Cowardly Bettman ignoring evidence of Thrashers fans
Gary Bettman is blaming Atlanta hockey fans for not supporting a bad product. (AP photo)
In his most recent spoken example of the Wile E. Coyote/Acme explosives/NHL public relations disaster, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman somewhat admonished Thrashers fans for not buying tickets to what has been a crummy product for most of their 11 seasons.
Quoting here: “Demonstrating your dissatisfaction by not going to games is an interesting strategy. It’s your absolute right. But if it becomes a turnoff for anybody who might want to buy the franchise, the long-term consequences could be severe.”
Imagine if we applied this philosophy to other aspects in our life.
Buy a new car. If the doors fall off two blocks down the street, that’s OK. Just make sure you support that dealership by buying another one next year. Eat at a new restaurant. If dinner makes your stomach feel like there are a thousand screaming piranhas in it, that’s OK. Eat there the following week, because you wouldn’t want that restaurant to go out of business. And this time, bring friends!
Bettman doesn’t want to leave the impression that the NHL is on the verge of abandoning Atlanta again (which it is). So he is trying to lay the ground work for the Thrashers’ exit to Winnipeg. He’ll point to attendance and stupid stuff like only a few hundred fans showing up at a rally. He’ll do everything possible to try to convince you that this mugging wasn’t his fault and he had no choice.
Don’t fall for it.
All aboard for Winnipeg . . .
Let me tell you a story. The Braves averaged about 10,000 fans per game in 1988, which they finished 54-106. In one late-season game, attendance was announced at 3,017. Ex-Brave Gerald Perry mused, “Sometimes, we look up from the dugout and say, ‘This’d be another good day to paint the seats.’”
Let me tell you a story. In 1989, 7,792 fans showed up for an NFL game, or at least one between the Falcons and Detroit Lions at old Atlanta-Fulton Stadium. When one fan was asked why he purchased a ticket, he responded, “It was a Christmas present, and I didn’t want to let my brother down. He could be here, but he said he’d rather go to grandma’s.” The Falcons finished 3-13 that season.
Postscript: The Braves started winning in 1991 and attendance doubled. It tripled by 1992 and quadrupled by 1993. Falcons’ attendance spiked under Jerry Glanville, dropped again when the team lost, then returned after Arthur Blank, Michael Vick and success arrived (38 straight sellouts).
Most of you probably understand where I’m going with this. The cowardly Bettman is in the corner with his eyes closed, ears covered and loudly humming, pretending not to notice.
If a team wins, it draws fans. If a team does the right thing – or sometimes even just leaves the impression it’s trying really hard to do the right things – it draws fans. Atlanta losing an NHL team isn’t about Atlanta not having enough hockey fans to support a franchise. It’s about the fact that people grew fed up with supporting a bad product run by bad ownership.
Let me tell you a story. In their inaugural season, the Thrashers sold out 14 games and averaged 17,205 fans per game in a 61-loss season. A year later, they averaged 15,265 in a 47-loss season. In three year, the team got worse and attendance dropped even more.
The Thrashers made the playoffs in 2006-07 for the first (and only) time in their history. Funny thing happened. They sold out more games (11) and averaged more fans (16,239) than in any season since the first.
Millions of Braves fans didn’t suddenly move here in 1991. Blank didn’t hand out $500 bills across state borders to get people to come to Falcons games. Thrashers fans didn’t move after two seasons, then come for the playoffs, then move again. This isn’t about a market. It’s about a fan base that has seen too many car doors fall off.
In 2003-04, Chicago, an “Original 6” team, had the second-worst record in the league and ranked 27th in attendance at 13,253 (2,000 less than the Thrashers). Six years later, when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, they drew 21,356.
Could it be there’s a connection?
Bettman will try to convince you Atlanta just didn’t want hockey bad enough. He’ll ignore the reasons. He’ll grab millions in a relocation fee from a city that he moved a team from 15 years earlier.
The Winnipeg Jets averaged 11,316 fans in their final season — 2,000 less than the Thrashers drew this year. Don’t expect to read that in the news release.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Earlier: Countdown: Bettman, Spirit on Facebook, angry beaver, Monta’s tattoo
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455 comments Add your comment
Duke
May 25th, 2011
2:37 pm
Is it truly over?? Hockey Buzz.com by Eklund…Winnipeg ticket drive to begin this weekendIs there another group still working on this? Yes,but they are running out of time, and far behind True North…Yet they are smartly continuing on knowingif for some reason everything falls thru, they would be the new group that is farthest along..Ther is a small ray of hope for Atlanta fans..not in just saving the Thrashers, but more in terms of them possibly bringing another team to Atlanta with a lease that would be more doable. Also, there is an NHL bylaw at play here..The Board of Governors is reqd. to ask the NHL if they tried everything possible to avoid relocationg the team. That question will be posed on June 21.
Raise the roof in Gwinnett, add 3 thousand and bring a team here…Again. Third time is the charm!
Guffman
May 25th, 2011
2:55 pm
@ ATL Oberver
I would think that ASG would prefer to sell to the highest bidder, regardless of whether it was local or to a group that would relocate the team elsewhere. The problem is, the team is not worth that much in Atlanta compared to Winnipeg. If the team is only worth $50M in Atlanta, and the NHL forced them to sell locally, then that forces down the value of franchises if there is a large impediment to moving. If the established value of some of these hard hit franchises plummets, banks that have loans to these franchises will view these as shaky investments, and may start calling in their debts/raise interest rates.
Mayne the fair thing to say is that the potemtial local owners only would pay fair value for keeping the team in Atlanta, but not the outside relocation value.
It’s the same problem in Phoenix. The NHL wants to sell at an inflated value, and that is why no one will buy it unless they get massive subidization from the government.
This game is all about artificially keeping up franchise value, and that kills markets like Atlanta and Phoenix.
RickyM2
May 25th, 2011
2:59 pm
It wasn’t one thing that failed. It was a series of things that failed. Fans didn’t go to games. But they didn’t have a product to support. That lays strictly on the ownership. They didn’t put in place a viable GM or a PR team. Unless you count Thrasher getting arrested. It could not compete with the local NBA or NFL teams as far as getting fannys in the seats. When
Kovalchuk walked away from $100,000,000 and opted for Free Agency, that sent a strong message. In order to sell a team, the new owners want a name to market. Tampa has St Louis and Lecavalier. Florida Panthers won’t last much longer either with Miami Heat drawing all the fans and TV viewers. The NY Islanders are already looking at brochures of Kansas City because they can’t get a building to draw fans.
Richard Bagge
May 25th, 2011
3:11 pm
I swear, having attempted to read that incoherent, illiterate bafflegam on the hockeybuzz.com message board, I will never again complain about the quality of the commenters at the AJC.
Although, that would be really funny if the Coyotes play one more season in Phoenix before relocating here.
Joshuaprayedfervently
May 25th, 2011
3:23 pm
The Canadian market is interesting to the NHL because A) Canadian investors are willing to drop Top Dollar for a team; B) Canadian Cities have greater interst in going to see the a NHL game, C) The NHL has no competition in most markets (No NBA or MLB only in TOR) This practice might not grow the game but it grows revenue for the NHL. As long as the economy is down the Canadian Dollar will stay above or close to par that makes Canada a better investment and I have seen Canadian Industry grow while the US ecenomy has still a long way to recovery. You will see more teams relocate and some will move into Canada with the NHL blessing and support.
Mr. Putter
May 25th, 2011
3:28 pm
@ Emi in Montreal
Hey, thanks for backing me up. Like the way you handle yourself.
Emi in Montreal
May 25th, 2011
3:44 pm
@ Mr.Putter…You’re very welcome and thanks for your comment….you made an excellent point with your 20 million loss to keep the Thrashers in Atlanta… it makes no sense finacially…
Old Flames fan
May 25th, 2011
3:56 pm
And how do you account for ATL having the largest fan club in the NHL? If memory serves, I believe it wasn’t too long ago the Islanders were horrid. Gee, 2 teams in NYC, plus Buffalo, plus Boston a mere 150 miles away, and the Devils closer than that…why not move one of THEM to Winnipeg if the NHL is so all-fired set on moving a team?
Get ‘em, Jeff. Nothing would bring me more joy than watching Bettman turn tail and run…or have him pull a Newt and find himself backpedaling from here to British Columbia.
Tom Lysiak
May 25th, 2011
4:03 pm
Jeff, I posted this on the other blog earlier. Got any knowledge on this subject? Thanks
“In keeping with the shady dealings of this whole sale, doesn’t anyone else think it is weird that an “exclusive negotiating period” was never announced with TNSE and the losers? It was made public on that John Moores “deal” for the building rights and the Hawks. Was this to allow them freedom to negotiate with any local buyers? Or was it because the deal was long done and they think people are too stupid to notice? Seems like another question the league and ASG should answer.”
Tom Lysiak
May 25th, 2011
4:08 pm
Jeff, I guess I should have said knowledge OR insight?? Thanks
Emi in Montreal
May 25th, 2011
4:13 pm
@ Old Flames fan… Yeah ATL may have the biggest fan club ( who cares )… but does that bring in money to keep a team ?? show me one year the Thrashers have made profit since being in ATL… let me help with the answer…. ( none ) …Since 2005 the Thrashers have lost 130 million… they almost lost as much as the team is worth….. with the Canadian economy rising and the Canadian $ higher than the U.S… it’s profitable for the NHL to have a team in Canada….
Mr. Putter
May 25th, 2011
4:28 pm
@Billsen
I’m 6/8th’s Canadian. My Mom was born and raised in the town of Montreal, Quebec. I started playing pond hockey in Canada when I was 3 years old. I’ve seen the USA/RUSSIA exhibition on VHS where team USA had its butts handed to them prior to the 1980 Olympics and saw Tyson beat Spinks on cable…I’ve refused Thrashers season tickets since year one, and would never pay in advance for a season that is never going to happen.
Why do I mention this? Because I’m very sick and tired of being told I’ve never been there! I’ve lived in North Atlanta for years, I’ve been in Philips (never below section 200 however because taking a step lower requires a copy of your mortgage)and frankly, I’m quite well versed when it comes to this town, and its fans. Also, I’m not sure if this is relevant, but Thrash bit me once…
As Jeff pointed out (but seems slightly misguided) the same financial (money) problems don’t happen in “traditional” markets when the teams are poorly run because the teams still generate MONEY. Look at the attendance of teams like the Blues, Bruins, Blackhawks, Islanders and Penguins sucked wind (money) – you MIGHT see a decided correlation between attendance and team performance, but they still make money. Money, money, money. TV, money. Television, Nielson Ratings, TV, TV, TV. Money, money, money Viewer discretion is advised. Money.
The teams you mention are *profitable* and don’t lose 20 million + annually. And even when they aren’t setting the world on fire, investors step up because they look at the team’s full HISTORY see the potential to make……………………………….money? That couldn’t be what this is all about.
4 of the 5 you mention are Stanley Cup winners. The one who isn’t is a former President’s trophy winner.
THAT is the simple truth……………*whispering* Money.
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[...] Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz is one of many who took offence to something that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had to say recently: He’s blaming the fans for the financial struggles of the team! [...]
Smart Goat
May 25th, 2011
5:06 pm
@ Canada….really? Are you kidding me? You’re comparing 5.3 Million people, most of who can’t even spell “Hockey” to a passionate 3/4 Million people in a city that has proven over and over and over again that they know, love, and support all levels of hockey.
Emerging market? You’ve had way too many years and franchises to have the audacity to even suggest this is an “emerging” market. Call it was it is……..a lost cause.
Do you realize just how un-credible you look??? Dwindling economy? How does 4% unemployment compare to Atlanta? Couldn’t hold on to a franchise? Gee……don’t you think that’s the pot calling the kettle black???? How do you justify calling Winnipeg down for exactly what Atlanta did with the Flames, and is now doing with the Thrashers?????
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May 25th, 2011
5:06 pm
[...] Interesting link from Tim Greene about Gary Bettman ignoring Thrashers fans: Bettman [...]
Dave
May 25th, 2011
6:17 pm
I guess Bettman never learned the lesson the American auto makers learned years ago. People won’t buy a crappy product if they have a good alternative. I guess he also hasn’t noticed that the economy isn’t great right now and people don’t have a lot of money to piss away on junk. If you want to fill the seats provide a product that is worth the cost of the admission. This isn’t Chicago where Cub fans will fill the seats year after year after year…….. for over a century now waiting for the Cubs to produce something or the Black Hawk fans who had to wait 49 yrs for a championship just to see the owners promptly dismantle the team afterward. The Thrashers have been here only 11 years but have never produced much to get fans behind the team. The Cubs and the Black Hawks can get away with a so so product because they have the generation effect on their fan base.11 years doesn’t allow for the fan base to develop like Chicago and NY where it’s something passed down from generation to generation by the parents. That sort of fan base helps those teams weather the ups and downs. There’s plenty of hockey interest in this town. Don’t blame the fans. Blame the ownership for putting minimal effort into producing a product people want to buy.
Cornbread
May 25th, 2011
8:07 pm
Jeff Schultz get a hold of Anson Carter!
Cornbread
May 25th, 2011
8:15 pm
Do you realize how stupid and selfish some of you Canadians sound? You realize what your stating is the great “Major League” game of hockey is really just a niche sport capable of only being enjoyed in certain regions of the world unlike baseball, football, basketball, golf, and soccer. In your small world it is nothing more than cricket, lacrosse, curling, or Aussie rules football. How very sad for you and, much worse, the game.
Montreal Mike
May 25th, 2011
8:44 pm
atlanta can’t support a hockey team. Too many rednecks and low rents who don’t understand the game and want everything cheap. Come to Canada for real hockey fans!
Todd Go
May 25th, 2011
10:15 pm
Well said Jeff…you’ve been our champion of accountability through this slow, painful death. Keep hammering them until they’re gone!
HillMan
May 25th, 2011
10:22 pm
If Anson truely had a legitimate interest and offer, where is Jess Jackson on this issue?
SEA
May 25th, 2011
10:27 pm
Bettman “Deal May Not Happen”—What does that mean?
Keep Hockey in Atlanta
May 26th, 2011
1:47 am
Emi, Montreal has also been around for decades so their fan base has grown through the generations. Can you really expect Atlanta to have the same kind of following that a Toronto or Montreal have? If you do then you’re crazy, also baseball is a great sport so I don’t see why it should not be shared with our neighbors to the north.
staythrash
May 26th, 2011
3:12 am
That’s be amazing if the deal falls thru and I’m not even a thrashers fan. Actually I’m from a place that has lost an nhl team too.
ATLman86
May 26th, 2011
10:54 am
Thanks for a Great article Jeff! Great numbers from attendance and great points. Gary Betteman should have to face the music, but being in his position he never will. I just hope he steps down in 20 years or so and a competent guy takes over. Maybe by then Atlanta will have forgotten the Thrashers and we can work on trying this again…3rd time is the Charm I am sure.
Matt Basta
May 26th, 2011
11:22 am
Thank you, Jeff. Your RATIONAL analysis of numbers and facts is refreshing. I was a season ticket holder for 4 years and even traveled to NY for our lone playoff. (Try walking into MSG with your head up wearing a Thrashers jersey among thousands of Rangers fans.) Anyway, I moved to LA in 2009 for a job, and the toughest decision I had to make was giving up my Thrashers season tickets. For anyone who was around during that Southeast Division Champion season, Philips Arena WAS ELECTRIC. Great ownership and a winning attitude drives any franchise. I implore any billionaire out there to step up, purchase this team and give Atlanta the hockey team it deserves. Come to table with passion, energy and a voice, and trust me, the Thrasher fans will line-up and follow you through thick and thin. Keep up the great work, Jeff.
Craig Conway
May 26th, 2011
11:26 am
Jeff you hit everything right on the head great article!
signed: A very sad thrashers fan.
peregrinari
May 26th, 2011
11:53 am
Jeff, I think I speak for all Thrashers fans when I say this… it’s good to know that you’ve got our back, at least.
And jarvis… ease up on the Canadian bashing, will you? It’s not helping anything. Most Canadians are just as frustrated with the NHL as we are.
Brendan
May 26th, 2011
12:21 pm
If Bettman really, truly wanted to punish the Spirit, LLC, he’d force them to eat the losses in 2012, and without his revenue-sharing dollars.
Crystal
May 26th, 2011
12:56 pm
Thank you Jeff!
CF
May 26th, 2011
1:45 pm
The fans are sick of carrying the blame. We supported your sorry team that the owners were too cheap to buy players for that would insure success. We paid increasing amounts each season for already overpriced seats to games ruined by sub-standard management. We welcomed the opportunity to ensure an impressive All-Star weekend and volunteered our time. We will hear from people all over the continent that we have no fan support in Atlanta and that hockey doesn’t play well in the South because we are too redneck to understand such a sophisticated game. We carry the burden to educate the masses on the real reasons not one but two franchises were sold to far away cities to hide the investment shortcomings of the owners and the league leadership. Thanks Bettman for kicking us while we are down.
CF
May 26th, 2011
1:48 pm
Oh, and Montreal Mike….check out how much of Atlanta’s population is made up of educated, diehard hockey fans transplanted by jobs to a this city before you make such insulting blanket statements. It just makes you look as ignorant as you undoubtedly are.
Justin
May 26th, 2011
2:13 pm
Thanks Jeff.
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[...] – Cowardly Bettman ignoring evidence of Thrashers fans [...]
jason
May 26th, 2011
3:51 pm
twitter.com/countbettman hillarious parody account of bettman
trevor
May 26th, 2011
4:12 pm
haha… did you even read what Bettman said? your analogy is horrible. look. “Eat at a new restaurant. If dinner makes your stomach feel like there are a thousand screaming piranhas in it, that’s OK. Eat there the following week, because you wouldn’t want that restaurant to go out of business” — implying you don’t care if the restaurant goes out of business. if you ACTUALLY don’t want the restaurant to go out of business, then the only thing you can do within your power IS to eat there again. but you don’t, and when they go out of business, you don’t care. if that’s an accurate comparison to the hockey team, then you’re saying that yeah, the product sucks so you don’t go see it – and then you don’t care if the product is gone, because it sucked. yes, it’s ASG’s fault the team is going to move – everyone knows that. but attacking that particular statement by Bettman is beyond ridiculous. the bottom line is EXACTLY what Bettman said – if you don’t show up, you don’t make the team an attractive purchase. if anyone here wants to deny that, probably aren’t going to ever experience much success in the business world.
hajda
May 26th, 2011
11:41 pm
mr. shultz, excellent article! gary is the biggest snake in pro sports. people can blame asg all they want but at the end of the day it is up to the league to protect its markets if ownership becomes a problem. gary has always done exactly that and stepped up to keep teams from moving in so many other cities it makes me wonder why he won’t do the same for atlanta … especially with that never-ending gong show in arizona. for over two years gary’s moved heaven and earth to keep that team in phoenix but he sells out the thrashers in a matter of weeks??? … and blames the fans??? If there is a relocation announcement, i hope somebody in the atlanta media cares enough and has enough nuts to be there and absolutely roast bettman publicly. his double-speak about how he cares about the game and the fans is truly sick.
Egghead
May 27th, 2011
8:09 am
Jeff Schultz Your article is spot on, Bettman is a worm no doubt about it. The exception being Winnipeg’s last season attendance.
For starters we were told the Jets were leaving at the end of the previous season. They out right told us this. How many Thrashers fans would buy tickets to go see a game that is about to leave town? There were no Balkan’s rumoured to be about in Winnipeg, there was not going to be any government subsidies, no White Knights to save the day so in essence the Jets were done like dinner. The economy sucked back when they left very similar to what the fine folks south of here are enduring now.
The original Wpg arena held 10,000 seats and was expanded to 16,000 albeit very poorly. I would say there were 12,000 NHL calibre seats the rest were a joke. If you were in the upper Ashtray’s you needed a oxygen mask and could not see entire rink even while standing, except if you were in very first row. The exchange at the time was 62 cents American = 1 dollar Cdn and all contracts were and still are paid, in American ducat’s. The city has grown, economy is flying and the new arena while small, is owned by the folks who want to buy your team. The Jets received no concessions money , no money from parking as the building was run by a city enterprise. They got a small percentage of the gate. That’s it!! They also received no money from concerts that took place there.
Today all of these monies go to the owner and the MTS Center is like the 7th most used arena in North America. Things have changed drastically. Then there is the salary cap and revenue sharing and were in a completely different ball park then 16 years ago.
I sincerely feel for the die hard fans of the Thrashers. I know this really sucks. But if you want a bad guy Bettman is it and your phoney owner. Saw him on TV last night, another worm I would say. He is so insincere about caring about the fans Blah Blah Blah. Its unfortunate that Glendale’s meathead mayor ponied up 25 Mill to rent the Yotes another season or you guys may have had the time to find a Real owner to run your team. Yes Winnipeg is buzzing at the thought of getting a team, but we take no joy in the sadness that is present in Atlanta right now.
I was down last year and went to 2 Thrashers games and met some excellent people. Went to some beer house type joint around the corner from the arena and had some Beers with a few lads. They teased me about my Jets jersey and I teased them about the score that night. Good bunch of guys. Sorry folks It just sucks all the way around.
Egghead
May 27th, 2011
11:10 am
Hey Canada…really?
what does local population have to do with it. if it was a simple as city must have lots of people they could put a team in Hong Kong or Mexico City, You know Hockey hotbeds. Silly comment. Lets look at Phoenix 17,500 seat arena selling tickets at 3 for price of one. So 17,500 divided by 3. And the arena is still not full. Then lets look at Winnipeg. 15,500 seats say Avg attendance is 14 K x FULL price brings in more dough. If your team is giving tickets away at deeply disocunted prices or free your doomed.
Mike
May 27th, 2011
2:27 pm
If fans stay away from lousy teams with lousy ownership, how do explain the Maple Leafs?
scott
May 27th, 2011
8:25 pm
This article is terrible. It’s name-calling and out-of-context quotes from Gary Bettman. Nobody in Atlanta wants to own the Thrashers. That’s not Bettman’s fault.
LAC
May 30th, 2011
5:40 pm
gary bettman can GO TO HELL along with asg and LIAR don waddell… I am so done with the nhl now.
From Winnipeg
May 30th, 2011
9:07 pm
I wish you guys could keep your Thrashers… the Jets died a long time ago and some people just need to let go and get over it. Truth is the Jets sucked when we had them… what’s gonna change really? I’d rather keep the Manitoba Moose (they actually played very good hockey) We are a small city and I think in a few years from now we’ll be saying goodbye to another NHL team. Sorry to any fellow Manitobans that disagree with me but come on here……….. let’s be real.
Tracy
May 31st, 2011
12:33 am
The last Thrashers game I went to was half empty and a 3rd of the fans there was openly rooting for the other team.
Atlanta is just a terrible city in general, so by default it’s a bad city for sports. Anyone in the east suburbs who enjoys hockey will just go to a Gladiator’s game. Dirt cheap tickets, free parking and you don’t have to use riot gear to get past the never ending stream of homeless panhandlers that infest downtown.
c. todaro
May 31st, 2011
2:22 am
i would just like to make a few points about mr. schultz’s misdirected anger 1) do not blame gary bettman it is very simple the owners are losing money they are trying to sell the team and no one in atlanta wants to buy it therefore they must leave . it is the same scenario that happened in winnipeg in 95 we constantly averaged over 13,000 per game but because of an outdated arena and ownership not owning the rights to parking and concessions and the 60 cent dollar no one wanted to buy the team so they had to go . 2) yes we averaged 11,300 fans in our last year but that was because we knew they were leaving and the corporate sector’s support in season tickets fell . every other year we averaged over 13,200 dont expect to read that in schults article. 3) someone pointed out the nhl business model moving a team from a population base of 5.3 million to one of 750 k . how about moving from 750 k to phoenix with a base of 4.3 million and losing 40 million dollars every year for 15 years is that better . 4) you have to understand that we are hockey fans with a new arena commited owners and an on par dollar we will average 15k fans here with a base pop. of only 750k we dont need our team to be great where as in southern markets they will come only when the team does great .
robert bishop
May 31st, 2011
8:08 am
just add the NHL to the growing list of pro sports that are fast becoming overpriced and out of reach of the average fan……eventually ( sooner, not later ) we’re all going to have to save our money for FOOD, HOUSING, and GAS. Grabit while you can you overpriced atheletes and greedy owners, it’s all coming to an end very soon.
Gil In Mechanicsville
May 31st, 2011
9:23 am
Jeff You sir are right on the money with your assessment. It is not only true of Atlanta but every other “sports town” in America. One has to wonder if many team owners are sociopaths as well as megalomaniacs. I remember Skip Carey once posing that “winning” is the best form of promotion.
I am a life long resident of the Old Dominion and remember the Va Squires of the old ABA. Some really great players passed thru my town on their way to the Hall of Fame. Heck, I even got to see Dr J when he was in his prime. Unfortunately, the owner used the team as a cash cow, winning was secondary and we the fans caught on to it pretty quick.
So, move on Atlanta, you deserve better than to have a bunch of carpet baggers blame you for their own failures. Success breeds success.
D. Scott
May 31st, 2011
10:25 am
I’m a Canadian (Ottawa) and for the hockey fans in Atlanta you have my sympathies. It is very unfortunate that none of the major companies based in Atlanta were willing to take on this challenge and market the game to the southern audience. For those who bring up Montreal and Toronto, get real! These are two of the most established hockey markets in the world and the comparison is not fair. It’s like comparing the NY Yankee’s marketing strategies to the failed Expos franchise. Hockey could work in Atlanta, you just need an owner with the imagination and drive to make it happen, unfortunately the Thrashers had neither.
Good luck to the new Jets or Moose, you will no doubt find a very warm reception in Winnipeg. Hopefully the players will go there with an open mind, yes it’s cold in the winter but you are now looking at the Green Bay of the NHL.
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