Hello/goodbye? Byfuglien stays, but the Thrashers could leave
You make the call: A salute to fans or a gesture of farewell? (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
On Tuesday we witnessed that rarity: A big-time hockey player who actually wants to stay a Thrasher. Unlike Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk, Dustin Byfuglien was willing to re-up with the local hockey club. But now we ask: How much longer will the local hockey club be local?
The Thrashers’ corporate brother is having a a lousy year at the box office: The Hawks are 24th among 30 NBA teams in average attendance, down nearly 2,000 paying customers a game over last season. And still that beats the Thrashers, who until lately were positioned to make the playoffs for only the second time in their existence; they’re 28th in the 30-team NHL in attendance.
As if on cue, co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. told esteemed colleague Chris Vivlamore on Tuesday night that the Thrashers could indeed sold and moved if the Spirit doesn’t find additional investors/cash soon. “A sense of urgency,” was Gearon’s phrase, and when you hear that from ownership … well, that’s pretty close to “see you later,” is it not?
And there you had it, just another addled day in the life of the Spirit: Hours after Byfuglien re-signs for $26 million over five seasons, Gearon says his group needs money in the worst way. And we imagine, not for the first time, just how it must feel to be a Thrashers fan. The team finally upgrades at general manager and coach and finds a star willing to stick around, and then, from Gearon …
“The reality is we need fans showing up and we need investors, or a primary investor.”
The wonder isn’t that this club draws so few fans but that it still has so many. The wonder is that 13,056 folks (on average) keep supporting this forlorn franchise. Bless their soon-to-be-broken hearts.
By Mark Bradley
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136 comments Add your comment
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 16th, 2011
11:04 am
Is there anymore pitiful ownership anwhere in professional sports? It’s a shame.
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 16th, 2011
11:05 am
*anywhere
BG33Brown
February 16th, 2011
11:05 am
Man, it is frusterating to be a fan of this team. In fact its almost impossible to deal with the owners incompetence.
BG33Brown
February 16th, 2011
11:07 am
AND TO ALL THE HATERS OF HOCKEY AND THE THRASHERS. This isn’t a competition of UGA vs Auburn or Tech vs UGA. If you don’t like hockey-fine. I’d assume you haven’t been to a game BUT having a hockey team is important to Atlantans. Support this team and support your city.
Mark Bradley
February 16th, 2011
11:09 am
I hear you, BG33.
sugarpikegang
February 16th, 2011
11:11 am
first
gcs
February 16th, 2011
11:12 am
If the Thrashers leave town, the owners better leave too.
I am going to have to get my pitchfork and torch out of storage
.
polskidawg
February 16th, 2011
11:16 am
Completely and shamefully the biggest group of incompetent, disingenuous, lying b*stards in the history of Atlanta sports ownership. That’s saying something in a city that has previous seen the Smith family as owners.
DMR
February 16th, 2011
11:17 am
Michael Gearon is begging for a life raft. This is the same man who scolded fans just a while back, when complaints arose about how the Hawks were being run, and to that his response was…”Fans don’t understand!”
Seven owners…seven egos…and not one of them gave a damn about this franchise in their initial purchase. Now they are begging someone to hop on board and save them. Gearon is babbling…”Support this team…support this franchise!”
Fans are CONSUMERS. Give a consumer a good product at a fair price and you will be rewarded for doing so. Ownership has provided a lot of empty promises, high cost, and low quality. That is the recipe for disaster in any business.
I wish the SPIRIT luck selling the team. Truth is, until they are out of the sports business, I personally won’t give them a dime of my hard earned money.
Fish Bisch
February 16th, 2011
11:18 am
I would support them but I live too far away to attend games frequently.
Rogie
February 16th, 2011
11:19 am
The best set of owners are single-party with local roots. This group is absolutely none of the above. The majority of the group cares about basketball with a minority having an interest in hockey. I would imagine that the group would have grown to love hockey if they had been successful in the first years of their ownership. But no, with too many cooks (rather egos), the group splintered and their money became tied up in legal proceedings, allowing the Thrashers to wither away in product in their interest. Now, they have another law suit to recoup “damages” against their own law firm that includes a complaint complete with court required honesty — they fully intended to sell the hockey team despite telling the fans otherwise. Now, they beg the fans to show up to help “save” hockey in Atlanta as if the fans have ever been part of the problem. Seems like they are laying the groundwork to show that hockey “can’t survive in Atlanta.” — as if it’s the fans that are the problem, laying no blame to their dysfunctional selves. What chutzpa….
The best thing that could happen is a someone (or at best two) with local roots rescues this team. It can survive and can thrive with the right care and passion.
Paul H
February 16th, 2011
11:28 am
12th. Dannng it.
Bluelander
February 16th, 2011
11:28 am
Classic…blame the fans for your own incompetence. They never wanted any part of the hockey team and it showed, didn’t it. Sad because with the right set up there would be enough support in this town for hockey. They leave and I predict all the leagues around town will die off as well. Happened when the Flames left town also. But for the NBA’s TV deal and other sources of revenue the Hawks would be in big time trouble as well. That arena is just as empty for their games this year and the fanbase is even more apathetic.
ylojkt
February 16th, 2011
11:32 am
I truly love the Thrashers and hope they stay here forever. That being said, this economy is bad and it’s hard for people to go to games. I have now been without full-time work for almost two years, and have not been able to attend a game in person this year. In previous years, I have attended at least 10 games a season and wish I could do so now, but reality is that I just can’t afford it. My kids love to go, my daughter who is six still remembers the father daughter nights that we took to the Thrashers two years ago, often telling me while we watch on TV about the hot dog and ice cream I bought her and the big bird (Thrash) who she got to hug. My screensaver is me and my oldest son sitting on the glass behind the Thrashers bench.
What does all this mean? I guess it just means that I hope we can all pull through this tough economy and come out on the other side together again. I can’t stand that the ownership is so foolish, but I also can’t stand the thought of not being able to attend any more NHL games in Atlanta.
Matt
February 16th, 2011
11:35 am
They can’t get rid of the Hawks, that would be considered racist.
JeJe
February 16th, 2011
11:36 am
FIRE WOODY
S'paw_99
February 16th, 2011
11:37 am
I’m a native Atlantan, that actually likes Hockey, but I’ll admit I haven’t gotten back into it since the lockout. And I truly believe that the Thrashers owners just DON’T want to Win. They only care about the freakin bottom line.
I truly believe that Hockey can succeed in Atlanta, this is on the owners & Management. U have to field a decent product in order to get fan support, 1 playoff berth in 10 yrs does not CUT It.
The Real Thrash
February 16th, 2011
11:38 am
Are the owners lips moving?Then we know what goes.
They’ve been trying to sell the team for years and now they blame the fans for their
bad management.
WHO CARES
February 16th, 2011
11:40 am
Move the Thrashers to Canada and take the Hawks too.
steve brown
February 16th, 2011
11:40 am
Boycott until death do us part. The owners & management have achieved nothing to earn a single fan’s support.
Thrashers fans want answers from team owners | Atlanta Thrashers: Ice Man
February 16th, 2011
11:40 am
[...] AJC sports blogger Mark Bradley just filed his reaction to the [...]
Paging Arthur
February 16th, 2011
11:41 am
How about it Mr. Blank?… I know you have bigger issues at hand (namely an outdoor stadium), but if you want to be an even BIGGER hero in this town, how about using your spare change to help us Thrashers fans out… Don’t let these birds fly the coop.
Remarkable
February 16th, 2011
11:54 am
You’re in Georgia! We don’t play hockey here. There are no ice skating rinks in the burbs for hockey. We see hockey on TV. You play a whole game and the score is 3-1. You wait for the fight to break out and that’s the entertainment. There’s no base hits or home runs, no dunks or 3 pointers, no touchdown runs or 40 yard field goals. If it’s not being supported it because 1.) It’s a bad product (Win and we get on the band wagon.), 2.) The area doesn’t care enough (Meaning not enough yankees have move here yet.), or 3.) the cost is to high.
We don’t support MLS either. If they can’t make a go of it. I’ve got other things I want to see more. The Falcons, Hawks, Braves and UGA (Football, basketball,..) come a lot higher on my list. I’d rather go see the UGA Hockey team play than the Thrashers and I bet most reading this didn’t even know that UGA and GT played hockey.
Hockey Fan
February 16th, 2011
11:54 am
Take “Who Cares” and all of the other morons who think that a major metropolitan city needs only one sport-football and move them to Canada. It is so embarassing to live in a city with these kind of idiots.
AtlFlamesFan
February 16th, 2011
11:55 am
Wow! Finally some truth from this group of perennial lying bastards.
Our only hope has never been with them, but instead, Gary Bettmen. Hopefully he will resist their overtures to move the team and make them go financially belly-up. Then once they are into bankruptcy the NHL can rescue us like it did in Phoenix.
ASG makes me sick.
AtlFlamesFan
February 16th, 2011
11:57 am
Wow! Finally some truth from this group of perennial lying b*stards.
Our only hope has never been with them, but instead, Gary Bettmen. Hopefully he will resist their overtures to move the team and make them go financially belly-up. Then once they are into bankruptcy the NHL can rescue us like it did in Phoenix.
ASG makes me sick.
Phil Esposito
February 16th, 2011
11:57 am
Your ‘Primary Investor’ lives in Quebec where they are building a new arena looking for a team! Brush up on your francais!! Didn’t the Knights make the same move to the same place? Hey Spirit of Losing…. WINNING is important if you want to make money!!!
The OMNI
February 16th, 2011
11:58 am
The Atlanta Flames were a much better product.
Thrashers Fan
February 16th, 2011
11:58 am
We don’t play hockey in Georgia—please stop the redneck madness! Not enough yankees. Are you kidding me? Have you ever noticed how many yankees show up at Thrashers game wearing their home team jersey. If we had commited ownership and a winning product, those same fans would be attending the games wearing Thrashers jerseys.
elroy
February 16th, 2011
11:59 am
keep the thrashers & get rid of the ajc columnists.
Chris
February 16th, 2011
12:00 pm
The fact is it is a vicious cycle. Atlanta is not a hockey town. So in order to get butts in the seats the team will have win on a consistent basis. To do that they will have to spend more money to bring better players here. To do that they have to find more investors. Investors won’t touch a product that isn’t profitable. Thus the cycle starts again.
I actually don’t like hockey (yes I’ve been to several Thrashers games to see it live and it still does nothign for me) so this doesn’t really affect me. However, I do feel for those who do care about the Thrashers and want them to succeed here in Atlanta. It’s tough when ownership doesn’t care as much as the fans. Just look at Arthur Blank and the Falcons. You have an owner that cares who wants to put the best product on the field. He surrounds himself with others who care just as much. Thus the results have been great the last few years. I don’t see The Thrashers, or Hawks for that matter, ever becoming that type of franchise as long as they are ownde by the Spirit.
Section 119
February 16th, 2011
12:02 pm
There are only so many failed “5 year plans”, missed playoffs, bad trades, and departure of stars (e.g., Hossa, Kovy) a fan can tolerate. And then you throw the miserable ASG saga on top of that. The on-ice product appears to finally be headed in the right direction, and the Buff signing is big, but the ASG has run the Thrashers like they are the KC Royals or Pitt Pirates of hockey. And people wonder why attendance is bad? You’re right, it IS incredible that attendance is still over 10,000 a game.
Thrasherfan93
February 16th, 2011
12:02 pm
Remarkable… do some research… Atlanta has the second largest member ran adult amateur ice hockey league, the AAHL. Second only to Boston. There are 4 rinks in the burbs: Marietta, Alpharetta, Duluth and Cumming. The Cumming one opened just this year, and the junior teams, made up of kids born and raised here, are winning Canadian tournaments. UGA and GT play club hockey… which is the equivalent of watching a travelling flag football team. Do me a favor, don’t act knowledgeable about something you picked up in a 5 second blurb.
5150 UOAD
February 16th, 2011
12:03 pm
And 500 people care. Leave! Please leave. OK really maybe 5000 people really care about the Trashers.
Boom Boom
February 16th, 2011
12:04 pm
The Spirit are a bunch of greedy crooks.
Joe Friday
February 16th, 2011
12:05 pm
There must be a deal already in place to move them at the end of this year and this is Gearon saying “last chance before they’re going, going gone . . .” Gearon’s comment of not willing to stomach another $20m loss, means just that, they’re losing $20m per year and they must have an offer on the table to move the team to another city at the end of this year.
Just. Damn.
MaxKare
February 16th, 2011
12:07 pm
Hockey Fan: As they say: Delta is Ready When You Are. Would you spend money to go to a crappy movie, or a concert where the singer couldn’t carry a tune? To financially support a bad team, tells the owners that they do not need to put a good product together. Let the Thrashers move and good riddance. The popularity of pro hockey is just above pro soccer. They should get down to about 6 to 8 teams. Atlanta is first and foremost a college football town, then pro football, then baseball. Deal with it!
5150 UOAD
February 16th, 2011
12:08 pm
Thrasherfan93
Then if there is all the Lil League Hockey why don’t the Thrashers sell out every night? When I was a kid my dad and his buddies had 4 tickets to the FLAMES and I loved going. I couldn’t care a thing about hocky now. I loved basketball when I was young and I played, but now? I only watch SOME college basketball. The NBA is a joke. Baseball season is too damn long and the MLB puts out too much product. The NFL is going to screw-up a good thing by playing more game too.
Hockey and basketball can go away in Atlanta and NOBODY would really care.
Mike Jay
February 16th, 2011
12:09 pm
Let’s see. Can’t keep the ’stars’ that a mediocre hockey town needs to put butts in seats, have shown no commitment to building a winner or even really putting a compelling product on display, expensive tickets, lot’s of other interesting things to do, backhanded comment blaming fans for having to sell the team, lying for 5 years about trying to sell the team, plus bad economy = nobody goes to games.
Wow. Is anyone really surprised at how this is shaking out? Shame on the NHL for lettting this deal go down in the first place, ditto the NBA. Both should have seen this disastour coming a mile away but both were blinded by short term gains.
TheAntiMe
February 16th, 2011
12:14 pm
If these ASG clowns don’t give a puck about their own hockey team why would the expect that anyone else would? There were plenty of fans supporting the Thrashers before these liars kidnapped the franchise. All ASG members should be put on trial for the attempted murder of our NHL franchise.
Matt
February 16th, 2011
12:14 pm
So little league hockey is popular so what?? Most of those kids will play other sports by the time they get to high school. Traveling flag football teams? Wahoo. Soccer is pretty popular around the burbs too with Sunday soccer leagues, doesn’t mean a pro soccer team here wouldn’t flop just as much as the Thrashers.
Just because you enjoy hockey doesn’t mean the vast majority of adults are willing to fight Atlanta traffic to support it.
Tim
February 16th, 2011
12:16 pm
If the owners don’t put any money into the team they’ll get none back from the fan. The Buff extension was the first time that a star ever wanted to stay in Atlanta.
I really hope someone comes and buys this team. Hockey can be successful in Atlanta, we just need a good team to watch
Yurtle_the_turtle
February 16th, 2011
12:16 pm
I love hockey but cannot afford tickets. Heck, I’m working two jobs just to keep afloat and so can’t justify spending $50 a piece for tickets when we’re living month to month. That being said, it would be extremely disappointing to lose this team. The Spirit Group has been a incompetent group of idiots since the first day they owned these franchises. Hard to believe that any of these guys were smart enough to have the coin to buy the Hawks/Thrashers. I have an MBA and think I’m more capable of running these two franchises than these guys. There is a successful business model that works for this city. The Spirit Group isn’t smart enough to figure it out.
Mike Jay
February 16th, 2011
12:16 pm
Yea, youth and rec league popularity does not trranslate to professional franchise popularity. If that were true MLS would be bigger then the NFL.
Matt
February 16th, 2011
12:17 pm
Only reason the Hawks are still here is because Atlanta is the hip-hop capital. Make no mistake, people go to a Hawks game to see Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Lebron and others come to town.
da' boomer
February 16th, 2011
12:19 pm
As hardcore ex-Flames and Thrashers fan I really hate these ASG guys..I hope there is a special place in hell for all of these lying b—–ds. Maybe they can save a seat for Tom Cousins and that drunken buffoon Ted Turner who sold them to these gaggle of retards that just happened to his half-witted son-in-law…anyone else find that fishy????
Atlanta Spirit, LLC slaps Thrashers fans in the face again | Atlanta Thrashers: Ice Man
February 16th, 2011
12:21 pm
[...] is seriously tough being a Thrashers fan. I mean, here we are celebrating the great news that Dustin Byfuglien has just signed a contract extension to remain with the team for five additional years and then…this [...]
The Joker
February 16th, 2011
12:22 pm
I will admit that I don’t attend the Thrashers games like I should,but it isn’t becase I don’t care for them, its because I refuse to pay outrageous ticket prices to support an ASG owned team. Had went to a game a few years ago and had a great time; frankly, I like the Thrashers and Hawks and would support them every change I get, but in reality, as long as ASG owns this team, it will continue to cause individuals who really want to attend games to bypass them because it would only put money in ASG’s pockets and in return we will only receive mediocre talent or lack of heart(in the Hawks case)….
Atlanta Fanatic
February 16th, 2011
12:23 pm
We were so close, so close to becoming a contender. I really believe that. There are fans in this town who were ready, given a two or three years of patience, we might have done something. Another tragedy in Atlanta Sports and another broken heart for me.
Chris
February 16th, 2011
12:27 pm
Two or three years of patience? It’s been 11 years dude. In that time even the Red Sox were able to break their curse to win two championships.
canofpeas
February 16th, 2011
12:27 pm
there’s no way gearon would put this out there unless they had something lined up with a suitor from another city.
The worst part of it is with dudley on board this team is actually starting to get its act together.
i don’t blame gearon and partners for not wanting to lose $20 mil/year. I do blame them for absolutely ignoring this team since they’ve bought it. the “we need fans to show up” comment is absolutely insulting..not to mention out of touch…but it is keeping with the general vibe we’ve gotten from the sales end of the team this year which is basically “why are you all not coming to more games?”
I’ve never seen a business try to run itself into the ground quite like this.
Gordon
February 16th, 2011
12:27 pm
If we get rid of the Hawks, maybe the open air stadium Blank wants can be built where Philips sits now.
tonyb
February 16th, 2011
12:28 pm
Dear Mr. Bettman,
All you have to do is look that these boards, and go to Phillips arena for a game to realize there is a strong and passionate hockey fan base in this city (the 8th largest market in the US). The owners are doing what they can to destroy hockey in Atlanta so they can sell to some rich Canadian and turn a huge profit. We need your help. Don’t let the NHL or Atlanta be treated this way.
Thrasherfan93
February 16th, 2011
12:35 pm
All I was pointing out disproving the fact that ice hockey isn’t played here. Heck there is a statewide high school league for hockey, http://gshl.goalline.ca/. This issue here isn’t fan support. The issue here is the owners. They have treated this team like a piece of real estate they wanted to flip, but hasn’t trry to improve or heck or keep up maintenence. The Hawks best year of attendence was 16,748 in the past 10 years. The Thrashers was 16,240. That was our lone playoff season. 7 out of 10 season have been losing seasons. You can’t build a fan base around that.
James
February 16th, 2011
12:35 pm
As a broke grad student, I can’t afford to attend many sporting events. I go to Tech home games, 3-4 thrashers games a year, 3-4 braves games a year, 2-3 hawks games a year (can’t afford NFL). I enjoy all of them equally. The dark cloud that hangs over all of these teams? Bad management. I guess Liberty is better than ASG, but still. Look what a decent owner did for the falcons!!
Darkhorse
February 16th, 2011
12:37 pm
Would Coca Cola be a willing investor if they got to plaster more advertising all over the arena? How about Ga Pacific or Bernie Marcus?
I know a single owner is far better than corporate, but just trying to think of any rooted companies here that may want to invest or buy.
AtlantaHockeyFan
February 16th, 2011
12:45 pm
I no very little about hockey, but I love to go to the Thrashers’ games. I feel like I’m most Atlanta fans. Hockey is not exciting on TV, but it is awesome live. We care about the Thrashers, but the owners, the Atlanta Spirt Group (ASG) do not care about the fans or the team. The results from the last dozen years speak for themselves. I really, really hope the Thrashers stay. However, if they do get sold, I hope those jackasses from ASG lose billions and go broke.
Winnipeg in 2012
February 16th, 2011
12:46 pm
Wasn’t Philips Arena just named one of the nations most profitable / most active venues ? Rather than add another owner’s ego into this mess, maybe they should just book another Brittney Spears concert w/ Monster Truck Jam w/ Wrestlemania XXX to make up for the $20M.
Kirk27
February 16th, 2011
12:48 pm
I’ve been a season ticket holder since day one. The fans are here, and came out to support the team the first few years, even though they didn’t expect to win. We’ve just been beaten down by bad management and ownership. Finally, something positive with Big Buff signing. Just minutes ago I was on the Thrasher website noticing the new price structure for season tickets (very fair with big reductions in price). I was ready to re-new and possibly add 2 seats………….until I saw this latest article. GREAT TIMING ASG! You’re saving me a lot of money.
Sage of Bluesland
February 16th, 2011
12:49 pm
Well, well, well, Mark Bradley…How do you feel about not calling out a fraud which was in your midst earlier (i.e. Don Waddell)? You treated him like you did that other buffoon, Pete Babcock, and made multiple excuses for their incompetence.
Don’t be so foolhardy as to believe I’m blaming this on you; I’m not–and you’re simply not that important. However, your ignorance never disappoints me.
(I just hope this comment isn’t deleted, like previous ones of mine related to your ramblings?)
Beretverde
February 16th, 2011
12:51 pm
Bottom line … owning a sports team is a business pure and simple….and a good business practice is:
“Honesty is the best policy!”
Enough said!
Braves win!
February 16th, 2011
12:53 pm
1.) Sell team to Arthur Blank.
2.) Reduce ticket prices for the first couple of years- make it more economical for people to attend.
3.) Make the playoffs.
4.) Use momentum to build attendance, build revenue, and then make a couple of high visibility signings that will excite the fan base.
5.) Contunue to cultivate young talent.
There is no reason hockey cannot be successful here…it is one of the most exciting sports to watch in person.
A decent product on the ice coupled with an obviously committed local owner (not an ownership group) who demostrates that he wants to bring a winner here…that will save this franchise. Blank or Bernie Marcus are the only guys who come to mind…wonder if they are hockey fans.
Theron Sapp
February 16th, 2011
12:54 pm
This is all extremely disappointing to those of us who were here in 1980 and remember the Flames pulling out at season’s end (after saying they wouldn’t). Then, as now, the city had quite a decent base of hard-core fans, but inadequate ownership.
To the several posters here who complained about ticket prices, you’re right, times are tough — but in fairness, you can get in the building for $10. The bigger problem is ownership that won’t field a competitive club, won’t sign players, so even 10 bucks feels wasted.
My family and I will miss them. I doubt we’ll see NHL team No. 3 in my lifetime.
PMC
February 16th, 2011
12:54 pm
Oh sure, blame it on fan support. Yeah… right.
This ownership group went about as well as the partnership between Bart Simpson and Millhouse in regards to Radioactive Man #1.
No playoffs and a virtually hopeless team in 12 years and they expect to have a rabid fanbase…. sure.
The NBA side… no superstar, and no hope to get past the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Yeah that’s going to garner support anywhere.
Do these guys actually pay attention to the product at all???
Matt from MN
February 16th, 2011
12:56 pm
I am beyond angry with these moronic owners and have moved into incandescent rage. Why would any sane person with the monetary means want to invest and become PART of this ownership group? Our only hope is someone buys the team outright, but the lack of an ownership interest in the arena is the major stumbling block to that scenario.
PMC
February 16th, 2011
12:56 pm
You can’t employ guys like Billy Knight and Don Waddell for as long as they did and let them constantly wreck the franchises and then expect… to just have people plunk down money to come to the building and see a substandard pro product.
GD
February 16th, 2011
1:02 pm
This situation is a catch-22, I want to support the team, players, coaches, personnel, etc. to keep a hockey team in Atlanta, but frankly I find it unappealing to support an ownership group that is completely disinterested in fielding a competitive and exciting product.
That is what is missing here: excitement. I’ve been in Atlanta for about 6 years and I haven’t seen any excitement surrounding any of the pro teams until Jason Heyward arrived last spring and when the Falcons put together a terrific season. Braves – young, marketable talent on a team that has been supported by the city for decades. Falcons – engaged and active owner. Another common denominator of both franchises is a fanBASE. The Thrashers are still a startup, they need to be building a relationship with the people of Atlanta. Fans will not invest their time, money, and emotion in the Thrashers unless you’re in it for the long haul and serious about putting the best team possible on the ice every night.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 16th, 2011
1:09 pm
For the Hawks’ sake, I hope the Thrashers do get sold. Not moved out of the city necessarily, but it’s clear at this point that the DASG has a hard enough time supporting one franchise.
Ted M
February 16th, 2011
1:09 pm
What if they don’t find investors or buyers?
aPOLLO_JETIC
February 16th, 2011
1:10 pm
Look to Kansas City (not Canada) who have a brand new arena desperately waiting for a franchise…Basketball or hockey…I could easily see a move there. What a depressing thought that is. We could have been a contender with the right owners.
Ted Striker
February 16th, 2011
1:15 pm
It would be awfully easy to pile on the Atlanta Spirit group. But I won’t do it. They take the risks and pay the bills. And nobody has to support them or not.
Do I think they’re the best? No.
Do I think they’re the best we’ve got now? Yes.
Until their critics step up and buy them out and provide a better product all they are is whiners. And I can’t stand whiners.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
February 16th, 2011
1:17 pm
get blank & bon jovi to pitch in and buy this team. whenver you have multiple morons running one organization, the product will be bad. i’m a huge football/baseball fan first but don’t want to see a NHL team in my city go somewhere else.
DawgDad
February 16th, 2011
1:22 pm
I believe an impending move absolutely WAS a factor in Buff re-signing. I’m resigned to them leaving. It’s truly a sad day when a signing like this is overshadowed by inevitable doom. Little benefit from signing up new investors with THIS ownership group. If someone can send the current owners packing and give the Thrashers another shot here, great, but otherwise what fool would bother?
Blaming this on the fans is a non-starter, and quite offensive. I don’t believe this ownership group is clueless, though it appears that way; I think they just plain don’t give a damn. They bought this team to flip it and screwed themselves over, which is actually quite amusing. Then they trot Don Waddell out as a marketing face to stir up the fan base – what a remarkable misstep that was. We saw in October and November what stirs up the fan base – good hockey.
tim
February 16th, 2011
1:28 pm
Does anyone trust the Atlanta spirit ownership group? Turner screwed up big time when they sold to them and not McDavid.
The Thrashers have failed to make the playoffs and generate consistant interest….courtesy of that lyin Waddell.
Why is that man employed??
DawgDad
February 16th, 2011
1:30 pm
Dr. Ken: I’ve got my fingers crossed, but there’s the multi-sport ownership issues to overcome. A Blank-Bon Jovi partnership could transform the Hawks and Thrashers (and the Arena, if they could swing that, too) into THE happenning sports venue in this town. Get some local basketball face into the mix and I’d bet they could fill the building every weekend and a good share of weeknights, too. All they have to do for hockey is support the hockey brain trust the way Blank supports the Dimitroff-Smith regime, and all the problems would vanish VERY quickly. Blank knows how to market, too.
reebok
February 16th, 2011
1:31 pm
I liked the Flames back in the day, and LOVED the Knights…the Thrashers, well…meh. I’ve been to some games, but the team has never seemed to have an identity and in the games I attended in 2009 & 2010, the players didn’t seem to be giving much effort…I couldn’t care less if they leave.
reebok
February 16th, 2011
1:33 pm
How in the world does this team sell 13,000 tix per game? Is this just corporate sponsorship & season-ticket holders? Who in their right mind would spend their entertainment $$ on such a poor product?
Matt
February 16th, 2011
1:34 pm
I’ve supported the Thrashers since they got here. I purchase Centre Ice just to watch the out of, and sometimes in-town games we don’t broadcast locally. I own merchandise, I go to practices, prospect camps, etc. just to watch this team, and I am officially done. I just can’t support this product anymore. It is such a shame. It has nothing to do with the players, the prodcut on the ice, or the lack of the love I have for this game, and has everything to do with the men that own this team. They will never get another dime from my pocket. Not for the Thrashers. Not for the Hawks. I cannot and will not support these men. You don’t need investors, Michael, you need to leave town.
Thrasher
February 16th, 2011
1:42 pm
Yeah if Turner had sold to McDavid none of this would be happening now, but only because they would have been the Houston Thrashers today. David McDavid is all about Houston and could care less about Atlanta.
WTF?
February 16th, 2011
1:44 pm
This just isn’t a sports town unless it’s tractor pulls, mud bogs, dirt track racing or some event associated with guns or bows and arrows. Atlanta probably needs to lose the Thrashers so they can once again be on the outside looking in as another hockey team leaves Atlanta to move on to a better city with loving fans and better chances of being a winner.
Atlanta is a sad town when it comes to sports.
GT Alum
February 16th, 2011
1:46 pm
Hey, SBNation has the solution…Arthur Blank Should Buy Braves, Hawks, Thrashers, MARTA, Paul Hewitt’s Contract, And The BeltLine Project. Not really, but you do have to love that headline considering how many Blank should buy this team and save it posts you see.
Main Street Magic
February 16th, 2011
1:47 pm
I agree with bluelander – It is shameful that the owners are trying to put the blame on the fans. Perhaps that is in the NHL owners manual “section 23, subsection 12, A. – “If your team goes downhill and you cannot put quality players on the ice, BLAME THE FANS! and threaten to move the team.”
Old Time Hockey
February 16th, 2011
1:50 pm
1- The Ownership group can NOT move the team of their own volition. Even if they sell to a canadian owner, THEY can NOT just up and move the team. That is a process that involves the NHL board of governors. So the Buff re-sign is just to make the team more attractive talk is moot.
2- Ticket prices are high league wide, because without a television contract, the only revenue is directly related to ticket sales. People show and bills get paid, people don’t show and financial problems abound.
3- Television revenues are coming. Bettman will do what he can to keep the team in the number 8 market in North America. Not sure where Winnipeg is on the list, but my guess is the number starts with 3 digits.
No Yankees?
February 16th, 2011
1:54 pm
If anyone thinks there are not enough “yankees here to support the team” I invite you to attend a Braves vs. Red Sox or Braves vs. Yankees game where the “Yankees” who live here outnumber the “redneck” Braves fans. Its pathetic.
Not enough people here care about hockey – I do not know why – there are likely several valid reasons, but that doesnt matter. The bottom line is the team is not viable here which is why in searching for 6 year nobody has stepped forward. Even the last guy who tried to buy the team and won a big law suit vs ASG doesnt want to buy in anymore. The truth is that anyone who buys the team should plan to bleed money and use the team as a tax loss – even the uber wealthy dont want to make a charitable deduction like that – you dont get rich being stupid….
WTF?
February 16th, 2011
1:56 pm
most people who say they don’t care about having a hockey team in Atlanta would be hooked on the game if they went to just one game, regardless of which team won. The action is unrivaled by any other sport. Go buy some cheap seats and watch one game and I guarantee you’ll be going to every home game from that point onward. Then you’ll be doing like us diehards and actually travel to see some games. Keep the Thrashers here and change the ownership.
juvenal
February 16th, 2011
1:57 pm
Speaker of the House says US is going broke-gas 4$/gal-even the Romans ran out of money for chariot races & gladiators…even some dauug fans i know only make a few games because still a market for their tix, 80+K, but not the same 80……..
DAN BOUCHARD
February 16th, 2011
2:04 pm
GARY BETTMAN & THE NHL SHOULD BE SUED FOR LETTING THESE IDIOTS BUY THIS FRANCHISE WE CALL THE THRASHERS!!!! WHERE’S THAT CAR DEALER ON DALLAS THAT GOT SCREWED OUT OF BUYING THEM NOW?
AC
February 16th, 2011
2:12 pm
what a joke these “owners” are. they’ve done nothing but hold back two franchises- soon to be one.
Matt from MN
February 16th, 2011
2:21 pm
I used to think that Islanders fans had it bad with their nutty owner, but it’s actually worse here because these ASG Clowns just don’t give a rip about this franchise.
illputitoncspan
February 16th, 2011
2:31 pm
Just wondering… If the Thrashers leave town, will they be leaving Atlanta or “The ATL”?
DAN BOUCHARD
February 16th, 2011
2:38 pm
@ The OMNI, Yes, we had a better team that the Thrashers before moving to Calgary.
DAN BOUCHARD
February 16th, 2011
2:39 pm
@ da bommer, Tom Cousins was a good owner of our team, just got caught in the real estate downturn of the late 70s!
ATLSN
February 16th, 2011
2:41 pm
If you’re an Atlanta/Georgia Sports fan and want to talk with other fans, check out our NEW message board.
http://www.atlsportsnation.com/forum
We have team forums for the Falcons, Bulldogs, Hawks, Braves, Yellow Jackets, Thrashers, etc. Please register and post! Be apart of a huge site in the early days of existence. See ya there! We’re looking for posters, moderators, bloggers/writers. Join up if interested.
Smoothie
February 16th, 2011
2:42 pm
Bradley – Thanks for your years of heartfelt support you ass clown. And fix the obvious typos in your article…you can’t even keep the Hawks and Thrashers straight. Don’t you proof-read??
GT Alum
February 16th, 2011
2:55 pm
WTF? -
I’ve been to both Gwinnett Gladiator and Atlanta Thrasher games, and I really don’t have any particular interest in watching hockey. Get used to the idea that just because you think something is great doesn’t mean that everyone else will. Especially since there aren’t deep hockey roots in this area.
For one, it’s not like a lot of Georgia kids play ice hockey in the winter. Hell, when I was growing up, the only ice rink I was aware of in this area was at Stone Mountain. So we don’t have the connection to the sport that a lot of northerners do.
Compare that with most lifelong Georgians (and even people throughout the Southeast and across the country) who were able to watch EVERY Braves game and Hawks game on TBS. Even though those teams weren’t terribly good, they are part of our lives. And most people in the area grow up UGA (sic) or Tech fans and have multi-generational ties to the school. A lot of them even go to one or the other. Add to that the fact that football is king in the South, and Georgia sports fans have a lot stronger ties to any of the other major teams in the Atlanta area than they do to the Thrashers.
Considering the Hawks have performed better than the Thrashers as of late and have deeper roots in Atlanta and they still can’t draw well, it’s not really a surprise the Thrashers have a hard time drawing fans.
brett
February 16th, 2011
2:57 pm
http://arthurblankbuythethrashers.com/
GT Alum
February 16th, 2011
2:58 pm
No Yankees? -
Yeah, but I think that’s part of the problem Atlanta sports teams have. The numerous transplants don’t adopt the local teams. They just continue to support their old teams. Not sure if the Thrashers have the same kind of swings in attendance based on their opponent that the Hawks and Braves do, but a lot of the “yankees” only go to games when their team is in town. It’s hard to muster consistent support for a team based on people showing up to watch the opponent.
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
3:08 pm
Fine addition Mr. Bradley, thanks for chiming in. That last line WAS GOLD!!!
Mark Bradley
February 16th, 2011
3:13 pm
Thanks, Iron League. I really do feel for Thrashers fans. Never have so many be so loyal for such little reason.
PMC
February 16th, 2011
3:16 pm
I don’t think they bought the team to flip it. I think they underestimated the amount of money it was going to cost to run the teams and they put far too much trust for far too long in two GM’s that were not very adept at thier jobs.
These guys wanted a basketball team, Not a hockey team, but the Arena came as a package deal…. so who knows, maybe Phillips wants out of that 10 million a year naming rights deal anyway.
heartofdarkness
February 16th, 2011
3:17 pm
Look on the bright side. If the Thrashers leave, Phipps would be a great venue for a top tier minor league hockey team. That would mean lower ticket prices and, most likely, new ownership. The Knights were a solid attraction until Turner pushed them out of the downtown to promote the financing of Philips Arena. Atlanta isn’t a major league hockey town, although motocross and chicken fights could fill the sports vacuum.
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
3:17 pm
Old Time Hockey – No offense, but I’m not willing to entertain the idea that us fans understand the legal ramifications with moving. First off the F.A.S., LLC sounds like they are selling to a potential buyer RIGHT NOW (Buff re-upping may be telling) which is almost certainly a Cannuck that doesn’t want this market. Second of all Bettman shows no signs of giving 2 rosy red (bleeeep). The NHL has fought long and hard over Phoenix, but years of mediocrity and scandal KILLED that market even after they had a nice year, the league may not want to keep doing this for another market.
Dawg A
February 16th, 2011
3:31 pm
Mark…. is this ASG not just the Rankin Smith story all over again? Someone with money and clueless how to run a sports team!! So sad….. we won’t get another chance with a NHL team!!!
And as far as supporting them………… I have paid my last dollar to these clowns!!! And I understand they read these blogs so please listen closely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sale the teams… heck give them away but quit destroying them!
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
3:33 pm
Teddy – I can’t stand Teddy Striker whining about people whining. But what I really hate is the self-reliant puffy chested bravado about buying the team ourselves. SHOVE IT AND GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF NEAL BOORTZ’S A$$!!! Oh and yes, you’re that easy to see through.
Tom
February 16th, 2011
3:35 pm
Ha Ha there not moving within Buffs contract one thanks for stirring the pot a little. The Hawks still have a contract with Atlanta. The NHL has already said the Thrashers are not moving till there’s an owner who cares and tries to be successful and salvage the market and proves he cant. That all takes a long while and the NHL has to authorize the sell and move of the franchise and there in no way going to do that. That’s exactly why the Coyotes are still in Phenox. Also all the awsome fans in Winnepeg and the other small Canadian markets be quite even if they did move the commissioner has already said there are going to be no small market Canadian teams. Can we get some facts on some news rather than just he said she said gossip thanks.
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
3:36 pm
Agreed on that one too, Mr. Bradley. We love NHL hockey, I really do think the fact that they average above 10k is telling of fans commitment.
The ASG does fluffing for Gay Porn on weekends
February 16th, 2011
3:47 pm
The sooner these carpetbaggers are out of Atl the better. They prove that money does not exempt you from being douche bags.
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
3:51 pm
Well, Rawhide sys Gearon may be on 680am in a bit, we should listen to hear what kind sputem comes from his mouth. DON’T TRUST THIS F.A.S., LLC (BLEEEP),still maybe you should check it out, sometimes you can find the truth in the way a person lies.
JMT21
February 16th, 2011
3:51 pm
Full disclosure. I am from Winnipeg. I want an NHL team back in Winnipeg as much as anyone but NOT at the expense where fans in another city lose their team. I went thru that back in 1996 and wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.
I just want to clarify a few things regarding the Canadian markets. Quebec City will not get a team because they currently do not have an arena. There is one planned but won’t be ready until at least 2015. They also do not have an ownership group whatsoever.
Here in Winnipeg we have an NHL ready (bought and paid for) arena. It is small by NHL standards seating just over 15,000. It has been approved by Gary Bettman as a more than suitable venue for a market of our size.
We have an ownership group consisting of Mark Chipman (a local Winnipeg resident) and David Thomson. Mr. Thomson is the richest man in Canada with a net worth of approx. 20 billion.
To reiterate….. I hope the Thrashers stay in Atlanta and that you find better than the owners you currently have.
Thanks.
SAVE THE THRASHERS WEBSITE
February 16th, 2011
3:53 pm
We have de-Blanked our website – now that the story has been broken, we are moving to a general plea to Atlanta leaders and fans. How Fans Can Help;
http://www.arthurblankbuythethrashers.com/fans.html
Home Page:
http://www.arthurblankbuythethrashers.com/
CBS is running our story at 5 and 6 today – please support the Thrashers!
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
3:54 pm
Tom, I like your optimism, but I think that’s wrong. I already addressed this issue with Old Time Hockey, we shouldn’t be so confident. Bettman hasn’t shown any fight yet and their PHX efforts are kind of a bust aren’t they? Why do this twice.
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
3:54 pm
? (rather)
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
3:55 pm
JMT21 – That’s very insightful and thoughtful, thanks.
UGASlobberknocker
February 16th, 2011
3:57 pm
I wonder if Arthur Blank would be interested
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
3:58 pm
woops typos and spelling error galore…I should go back to grade school
Atlanta Fanatic
February 16th, 2011
4:03 pm
F ind
U s
A
S avior
G ary Bettman
Caleb
February 16th, 2011
4:07 pm
It says the hawks are 24 th in the NHL in standings?????uhhh they r in the NBA
cheshire
February 16th, 2011
4:15 pm
This sucks so much. If the Thrashers leave town, the ASG better be doing everything they can to sell the Hawks, because NO ONE will support them anymore.
And i can’t believe that an owner would actually have the nerve to say “we need the fans to show up”… as it’s our responsibility to blindly support the ownership and not their responsibility to put a quality product out there. 11 years and not a single playoff win… i mean you’ve got to be kidding me.
David McDavid
February 16th, 2011
4:30 pm
I still have some loose change from the $200mil settlement with AOL TimeWarner- maybe I will buy the Thrashers again, this time for a lot less than in 1999!
drajax
February 16th, 2011
4:46 pm
I’m a season ticket holder. I’ve enjoyed hockey and remember what its like to have and then not have a NHL team. I’m not sure why this ownership group never connected with hockey. Although we can go thru the past and tear up Waddell, at one time this team had Kovachuk, Heatley, then Savard and Hossa. Now we have Kane, Bfuylin, and Ladd. Other players have left the team to have good careers elsewhere. Chalk it up to bad luck or whatever, the Spirit has not been able to put it together. Now the owners are desperate and I guess so are hockey lovers. The team has dropped ticket prices so that you can sit in the lower rink at one end for $33 a game. Plus, there are a number of marketing gimicks going on and a lot of people brag about buying seats under face value on the internet. Yet people aren’t coming. The team is trying to market itself in the African American community, which it should considering the stars we have. It’s had some success. It won’t happen quick enough, however. I don’t think the paper has helped as sometimes the Thrashers get no coverage although I feel Vivalmore is trying. More articles good or bad from Bradley and Shultz would help. So would a little more discussion on radio. Its a sad state of affairs. I don’t see any hope unless someone with a lot of money appears and decides to keep the team here. Hopefully the Spirit will be realistic and not ask for the moon for a franchise that is worth less.
UGADawg83
February 16th, 2011
4:46 pm
I’ve been to a few games and always enjoyed them. That said, a Saturday in Athens cost me a hundred bucks a seat if I factor in my donation. A Thrasher’s game cost about $50 a seat that isn’t a great seat. An SEC regular season game means more than one game out of 82 with the Thrashers. The product and value aren’t there for the casual fan.
Tweets that mention Hello/goodbye? Byfuglien stays, but the Thrashers could leave | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
February 16th, 2011
4:47 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Johnson , ne dris50. ne dris50 said: Hello/goodbye? Byfuglien stays, but the #Thrashers could leave | Mark Bradley http://t.co/LB3RfNN [...]
Sherry Taylor
February 16th, 2011
4:56 pm
Who in their right mind would get in to bed with this current group of owners? Why would you? As much as I don’t want to see the Thrashers leave the city, I cannot for the life of me see how anyone would willingly sign on with these owners (I gag every time I call them the Atlanta Spirit, so I refuse to refer to them as that again). They have proven that not only are they incredibly inept at business and beyond being ‘fans’ of sports they have no idea what goes into (besides money) the growing of a franchise. Atlanta was ripe, absolutely ripe, for hockey back eleven/twelve years ago and by all rights this franchise should prospering on and off the ice by now. And, no, owners are everything, it requires a good GM and a good coach and good to great players, not one GM who allowed a coach to stay well beyond his time (a couple, actually) and not owners and management who are willing to shell out far too much money on one tantrum prone player who will never live up to his hype just to be able to say, hey, we did everything we could.
Finally, at the end of last season, I–we all–thought that maybe the owners had finally put their big boy underwear on and were serious about growing this team and this sport when they hired Rick Dudley who then turned around and hired Craig Ramsey and pulled off some pretty amazing trades considering what he had to offer. We were giddy with excitement every game, because we had our hope back. We saw someone in charge who looked like they knew what they were doing. Finally, we all believed, finally! As disgusted as I am with the owners mediocrity and inabilities, I am that much more saddened. Every week, game after game, we have driven down from Gainesville to watch ‘our Thrashers’ and every year said, at the end of yet another disappointing season, ‘next year’.
It could have been fun. It could have been great! It could have been a lot of things. Still could be all those things. If only . . .
Gwinnett Fred
February 16th, 2011
4:56 pm
Of course, it speaks volumes that they resigned their best player – but to compare Big Buff to Hossa or Kovy is a ridiculous comparison to say they “finally” locked up their best player.
I have a crappy feeling that Buff was signed, if for no other reason, to make this pitiful team at least a little more attractive to a buyer. I just don’t see that buyer being local.
Screw the Mets Mr. Trump – buy the Thrashers (it would be cheaper) and throw some enthusiam at the franchise and you will do what Steinbrenner did with the Devils back in 1995, buy cheap, invest wisely & win a championship!
RichieRich
February 16th, 2011
5:02 pm
Thrashers fans must face facts. Gary Bettman and the NHL will NOT step in and save the franchise like they did in Pheonix. There is far too much money in places like Winnipeg, Quebec and Hamilton to continue to deny these places a team. The NHL BOG won’t put up with subsidizing another failing market…. The ASG, I’m sure, has already been notified about prospective owner up north, and the price they are willing to pay, and they realize that’s the only way to make any sort of money back. Remember, the Coyotes ownership situation was supposed to cleared up months ago, and the NHL is losing money that they won’t get back. Atlanta is minor league hockey city, and everyone knows it.
Jim in Dahlonega
February 16th, 2011
5:21 pm
A recent article in the NYTimes:
http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/coveting-n-h-l-club-quebec-builds-from-the-ground-up/?scp=1&sq=nhl%20quebec%20city&st=cse
Please notice the sentence thatthe NHL has a policy for the last 10 years of not moving teams.
AND, remember last year when the owner of Blackberry said he was going to buy the Coyotes and move them to Hamilton. It didn’t happen.
What are they going to fill those extra 45 nights with at Philips?
It MIGHT happen. And if it does, don’t we all have more important things to worry about?
Ted Striker
February 16th, 2011
7:47 pm
Iron League 13 — You sound like a loyal fan with reasonable expectations. I can appreciate that. I just happen to get the ownership side of things too. If whining makes you feel frisky, do it.
MVN » Thrasher’s Owner: ‘Sense of urgency’ to keep Thrashers from moving
February 16th, 2011
8:01 pm
[...] interesting story that could affect hockey fans that live close to Winnipeg Manitoba. Roseau native Dustin Byfuglien has a new contract with the Atlanta Trasher but will he be playing closer to home? According to the [...]
who cares
February 16th, 2011
8:31 pm
let the bumbling millionaire owners take the team to canada—they’ll screw it up there too. The team is a joke—I hope they leave next week. atlanta doesn’t need a mediocre hockey team.
JR1967
February 16th, 2011
8:43 pm
Matt-it wouldn’t be a racist issue if the “Second round” Hawks ever relocated (Seattle?) This city still would have the Falcons, and last time I checked, the NFL has a strong and loyal African-American following.
Thrasher?s Owner: ?Sense of urgency? to keep Thrashers from moving | Basket my ball up
February 16th, 2011
11:31 pm
[...] interesting story that could affect hockey fans that live close to Winnipeg Manitoba. Roseau native Dustin Byfuglien has a new contract with the Atlanta Trasher but will he be playing closer to home? According to the [...]
Daren
February 17th, 2011
12:50 am
I live in Quebec City, and our mayor just made an annoucement about a new arena in our town, some investors showed up with the goal of buying an NHL team….and relocate it. Looks like the Atlanta Thrashers will be renamed The Quebec Nordiques !
joe
February 17th, 2011
7:38 pm
dont sell the thrashers, they are a good team besides those Canadians have too many hockey teams. if they sell the franchise to canada then we will have to wait another ten years for a hockey team in the atl. start coming to the games so we can enjoy hockey in atlanta
Brendan
February 18th, 2011
1:42 am
Byfuglien’s contract was important. It’s important to finalize Andrew Ladd’s, too. I’m still not sold that this team is leaving. This incarnation of the NHL in our city … NEVER, EVER, EVVVVVVER had ‘committed ownership.’ Therefore, hockey has not YET started in Atlanta. This market wasn’t given a fair chance. It got Turner, Time-Warner, and AS,LLC as owners. Would you describe any of that as ‘committed ownership?’ None of it figured out that Don Waddell couldn’t really manage an NHL team.
The first and next order of business .. is to find an owner who loves hockey and wants the Thrashers to win. If that happens, hockey will finally BEGIN in Atlanta.
Brendan
February 18th, 2011
1:44 am
I’m in SPAM filters, again.
The Monday Melange 02.21.11: Atlanta Spirit, Roger Goodell « Everyone's Entitled to Joe's Opinion
February 20th, 2011
11:06 pm
[...] this for ironic: One of the Thrashers’ key players just re-signed and will be staying here. But how much long… That’s right, the Thrashers are probably about to be sold and moved to Canada somewhere. [...]