If the Thrashers leave, it won’t be because Atlanta failed them
Are the lights about to dim on ice hockey in Atlanta? (AJC photo by Jessica McGowan)
The endgame has surely begun. It’s sad, yes. Given the way this franchise has been run, it’s also inevitable.
In the three months since Michael Gearon Jr., one of the team’s many owners, said the Thrashers were for sale, no credible buyer has emerged who’s willing to throw away money to keep the team in Atlanta. And now, reports esteemed colleague Chris Vivlamore, the Atlanta Spirit has begun negotiations with True North Sports and Entertainment, which very much wants a hockey club for Winnipeg.
Some continue to hold out hope, thinking an Atlanta knight will appear to save the Thrashers. But here we need ask: Does this franchise merit saving?
Atlanta is on the cusp of becoming the first American city to lose two NHL teams, but this failure is more pronounced. The old Flames actually did well on the ice, making the playoffs six times in eight years. The Thrashers have been a continuing dud: One playoff appearance, no playoff victories. They’ve seen their two best players leave because they wanted to make more money but also because they wanted to win.
As convenient as it is to lay all blame on the ham-handed Spirit, these owners weren’t the ones who hired Don Waddell as franchise architect. Time Warner did that. Where the Spirit failed was in its basic commitment to hockey.
The Spirit was made up of businessmen from three cities, most of whom preferred basketball. In the Spirit’s corporate eye, the Thrashers were always going to be the Hawks’ little brothers. Had the hockey club been well-run, that might have been OK. But the hockey club was adrift, and ownership didn’t much care. Indeed, it kept rewarding Waddell for the rousing achievement of coming in under budget.
We now know that the Spirit sought to dump the Thrashers almost from the start, but the sideshow with Steve Belkin lasted so long the team lost its novelty. This stopped being Our New Hockey Club and became just another serial loser. Worse, it was a loser working hard not to spend money. Why should anyone subsidize such a half-hearted enterprise?
Not many among us did. The Thrashers’ attendance cratered, and even the hope inherent in last year’s makeover – new GM, new coach, many imported Chicago Blackhawks – came too late. The Thrashers wilted after New Year’s, and yet another season ended with the 82nd game.
It’s hard to miss the NHL playoffs, which include more than half the league’s teams, 10 times in 11 tries. The Thrashers have managed it. They haven’t found a goaltender or played much defense. They went five years too long with Waddell. They’ve given the bulk of the audience no reason to keep watching.
As cruel as it sounds, they’ve had their chance. Of the four teams that entered the NHL in the latest round of expansion, the Minnesota Wild has made the playoffs three times, reaching the conference finals in 2003; the Nashville Predators have qualified for postseason play six of the past seven seasons and just won a series. Only the Columbus Blue Jackets — one playoff appearance, zero victories — keep the Thrashers from being alone at the bottom.
Not since 2007-2008 have the Thrashers averaged more than 15,000 at Philips Arena. Over the past three seasons, they’ve outdrawn only the Islanders, who are the third team in the New York metropolitan area, and the Phoenix Coyotes, who were in line for export to Manitoba before voters stepped in last week. When you go three seasons and average 13,901 per home date, is there really an audience to desert?
There is, sort of. The same cluster of fans who loved the Thrashers when they arrived in 1999 love them still, but the franchise has had 12 years to attract a bigger audience and failed. For the zealots, separation would come as a blow. For the rest of us, it would mean little. Because the Thrashers have never sold themselves to us. They haven’t won big enough. They’ve been part of Atlanta, but they’ve never become part of the Atlanta conversation.
They’ve had 11 seasons, three more than the Flames did. They set up shop in a new arena and rode a wave of good will. They capitalized on none of it. If/when they leave, it won’t be because Atlanta failed the Thrashers. It will be because the Thrashers failed Atlanta.
By Mark Bradley
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263 comments Add your comment
G Connor
May 16th, 2011
9:29 pm
Hockey can work in any market, but it must be show cased and a grass roots program must be in place.
Kids want to learn the game, with this parents will watch their children and take an interest. Must start from the ground up.
Need people that love the game to promote it in Atlanta, to turn this situation around. Bring in some Canadian’s that love the game that will bring it to the children and you will get fans and supporters to the game.
Offer me $250k and I will have this team playing to full arean every night. With a TV contract making owners money.
MLSfan
May 16th, 2011
9:30 pm
Kincade, just go back to your return of the jets wankery forum.
Chuck
May 16th, 2011
9:30 pm
I am sick of hearing that Atlanta is a bad sports town, we are not bad fans, we are just good consumers. If you put a bad product on the field we are not going to show up. Who are the better fans us or Cub fans who are going to sell out whether the team is good or not, why should the owners make a better team, they are getting their money. Just because I am a fan of a team doesn’t mean that I am going to spend my hard earned money on a crap product.
Former Hawk Fan
May 16th, 2011
9:30 pm
No more Hawks games for me until the “Atlanta Spirit” becomes yet another bad memory in this town’s history. ASG has been about basketball from start, so let’s pay them back for selling out the Thashers by staying away from the Hawks and Phillips until they finally implode for good.
OHL
May 16th, 2011
9:45 pm
@ G Connor – unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. That’s what all the soccer heads said when the World Cup first came to North America. It’s a decade or two later and all those young kids who played soccer aren’t watching David Beckham now that they’ve grown up, they’re watching the Big 4 sports.
@Blondie
May 16th, 2011
9:45 pm
You’re an idiot if you’re not watching this year’s NBA playoffs. Check out the ratings dude.
Wait a Minute
May 16th, 2011
9:45 pm
Time to boycott the Hawks and Philipps arena. I will tell anyone who will listen that ASG are the biggest jerks in Atlanta.
Maybe Arthur....
May 16th, 2011
9:47 pm
is letting the ASG take a bath, then he can push bettman for an expansion club with a clean slate and a better nickname.
Dave from MN
May 16th, 2011
9:57 pm
I too am a zealot. I watched my beloved North Stars leave in the 90’s from MN, and this is going to hurt if (when) the Thrashers leave as well. We’ve been down in ATL for over a decade now and the Thrashers have become our beloved team. We’ll see if Winnipeg can support another NHL franchise. We’re still holding out for a miracle.
Frank
May 16th, 2011
9:59 pm
It’ll be really sad and pathetic if we lose another NHL team. I enjoyed the Flames and we went to many games. Then they left us. I have enjoyed the Thrashers, but unfortunately we have had little reason to cheer. I am actually surprised to see how many fans come out to the games. I know this reflects the fact that Atlanta is a city full of transplants, but who cares. Hockey can work in Atlanta for that very reason. The owners are a bunch of clowns perhaps not individually as much as collectively. They remind me of the Smith’s ownership of the Falcons. Not something to be proud of.
KLS1
May 16th, 2011
10:14 pm
Tough time for hockey fans in ATL.
But just because the Thrashers haven’t won doesn’t mean they should move. It would be the same story for the Braves and Falcons but they stuck around and we stuck with them. Now both franchises are being rewarded.
Keep the Thrash…we can turn this thing around!
Just Me
May 16th, 2011
10:21 pm
HAHAHAH LEAVE and take the HAWKS with you.
Mark - Worst Column Ever From You
May 16th, 2011
10:36 pm
Mark – greatly disappointed with your weak article. I have been a fan of your work for years. You look like someone who does not what you are talking about – this is BAD NEWS for Atlanta’s national reputation and ability to attract major sporting events in the future. Your attitude belongs in a minor league city – go back to KY where they are minor league. Atlanta is a major league town. Think big picture – not from your own lame perspective.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
May 16th, 2011
10:37 pm
I would much rather have the charlestown chiefs than the thrashers
Big Wally
May 16th, 2011
10:38 pm
ASG, there’s a special place in hell for each one of you.
Berens
May 16th, 2011
10:45 pm
Okay, maybe the fans didn’t fail the Thrashers, but when you only have 2000 fans you don’t stand a chance.
The Leafs haven’t made the playoffs since 2004 and haven’t won the cup since 67. They SUCK. But because they have ACTUAL HOCKEY FANS
Whopper Dawg
May 16th, 2011
10:45 pm
All true, but this column will draw less posters than one about UGA’s kicking game.
rob
May 16th, 2011
10:45 pm
just moved into the area a few years ago from S. Fla where the Panthers have struggled with bad ownership over the last 10 years, the only saving grace has been a great arena deal and an arena in an area that’s relatively easy to get in an out of. I can’t say that about Phillips arena, terrible location but that being said i was impressed with the core Thrasher fans, they have been treated terribly by an ownership group that frankly I’m shocked were ever approved for a franchise. Hoping a local buyer is found who actually cares about hockey and get the right people involved, thrasher fans deserve better
Najeh Davenpoop
May 16th, 2011
10:47 pm
I don’t know anything about hockey, nor do I care much about it. But if a sport is more likely to succeed in a metro area with 1 million people than it is in one of the ten largest metro areas in the USA, it’s painting an image of itself as a niche sport rather than a mainstream sport. The NHL shouldn’t be happy about this if it happens.
Nor should Atlanta for that matter. Seeing as how there is already a fantastic arena in Atlanta for hockey, it’s bad for the city if its tenant leaves and takes with it the economic impact its fans bring to the city by coming to Philips for games.
I feel bad for you Thrashers fans. As a Hawks fan I have complained about the Dumb Ass Spirit Group for a long time, but they are not screwing us over nearly as bad as they are screwing y’all.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 16th, 2011
10:48 pm
I don’t know anything about hockey, nor do I care much about it. But if a sport is more likely to succeed in a metro area with 1 million people than it is in one of the ten largest metro areas in the USA, it’s painting an image of itself as a niche sport rather than a mainstream sport. The NHL shouldn’t be happy about this if it happens.
Nor should Atlanta for that matter. Seeing as how there is already a fantastic arena in Atlanta for hockey, it’s bad for the city if its tenant leaves and takes with it the economic impact its fans bring to the city by coming to Philips for games.
I feel bad for you Thrashers fans. As a Hawks fan I have complained about the Dumb Azz Spirit Group for a long time, but they are not screwing us over nearly as bad as they are screwing y’all.
Berens
May 16th, 2011
10:49 pm
the leafs make more money than several teams combined. The Thrashers were losing money even when they were better and even when the public didn’t know they were for sale. Do you actually think this team has a chance there? The owners were no different than drunken sailors on shore leave at a casino; they rolled the dice to make hockey big in Atlanta – not because they gave a damn about hockey, but because they were looking to make some quick easy money. They took a chance and lost and have been trying to get the hell out of there for YEARS!!
The owners never cared about hockey and never cared about the fans and there were never enough fans to care about the team. Put that team on a jet and get them to Winnipeg- we want them and we’re going to keep them
bob
May 16th, 2011
10:50 pm
Nobody will care
Pinball34
May 16th, 2011
10:51 pm
iMHO, Phil Kent is as responsible for this as anybody. I seriously doubt David McDavid could’ve screwed over hockey fans this bad. In case you forgot, he was the Turner person in love with Atlanta Spirit.
Big Wally
May 16th, 2011
10:54 pm
Berens. You have a special place in hell too. Right beside the ASG clowns.
Chris Goltermann
May 16th, 2011
10:55 pm
Where is Gary Bettman in all this? Probably hiding behind his desk. Time and time again he has saved a non-hockey market in Phoenix, and yet when Atlanta has its first troubles, he’s wearing the blindfold. He is by far the worst commissioner in pro sports – and that’s saying something with Bud Selig among his peers. How ironic that a sport known for its toughness had a pathetic, puny little weakling at the helm. He ought to tell the ASG that they’re not going to bail until at least one ownership group tries to keep the team in Atlanta and they go through a full round of negotiations.
polskidawg
May 16th, 2011
10:58 pm
Worst Sports Ownership in History
1a) Art Modell
1b) Donald Sterling
1c) Atlanta Spirit, LLC
The first two only have longevity over the Atlanta Spirit, LLC,
Actually, those three also tie for the most disingenuous Sports Ownership in History, as well. And to think: people here thought Belkin was the “bad” guy!
I really can’t imagine how the Gearon’s could possibly still live in Atlanta after they sell the team.
Crazy Diamond
May 16th, 2011
11:04 pm
We are so screwed.
Thrash
May 16th, 2011
11:06 pm
Winnipeg? Seriously? It’s a dump.
Big Wally
May 16th, 2011
11:21 pm
For anyone who thinks the ASG wanted to keep the Thrashers here, well, I have some lovely beachfront property just outside of Kansas City, I’d like to sell you.
count_schemula
May 16th, 2011
11:24 pm
Went to my first three hockey games just this year. I dunno about the experience, Philips is pretty nasty, but I liked watching live hockey. Like they say, it’s nothing like on TV. Live Hockey was pretty cool. But alas…
Stu Ribblett
May 16th, 2011
11:25 pm
I am really sorry to hear that the Thrashers might leave.My kids and I are huge Penguins fans and look forward to the early April game.We’ve been to the April 10, game the last two years.We always enjoyed coming to Atlanta and enjoying your city and all there is to do there.I sincerely told quite a few Thrashers fans that I hope something could be worked out and that I respected true fans.I shook hands with a few and told them we hoped to see them in 2012.Still holding out for that,We travel over 500 miles to come to that game.
Wpger
May 16th, 2011
11:32 pm
At those who don’t believe Winnipeg can support a team because we lost the Jets, it’s for the same reasons the fans in Atlanta are losing yours, poor management. You hae every right to be angry with the leadership of the Thrashers as well as the NHL for doing an injustice to your community. Gary Bettman in interested in one thing an one thing only, his bottom line and to prove he’s a big man. For the last 2 years he has only used Winnipeg as a pawn to get money from the people of Glendale, and now is only releasing the Thrashers to recoup cash.
Flames Fan
May 16th, 2011
11:33 pm
Oh what I wouldn’t do to be able to sit in the Omni one more time and hear Marshal Mann’s baratone voice anounce “Lady and Gentlemen, your Atlanta Flames!!! Sigh…Those were the days……
Brendan
May 16th, 2011
11:34 pm
Sage, let me ask you, in total sincerity, wouldn’t it be better, in your view, that the team be owned by someone who CARES, even if that someone moves the team out of Atlanta, than to continue on like this? Even marriage counselors would step in to say, “Call your divorce attorney. There’s nothing salvageable here.” I certainly don’t want another year under the “Heptacluser,” (TM, all rights reserved, U.S. Library of Congress, 2010-11) uhh, ‘for the sake of the kids.’ No, I want new ownership. And I want the team to stay. I want custody of the house and the children. They can have the cars, the stocks, the jewelry, the burial plots, the fine China, and even the Christmas ornaments. But the team, the draft picks, and the existing contracts are ours, plus at least a percentage of the operating revenues of Philips Arena.
I had hoped that this team would be cultivated properly. That won’t happen under this regime. The only entity that, perhaps, ever CARED for the Thrashers … was Ted Turner. At last check, he wasn’t interested in reacquiring the Thrashers. At least Turner would endeavor to put people in charge who might get the job done.
My love for hockey will never change. If this team leaves, I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll go to Gladiators game. I’ll buy Center Ice, every year. And I’ll wish the Thrashers well, or whatever name they might have, and always know that they deserved a better fate than to be owned by an uncaring corporation and disinterested NBA enthusiasts.
I want to say something else, or it’ll bother me if I don’t. Don Waddell isn’t the worst human being who ever lived, by any stretch. He’s personable. He tried hard. He never meant to ruin hockey in Atlanta. But the simple truth is, and dang it, he’ll have to OWN IT and live with it, he failed to grow the sport in the region. In fact, under his Administration, interest in hockey demonstrably declined, from the Inaugural Season, in which the Thrashers set an NHL attendance record. He can’t pin that on the Tooth Fairy, the Abominable Snowman, or the Seven Dwarves.
If I so much as hear Don Waddell say ANYTHING like, “it really wasn’t my fault,” … or “honestly, we did a really good job, all things considered,” I’m just gonna hurl. Why on Earth the media gives Waddell a pass … I’ll never know. The guy had two (2) 1st overall selections, two (2) 2nd overall picks, a 3rd overall, a 4th overall, a couple of 8ths, a 10th, and on and on it goes. That players wouldn’t re-sign here ought to have told Waddell what players thought of the job he was doing. To my knowledge, no AJC columnist ever called for Waddell’s head in the morning paper.
Kevin
May 16th, 2011
11:37 pm
Aren’t any of you guys pissed that the league has sponsored Phoenix (and yeah Glendale council, but only at gunpoint) and are letting the Thrashers drop like a cheap suit after a long day at work? It’s amazing to me, that, after a timid search these guys can get away with this? What’s the difference between TNS and the deal that Jim Balsilie had with Jerry Moyes in Phoenix?? Only that the NHL has approved this, but unlike Phoenix and Buffalo and Pittsburgh, not NHL guided support. They let Jerry Moyes get creamed for $270M in Phoenix and wouldn’t let him get most of that back but allow these ASG clowns to get away almost scott free, it’s a joke!!!!!!!!!! Too bad the NHL didn’t fiorce ASG to keep the team till they put it into bankruptcy, at least a court may give preference to a local owner may buy it at a reduced price. Blame the NHL on this one, they have just abandoned Atlanta, which is a damn shame. They’ll prop up smaller markets like Phoenix, Columbus and Nashville, and all 8000 fans on Long Island, but not Atlanta. For the 2nd time Atlanta gets screwed by this league! Good luck if a third team comes here….
Flames Fan
May 16th, 2011
11:42 pm
Well said Kevin… The NHL has NEVER supported either of ATL’s hockey franchises… The expansion that brought the Flames to Atlanta was approved by the NHL Board of Govenors by a very narrow margin, so the Flames had no chance from the outset.
Kevin
May 16th, 2011
11:44 pm
Like Wpger said, you can’t blame Winnipeg. As a Thrasher fan, it’s understandable Winnipeg would want a team. However, it REALLY PISSES ME OFF that the league let it happen like this. Now that it’s out, it’s a fait accompli this team is gone. No one is coming forward now! Bettman screwed Winnipeg, Quebec, Hartford and Minnesota in the 1990s and now it’s Atlanta’s turn to get the plug. Screw you, Gary!!! At least a year, involve the council, no, just behind the scenes crap for a long time, allow the team to become a hollow core. Really, only Florida traded away more talent for less in the last 10 years that Atlanta. At least we’ll have the memories of the great Patrik Stefan and Angelo Esposito!! sic!
Kevin
May 16th, 2011
11:51 pm
The worst thing now is any time in the future, if another team is in troble and Atlanta’s name comes up, people in hockey will say Atlanta’s a failure, doesn’t support teams! Especially amongst the Canadian media and some such. It’s so unfair. I really thought for a few years this team had a real chance to be special with Heatley and Kovalchuk. Everything went downward from 2003 with the Dan Snyder incident, and these idiots buying the team from Time-Warner……I just hope people remember that these twits had as much to do with it as the city. That and the fact that the unlucky fact that the Canadian dollar makes it auspicious to bring hockey back to small Canadian cities.
Kevin
May 16th, 2011
11:55 pm
It’s sad because I really thought this team had a chance to do something special with Heatley and Kovy! It all started going downhill after ASG bought the team from TW and the whole Dan Snyder incident. Bad vibes occurred. We had good attendance for a while, but it’s a tough place. It’s too bad that from now on whenever some NHL team is in trouble and Atlanta is mentioned as a place, people will say Atlanta failed TWICE, ya da ya da, especially outsiders, Canadian hockey media, etc. I just hope they remember the other twits that made this relocation day possible, and it wasn’t the fans who cared to see a sport they like.
Claude Valiquette
May 17th, 2011
12:15 am
Winnipeg should have never loose is team in the first place. The Coyotes soon very soon will either go back to Winnipeg or Quebec city if Bettman is not too dumb…
Kevin
May 17th, 2011
12:16 am
Berens, just a word, you little zit, but the Thrashers have more than 200 fans. You see the effect not the cause. Atlanta did fine when things were going well, but people read into the act, saw the lack of managerial mistakes, ownership apathy and player lack of effort. Many guys zipped town. And when the team spent a bit of cash, it went into mistakes. Remember the Holik and Rucchin years? Colorado used to have a hall-of-fame team and win when they first when back to Colorado and everyone said, wow there’s a hockey town, and now with new owners, they ain’t done anything but lose, including their fans. All markets have fickle fans. And we’ll see how long Winnipeg keeps it’s team. In Canada, politicians sell out their teams, so don’t be surprised after years of losing and losing money, the TNS wants new seats in it’s dwarf arena and city council says no, like they did 15 years go! Twice! I
Brendan
May 17th, 2011
12:18 am
Well, it’s true that the ownership failed the city, rather than the fans failing the city. That much is certain. I think it’s accurate to say that hockey never started in Atlanta, considering the ownership incarnations it has had. Who CARED about the Thrashers?? Ted Turner?? Maybe. But he was out almost as soon as he got in. David McDavid? I’d say he cared, but he never got control. And as for Rutherford Seydell, and his drunken announcement, during banner raising ceremonies, opening night in 2007, that “we’re gonna do everything in our power to bring the Stanley Cup right here to Atlanta,” the words and deeds did not correspond to one another.
Kevin
May 17th, 2011
12:20 am
Claude, Phoenix is obviously not going to leave. Bettman has had 40 million reasons to leave and won’t budge. He’s determined to beat Goldwater to pieces, the arrogant fool he is. Our only hope now is that Comcast’s 10 year deal with the NHL is that the league goes to 32 teams and Atlanta finds and owner along woth Kansas City…..Quebec won’t get a team without a building, Claude, Betmann has made that clear.
John
May 17th, 2011
12:22 am
Mark, this may be the most well written article I’ve ever read in this newspaper. Unfortunately, it’s spot on. For those of us die-hards it’s a very very tough pill to swallow that this potential has been wasted but it is what it is I guess.
Atl Caniac
May 17th, 2011
12:40 am
As a Caniac, it sickens me the Birds will be flying the coop. My family and friends and I have enjoyed our trips to Blueland over the years, especially the past two years. So the question is, would there be time to change the alignment and add Nashville to the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. Or hold off until the following season, and if the move to the ‘Peg is going to be a year away, what kind of support will ATL give a lame-duck team?
Kevin
May 17th, 2011
12:47 am
Rumors are that the new (local) owners of the Hawks and Phillips arena insist upon NOT buying the Thrashers, making a sale of the hockey team nearly impossible (due to renting reasons) for a new owner. If that is true that sucks the big one
Kevin
May 17th, 2011
12:50 am
Caniac, rumors are that Detroit will force it’s way into the East as they have whinned about west coast trips for years. Columbus is also a eastern zone team, but Nashville makes by far the most geographical sense. But this is the NHL, and nothing sensible is automatic about this league. It may well be that Detroit gets it’s way and will play in the Northeast, forcing Buffalo into the Atlantic, forcing Pittsburgh into the Southeast, and forcing Colorado into the Central. It’s all stupid.
lou
May 17th, 2011
2:04 am
I too am one of the zealot’s and I hate that term because it makes me feel like I was odd for loving the sport. If hockey can succeed in Nashville, how could it not survive here? It’s not like we were asking hockey to succeed in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In a town of over three million people, it shouldn’t have been too difficult to get 15,000 to come to a game, but it was marketed so poorly here and everyone has already commented correctly on how pathetic this ownership group was. They never understood that it would be better occasionally to sell seats at a discount and get people in the building and sell merchandise and concessions than to have 5,000 plus empty seats with no one buying anything. This is Atlanta and with all the transients here from hockey towns around the northeast and the midwest I can’t believe we couldn’t make a go of this. The sport is surviving in Sunrise, Florida for Gods sake! I love all the Atlanta professional teams but could care less if I ever saw a Braves, Hawks or Falcons game ever again and I do go to those games. I have always loved hockey since I moved here almost 40 years ago and I can remember where I was when I heard the Flames were moving which was crushing news. I can’t believe I will be going through those emotions again. Yes the Thrashers failed the fans and the ownership was abysmal and some of the worst ever and they failed the fans. I agree with the person who said they should be dropped from what was the Omni. There were so many opportunities including building on our postseason appearance which they didn’t do and certainly not making the playoffs this year was the death knell of this franchise. I do fault the fans to a degree, myself included, because If this were another major city with this problem, the fans would have demanded changes along the way and not basically stood idly by while ownership destroyed this team. I, for one, will not drop another penny into a Hawks game as long as this ownership group is involved.
Faaaaaaaaart
May 17th, 2011
4:29 am
I would like to applaud the Atlanta media also. So many articles and attention now in 2011 as this saga ends. The Thrashers have been here since 1999..how many articles has anyone other than the resident designated blogger written? This entire show was run by non-professional suits, it was ran into the ground and now it’s feeding frenzy, it might even make the news informing people in remote parts of Georgia that there is an actual NHL team here. If you don’t think that’s part of the problem since day 1, you would be wrong. Again, good article, wonder what it would have been like had the media covered the team for all these years now..instead we original zealots Thrasher fans like myself ended up with an internet troll John Kincade and Rawhide’s one finger typing skills, not to mention the robotic work of Chris Vivlamore. We deserved better, even the fair weather Braves and Falcons fans seemingly have an opinion about something they never watched.
Chuck Allison
May 17th, 2011
6:06 am
I sure wish the yankee transients would quit trying to bring in ice hockey and soccer teams to Georgia.