If the Thrashers left Atlanta, would anyone care? Oh, yes.
The Hamilton Spectator reported last week that a Vancouver-based group wanted to buy the Thrashers and move them to Ontario. Don Waddell, the team’s general manager, insists that cannot and will not happen, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t believe him.
Still, that got me to thinking: If the Thrashers left, would anybody miss them? (They ranked next-to-last among NHL teams in attendance, averaging 14,626 per home date.) So, via Twitter, I asked. And of 50 respondents, only four said they wouldn’t care if the Thrash went the way of the migratory Flames. A selected sampling:
John Bragg: “Aside from family, friends, and the basic necessities in life, there’s not much I wouldn’t trade to see Ilya [Kovalchuk] hoist the Cup in Philips.”
Chad Bryant: “This is like asking, ‘Would you miss your dog if it ran away?’ – except in this case, the dog is being stolen from you from rich and crazy Canadians.”
Catherine Olson: “I was born at Georgia Baptist Hospital in 1964. The myth that Southerners could not possibly like hockey kills me. I am so tired of every one assuming that all the hockey fans in Atlanta are transplants from up north. I am Southern and a hockey fan and better yet a Thrasher fan!”
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.Lance Blair: “Following them is my second religion and going to Philips is my second church. I’d miss the fans, the excitement, and the promise of the team’s bright future … If they left now I might consider moving to their new home.”
Pat DeSilva: “It takes character to be a Thrashers fan. It is not for everyone, but we Thrashers fans would like to see the base group grow and it will as the team continues to improve. There is currently plenty of room on the bandwagon.”
Barry Tennihan: “I hate to admit it but I would not really lose any sleep if they left town. It would be a negative for the city since we try show that Atlanta is a ‘major league town.’ Unfortunately, most of the blame would have to go on the backs of the owners (or the Seven Stooges).”
Jeffrey T. Cape: “I wouldn’t miss the Thrashers a bit if they moved. I will admit that attending a Thrashers game in person is a lot of fun – even if I don’t fully grasp all the rules and nuances of hockey – but outside the arena I have no interest in them. I can’t explain why this is so, but I don’t follow them, wouldn’t miss them.”
Debbie Ott: “My kids are getting older but the one thing we all still enjoy is getting together and attending Thrasher games … I definitely would not be going downtown and spending a trainload of my discretionary income any more if the guys weren’t there.”
Brett Williams: “I’d be furious and empty. As a native Minnesotan and huge hockey fan and player, it was hard to survive prior to the Thrashers’ arrival. If they left, I’d be like a fish out of water – flipping and flopping and trying to figure out how to survive.”
Billy Lindahl: “I’m willing to cheer for the fourth-worst team in the league every year just to see them every season.”
Chris Bennett: “I wear the Michael Myers mask [at home games]. I would be very disappointed if the Thrashers left. I am a born and raised Atlantan, third generation in fact … Thrasher wins make my days a little better as much as losses make them a little worse.”
Yes, the Thrashers qualify as a niche sport, but it’s a vibrant niche that makes our city that much nicer. We would be diminished if they weren’t around. I mean, you don’t have to go to the High Museum 41 times a year, but isn’t it nice to know it’s there?
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230 comments Add your comment
Mark Bradley
May 15th, 2009
9:54 am
Good post, Archie.
Craig
May 15th, 2009
9:56 am
Hockey is NOT a southern sport. I am not interested because it’s too slow and with that I have never played (not many rinks in rural middle Georgia), I cannot pick up on the nuances that keep me interested in another slow moving game, baseball of which I love watching. Hockey only draws those who are interested. Not many outside Alpharetta area where there are leagues and misplaced N’easterners.
jonnyboy007
May 15th, 2009
10:01 am
I have never been to a Thrashers game, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t care if they stay or go. I believe the Thrashers are very important to ATL. I believe once they win consistently they will be a big hit. Just look at the Hawks. Atlanta loves it’s sports, and the Thrashers are good for Atlanta. Now lets get new ownership and front office.
ndadome
May 15th, 2009
10:04 am
Two pages of hockey discussion and only one John Kincade mention? If the Thrashers leave, will he go with them? Now there’s a departure from Atlanta that I could get behind. I keep hoping ESPN will step up and take him off our hands. Is it just me, or is his mouth on upside down?
jonnyboy007
May 15th, 2009
10:13 am
Mark
When you get up in the morning you must cringe or laugh that you have to write another article where you know that people, the likes of ; falconfan, Mr. Sknyrd ( great group though), David Smith, James and their ilk will throw in their two cent (that’s all it’s worth). You must realized that because they say so it must be gospel and no other opinion is necessary or needed. Thank God the northerners are coming down to slow down the inbreeding.
woodie
May 15th, 2009
10:14 am
No.
Ace
May 15th, 2009
10:27 am
Are the Flames leaving?
Crazy Diamond
May 15th, 2009
10:28 am
We are so screwed. Atlanta Spirit ownership is a mess. Atlanta is not a hockey town. The team may never make a profit.
I would miss the Thrashers if they were sold and left town.
I continue to be disappointed in the moves made by Atlanta Spirit. Either way, we are so screwed.
Ace
May 15th, 2009
10:29 am
In all seriousness, I like your last sentence in the article Bradley. Interesting perspective that I agree with.
While we’re on the subject of non-mainstream sports, I think there would be at least as much fan interest in an MLS team as there is in the Thrashers. I know I’d try to make it out to a few games.
Rabnnod
May 15th, 2009
10:29 am
The Thrashers have a vibrant (if smaller) community. Evander Kane might help change that or nothing may change that. I know that I would hate to see them go. They are by far the best in person sporting event in town.
Smokey the Pundit
May 15th, 2009
10:31 am
I would buy the first tank of gas for them to leave town.
IlliniBrave
May 15th, 2009
10:32 am
Bradley and other Thrashers fans:
You all have proved my point – this is a “niche sport” with a very passionate but very narrow base of supporters. My family is actually from Canada – not too far from Hamilton in fact, and when I go home I go see a LOT of hockey – little kids, youth, even men’s leagues. Hockey is everywhere – it’s practically their religion. Football and baseball on the other hand are “niche sports” up there with limited (but passionate) bases of supporters. And if Hamilton lost the Tiger Cats or when Montreal lost the Expos, people aren’t going to care.
Mark Bradley
May 15th, 2009
10:33 am
Thanks, Ace.
World be Free
May 15th, 2009
10:40 am
To the anti-hockey morons; thanks for bringing your ignorance to this column. Now please take your stupidity back to The Vent where it belongs. Enjoy your next NASCAR event.
Alan
May 15th, 2009
10:48 am
It sure would be nice if we could expand media coverage of the Thrashers (Hint, hint).
I would be completely devastated if the Thrashers left town.
Thrashers marketing department needs to step up in a big way, and the media outlets here in Atlanta (TV news, AJC, etc) need to ramp up coverage of the team. Hockey might be a niche sport in the US at large, but it doesn’t have to be here. With virtually zero coverage of the team, it’s no wonder Canadians are salivating at the chance to steal another team from Atlanta.
IlliniBrave
May 15th, 2009
10:48 am
World be Free:
Why are you such a hater? “Morons” “Idiots” “In-bred” ???!!!
Dude, clearly this has struck a nerve. Maybe YOU need to move back to Canada or Chicago or Detroit or wherever you came from. If you don’t like A-town and the South, and folks like us who prefer baseball or football over hockey, then leave.
And I agree with the handfull of folks suggesting an MLS franchise to replace the Thrashers. With the large Latino population there is the potential for a huge fan base.
Nate
May 15th, 2009
10:50 am
I was born in Alabama and have lived in Georgia the rest of my 29 years in this life. Hockey is my favorite sport by far. I play with the Thrashers on Xbox live every night and I’m ranked in the top 4000 in the world. That ain’t easy, but they’re my team so I stick with them. If the Thrashers leave, you will get the chance to see a grown man cry.
Supes
May 15th, 2009
10:51 am
Of course people would notice and of course I would care.
It would be a disgraceful day of that was to ever happen.
Thanks to our INEPT ownership situation, a GM who is full of double talk and has failed the team/fans over and over again.
The Franchise NEEDS new leadership in the front office, and NEW (single owner if possible) who is from around this area and CARES personally about seeing the team succeed.
Garey G. Ris
May 15th, 2009
10:53 am
Mark:
For the most part, the Thrashers haven’t given fans a reason to attend. Very little on-ice success doesn’t build a fan base. In many ways, American fans are smarter than those in, say, Toronto, where the arena is usually sold out. In the Maple Leafs’ case, it gives the team no incentive to improve the product. (BTW, I read recently that the Leafs were expecting a $100M profit this season.)
Some of us with long memories remember the Braves of the 1970s with attendance below 7,000 fans at many games. Even the Red Sox and Yankees have had periods of low attendance.
I’m a New York Ranger fan going back to the early 1970s, but I like having teams in new markets. Dallas is an example where hockey works, not only because the team has been competitive but it also has worked hard to build minor hockey. Today, Dallas has something like 70 high school hockey programs.
Keep the faith, Thrasher fans. When the product improves, you’ll fill the building.
World be Free
May 15th, 2009
11:08 am
Illini-I am a native Southerner who has come to like hockey alot. You don’t have to like the game, but to hate hockey for no reason is very ignorant.
This article has allowed some people to say some dumb things. I guess I am at fault for doing the same.
Go Thrashers
Jim in BC
May 15th, 2009
11:11 am
Not all of us Canadians want to see the Thrashers leave. Hopefully ownership can surround Kovalchuck with better talent…A puck moving defenceman would really help your team. Once the Thrashers starts winning more games, the attendance will rise and so will the fan base.
Keep your heads up and your sticks on the ice!
Todd Palin
May 15th, 2009
11:12 am
Does anyone miss Terence Moore? (Or care?)
Terence, how is KING OBAMA’S “Change” working out for ya so far, Dawg?
Spud Webb
May 15th, 2009
11:24 am
Mark, I would miss hockey terribly if the thrashers left town.
Do me/us a favor, please, write more stories about the owners of the Thrashers & their GM. Call them out more, for the morons that they are. Please, I’m begging you. I guarantee attendence would go up if we had ANY faith in the GM and or owners. Especially now with our franchise player on the brink of leaving town in a year. SCARED TO DEATH. And Dandy Don will tell us “everything is ok”, we have a “plan”. hahahhahahhahahhaha, lord help us!!!
Jonnyboy
May 15th, 2009
11:34 am
Illbrave
You are obviously not a Hockey fan , WBF has just as much right to voice his thoughts as you do even if they do not parallel yours. WOW this column just like voter registration should require an IQ test before submitting a column.
alsim
May 15th, 2009
11:37 am
These results are from a team that has had minimal success. Imagine the bandwagon hopping if they put together a team that could compete!
Waddell needs to go.
.
Leonard
May 15th, 2009
11:38 am
Of course it matters that the Thrashers stay in Atlanta. Besides the obvious fans, it generates revenue for the City of Atlanta as well as the vendors in CNN Center and the many people that work Philips Arena during the games. The economic impact of the Thrashers leaving would be enourmous. Youth Ice Hockey in the area would also suffer as these teams get their moment when they visit the Thrashers Home games and sometimes get to meet the players. Any professional sports team in a city is always a plus.
Steve
May 15th, 2009
11:39 am
I’ve been a Thrashers fan since the inaugural season, and I’m a Southerner. My interest in the sport grows each year. (I’ve been watching a ridiculous number of playoff games.)
If any city in the South deserves to have a hockey team, it’s Atlanta: more than 5 million people and tons of transplants from hockey-loving states.
GO THRASHERS!
dawes
May 15th, 2009
11:46 am
keek the hockey team in atlanta i don,t care about anything in canada
Gonzo
May 15th, 2009
11:48 am
If Waddell could get his head out of the Butt of the Atlanta Spirit, and if the Atlanta Spirit could get their head out of each other’s butts, then may somebody could get enough oxygen to their brains to make an intelligent decision about what to do with this team. Putting a winning team on the ice would stop all this talk of moving the team.
Case and point, in the early 90’s, the Braves went from laughing stock of MLB to a premier team. Yes, I was here during the bad years as a kid growing up. Now my son and I enjoy watching the Thrash get pummled with the hope that they raise the Cup on Peachtree Street someday.
AJC: Take the high road and support this team. You can be critical without the hate. You may just pick up a reader or two.
Jeff
May 15th, 2009
11:49 am
Who ?
Poorbrave
May 15th, 2009
11:49 am
Enter your comments here
Steve
May 15th, 2009
11:49 am
An earlier poster asked, “Where do all these ppl come from? I don’t go to the other sporting blogs and leave inane comments.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if many of them are actually from Ontario.
So if you’re reading from Canada (especially Hamilton and Toronto), I hope these images still haunt you: the Cup hoisted in Raleigh and in Tampa Bay.
Mark Bradley
May 15th, 2009
11:55 am
Just because a sport happens to fill a fairly narrow niche doesn’t mean the sport isn’t worthwhile. But you knew that.
How quick you forget
May 15th, 2009
12:00 pm
All the anti-hockey folks with the teenage quality posts fail to mention other teams they follow in this town have gone through periods like this too because of similar reasons. And if you don’t like any of the pro-sports teams in this town, A. why do you live here? and B. your time is better spent looking for a job since you’re unemployed, or getting to class and focusing you ill-will on your GPA instead of bloging on a sports page.
Before Arthur Blank became the Falcon’s owner, many folks around the region were hoping they would move somewhere else. Why? Decades of poor management and ownership leading to embarassing attendance. I watched it first hand in old Fulton Co. somehow.
You Braves fans shouldn’t stick your chests out too much either. Before ‘91, no one cared what happened to that sorry franchise. And their blog may get a lot of responses, because they sure aren’t down at Turner Field these days watching in person.
The Hawks-Seen a lot of blue seats at Phillips since ‘99, even during the past two years with a more competitive team. The Omni days were very up and down also. I think Bradley may have written this same article about anyone caring if the Hawks left town during the JR Rider days. Talk about issues. The culprit? Ownership and management do it again.
College football and sports may be king here, but I see similar attendence issues and suspect AD’s running your teams at mediocre success rates also.
My bottom line is I want all the teams, pro and college, to do well in the region. I don’t want any to move, even though I don’t care that much for the Falcons or Bulldogs(for sure). I still hope they find a way to win the SuperBowl with Ryan, or live up to ranking expectations(Bulldogs). If the Thrashers found a way to win the Cup, not holding my breath, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be anything but a positive to local sports fans even if they didn’t follow hockey.
Bill
May 15th, 2009
12:01 pm
Thanks Mark for info. If enough fans are going to support the team, great. Management needs to put up or shut up.
Mark is there any sport you don’t like? You do a great job no matter what sport you’re covering.
thebighairybeast
May 15th, 2009
12:06 pm
I was born in Henry County, grew up in Conyers. Went to my first Knights game as a freshmen in high school and became hooked. The day Atlanta was awarded a franchise I threw a party.
Ive been a fan since day one. If the Thrashers ever left, it really would be awful. Especially because the only ones who have let this team down are its owners and its GM. The fans and the players deserve an ownership and managment that actually care about the team.
A bunch of wealthy men, each alone too poor to do so, have no business coming together to buy a sports team. If you sell the team, do so to someone committed to the Thrashers and committed to Atlanta.
Atlanta has a very real and very passionate hockey community. Transplants and homegrowns, there are alot of people who care about this team.
Mark Bradley
May 15th, 2009
12:10 pm
Aw, shucks, Bill. You’re too kind.
And, since you asked, there are a couple. I’m not a huge fan of college baseball. Or Arena football. Or golf. But I have warmed to NASCAR, which I never thought would happen.
kinggene
May 15th, 2009
12:38 pm
i will only care if they will play a decent type of hockey. these birds have been incompitent since birth.
English Teacher
May 15th, 2009
12:48 pm
Wow, Mark! Nice work. Very nice work. Why does the AJC ever ask Shultz or the artist formerly known as Terrence Moore to cover hockey? See you at the games next season.
bamroz
May 15th, 2009
12:52 pm
The Thrashers ownership and management have been the disappointment. I went to game 1 of the playoffs against the Rangers and the place was rocking. You have to have talent to bring the masses. Look at all we have lost…Heatley, Hossa, Savard. These are proven scorers who brought excitement to Phillips. Now it seems we have 1 so, so star in Ilya, several 2nd and 3rd line players, and the rest are minor leaguers at best. Management must bring talent into the rink if they expect Hockey to survive in ATL.
Pete
May 15th, 2009
12:56 pm
Would I miss the Thrashers ??
Honestly……………..NO.
Having a professional hockey team in Atlanta reminds me of trying to put the glass slipper on Cinderella’s step sisters. It just doesn’t fit.
Awkward and embarrassing.
Sooner or later they will leave, as the Flames did, and the powers to be will understand once and for all that Hockey is totally a waste of time in Atlanta where there are 3,879 other things for sports fans to do.
Mark Bradley
May 15th, 2009
12:57 pm
Thanks, English Teacher. But let me say this about Mr. Schultz: He knows his hockey. Way better than I do.
Spud Webb
May 15th, 2009
12:57 pm
Nail on the head bamroz.
OZZFEST
May 15th, 2009
12:58 pm
“SELL THE TEAM, JEB”……and we thought it could never get worse than Rankin’s band of idiots….
chucktown
May 15th, 2009
1:03 pm
WE HAVE A HOCKEY TEAM. WELLLL I’LLLLLLLLLLLL BEEEEEEEEEE
Karl Rove
May 15th, 2009
1:05 pm
Back the moving truck up! Leave already, I’ll help you pack and take Duff Waddell with you!
Phil
May 15th, 2009
1:07 pm
No. I hate hockey.
T-Bone
May 15th, 2009
1:36 pm
What’s even more discouraging as a Thrasher fan is watching the playoff adventures of our division rivals the Caps and Canes. The Caps roster is littered with first tier talent that will be a force for years to come and the Canes organization somehow fields a Cup-worthy team almost every year. Even if we dump Waddell tomorrow and get a GM with a clue we’re destined to be no better than 3rd in the division for another handful of years and that means playing (and praying) for an 8th seed at best. Good luck with that prognosis in this bandwagon town.
prootwadl
May 15th, 2009
1:49 pm
I grew up in the Twin Cities in a hockey family and was a North Stars fan for most of my life. When Norm Green took our beloved North Stars from Bloomington to Dallas in spite of a HUGE following in the state of Minnesota, I gave up on the NHL (and pro sports) for good.
Yes, I’d be disappointed if the Thrashers left, but it would just be more of the same — pro sports worship of the almighty dollar to the detriment of fans everywhere.
Supes
May 15th, 2009
2:06 pm
Who says “people don’t care” Don?
Who are “these people”?
We can do buck’s college football nuggets about Marve and his sage with the “U” in MAY!!! but we can’t talk Hockey? Speaks of the narrow minded “so called fans” of sports talk radio.
Buck and Kincade are not the problem, it’s the naive notion that “people don’t care”. Yes people care, talk about it and see if you don’t get callers on this topic on the “flagship” station”!