Thrasherville will not soon forget what Atlanta Spirit did here
On October 5, 2007, opening night of the Thrashers 2007-8 season, Atlanta Spirit co-owner Rutherford Seydel stood by as the 2006-07 Southeast Division Championship banner was raised to the rafters of Philips Arena. He took control of the microphone as it was hoisted up and made a promise, a vow, to the 18,707 fans that had packed into the arena…and everyone else in the greater Thrasherville community. He assured us that night that he and the other co-owners would do everything in their power to bring a Stanley Cup championship to Atlanta.
I remember this event very well. My wife and I were sitting in section 319 along with our two sons. Just six months prior we were in 316 for the first playoff game in team history, feeling the upper deck shake when Eric Belanger scored the first ever post season goal for the Thrashers.
Rutherford Seydel stands by as the 2006-07 Southest Championship banner is raised to the rafters of Philips Arena. That night he promised the AS, LLC would do everything in their power to bring a winning team to Atlanta. It was a promise that went unfulfilled (AJC/Pouya Dianat)
Unfortunately, Seydel’s promise was not only to go unfulfilled but as we now painfully realize, icing a competitive NHL team was in fact never the intent of the Atlanta Spirit, LLC, (Lies, Lawsuits and Contempt). His pledge that night was nothing more than hollow words uttered by one-eighth of an ownership group that never planned to put forth any effort whatsoever to back them up.
Just a few days after that opening night, I posted my first “Ice Man” blog on this site. By then we had had already seen the team drop the first two games and were on their way to six straight defeats to start the season. But before game number seven was played they fired head coach Bob Hartley…the only coach ever to take them to the playoffs and the only one ever to lead them to beyond 83 points in a single season.
I wrote a blog that day saying “good-bye and thank you” to coach Hartley…a man I had gotten to know and respect while my oldest son attended a couple of his hockey camps. In that opine, I indicated that the only true measure to gauge whether or not the move was the correct one or not would me determined by how the team fared afterwards and by who he was replaced with.
Of course, the person that finished the season behind the bench was general manager Don Waddell, whom so many felt should have been the man departing Thrasherville instead of Hartley. The team finished that campaign with a record of 34-40-8 for 76 points. They followed that up with another 76 effort during John Anderson’s first year as head coach then 83 in his second and least season. Last year they posted 80 points with coach Craig Ramsay at the helm.
I’ll leave it to you to determine whether or not the move to replace Hartley was a success or not. I think you all know where I stand on that issue.
AS, LLC: The Roots That Caused The Tree To Rot
While I understood that there were serious issues facing this Thrashers organization the day Waddell announced Hartley’s departure, what I didn’t quite yet have a firm grip on back then…something every Thrashers fan should have now…was just how deep the roots of the true problem with this organization ran. It was easy to point a finger at the only GM the franchise had ever had…really easy… but the fact of the matter was that the tips of the root system that was rotting the Thrashers tree forked in eight other directions…one to each of the partners that made up the Atlanta Spirit, LLC.
Bob Hartley will be remembered as the only head coach to lead the Thrashers to a playoff berth. Thanks to the AS, LLC's lack of commitment to success, the team never came close to that level of play after he was released (AJC file photo)
From the day they took over the Thrashers, Hawks and Philips Arena, the AS, LCC members admitted they were not hockey people. But over the course of time we began to understand that they not only had no clue what they were doing as owners of an NHL franchise, they actually had a certain disdain for the them as well as their the fans. As such, they were treated as unwanted stepchildren.
The Spirit Boys took over at a time in the Thrashers history when the team was moving up in the hockey world. In the years leading up to that banner-raising night in the fall of ‘07, they had gone from 74 to 78 to 90 then to 97 points and a playoff spot. This team had no issues putting butts in seats on a regular basis back then…even to the point where there was talk on this blog about a “sellout jinx” as they had a habit of playing below par in front of a full Philips Arena.
It was a “jinx” the Spirit Clowns made certain we would not have to worry too much about in seasons to come.
A packed Philips Arena was not much of a worry here the past four years because Levenson, Seydel and the rest of the Great Octocluster choked off funds needed to keep top-tier talent, the main cause of the organization’s Player Retention Deficit Disorder. First it was Marion Hossa departing Atlanta at the trade deadline of 2008 along with Pascal Dupuis…who also scored for the Thrashers in their first playoff game…for such superstars as Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito and a draft pick. The revolving talent door continued to spin leading up to the departure of Ilya Kovalchuk two winters ago.
Ilya Kovalchuk departed Thrasherville in February of 2010. He was not alone in understanding the owners of the team he played for made playing here futile. It is they who should hang their heads in shame (AJC/Curtis Compton)
Hossa, Kovalchuk and others departed Thrasherville for pretty much the same reason…the owners lacked a commitment to do what was necessary to build a successful franchise here and so they decided to take their talents elsewhere.
All the while, the Octocluster remained distracted with their years-long legal battles amongst themselves.
As if this wasn’t enough to turn Atlanta area hockey fans sour to their product, co-owner Bruce Levenson…the person the rest of the Spiriteers deemed the most qualified to represent the hockey portion of their little investment…employed such PR skills as calling a season ticket holder a “smart ass” during a town hall meeting. Later in that gathering when he was asked by another paying customer about rising ticket prices at the same time the on-ice talent level was being lowered, Levenson said we would have to just “deal with it”.
Insulting the people who they expect to shell out major coin to enjoy their product…yup, Brucie boy, that’s an excellent way to endear yourself and your team to the local sports community.
The Atlanta Spirit ‘Disposes’ Of Its Unwanted Stepchild
But today, the most dysfunctional and pathetic ownership cluster flop ever to stain the fabric of professional sports delivered their final insult…final slap to the face…to those who supported and followed the Thrashers. After running the team straight into the ground…after running the team at bargain basement levels at or just over the league minimum…after lying to the fan base for six years about their desire to “dispose” of the team…after displaying a contemptuous demeanor towards you and I…the seven remaining co-owners collected their millions and spirited the Thrashers off to Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Whether Don Waddell was coaching from the bench or performing GM duties, the team he was responsible for placing on the ice was often times simply too painful to watch...for the fans and the players (AJC/Curtis Compton)
They will say that they had no choice…that there was not enough fan support to attract buyers intending to keep the team here. They’ll once again point the same finger of blame that was wagged in our faces last winter when Michael Gearon, Jr announced their desperate attempts to unload the team. They’ll say and do all of this, that is, if and when they acquire the intestinal fortitude to publicly answer such questions.
But to the notion that the fans here are to blame for what the Atlanta Spirit did to hockey in Atlanta I have but two words:
Bravo Sierra.
The responsibility rest squarely on the shoulders of the giant steaming pile of EPIC FAIL known as the AS, LLC…and I will toss in their willing accomplice Don Waddell, who for seven years merely serviced this team at bare bone levels and met payroll.
Unfortunately, none of this does anything to heal the pain that is felt by Atlanta hockey fans…and sports fans in general. You know what happened here, although so many across the continent may not. Anger, frustration…these words do not do justice for what we feel towards the individuals who inflicted this upon us.
One day I’d like someone to ask them all if they felt any shame for the damage they inflicted here…damage that could not have been any worse if they deliberately intended to do so. But feeling shame is a quality reserved for souls that actually give a damn about anyone outside of their own personal spheres. So looking for such with this group would be a bit much to ask.
And Finally…A Vow To You, Atlanta Spirit Boys
And so on behalf of the good people of Thrasherville, I would like to address the following to those directly responsible for this disaster…Mr. Seydel, Mr. Levenson, Michael Gearon Sr., Michael Gearon Jr., Ed Peskowitz, Todd Foreman, Beau Turner and even Steve Belkin.
The beginning of the end of the Thrashers. The Atlanta Spirit, LLC take over as owners in 2004 (AJC Staff Photo)
In the spirit of that now-infamous “vow” from Rutherford Seydel to fans on October 5, 2007, I now make a solemn pledge to each and every one of you.
We will not forget you and we will not forget your names. But most importantly we will not forget what you collectively did to destroy NHL hockey in Atlanta, nor shall we forgive you for your actions.
It is a promise…a pledge…that I am quite certain will be kept far better than the one you made to us that night when the one-and-only Thrashers championship banner made it’s way up from the ice of Philips Arena.
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516 comments Add your comment
Smoothie
May 31st, 2011
3:43 pm
“It is a promise…a pledge…that I am quite certain will be kept far better than the one you made to us that night when the one-and-only Thrashers championship banner made it’s way up from the ice of Philips Arena.”
Amen Brother Bill! Another gem of a blog in the midst of a tempest of lies, audacious duplicity and contempt for the fans of the Thrashers, some of the most beleaguered fans to have ever been spurned by owners in the history of professional sports. Well done Spirit-less group!
Bravo! Atlanta thanks you for your contribution to the tainting of Atlanta’s reputation as a “bad sports town”…hope you’re proud of yourselves you dimwits!
Trixie – please delete the earlier attempt. Thanks!
BehindEnemyLines
May 31st, 2011
3:44 pm
Joining those who want to thank Rawhide for his service. Anything else I’ve got, much of which can’t be printed in a family newspaper anyway, can wait for another day.
acowa
May 31st, 2011
3:45 pm
In all but a handfull of US cities, the NHL owners are losing money. There’s going to be many NHL owners turning in the keys to their teams in a lot of unprofitable cities. The Spirit Group just jumped off of a sinking ship and cashed out. Although I am disappointed, I can’t fault them for doing that.
Flames
May 31st, 2011
3:47 pm
I LOVE THE ATLANTA THRASHERS!!!!!!!!!!
GetReal
May 31st, 2011
3:47 pm
When Hartley left, the team was a goner! No way you fire Hartley and keep Waddell. Why did they fire Hartley, because he disagreed with Waddell and probably the owners for not building the team he wanted, but what they desired.
At least, hopefully, this will spell the end of Waddell in the NHL.
ChrisH
May 31st, 2011
3:48 pm
Just got a mass email from the Atlanta Spirit idiocracy explaining the moving of the team, and there is a grammatical error in the SECOND PARAGRAPH. If that doesn’t symbolize the ineptitude of these morons, I don’t know what does.
Baldheaded Thrasher Fan
May 31st, 2011
3:49 pm
Bill,
What a long strange it’s been….
As an 8yr STH I’m definitely going to miss all the fans and the gatherings in the courtyard before the games. Good Luck to all!
One thing that I always thought was odd about Philips was that before the game the loud speakers would be plying rap or hip-hop when I thought ” Gee why aren’t they playing the 680 pregame show?”, but it wasn’t like they really had a clue. It is really so very sad that for whatever reason David McDavid was screwed by AOL and ASG got the deal!
I am curious though with Beau Turner and Seydel as part of the ASG how much Ted was involved, and some thought Ted would bail the ASG out??
Wish I would have introduced myself to you at the arena and told you how much I enjoyed your blog, maybe I’ll see you in Nashville or somewher else, but I don’t intend to stepping into Philips as along as ASG are the owners.
So long Bill and God bless you and and your family and all other Thrasher faithful!
Devilsfan
May 31st, 2011
3:51 pm
@Fagstaff
Kovalchuk always has nice things to say about Atlanta and Thrasher fans. I believe he truly wanted to stay but given the situation of the owners he had no choice but to move on.
For those that are interested here is what Bobby Holik had to say about the move and ownership.
http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/fireice/comments/holik_saddened_by_news_of_thrashers_demise_blames_ownership_and_management/
Badger Bob
May 31st, 2011
3:51 pm
“We want to express my gratitude…”
Yep, ChrisH, inept to the core!!! Go Glads!
Smoothie
May 31st, 2011
3:51 pm
I got one to work!! How about this one:
F UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU Atlanta dis-Spirit cluster!!
EA
May 31st, 2011
4:00 pm
Devilsfan-thanks so much for the link to the Holik interview. Kovalchuk got thrown under the bus like the rest of us. As late as yesterday, stupid Rutherford Seydel was saying we offered Kovalchuk big checks. He didn’t say that he left because he saw the writing on the wall.
johnnyboy
May 31st, 2011
4:01 pm
As an admitted casual Hockey fan, but an Atlanta native, I hate to see the thrashers go. I put my butt in the seats during their playoff run, and was good for 3-4 games a year. At least my 2 year old boy got to go to his first hockey game in Atlanta. I have the ticket stub and picture to prove it!
polskidawg
May 31st, 2011
4:09 pm
Well said, Bill.
Thank you for your entertaining and informative blog the last few years – I’ll miss it.
EA
May 31st, 2011
4:11 pm
Joe, I suggest you catch up on your reading as to why the Flames left and now the Thrashers.
Joe
May 31st, 2011
4:12 pm
in reality, hockey doesn’t belong in Atlanta. Two teams failed should be enough for any city. Face it, the fans were not supporting the team, even with ten dollar tickets. Hockey belongs in Winnipeg, not Atlanta.
Cornbread
May 31st, 2011
4:12 pm
Bill – Thank you for providing one of the best hockey blogs on the internet. Your knowledge of the game and Thrashers exceeded that of major market and national media. I’m glad I had the privilege to talk hockey with you here and during a game this last season between my two favorite teams, the Thrashers and the Flyers.
To my fellow commentors and fans – There are no more knowledgeable and passionate hockey fans anywhere. We all know where the true fault of this failure lies and it was not with us. I will miss talking hockey with you.
To the Atlanta Thrashers – I am truly sorry that you were never given a true shot and were literally killed in your infancy without much of a shot to save you. The odds were always against you from the owners, the NHL, and Canadian media. It did not have to be that way. You deserved much better. A legitimate effort from the powers that be is all we ever wanted and asked for and never got.
As for me, I am done with hockey. I got my first pair of skates for Christmas in 1969 and learned to skate on the frozen ponds of Pennsylvania when I was 4. I played organized street and ice hockey throughout my youth. I stopped skating when I was 17 and then did a 5 year stint in the Army and afterwards ended up in Augusta, GA where there was no ice. Then, in 1998, a year before the Thrashers were born, Augusta got its very own ice hockey team, the Augusta Lynx, and not one but two sheets of ice. I played a little roller hockey before but getting back on ice after 15 years was one of the greatest thrills I’ve had. I love skating, especially backwards and that is why I was always a Defenceman. The only thing that beats that sensation for me is snow skiing.
The game was growing back in the mid to late 90’s and I wanted to be a part of that by playing and introducing others who had no clue what a great game hockey was. I attended nearly every Lynx home game and several on the road. I was an ECHL off-ice official for 4 years, played 1-3 days a week for the past 13 years, captained some of my teams, reffed some beer league games, coached youth hockey, bought all 4 of my nephews hockey gear, and donated skates I bought at thrift stores to the local rink. I truly believed the NHL’s mantra that “hockey is for everyone”. But, we all know now that is not the case.
Hockey was growing not only in Atlanta but in places nearby like Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Charlotte, Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston. All have good pro teams and/or youth and adult hockey programs. I had the privilege playing at a high adult level with NHL, AHL, ECHL, SPHL, and Junior/College players and coaches. I was never anywhere near that good but learned a great deal about the game from them. That is what I will miss most about the game, actually lacing them up with others who had a passion for the game and tried to make it grow. But all of that has been sucked out of me by the ASG, Don Waddell, TNSE, NHL, and Canadian media.
I am done with hockey. Done playing the game, going to games, teaching the game, and promoting the game. You NHL have lost not only a fan of the Thrashers, Flyers, and NHL, you’ve lost a fan of the game who has been one for life. I’m an old Caddy at the Augusta National but haven’t played the game in 4 years. I think it’s rather fitting and time to pick up that game again now that I am done with hockey.
Sadly, I know I am not the only one who feels this way.
Peace,
Sam Graci
Dwayne
May 31st, 2011
4:16 pm
Bye Bye Birdie!!!
Enjoyed it Bill.
Stendek, where ever you are, God Bless, you rotten SOB…(jk)
Sage, you have won.
Brendan, continue with the novels on the Winnipeg blogs, maybe you’ll drive some of thier fans away and we get the Thrashers back.
Stroznadamus, will we get another team?
Hockeydad
May 31st, 2011
4:18 pm
Well stated Ice Man. May I add the fact, even before ASG purchased the organization, the Hockey Operations/Management, run by Waddell, did not market the team very well. Any business needs to be marketed properly. You must market to your core base and the initial marketing strategy of “Hockey in the Streets” was idiotic and failed miserably to add season ticket holders. Despite the lack of good marketing, and as you stated, Phillips was still rocking under Hartley. I think the Coburn for Zitnick trade was the beginning of the end.
Gregg
May 31st, 2011
4:24 pm
IDIOTS!
Autiger83
May 31st, 2011
4:25 pm
screw the Atlanta Spirit. What hubris to even use that name. They put a crappy product on the ice and look what happened? These fools should have taken a page out of Arthur Blanks book to learn how to build a sports franchise. Atlanta is a good sports town. High prices for tix and a lousy product equals the results they got.
Go play in the PEG. The ATL says GOOD BYE.
Blue Blood
May 31st, 2011
4:29 pm
I am greatly saddened at what ASG has done. How do I rationalize this to my grandson who has lived and breathed Thrashers hockey since he was born. How do I explain that first of all dishonest Turner Broadcasting goes outside the system to sell them to an inept group of morons who happen to have an insider named “Turner” as a partner. The court system ruled that they were the first to screw the Thrasher faithful. And how do I explain the NHL letting this happen when they are “supporting the fans” in Phoenix? If the NHL Board of Governors are willing to take the bribe of a “relocation fee” and vote to allow the move, may they all go to h*** before I’ll ever spend another $ on watching one of there games. I guess I’ve now stepped inside Philips Arena for the last time!!!!!
DWTOO
May 31st, 2011
4:34 pm
We’re all mad and upset today. I’m taking a haitus from hockey (at least the NHL) right now – just too painful. Buttman and his crony Daly will always be on the permanent list. But for all those swearing off hockey forever – DON’T LET THESE DINGLEBERRIES RUIN THE GAME FOR YOU!
There’s always the Gladiators for live hockey. And Center Ice. And even with my advanced age I’ll keep playing until the broken leg lets me know it’s time (very close).
Who knows? Someone may do some research and bring a team to Atlanta again. Never say never.
Smitty
May 31st, 2011
4:35 pm
Yawn
rd
May 31st, 2011
4:48 pm
as a former employee of the the Flames they (current owners) wanted noting to do with Flames players or staff and only hired 1 person with the old team and later on fired her this was an insult to the old fans who had started hockey in atlanta.I just wished they had hired David Poile(Nashville GM& ex asst GM for the flames he knew the town &hockey.At least they have rinks for the kids to play on when the Flames left kids had to go to Chattanoga&Birmingham to practice& play. The boomer must be furious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LAC
May 31st, 2011
4:53 pm
Hey matt from minn, Anywhere ANY TIME AH ! You just let me know, OK PUNK ???
Robert
May 31st, 2011
4:57 pm
Atlanta Spirit LLC’s tactics torpedoed the Thrashers’ chances. Then, when the fans refused to drink the Kool Aid, they claimed they had no choice but to move the team
Rightly so, the Thrashers’ fan base loathes Atlanta Spirit LLC
This is in stark contrast to Braves fans. Bobby Cox consistantly torpedoed the team’s chances for two decades. And yet the fans not only drank the Kool Aid, they demanded to have more. And they loved the idiot.
I understand and respect and feel for Thrashers fans
The Cox-lover fan base – to me it’s like feeling sorry for a masochist
Joe
May 31st, 2011
5:09 pm
People of Atlanta had 11 years to support a team and now your complaining? Sorry, had your chance. Should have supported the team while they were here.
Tim
May 31st, 2011
5:09 pm
With any luck, all members of the ASG will contract genital warts.
Big Wally
May 31st, 2011
5:11 pm
New entry into Websters Dictionary; ASG; to screw, cheat or lie.
Big Wally
May 31st, 2011
5:15 pm
And the low life scum bag of the of the day award goes to Joe.
Sage of Bluesland
May 31st, 2011
5:16 pm
Wow, I just had the “pleasure” hearing Gearon’s interview with the clown Kincade…and he was actually crying. Yes, that’s right, crying.
I haven’t stopped laughing over that performance worthy of an award.
(It reminded me of some of the sheep and their bleatings which were so wrong for so long….Oh well, my bank account and mental-health thanks my instinct/judgment for not throwing good money after a fraudulent product…)
To Don Waddell–you actually SAVED me alot of money over the years. Where once I deemed you a lisping, blustering buffoon, I can see now you are the ultimate survivor and salesman. You managed to pull the wool over so many eyes and survive, nay THRIVE, despite your repeated efforts to the contrary.
I am amazed. Simply amazed.
To the blogmaster–You have been the only good thing associated with this franchise, albeit relatively indirectly. It’s a shame it wasn’t more direct–but that’s not your doing. The only thing in Thrashersland where the performance exceeded expectations. I will miss your musings.
Finally, to the many sheep–Adieu. Maybe you’ve learned some basic fundamentals of economics…but, then again, maybe not…
Thrasher1
May 31st, 2011
5:20 pm
“The worst ownership group in the history of Atlanta Professional Sports”.
Only a group of idiots could have stopped the momentum of the team and the direction they were going – and as luck would have it – this group found a way to be that group of idiots…
Please, please sell the Hawks and ’soon’ before they find their way back to St. Louis.
litz
May 31st, 2011
5:22 pm
Re: the pregrame hiphop/rap music ….
the Thrashers allowed various players to pick the warmup music. For some reason, they more often that not, picked Bogosian to provide it … Bogosian’s choices in music …. …
Only thing I’ve ever heard worse was when Garret Wang picked the music selections for last year’s Star Trek party @ DragonCon. Thank god, I was heading off-shift and didn’t have to stay.
ben
May 31st, 2011
5:22 pm
honestly, I cried for three days when Kovy left. The team died with his leaving for me. I’ll never forget while working as a researcher for MARTA a while ago now I sussed out accidentally that they were trying to sell the team by keeping payroll low. In traveling all over America I saw firsthand how hockey is the fourth sport on many even traditional market radars. I loved this godawful wretched team, but I learned. I learned that the NHL’s business model simply doesn’t work. This league and maybe the sport it promotes is in long-term trouble. I’m 33 years old, I bet by 53 Atlanta will have another team. I’ll bet that MLS, or something very like it will surpass the NHL as well as the NBA in popularity, and if the Winnipeg Whatevers are still there they’ll be just another struggling franchise.
I will miss blogging with you all. It seems that none of my friends and family are afflicted with this hockey bug I caught some years back on the same night I had captained my soccer team, as a goalie I might add, to yet another championship.
honestly my favorite Thrashers memory was cheering young Michael Garnett to his shutout.
Sage, you were right to leave when you did. Mr. Tiller, will you blog elsewhere about hockey? In mere days I’m about to become a very busy man again as Grad School starts anew, this may well be my last post. I was one of this paper’s very first posters and now I’ll be one of the last. The original reason for the lowercase “b” in my screename was that uppercase was not an option at the time on that keyboard and it just stuck out of habit / tradition. Brendon, though we might have disagreed at times, I enjoyed reading your posts
No gnashing teeth from me, I had real tragedy happen in my life. Friends and family died way too young. I’m watching my best friend of 29 years go slowly insane from a birth defect. Another friend of mine literally died right in front of me. This is not a tragedy, it’s a business deal. I’ll pipe it in over the internet for $20. As I suspect, will most people who truly loved this team as I still do, despite the fact that they are leaving.
My best friend, in an ever-increasingly rare moment of lucidity said this: “Ben, look on the bright side. Now you can root for the team you want to root for, and not just the one in your hometown.” Now, I’ve passed that advice to you.
Yes my soul has a hockey-shaped hole but it shall be soon filled by another thing, either the renamed Thrashers, another hockey team, or something else entirely.
In the words of Garison Kielor, Be well, do good work, and stay in touch.
pegger
May 31st, 2011
5:34 pm
Dear Atlantans:
We all know Bettman’s a joke, and though we’re glad to have hockey back in a city that actually gets snow and ice, we would have preferred it as an expansion team instead of at your expense. If you want to watch the Jets games on TV for old times’ sake, we’d like that.
Cheers,
Winnipeg.
Tom Lysiak
May 31st, 2011
5:35 pm
If you have time, go check Scott Burnside’s article on ESPN. He knows the deal and he nailed it. Not that any of us needed to hear it, but lots of these trolls sure do. I hope karma hits hard where it should.
There really isn’t much else to say, but the second time around is no easier. FUASG.
Ted Turner Ups and Downs MLB, NHL & Rasslin'
May 31st, 2011
5:35 pm
I have always thought that Ted Turner saved Atlanta Sports when he bought the dead from the neck-up Braves in the 1970’s. The Braves were on the way out of town had he not ponied up and made the SuperStation nationwide and the Loveable, Losing Braves the real “America’s Cable TV Team.”
Teddy Rimshot bought the Hawks after they couldn’t even sign David Thompson and Marvin Webster from jumping to the ABA. The start of years of misery. UNtil Niq’ came along. But, definitely filler for the SuperStation and TNT.
I was lost when the Flames left town. Turner could have bought the Flames for far less than he paid for the Thrashers. What a legacy that team could have had had they statyed in Atlanta with Ted’s leadership and he probably could have added them to the SuperStation.
When he bought good old World Championship Wrestling from the Crocket family, his team built up a head of steam that overtook the world wide leader in sports entertainment, the World Wrestling Federation. WCW regularly Whipped WWF’s butt in television ratings.
Good Ol’ Ted was a Sports Tycoon….and don’t forget he won that stupid yaught (big-assed raft for us red-necks) that happens every four years. Somekinda America’s Cup race for good ol’ Captain Courageous!!!
But, sadly Teddy Courageous lost his zest for rafting in the ocean on his real fast raft…America no longer wins that big boat race every four years.
Sadly Teddy Ballgame lost his zest to manage, sign free agents, and Own the Atlanta Braves. The team that single-handedly won just about everything possible in the 1990’s – just one World Series. But, that was enough for me. Now we are at the mercies of Liberty Media Group and they care about as much for the Braves as the Atlanta Spirit Group did for the Thrashers.
As far as Teddy Turnbuckle and his WCW Rasslin’ company, he again lost his zest. He signed just about every superstar in rasslin’ and went broke when he decided that Hulk Hogan was still a huge draw. He eventually sold WCW to Vince McMahon and became a laughing stock.
Well, then Teddy Puckster decided he would bring good ol’ hockey back to the crown city of the South. He’d build a new Arena put his Hawks, Thrashers and whatever else he could in there to make money.
Lost interest again — sold out to the Atlanta Stupid Guys and the face of Atlanta Sports has never been the same. Why didn’t you pony up the money to Tom Cousins in 1980 for the Flames?
Ted Turner saved Atlanta sports many years ago — but when he lost interest ATL sports has never recovered. Remember him sleeping in the owners box at Atl Fulton County Stadium during the World Series? Has Ted lost his lust for living, smoked too much whatumacallit, watched one too many late night movies on his television channels.
Oh, has CNN been worth a nickle since he sold that franchise?
Ted Turner has a baseball stadium named for him in Atlanta. I wonder if Liberty Media will one day rename the Ted for some corporate hog willing to pay them big money.
Ted Turner will always be beloved by most of us.
But, to tell the truth, Ted, you never completed the drill or the mission.
Why did you lost interest in so many things?
Little Zoomo (age 9)
May 31st, 2011
5:36 pm
Gary Bettman is a jerk!!!!! All he cares about is getting 60 million dollars!!!!
David Ellis
May 31st, 2011
5:37 pm
It’s time to start hoping for a third chance! While it’s a longshot, there are some places that have gotten third chances in sports. The Nationals are Washington, DC’s third shot at baseball. Also, Cleveland has had three shots with the NFL. Originally they had the Rams, which abandoned them for Los Angeles in the ’40s. Then they had the Browns, which left in 1996. Then they received a third shot with the lates incarnation of the Browns. It’s a longshot and it would take a while, but there are other NHL teams with ownership problems, starting with Phoenix, and the fact is we fans got hosed bigtime. Against all odds, keep hope alive.
dougefreshtb87
May 31st, 2011
5:39 pm
I always thought the movie major league was a fictional movie, i never thought i would see it first hand in the city i live in. Ill let you guys comment on who plays what character, what a sad day.
dougefreshtb87
May 31st, 2011
5:40 pm
except no happy ending
Kevin
May 31st, 2011
5:46 pm
Hey hey You did have a ECHL team in Gwinnett remember guess who own them the thrashers and the Three stooges n the Marx brothers….they Move out also to a different city near to them like Russia too.We lost 2 hockey teams now..wait that be sound of 680 the Fan bein remove from Espn list of sports Radio…and where atlanta mayor in all this no chance he rather worry about hawks…Nothin more fun stanley cup the NHL just gloatin Bettman liein and Belkin fake tears!
Jameson
May 31st, 2011
5:48 pm
At least we can all rest easily knowing that if the NHL ever wants to put another team in Canada, we can enjoy NHL hockey here for around 10 more years.
3stripes
May 31st, 2011
5:49 pm
Sad, sad day. I’ll chime in with my thanks to Rawhide for a blog I followed religiously, and also my thanks to all of the excellent, knowledgable posters who made reading the blog a treat.
My anger with ASG, Gary Bettman, and a vast majority of the sports media, especially in Canada, will never die. As a Thrashers STH from day 1, I’ve been hung out to dry, and I won’t forget. Or forgive.
drajax
May 31st, 2011
5:50 pm
Rawhide: thanks for the column, not blog, but a column. If I ran a newspaper I’d be proud to put you in daily. A winning team would have brought more publicity that would have brought more fans. A winning hockey team was not a possibility once the AS determined they understood basketball over hockey. So the fans lose. I will miss the games terribly. As all of you know there’s nothing better to watch live than hockey. That being said I will save a lot of money next year getting the hockey package on cable. I’ll root for the Wings or the ex-Thrashers and wonder what might have been.
Mark in mid-town
May 31st, 2011
5:51 pm
Granted that the owners of the Thrashers were a despicable group of shameless liars who deserve all the criticism and contempt directed their way. But why didn’t some of Atlanta’s wealthiest step up to the plate and buy the Thrashers? .Where were the multi-billionaire owner(s) of this liberal newspaper who I think are easily the wealthiest Atlanta citizens out there? The price to buy the Thrashers would have been chump change to such people. At the end of the day, the reason Atlanta no longer has an NHL team is that there were no ultra wealthy Atlantans who thought it was their civic duty to help keep the Thrashers in Atlanta. I’m not saying they were wrong to not step up to the plate, but I think the city has been greatly damaged by their unwillingness to do so.
Kevin
May 31st, 2011
6:03 pm
Yes Kincade was the offical Butt kisser of Belkin n friends n Waddell….he a clown as he shows his poise n non support of Us! Yes 680 the Fan off air at 7pm 920 the Fan same..wonder why no one heard any home games…This be fun i wonder if Local NBC here channel will show any Hockey here on tv anymore…Bet Direct tv drop NHL here n the Hockey Pkg u pay for see all games now!
BoogP
May 31st, 2011
6:03 pm
What is it about a thinly capitalized confederacy that we from the South didn’t get. The day these guys started this there was only one hope: they sell to a single owner benevolent well funded Atlanta supporter. Otherwise, this was all doomed. These franchises, except in very unusual situations, just don’t fund well. We are saddened but those of you who thought this would work even in the beginning were delusional dreamers. Sorry to say but these jokers acted as you have expected – as they by design were forced to. Say goodbye to hockey forever in Atlanta not because the town won’t support a team, but because we didn’t find a way to get a solid supporter to own this gig.
joyaman
May 31st, 2011
6:04 pm
Thanks for the blogging Bill. Will miss your coverage of issues that didn’t make it on to the AJC’s radar until it was too late. Credit also to Shultz for calling out the ASG clowns before it became an acceptable practice to harpoon an advertiser – once it was clear that the club was a dead man walking.
The campaign to bring an AHL franchise to Atlanta begins today. It’s the only realistic way we can salvage the sport. It also would require committed, local ownership (read – not ASG!). I know that the loss of the Thrashers has been a severe body blow to all true hockey fans in Atlanta, but the time to act is now:
> ASG is desperate to avoid 40+ dark days at Philips. They should provide an AHL team with free rent for two seasons (keeping parking and concessions) if they mean what they say about their remorse. If they’re lying again (as most suspect), F-em and put the team in Gwinnett, as ASG watches their lease rights at Philips go “poof” in a couple of years.
> True North Sports now needs to unload their AHL Manitoba Moose franchise.
> Tampa Bay, Nashville or Florida would perhaps want their primary farm club located closer than Norfolk, Milwaukee or Rochester, respectively. Especially in a town with direct flights to every potential callup location in North America.
> One or two years with no top-tier hockey (sorry Glads fans, but the ECHL is barely a cut above the reconstituted CHL, which boasts of powerhouse franchises such as the BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT MUDBUGS) would truly be the death knell for the sport as we know it. There’s a fine line between low-level minor league hockey and professional wrestling, which we all know would win out in the end.
But seriously, we need to bypass the know-nothing mayor and get real hockey going again somewhere in the metro area before it’s too late. If purchasing a sinking NHL ship that was taking on $20M in annual losses didn’t make sense to our usual local corporate benefactors, perhaps running a competitive AHL franchise stocked by NHL teams would.
Joe
May 31st, 2011
6:06 pm
Atlanta is one of the worst sports cities in America. The Hawks or Falcons will be next.