe to say there will be no announcement on Tuesday”.
So then are we then able to toss this story on top of the already heaping pile of discredited rumors of our demise? Or is it just, as Camping would claim, a simple case of delaying the inevitable.
Honestly I don’t know which one is at player here, but the signs are not looking good for Thrasherville.
First, there is the report from Chris Vivlamore that the Thrashers are now down to as many interested buyers as they have playoff victories. Given the lateness of the hour, this is certainly un-good news. Then there are the stories circling about that the Manitoba Moose of the AHL are soon to be announcing a relocation to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Such a move would clear the way for any new NHL team play their home games in MTS Center, which seats just over 15,000 for hockey.
Of course there is the news that the AS, LLC has recently rescinded exclusive negotiating rights for the Hawks and Philips Arena from John Moore. This now allows for anyone interested in purchasing both professional teams and the arena to do so, but to date there are no reports of a serious, viable suitor.
Even if one were to surface, the Spirit Boys’ decision to enter into exclusive negotiations for the Hawks and Philips may have successfully bought enough time to keep anyone from seriously entering into any negotiations for all three. Again, the hour is late and to catch up to where TNSE is with their talks with the Atlanta Spirit would take quite an effort.
Do these words by the NHL commissioner apply to all 30 teams or just a select few? Time will tell (Photo by Brendan)
Given that, even though I do not claim to know the hour or the day of Thrasherville’s doom, I will say that I think any such news would have to come sometime this week. Seeing where we are on the calendar, time is ticking not only on hockey in Atlanta but also on the league to get a finalized schedule out. Plus there is a draft and free agent season to prepare for.
The news could fall on just after the posting of this blog, tomorrow or late in the week. ..or I guess there is still a chance for an “or not” moment and no such announcement comes. But regardless of which way this deal goes down, a decision must be reached and announced soon.
In the mean time, there is still NHL playoff hockey to discuss if you wish. Boston and Vancouver each now find themselves but a win away from a Stanley Cup Finals berth, the Canucks could claim their spot tonight at home and the Bruins get their chance tomorrow night in Tampa.
If both of them are successful and do advance, then I would move to 12-2 in my postseason predictions. I would then look to my SCF picks to try and pull even with Red Light, who would be 13-1 after three rounds. Either way, I still haven’t forgotten that I owe him an adult beverage or five at TJs Bar & Grill for his accurate call on the Sharks-Wings series.
The good new is that, according to Harold Camping, I have until October 21 to make good on that wager.
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166 comments Add your comment
Joe Friday
May 24th, 2011
1:17 pm
anyone have Gearon’s info on what companies he owns? How about Rutherford?
Acer
May 24th, 2011
1:19 pm
Part of the Thrashers fan base treated any, even remove, criticism, as an assault of their new born. Anything but positive and glorious post were labeled as negative, even moderate ones. The stupid attacks against Winnipeg and Canada fit right into the mix.
Again, this just a part of the fan base but it was annoying enough to leave an impression. Kinda like the trolls.
WPG Jets 2011
May 24th, 2011
1:21 pm
DWTOO
I should clarify that I never hear insults talking to people at work etc. But of course reading on blogs is a different story, there is a lot of bashing on both sides. If people in Winnipeg are starting it then I apologize for them, their ignorant. But them like myself have responded to some harsh criticisms of our city.
Brendan
May 24th, 2011
1:22 pm
I’m actually excited for Thrashers. They now have ownership that will presummably care for them, and try to make them winners. I’m sorry that didn’t happen here. Re: Winnipeg. I have no reason to dislike Winnipeg. No one in Winnipeg gave Don Waddell a job, and kept him in that job through 10 seasons without so much as a playoff win. No one in Winnipeg hired Dan Marr as Head of Scouting, leaving him in place for 11 seasons, with no 3rd round to 5th round picks to ever crack the starting lineups. No one in Winnipeg provoked the Atlanta Spirit, LLC into suing each other into oblivion. So why, precisely, should I hate Winnipeg, or persons from Manitoba? There ISN’T a reason, other than ’sour grapes.’ Our loss is their gain. But the object of our ire should be Levenson, the Gearons, Pescowitz, and Beau Turner, to the extent they participated.
Me, personally, I’ll be rooting for the Thrashers/Jets/Moose in Winnipeg. I wish them nothing but success. I hope they win the Stanley Cup. And if they do, I might just hop a flight, wearing my Thrasher gear, to attend the parade. For the record, I like most Canadians. I don’t know anyone from Winnipeg or Manitoba. Therefore, I have no reason to like or dislike them. I’m just glad that there’s every outward appearance that this franchise will finally, finally be CARED FOR and RUN PROPERLY. I want to wish Mr. Dudley the best of luck, as he steers the Thrashers towards a Cup. I sincerely hope they do fire Dan Marr, and do not employ Don Waddell. And that combination has proven to be lethal. And, I hope the team will thrive there, with stability. I’ll be watching them on Center Ice.
Re: Atlanta ever getting another NHL franchise … I only want that under ONE (1) condition. And that condition is as follows, “that the NHL properly vet an owner or ownership group, that will cultivate the sport, CARE about the product, and KNOW and UNDERSTAND the market conditions in which they find themselves.” I have no doubt that hockey would have been a raging success, had ownership taken proper stewardship of the franchise. Selling out 38 of 41 home games in 1999 … shows anyone where the interest level is for hockey in this town, when the fanbase BELIEVES that the ownership is trying to win a Stanley Cup.
… And that’s all I have to say about that. (Copyright 1994, Forrest Gump.)
Big Wally
May 24th, 2011
1:23 pm
Farm Boy – the sheep sure do get nervous when you come around.
Mr. Heat Miser
May 24th, 2011
1:26 pm
I bet if there were talks about the Hawks leaving the mayor would be all up in arms. Starting to think da ATL is just becoming thug central. Disheartening.
mike
May 24th, 2011
1:27 pm
I for one have been a very bitter person these last few days. I can’t believe all of this has happened so fast. At the beginning of the season we were a major contender for the cup. As soon as ASG announced that they have been trying to sell the team for years, we went downhill. Things cooled off a bit and now in the last 2-4 weeks we are told that are team is being sold. The entire blame goes to Don Waddell and the ASG. They have single handily destroyed hockey in Atlanta. I have no animosity toward Winnipeg at all, it was either Phoenix or Atlanta.
I just can’t believe that the commissioner hasn’t done more this team like the others.
Kenneth Williams
May 24th, 2011
1:28 pm
To WPG Jets 2011, I’ve been reading this blog and the one authored by the beatwriter here for a couple of months now. For the most part it has in it some of the most insightful and knowledgeable hockey fans around. While there have been some who may use this as a sounding board for justified frustrations, most are here not to tear down Winnipeg but to talk about the sport and the situation in Atlanta in an intelligent manner.
I wish there were a way this could work out for both cities.
Sutton's Fro
May 24th, 2011
1:28 pm
“Hockey is CANADA?” Really? 30 teams in the NHL, and how many of them are (currently) in a Canadian province? SIX!! That means that 80% of “CANADA” are teams based in the US!! Meanwhile, MLB and NBA have 1/30 of their leagues in Canada, and the NFL has no presence there at all!!
All of this demonstrates that Atlanta FANS are not the problem, the current OWNERS are! Atlanta wants new ownership for the Thrashers as badly as the NHL (and Winnipeg) do; we just want the team to stay here.
Big Wally
May 24th, 2011
1:29 pm
Don Waddell says that since he is soon to be unemployed, that he is going to write a book about the middle east. He says he has a 5 year plan that will fix everything.
mike
May 24th, 2011
1:31 pm
I think most Thrashers fans are taking their anger and frustration out on Winnipeg. That is unfair. Its not their fault, IT IS ASG AND DON WADDELL!
ZAvalanche
May 24th, 2011
1:33 pm
Oh Farm Boy – your grammar is worse than mine.
Big Wally
May 24th, 2011
1:35 pm
Farm Boy wants to know if he can bring his sheep to the games. That’s one way to guarantee sell outs.
WPG Jets 2011
May 24th, 2011
1:43 pm
Kenneth Williams
I can understand that, especially after having the Thrashers for 11 years. Thats a long time, and it is a tough way to lose a team – to incompetent management – or management that just doesn’t care.
DWTOO
May 24th, 2011
1:45 pm
WPG Jets 2011 – I was just referring to what I’ve read on our blogs. I can imagine you get your share of ATL trolls and that’s not cool either. We’re not at war with each other and it’s a shame this boiled over to the extent it has. However, just as you’re not liking what you’re reading about Winnipeg we’re losing our team and have the likes of Farm Boy posting here. I’ve only posted once on your local paper’s site and was respectful. Trolling is not cool.
Once we were on a boat trip in Glacier-Waterton Peace Park. The ship’s owner/captain was a Canadian vet from WWII (that long ago). With an obvious amount of pride he made the remark that the US-Canadian border was the longest unfortified border in the world and nowhere else could his ship take tourists between two nations as easily. We’re friends (except when our hockey and soccer teams play) and allies. We play each other hard, but, at the end of the day we should have a cold one together. Alright off the soap box.
Zombie Steve
May 24th, 2011
1:48 pm
It feels like we’re all on the Titanic, we just hit the iceberg, and everyone is basically standing around waiting for the icey water to hit.
End it already.
NHL_NUT
May 24th, 2011
1:49 pm
Is there a place (Flickr, Facebook) where I can see more pix from the Tailgate?
Thrashers fan… NOT a Jets fan looking to create and spread lies.
Thanks
h
May 24th, 2011
1:49 pm
This is a nasty situation. I hate that we’re losing our team. I also hate that a few idiots from Winnipeg take so much joy in it. I’m aware that not all folks from there are idiots. I do want to throw in one interesting fact….see the link below and notice the Winnipeg attendance from 1989-1996……….I know they had a crappy arena but….the current one only seats 15,000…..fill it up and you’ll be between 23rd-27th in attendance. I’m happy for Peggers to get a team. I just hope they can keep it with a guarantee of being in the bottom of the league in attendance no matter what. http://www.andrewsstarspage.com/index.php/site/comments/nhl_average_attendance_since_1989_90/118-2008-09
R. Stroz
May 24th, 2011
1:53 pm
If we were on the Titanic, while the men were helping get the women and children on the lifeboats, the ASG boys would be pushing the women and children out of the way to save themselves.
That pretty much sums up the ASG owners.
Wienerpeg Trolls
May 24th, 2011
1:54 pm
WPG Jets 2011 – I hate to disappoint you and your detective work, but you would be incorrect. I have never been on a CBC blog OR a Winnipeg blog. I would hope you could figure out that other people are also capable of coming up with the same name. See, if I visited a blog from Canada and was talking smack, I would be a troll. I don’t do that. The people from there who talk smack on our blog and who try to impose hockey superiority are the trolls. If the shoe fits though….
glovesave29
May 24th, 2011
1:57 pm
WPG 2011 – I love this sport. I am 44 and have played since I was 8. I know this game inside and out, and I can say without reservation that the regulars on this blog are some of the most knowledgeable fans out there. I am sure there are some morons venting on the Canadian websites – but by and large people with US based IP addresses cannot blog there. Maybe 1 out of 10 of my comments have ever been posted…and I don’t say anything hateful, just doing my part to defend the goalies of the world. Look at the TSN and Rogers blogs – it’s so juvenile and hateful. Don’t see the fun in that. I think many of you come to our blog to either be vindictive and spiteful – or you read on and realize we DO know this sport and become part of the conversation. That the dicussions are interesting. Ideas are insightful – and that we often do not hide behind our screen names and we meet up for beers to talk like normal people. People like Farm Boy hurl the bomb or two and think they are witty. But ask yourself – is the league not MORE healthy with more fans? Why is it a bad idea to grow the game in the sunbelt? There are tons of northern and Canadian transplants here. Half of my hockey team is from Canada, the others are all from Michigan, Wisconsin and New York. THEY dont go to Thrasher games on a regular basis either. They know when they are being lied to. Bettman needs to put teams in Winnipeg and Quebec WITHOUT sacrificing the teams in the south. How can you grow if you up and leave at the sign of trouble. The league is better off digging in their heels and growing the sport.
SomaAtl95
May 24th, 2011
2:03 pm
There are those of us who hold on to hope that Atlanta keeps the Thrashers and Winnipeg gets an Expansion team. Everyone wins. Even if we hafta do like Cleveland did when they got the browns back via expansion and have a second expansion Thrashers. All we want is a fair chance. Its one thing to be continually bashed by the rest of the league when ownership doesn’t care about the product – if we had a team backed by owners that cared about them not a single person would be upset about losing the Thrashers. We would say “We tried for a winner and didn’t do it”
Thats a million times better than what happened to us:
Spoiled rich men locked in a pi$$ing contest about basketball players who told their hockey fan base as recently as 2009 that they were in no amount of debt(and NOT selling the hockey club) publicly making statements about how they are in debt and looking to sell the club as recently as MONTHS after purchasing.
Follow that by people who have never been to Atlanta telling our fans that we are rednecks, inbred, don’t deserve the game, etc etc etc.
Anyone outside of Atlanta please answer this: Bettman knows the Hijinks around the league with other teams and goes into a large battle for Phoenix after 2 years of fighting. The Atlanta $pirit buys out the share of partner who started said “Basketball pi$$ing contest” in December 2010, then publicly state that they are deep in debt and selling the team a month later. In a matter of fairness and “Fighting for every last fan” how fair is it that Phoenix gets a puck drop in October and we in Atlanta have no team AFTER ONLY 4 MONTHS OF PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE THE TEAM WAS IN TROUBLE.
We are scapegoats to a bunch of over grown man children and a league who will fight for 29 of its 30 teams. If any single town knows how that feels to have your civic leaders, ownership and league stab you in the back, its Winnipeg. I don’t hate on you people in Winnipeg, I just wish we had a club for more than a decade. You guys had the Jets for 24 years.
Its hard to build a loyal fan base for a sport that will relocate to the highest bidder instead of sticking it out.
NHL hockey will either return to Atlanta or the NHL will go bankrupt as a league the way it is allowed to run the way it is. While I hope for a return they will need to be tied to an owner that actually gives a flying flip.
ZAvalanche
May 24th, 2011
2:04 pm
I haven’t posted on the ‘Peg blog to troll, but I am about ready to…….
Tonight’s Game:
SJ has to be able to shut down 3 players and 3 only: Sedins and Kesler. If they do that they force a game 6. Easier said than done though. I think SJ has the better goalie but, admittedly, much younger. Should be an interesting tilt. I am going to venture a guess here and follow tradition: SJ will choke this game – Nucks are just too deep for any team in the league take care of in 7. Stay out of the box and you may have a chance SJ. And if you do get in the box, play a 3 + 1 and keep the centers out from in front of the net. In the last 3 wins that the Nucks had the completely won the board battle. You KNOW where they are going to pass it and the floater needs to recognize and get to the point to disrupt a chance. Again, easier said than done.
sisu
May 24th, 2011
2:05 pm
Joe Friday, the link was priceless with this quote “We strive to use every customer touch point to get inside the customer’s head so we can understand their needs and motivations.”
: http://www.ucg.com/portfolio.html#companies
EA
May 24th, 2011
2:08 pm
Chris Mason has gone on the record defending Atlanta fans. Thank you.
WPG Jets 2011
May 24th, 2011
2:09 pm
DWTOO
Farmboy is an embarrassment to Winnipeg or wherever he is from in Canada. This particular blog is interesting because, while the insults are slung back and forth, there is also a lot of information. No where on Canadian blogs do they talk about the poor managment of the Atlanta team and especially Don Waddall. I think most hockey followers in North America are under the assumption that the attendance is the reason the team may be moving. But the underlying reason is something I didn’t know was how uninterested this management team seems to be on building a winner, why else would they keep Waddall so long, it seems they didn’t care enough to find somebody better.
It must be frustrating because a lot of people comment on Winnipeg and don’t realize how much has changed and are predicting a similar outcome, in other words, the team won’t last and will move after a few years. Good talking to you.
EA
May 24th, 2011
2:09 pm
Mayor Reed has also gone on the record saying the city of Atlanta will survive losing the Thrashers. I wonder if he would have said that if the Hawks were moving. I DON”T THINK SO!
hockeygoon79
May 24th, 2011
2:09 pm
EA, where did he do so and what did he say?
Hoof Arted
May 24th, 2011
2:11 pm
“But the underlying reason is something I didn’t know was how uninterested this management team seems to be on building a winner, why else would they keep Waddall so long, it seems they didn’t care enough to find somebody better.”
DING!-DING!-DING!-DING!-DING!
Winner, winner. Chicken dinner!
Yes, at least one Winnipegger has been shown the light!
EA
May 24th, 2011
2:16 pm
Go to C-Viv new blog.
ZAvalanche
May 24th, 2011
2:18 pm
Amen Glove – I haven’t played as long as you have (just 13 years here – got started late) but for some reason there is a misnomer that we don’t love and know our game. I would venture a guess that I am on par or perhaps more knowledgeable than most Canadian hockey fans as to the game. Our fans deserve a team. When hockey returned to Denver many people hadn’t watched it, didn’t remember the Rockies, but we sold out some 450+ games straight. Yes, they were good teams with Hall of Fame talent. We all know that A$$G screwed us, that argument needs to be like the horse that got rode hard and needs to be put away wet.
SomaAtl95
May 24th, 2011
2:19 pm
Casual (Non Thrashers Fans) please take note – There was never public knowledge that the Thrashers were in trouble or even up for sale until January 2011. Our ownership group dropped that steaming loaf on us the days after Big Buff was signed long term. That is the A$G for ya, they’re pi$$ing on us hockey fans and don’t even have the decency to call it “Rain”
WPG Jets 2011
May 24th, 2011
2:26 pm
glovesave29
Well I never said you guys don’t know hockey, and don’t you guys get 14-15000 to your games? Thats a lot of fans, I never thought Atlanta should be sold – especially after reading about the type of management you’ve had for 11 years. I think with proper management Atlanta would be huge, but if the owners don’t care about the product and your still getting that type of attendance – imagine what you’d get with caring owners. I think its too close to success to move this franchise. I’ve said it before, I would rather have our original franchise, Phoenix, then have to take a franchise from somebody else. The unfortunate part is your owner seems bent on getting rid of it rather than trying to succeed. You are right that a lot of people think most southern teams don’t belong, but I think if they looked into longer they would see Atlanta had a real chance at being a real successful team on and off the ice.
As far a FarmBoy, believe me, he doesn’t speak for me or most Winnipeggers. And the blogs on TSN are like 14-yr old kids, really hard to read. It seems that hockey brings out the worst bloggers most of the time in Canada. Don’t know why that is.
steve brown
May 24th, 2011
2:26 pm
After living and loving in Atlanta I feel for the “Brothers” the Thrashers brought in and their future “Hot” Winnipeg.
Zombie Steve
May 24th, 2011
2:36 pm
Some of you old farts should come out of retirement and skate with us up in Duluth; we’re always looking for new skaters. We’ve got plenty of guys past the age of 45 out there; they’re wily old guys too!
no money
May 24th, 2011
2:41 pm
By virtue of the ugly manner in which the Atlanta Spirit Group has mismanaged the Thrashers, I for one will not give more moeny to this group by attending any Hawk games either. The only way they get any of my dollars is with a one way ticket out of town forever!
SomaAtl95
May 24th, 2011
2:44 pm
If we lose the Thrashers and IF we ever manage to get NHL Hockey back hopefully it is in the Gwinnett Arena. With a little bit of work that would be an awesome place for NHL games to be, especially with a practice rink across the street.
Each and every game has the potential to sell out when you don’t have less then 45 minutes to get from work to the arena, parked, fed and seated in some of the absolute worst traffic in the country.
Regardless of what happens with the Thrashers and NHL I hope that as of today the Hawks become the Clippers East. I want nothing more than our basketball team to die a slow and painful death. Then we can see how much Atlantas mayor actually cares.
stephen
May 24th, 2011
2:48 pm
I will tell my story as a Thrashers fan. I was a season ticket holder. I own three sweaters and numerous thrashers golf shirts. After the 06-07 campaign, I swore that the Thrashers would not get a penny of my money until Don Waddell was fired. I have not gone to the arena, watched on TV, or bought anything Thrashers related. I may be one of fans who created this situation by withholding my support but I am okay with that. If my choice was send my money into situation I did not believe in or have the Thrashers leave, then I had to choose the Thrashers leaving. I do the same thing now where I do not support GE, GM or Chysler. I am happy knowing that I did not give money to the ASG lawyers. I am sad to see hockey leave and I hope that Atlanta will get a 3rd team where on opening night the team burns a effigy of Don Waddell.
Badger Bob
May 24th, 2011
2:52 pm
WPG, I applaud you for seeking out facts. Here’s hoping a few in your media do the same. G&M did have an article recently about the Atrociously Slanderous Gang being largely to blame, but most media, including TSN, simply like showing the first few minutes of a game with small crowds in portions of the lower bowl. Attendance is problematic, but never as bad as portrayed by the majority of CDN media. I’ve seen games from Maple Leaf Gardens when the suits in the front 10 rows have left by the third period and the building looks mostly empty, so don’t be deceived by pictures.
For a good sense of how it “feels” in Philips during a game, go to this link with amateur (sorry Smoothie) video during a relatively meaningless mid-season non-conference match up. Fans have passion, no doubt:
http://thrashingbirds.blogspot.com/2010/12/st-louis-blues-oust-thrashers-after.html
lilibeter
May 24th, 2011
2:55 pm
I am a life-long optimist, but I am losing more and more of my already-forlorn hope at this debacle continues. It is becoming increasingly difficult to hold back my tears at the thought of losing my beloved Thrashers. True, I may be a girl, but in this case, my tears and my sadness are not attributable to being a member of the “softer gender”. I feel bitter and angry and betrayed, and I am infinitely sad that my bitterness, anger, and betrayal are worth nothing to the ASG and now, seemingly, to the NHL management as well.
I am a good ole South Georgia farm girl who was raised on a strict diet of football, baseball, and basketball. However, when I became an adult and transitioned from playing sports to watching sports, I began looking to expand my sports palette to something more exciting to watch. Hockey, with all of its non-stop action and excitement, was the natural answer. Now, I love this game. Specifically, I love my Thrashers.
Over the last several years, it has broken my heart to watch my poor Thrashers struggle and fight to prevail against every obstacle the ASG could throw at them. I cannot afford season tickets, but I have bought, begged, and borrowed my way into an average of 20+ home games per year. When traveling, my husband and I have even managed to catch a couple of road games and have experienced the joy of watching our Thrashers whip up on the Preds and the Isles in their home arenas. For those games that we could not attend though, we have been glued to the television, radio, internet, or whatever other media might be broadcasting the Thrasher’s game, rooting for our guys in blue. While I may not have the expendable income necessary to be a season ticket holder, I am absolutely a blue-bleeding Thrasher’s fan, and thick or thin, I support them with my voice, my money, my loyalty, and my patronage.
I want to fall on my knees and tear at my hair and beg the NHL to step in and rescue my Thrashers from the abysmal ownership under which we have suffered. I want to take the NHL by the proverbial shoulders and shake some sense into them so that they can see what rabidly loyal fans the Thrashers have here in Atlanta despite our utter disillusionment with the incompetent management with which we have been saddled. I want Gary Bettman to look me in the eye and tell me with a straight face that Atlanta is getting the same fair shake that every other NHL city has gotten. I want to scream and rail and blast the Fates for even thinking about taking my beloved Thrashers away from their adoring city.
In the end though, it seems that Gary Bettman and the NHL are going to tell me that I am nothing more than a lowly hockey fan whose loyalty and hard-earned dollars simply don’t matter enough for them to step in, overthrow the idiocy visited upon fans like me by the ASG, and give my Thrashers an honest chance to succeed in Atlanta.
glovesave29
May 24th, 2011
2:59 pm
“The unfortunate part is your owner seems bent on getting rid of it rather than trying to succeed.”
EXACTLY – now you get it. We’ve been fed that for 7 long years. At some point you just start to care less and less.
Cornbread
May 24th, 2011
3:05 pm
Thank you to the Canadians who are here and have finally realized the truth and real reasons the Atlanta Thrashers are where they are today. I know you have not heard much about that reality from the Canadian media – or the likes of Barry Melrose.
To those of you who may still have doubts about Atlanta’s viability as a hockey market, ask yourself this:
After seeing the fan support in this year’s All-Star game and playoffs from smaller “non-traditional” cities like Carolina, Nashville, Tampa Bay, San Jose, and even Anaheim (bordering LA), do you really believe that the city of Atlanta with 5.5 Million+ people and 27 Fortune 1,000 HQ’s would not support a committed and successful NHL team?
If you are being honest, you know the answer.
James Ham
May 24th, 2011
3:06 pm
This Manitoban is sorry, Atlanta hockey fans. I am a little ashamed at how self righteous, and seemingly entitled, our fans have become in this effort to bring the NHL back to Winnipeg. I think a lot of the “trolls” mucking about on these message boards may have been too young to really remember what it was like for our fans when we lost our team. Still, I want an NHL team back in Winnipeg as much as anyone and again am sorry it may come at your expense.
Farm Boy
May 24th, 2011
3:07 pm
Newsflash mike i was from Brandon, i know how we lost the jets…It was a hurry up and move sale, old junk arena, not enough skyboxes, not enough corporate sponsorship on and on. Least our rally we raised close to a million i think it was and had thousands show up. Bettman never gave Winnipeg a chance to save the team like he is pissing around with Phoenix.
I live on the west coast now and always go to Canucks games, so been to many NHL games, and tickets are not cheap. Afford a NHL game get real when was the last time you dropped $200 for a ticket? Game 5 tonight i will be at the Rogers Center…
Bottom line if the owner wants to sell the team he can do as he wishes. It’s not the fans team Hockey is a BUSINESS.
Real class to burn a jets flag Real Class..You can burn the thrasher flag soon enough.
Cry all you want it’s out of your hands. You don’t own the team and money talks..
WPG Jets 2011
May 24th, 2011
3:09 pm
Badger Bob
Your right about those Leaf games, enough to drive your crazy because most of are media are Toronto based, and you never hear anything bad about Toronto.
It does surprise me that there isn’t more in-depth reporting on the Atlanta management situation because usually when it comes to hockey the media here are very accurate, however, because there is the possibility of a Canadian team joining the NHL, the only thing they talk about is when is the deal gonna be done, and what is the new name gonna be. I think if the situation was reversed we would hear a lot better reporting. In Canada as far as NHL franchises go, there is a big push on for more Canadian teams. I wish I knew more about the Atlanta situation before this whole thing happened. It happened so quick, Atlanta was mentioned a couple of times, but literally after the Phoenix situation was settled, boom the sale from Atlanta happened. First thing I wondered is why Bettman moved heaven and earth for Phoenix, which really is a lost cause – and did nothing for Atlanta. I thought that because of that we might have a problem here in Winnipeg buying the team. I thought for sure we would hear more about that but I’ve heard nothing, like I say I mostly learned about the poor management and other details of the Atlanta team here on this blog.
glovesave29
May 24th, 2011
3:15 pm
“Bottom line if the owner wants to sell the team he can do as he wishes. It’s not the fans team Hockey is a BUSINESS.”
Wow – capitalizes it to show emphasis. Really now? This is a business? Gee FB, thanks for telling us – perhaps that is news to you. But we are all really quite aware of that fact.
SomaAtl95
May 24th, 2011
3:15 pm
Money Talks, Farm Boy Walks. Heres to hoping your ‘Nucks choke yet again.
EA
May 24th, 2011
3:24 pm
Farm Boy, WOW, you are willing to spend $200 on one ticket. I am so impressed–NOT
WPG Jets 2011
May 24th, 2011
3:35 pm
Wienerpeg Trolls
My apologies
hockeygoon79
May 24th, 2011
3:35 pm
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