A third attempt at a team in Atlanta + the growth of Atlanta United and Atlanta Dream (which both practically didn’t exist at the time of the trashers), will work, trust me.
czechyerself
Atlanta is not a hockey town. Forget it. You may as well be talking about putting a team in Albuquerque
thenegativeone112
How many teams is the league trying to make? We have a perfect split at the moment. also the nhl is the epitome of the guy stepping on the rake. They ignore markets who are dying to have new teams or have Teams return for failed areas. And maybe there are hockey fans in Atlanta but that’s already a saturated and growing market with all of their other sports. Money is tight for average consumers and I’m sure they have to pick and choose what games they are going to for the year.
Top_Tumbleweed
Stop trying to make Atlanta happen, it’s not going to happen
Porkchopp33
In 2007 they averaged 16,240 fans that year More than Boston, Chicago,Washington and Nee Jersey it could have worked but it just didn’t
patsbury
Atlanta team always relocated to Canada; I vote yes for a 3rd attempt so Quebec City finally gets its team!
PathyBoi
All the jokes in here are about the 3rd time’s a charm. Motherfuckers, the Atlanta Flames left in 1980… It’s only been the Thrashers and they had a terrible ownership that drove the team into the ground. Much like arizona, but everyone circle jerks about how Arizona will have a team again one day. Give us a chance. Most of us were just kids when the Thrashers left.
LionBig1760
Please no more teams. 32 is plenty when only 28 choose to compete in any given year.
Milestailsprowe
THG said that 36-40 teams is the most things can get before scheduling becomes a nightmare and I agree. One home and away per team a extra for big rivals.
A team in Atlanta makes sense but like in Vegas the ownership group is gonna be sooooo damn important.
GovernmentMule97
Third time’s a charm? How about we stop trying to make hockey succeed in southern US markets where it’s clearly not viable…or wanted. Like Atlanta and Phoenix.
AG74683
I think NHL would work this time, but out in The Battery.
Hockey does work in Atlanta with the right location and ownership. Just look at The Gladiators.
Scamnam
*insert* mean girls stop trying to make fetch happen meme
Weird-Yesterday-8129
Maybe that Paul Allen is dead, they could give Portland a try. The Winterhawks regularly sell out a 12k seat arena.
mars_titties
I’m convinced a lot of franchises don’t work out because of bad transit and urban planning in the USA. Put your arenas downtown on subway stations
Riktorious61
NHL is going to 36. Like it or not. NFL has 32 USA markets. NBA 29 1 Canadian. MLB has 29 and 1. NHL has 25 USA with 7 Canadian Now to compete in USA TV market and get big TV markets. You go to biggest markets. Atlanta. Phoenix. Houston. One more. Don’t think any Canadian teams added. Especially Quebec There’s no money in it. It’s not just attendance. It’s corp sponsors and buying of swag. It’s TV. Rogers in Canada is losing money on hockey. Don’t expect next deal to be big in Canada. But in USA it could get bigger. Need more teams to be bigger. Not weather for it ?? Florida teams both won Stanley Cups. LA Anaheim. San Jose was close. More teams in USA coming. Book it.
Holiday_General_4790
“He is in such a position now and is the main man behind a multi-billion-dollar project in Forsyth County, north of the city.”
There it is. It’s not about the team. It’s about getting land rights for a real estate development project and the team is a lever to get it. Same thing happened when the NJ Nets moved to Brooklyn. The main owner didn’t actually care about the team at all. He just wanted the land. Once he got it, he flipped his stake in the team to a Russian billionaire and was out.
prplx
Yeah building a new arena is a sure way to get a franchise. Ask the people in Quebec City.
mad_metal
I am a hockey fan because the thrashers existed when I was in high school in Atlanta.
moosecanucklez
Fuck Atlanta. They’ve had 2 opportunities already and have failed miserably both times!
LeMeJustBeingAwesome
ITT Ignorat morons who know nothing about the economics of the sport or why the Thrashers were relocated. (Hint: Had nothing to do with lack of fan support.)
ridawg05
I feel like something that the “Atlanta will never be a hockey city” crowd doesn’t realize is that, up to 2007, they were slightly better in attendance than Nashville. But, Nashville got good ownership that guided them to gradual attendance growth and eventually built a strong hockey culture in the city of Nashville. Atlanta didn’t get that. They had owners that didn’t want them.
7Streetfreak6
Saskatchewan before Atlanta ffs.
fastal_12147
Do we really need more expansion? I think the parity in the league is about where you want it right now. Do they think they have enough talent in the lower leagues to support another franchise? I just don’t see how this happens.
nopantts
Is Bettman ok? He’s shaking a lot in those clips.
TirithornFornadan1
I don’t care about whether or not Atlanta gets hockey, but I don’t think continued expansion is good for the competitive quality of the league. More teams necessarily means a larger player pool, which dilutes the skill base and lowers the average skill of each team.
This is especially, though not exclusively, evident in the goalie position. Already, there is such a scarcity in the position that only about 1/3 of the teams have consistently good goaltending. Continued expansion dilutes that even further. Strongly opposed to expansion, and indeed would prefer a slight contraction (though I recognize that my view will never happen).
29 Comments
So where will they move to after that?
Please stop.
3rd or 4th time is the charm, right???
AGAIN?
A third attempt at a team in Atlanta + the growth of Atlanta United and Atlanta Dream (which both practically didn’t exist at the time of the trashers), will work, trust me.
Atlanta is not a hockey town. Forget it. You may as well be talking about putting a team in Albuquerque
How many teams is the league trying to make? We have a perfect split at the moment. also the nhl is the epitome of the guy stepping on the rake. They ignore markets who are dying to have new teams or have Teams return for failed areas. And maybe there are hockey fans in Atlanta but that’s already a saturated and growing market with all of their other sports. Money is tight for average consumers and I’m sure they have to pick and choose what games they are going to for the year.
Stop trying to make Atlanta happen, it’s not going to happen
In 2007 they averaged 16,240 fans that year More than Boston, Chicago,Washington and Nee Jersey it could have worked but it just didn’t
Atlanta team always relocated to Canada; I vote yes for a 3rd attempt so Quebec City finally gets its team!
All the jokes in here are about the 3rd time’s a charm. Motherfuckers, the Atlanta Flames left in 1980… It’s only been the Thrashers and they had a terrible ownership that drove the team into the ground. Much like arizona, but everyone circle jerks about how Arizona will have a team again one day. Give us a chance. Most of us were just kids when the Thrashers left.
Please no more teams. 32 is plenty when only 28 choose to compete in any given year.
THG said that 36-40 teams is the most things can get before scheduling becomes a nightmare and I agree. One home and away per team a extra for big rivals.
A team in Atlanta makes sense but like in Vegas the ownership group is gonna be sooooo damn important.
Third time’s a charm? How about we stop trying to make hockey succeed in southern US markets where it’s clearly not viable…or wanted. Like Atlanta and Phoenix.
I think NHL would work this time, but out in The Battery.
Hockey does work in Atlanta with the right location and ownership. Just look at The Gladiators.
*insert* mean girls stop trying to make fetch happen meme
Maybe that Paul Allen is dead, they could give Portland a try. The Winterhawks regularly sell out a 12k seat arena.
I’m convinced a lot of franchises don’t work out because of bad transit and urban planning in the USA. Put your arenas downtown on subway stations
NHL is going to 36. Like it or not. NFL has 32 USA markets. NBA 29 1 Canadian. MLB has 29 and 1. NHL has 25 USA with 7 Canadian Now to compete in USA TV market and get big TV markets. You go to biggest markets. Atlanta. Phoenix. Houston. One more. Don’t think any Canadian teams added. Especially Quebec There’s no money in it. It’s not just attendance. It’s corp sponsors and buying of swag. It’s TV. Rogers in Canada is losing money on hockey. Don’t expect next deal to be big in Canada. But in USA it could get bigger. Need more teams to be bigger. Not weather for it ?? Florida teams both won Stanley Cups. LA Anaheim. San Jose was close. More teams in USA coming. Book it.
“He is in such a position now and is the main man behind a multi-billion-dollar project in Forsyth County, north of the city.”
There it is. It’s not about the team. It’s about getting land rights for a real estate development project and the team is a lever to get it. Same thing happened when the NJ Nets moved to Brooklyn. The main owner didn’t actually care about the team at all. He just wanted the land. Once he got it, he flipped his stake in the team to a Russian billionaire and was out.
Yeah building a new arena is a sure way to get a franchise. Ask the people in Quebec City.
I am a hockey fan because the thrashers existed when I was in high school in Atlanta.
Fuck Atlanta. They’ve had 2 opportunities already and have failed miserably both times!
ITT Ignorat morons who know nothing about the economics of the sport or why the Thrashers were relocated. (Hint: Had nothing to do with lack of fan support.)
I feel like something that the “Atlanta will never be a hockey city” crowd doesn’t realize is that, up to 2007, they were slightly better in attendance than Nashville. But, Nashville got good ownership that guided them to gradual attendance growth and eventually built a strong hockey culture in the city of Nashville. Atlanta didn’t get that. They had owners that didn’t want them.
Saskatchewan before Atlanta ffs.
Do we really need more expansion? I think the parity in the league is about where you want it right now. Do they think they have enough talent in the lower leagues to support another franchise? I just don’t see how this happens.
Is Bettman ok? He’s shaking a lot in those clips.
I don’t care about whether or not Atlanta gets hockey, but I don’t think continued expansion is good for the competitive quality of the league. More teams necessarily means a larger player pool, which dilutes the skill base and lowers the average skill of each team.
This is especially, though not exclusively, evident in the goalie position. Already, there is such a scarcity in the position that only about 1/3 of the teams have consistently good goaltending. Continued expansion dilutes that even further. Strongly opposed to expansion, and indeed would prefer a slight contraction (though I recognize that my view will never happen).