Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

PowderedH2O · May 19, 2011 2:50PM

This seems to be the prevailing story. I've been to Atlanta to see a couple of games with the Hurricanes. I didn't get the sense that there was a lot of public support for the team. But then again, this is a team that has never won a single playoff game in its existence. Hard to get excited about shelling out your hard earned money for that. I've read a few realignment scenarios. Obviously, a Winnipeg team goes to the Western Conference. I think Nashville would be a nice add to the Southeast Division. Minnesota would take their place, with Winnipeg taking the Wild's spot. But, there are some other Western Conference teams that could save a lot of money by moving to the Eastern Conference. Teams like Detroit and Columbus would certainly like to make road trips a few hundred miles away, rather than a couple thousand miles away.

We'll see what happens. I personally hope that if this goes through, they break out the old uni's and we see the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL again.

jackstraw · May 19, 2011 7:13PM

Well I lost my beloved Hartford Whalers in 97 and I would take the Thrashers here in a second.
Why does Winnipeg get a second chance and Hartford doesn't? Atlanta got a second chance.
Florida still has 2 teams? Nashville? Phoenix? and the talk around here is Kansas City is in the driver seat
for another chance for an NHL team? Did I mention Minn. got a team again?

melvin289 · May 19, 2011 7:14PM

You know Charlotte was always a good hockey city. I remember back in the early to mid 70's going to see the Checkers play. They had a good following. There was a great rivalry between the Greensboro Generals and the Checkers. It made for some very good hockey. When the NHL expanded some years back someone in the NHL said that Charlotte would be a good city for the league to expand to and no one did anything about it. I believe Raleigh ended up with that expansion spot. Don't know if the two Carolina cities are too close together to support another team but would love to see professional hockey in Charlotte. The old Southern League was some great games. I know there is a semi pro team in Charlotte now but have never been to see them play. The few times I called to try and get tickets they were sold out.

Ron

edmundfitzgerald · May 19, 2011 8:17PM

I don't think Hartford supported the team too well attendance wise. I think Winnipeg supported their team better. Just a guess.
This is a good decision if it holds true. Canada deserves more hockey clubs. Quebec should be next.

jdip9 · May 19, 2011 9:04PM

Rather than relocate, I would rather see them contracted, along with the Florida Panthers.

alnavman · May 19, 2011 11:02PM

I'm surprised Quebec doesn't get mentioned more...

stevek · May 20, 2011 12:11AM

Sorry to hear the Braves are moving to Canada. As poorly as they have played and with very few fans, it certainly is understandable. I wonder whether or not they will stay in the NL East or perhaps instead play in some Canadian baseball league?

Garabaldi · May 20, 2011 12:40AM

I knew it was going to be a stupid NL East comment.

cpamike · May 20, 2011 1:15AM

<< Sorry to hear the Braves are moving to Canada. As poorly as they have played and with very few fans, it certainly is understandable. I wonder whether or not they will stay in the NL East or perhaps instead play in some Canadian baseball league? >>

Steve, I guess its going to take awhile before we get that 5th good post.

PowderedH2O · May 20, 2011 2:22AM

jackstraw, I really don't know. I never got a chance to see a game in Hartford. I've heard that the team wasn't supported really well, but I think the same argument applies here. Weak product = weak support. I grew up in New Orleans and went to Jazz games all the time. I still can't pull for the Jazz. But, the Jazz have gotten better support in Utah. I really doubt you guys will get another team. Hartford isn't that big, and having a team in New England doesn't help the NHL, since the league already has a presence there. But, if the Florida Panthers were to move, I'd love to see a reappearance of the Whale.

stevek · May 20, 2011 3:33AM

<< 

<< Sorry to hear the Braves are moving to Canada. As poorly as they have played and with very few fans, it certainly is understandable. I wonder whether or not they will stay in the NL East or perhaps instead play in some Canadian baseball league? >>

Steve, I guess its going to take awhile before we get that 5th good post.

>>

Please don't push me Mike...I'm still working on it. LOL

Goot · May 20, 2011 3:40AM

Winnipeg is in the drivers seat simply because they have potential owners and an arena that would be suitable for the NHL. Hartford and Quebec have neither at this point, although Quebec is trying to get a new arena.

I say move the Panthers and Thrashers, one to Winnipeg, the other to Quebec. That leaves the South with the Lightning, Predators, and Hurricanes. Florida really only needs one team, and going off of team success and fan base size Tampa Bay easily has the advantage. There may be a decent amount of visiting fans (Detroit, Buffalo, etc) when those teams come to town, but the Lightning do not need to market to them and offer ticket specials to them for our franchise to survive (yes, the Panthers actually do this).

I also must point out that it will be interesting to see what happens with the New York Islanders. They are currently trying to get an arena and Nassau County will be voting on that in the coming months. If that deal is shot down, then I would not be surprised to see them potentially relocate in the coming years. Also, the Phoenix Coyotes only have until the end of this next season to either move or find owners in Arizona.

Connecticoin · May 20, 2011 1:07PM

<< I don't think Hartford supported the team too well attendance wise. I think Winnipeg supported their team better. Just a guess.
This is a good decision if it holds true. Canada deserves more hockey clubs. Quebec should be next. >>

You guessed wrong.

The Whalers usually sold out their arena when they were winning, and still drew 13,000 or so (out of 16,000) when they sucked. They were did in by incompetent ownership, the idiotic Ron Francis trade, and from escalating salaries from expansion into the southern markets like Atlanta. The final blow was selling the team to Karmanos, who had no intention of keeping the team in Hartford.

Howard Baldwin would love to bring a team to Hartford, but they would need state money to build a new arena (unlikely), and Gary Bettman would have to be out of the NHL (unlikely in the forseeable future as well).

melvin289 · May 20, 2011 1:13PM

<< Sorry to hear the Braves are moving to Canada. As poorly as they have played and with very few fans, it certainly is understandable. I wonder whether or not they will stay in the NL East or perhaps instead play in some Canadian baseball league? >>

I come over to a hockey thread and you're over here bashing the Braves. Gee

Ron

lanemyer85 · May 20, 2011 1:57PM

I seem to recall reading in the Hockey News last year when the relocation rumors began initially with the Coyotes that during Winnipeg's initial run, there were only 4 years where the organization wasn't in the red at the end of the year. Now, obviously the Canadian dollar is well above what it was then, and there is a hard salary cap now, but still, this is no sure thing to work out in the end. It's a metro area of 700k people. I'm sure they'll sell more tickets in Winnipeg than Atlanta did, but they'll also earn much less revenue in terms of TV/Radio rights and advertising as well. That's why the NHL is doing everything it can to keep the Coyotes in AZ because of the potential revenue from the media and sponsorship revenue from the growing Phoenix/Glendale area. Oh well. ATL received two opportunities to fail so I guess Winnipeg deserves it's second chance.

stevek · May 20, 2011 2:10PM

<< 

<< Sorry to hear the Braves are moving to Canada. As poorly as they have played and with very few fans, it certainly is understandable. I wonder whether or not they will stay in the NL East or perhaps instead play in some Canadian baseball league? >>

I come over to a hockey thread and you're over here bashing the Braves. Gee

Ron

>>

Your Braves are getting a little too close for comfort in the NL East...I figured the bashing needed to be done...there was a discussion on the internet about an Atlanta knitting and sewing club making nice clothes for charity...I bashed the Braves there as well.

melvin289 · May 20, 2011 2:29PM

Your Braves are getting a little too close for comfort in the NL East...I figured the bashing needed to be done...there was a discussion on the internet about an Atlanta knitting and sewing club making nice clothes for charity...I bashed the Braves there as well.

Boy you're tough on us. Getting down on the little old ladies. That's a hard act to follow.

Ron

stevek · May 20, 2011 2:36PM

<< Your Braves are getting a little too close for comfort in the NL East...I figured the bashing needed to be done...there was a discussion on the internet about an Atlanta knitting and sewing club making nice clothes for charity...I bashed the Braves there as well.

Boy you're tough on us. Getting down on the little old ladies. That's a hard act to follow.

Ron

>>

Posters beware...if I see "Atlanta" in the thread title during baseball season...I'm attacking the Braves.

Garabaldi · May 22, 2011 9:20AM

You really should be more worried about the Phils right now.

mcadams · May 22, 2011 9:51AM

Atlanta hates the Thrashers. Even the corporations downtown can't give away corporate seats. We all wish the Thrashers would leave so we can have concerts on those nights at Phillips arena instead of retarded hockey. LEAVE TOWN!

Garabaldi · May 22, 2011 11:01PM

<< Atlanta hates the Thrashers. Even the corporations downtown can't give away corporate seats. We all wish the Thrashers would leave so we can have concerts on those nights at Phillips arena instead of retarded hockey. LEAVE TOWN! >>

Ouch!

WTCG · May 25, 2011 7:39PM

Winnipeg is a small market compared to other North American cities but in a nutshell nobody in Atlanta watches hockey and I'm certain a sizeable percentage of the area population is unaware a professional hockey team calls Atlanta home.

Moving the Thrashers to Winnipeg is a smart idea. At least the folks in Winnipeg appreciate hockey.

Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

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