Quoted:

Nobody on here has really talked about it, so I will bring it up.



My wife and I have had season tickets to the Atlanta Thrashers for the last 9 years. I literally credit the Thrashers for saving my marriage. We had so few common interests, that when we realized that we both loved to go watch hockey games, we jumped on the opportunity. For the last 9 years, date night has been at Philips Arena.



Hockey has meant so much, that at one point, my wife donated a kidney to a fellow season ticket holder that she didn't even know. Now, try to tell me that our fans are not passionate!



Now, I must sit back and watch as the NHL and the Atlanta Spirit pick at the dead carcass that was once my hockey team.



The NHL wants the team to be sold and moved, so they can collect a "relocation fee" to the tune of $60-80 million. This will be used to soften the losses of the Phoenix Coyotes, who they bought out of bankruptcy and continue to drive into the ground.



The Atlanta Spirit wants to sell the team, because they are basketball guys. Between suing each other, they have tried to dump the hockey team since the first day that they bought them. In the mean time, they have carried the lowest payroll in the NHL and refused to do anything to put a better product on the ice. If you have a crappy product, it sure is hard to sell tickets.



It may be hard for you guys to understand, but try thinking about the Braves being sold and moved to a city that was 1/7th the size of Atlanta. MLB and the city of Atlanta would NEVER let it happen.



This feels like another death in the family. Honestly, I feel like I am going through a grieving process.



And before you drop my Yankee heritage in my face, I never attended an NHL game in my life until I went to a Thrashers game. Nothing could have been more Atlanta to me than hockey.

Quoted:
Nobody on here has really talked about it, so I will bring it up.

My wife and I have had season tickets to the Atlanta Thrashers for the last 9 years. I literally credit the Thrashers for saving my marriage. We had so few common interests, that when we realized that we both loved to go watch hockey games, we jumped on the opportunity. For the last 9 years, date night has been at Philips Arena.

Hockey has meant so much, that at one point, my wife donated a kidney to a fellow season ticket holder that she didn't even know. Now, try to tell me that our fans are not passionate!

Now, I must sit back and watch as the NHL and the Atlanta Spirit pick at the dead carcass that was once my hockey team.

The NHL wants the team to be sold and moved, so they can collect a "relocation fee" to the tune of $60-80 million. This will be used to soften the losses of the Phoenix Coyotes, who they bought out of bankruptcy and continue to drive into the ground.

The Atlanta Spirit wants to sell the team, because they are basketball guys. Between suing each other, they have tried to dump the hockey team since the first day that they bought them. In the mean time, they have carried the lowest payroll in the NHL and refused to do anything to put a better product on the ice. If you have a crappy product, it sure is hard to sell tickets.

It may be hard for you guys to understand, but try thinking about the Braves being sold and moved to a city that was 1/7th the size of Atlanta. MLB and the city of Atlanta would NEVER let it happen.

This feels like another death in the family. Honestly, I feel like I am going through a grieving process.

And before you drop my Yankee heritage in my face, I never attended an NHL game in my life until I went to a Thrashers game. Nothing could have been more Atlanta to me than hockey.

Quoted:
I had an interview with Steve Hummer from the AJC. I think that the story is going to run on Sunday.

I told him that it would have been nice if the AJC would have covered the Thrashers this much when it mattered.

Quoted:
Bald Monk is on the mark.  I would only add that I would put more blame on management than ownership.  Ultimately it comes down to the product you put on the ice, field etc... And frankly management failed to build a team capable of going deep in the playoffs and having a realistic shot at the cup around Kovalchuk.  Winning teams and franchises don't move.

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Atlanta and her hockey fans aren't the issue.

The ownership group and the NHL are the problem. Considering the Thrashers have made the playoffs once in their history in league where 40% of teams make the post season every year the fan base has been very loyal. Given the the fact that playoff is best Hockey, Atlanta's attendance number have been pretty decent.

ASG could fuck up a wet dream and Gary Bettman is the worse executive in all of professional sports. Hockey should be huge in states but the NHL can't get a decent TV contact to save themselves. He couldn't market free sex to nymphomaniacs

The Thrashers have not been able to overcome the stupidity of their ownership, most because of Don Waddell. Some how the Hawks have been moderately successful despite being being owned by the same group of fools. I have no clue why the Hawks have done it.

A good organization with excellent management can succeed despite incompetent or ambivalent ownership. The Braves have remained competitive despite incompetent ownership by Time Warner or the ambivalence of their current owners, Liberty Media. That is a credit to the organization it self. I believe if Liberty Media was willing to spend more $$$ the Braves would have done even better.

OP, you should check out a Gwinnett Gladiators game. It may not be the NHL but it fun entertainment.


Monk

Quoted:
I understand where you're coming from Chainsaw. I was a HUGE fan of the Atlanta Flames in the 70's. When they moved to Calgary in ~1980~ I was one pissed SOB!

My favorite player was Tom Lysiak. IMHO he'll be remembered as one of hockey's all time greats. Funny thing, about 3 years ago a guy stops by my shop just kinda nosing around when another regular customer, Bill (whose daughter rode horses with the other guy's daughter) says to me in a loud voice,
"you know who that guy over there is don't you?"
I answer "nope, no clue"  
Bill says, "He used to play hockey"
I turn to the guy and ask, "did you play hockey?"
He says "yup"
I ask "what's your name?"
He says "Tom" (with a big grin on his face)
I say "nice to meet you Tom, (and shake hands) what's your last name?"
Tom says "Lysiak"
I look over at Bill and say, "what's the big deal, he's just another Polack and most Polacks play hockey at one time or another...." (I went on to explain that my name ended in ski, making me a Polack too)
Tom laughs and says, "do you know why Polacks ride in sleds?"
Me: "no"
Tom says, "it's 'cuz they can't spell tobagon tabbagon tobaggon toboggan!"  (I guess he was right.....)

We talked for another 10-15 minutes, I told him I had watched him play at the Omni a LOT, then I deliberately steered the conversation away from hockey. Turns out he lives about 10 miles from here (in the REAL Buckhead), and he is just as nice a guy as you could ever imagine. He's been back in to the shop every several months, bringing jewelry for me to repair, looking for deals on tools, or just to stop by to kill a little time. It's pretty neat to meet (and be on a first name basis with) one of your sports heroes from your teen years, and find out that he turned out to be just a regular kind of guy!

I feel for ya on the Thrashers thing. But since I haven't had TV in my house in the last 18 years, I really haven't followed any sports teams, so it's kinda hard for me be bummin' about them.

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I wouln't worry about it. Honestly, bro the thrashers will leave, we will get an AHL team, and pay 1/4 of the price for season tickets closer to the ice. I'll miss the thrashers, but i won't miss the ownership, it is doomed to fail.

Quoted:
Bald Monk is on the mark.  I would only add that I would put more blame on management than ownership.  Ultimately it comes down to the product you put on the ice, field etc... And frankly management failed to build a team capable of going deep in the playoffs and having a realistic shot at the cup around Kovalchuk.  Winning teams and franchises don't move.

Quoted:
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-thrashers/thrashers-may-die-but-967415.html

For any of you who have never heard this story............. For those of you who already have, tough shit. I'm kind of proud of my wife for this and will tell the story until the day that I die. She is an amazing woman.