Atlanta part 4: Will the Thrashers be Gone With The Wind?

[Big McLargehuge]

I've heard that too... I found it extremely odd, that Byfuglien signed a 5 year deal for a team that is in limbo as far as ownership goes. Never seen that before. That said, Roseau Minnesota is pretty close to Winnipeg.

Look at the money that he was offered and it's easy to see why he signed that deal. He signed that at the highest his value is likely to ever get...can't blame the guy for cashing in. It's not like he signed it out of loyalty to a club he'd played for for only a few months.


Irsay really ****ed Baltimore over. I'm still kinda shocked it took so long for Baltimore to get a team again, especially considering how quickly the league acted to put the Browns back in Cleveland.

 

[Duke749]

Thanks Dreger. Now we have another thread that will be filled with wild speculation. We finally had the other thread closed, and now we have this. I'd sure like to know who his sources are.

Love the fact that apparently the NHL would fight tooth and nail to save Phoenix yet would turn around and screw Atlanta(at least that's what the speculation is). And to let it happen for a 2nd time?

 

[pucka lucka]

Thanks Dreger. Now we have another thread that will be filled with wild speculation. We finally had the other thread closed, and now we have this. I'd sure like to know who his sources are.

Love the fact that apparently the NHL would fight tooth and nail to save Phoenix yet would turn around and screw Atlanta(at least that's what the speculation is). And to let it happen for a 2nd time?

You don't have to participate.

You can't see that the Atlanta situation is nothing like the one in Phoenix?

 

[Duke749]

You don't have to participate.

You can't see that the Atlanta situation is nothing like the one in Phoenix?

You're right. Atlanta is in a much better situation then Phoenix. If Atlanta had made the playoffs two years in a row, this wouldn't even be a discussion(and no, i'm not taking a shot at Phoenix. Like it's been said, "different situation and circumstances").

 

[btn]

Phoenix has actually spent money on the product, has had much more success on the ice, and consistently finishes well below the Thrashers in attendance.

That the kind of difference you were talking about?

 

[Duke749]

Weren't Phoenix fans told not to buy season tickets last offseason? Or am I wrong?

 

[Howler Scores]

Weren't Phoenix fans told not to buy season tickets last offseason? Or am I wrong?

A letter was sent that if the Coyotes moved, season ticket holders would lose their money and/or deposits. That killed off a lot of the fan base and is often over looked as to why attendance and season ticket holders dropped off for the last 2 years.

 

[dkehler]

I don't blame you Atlanta fans one bit. If the team does, in fact, move to Winnipeg, there is a serious double standard by the NHL here in terms of how far they are willing to go to help one market over another. We in Winnipeg and Québec were already well aware of that fact.

 

[kdb209]

Weren't Phoenix fans told not to buy season tickets last offseason? Or am I wrong?

Not last season - but two years ago, after Moyes declared BK.

Instead of marketing season tickets, he just sent each STH a letter with instructions how to file a claim as an unsecured creditor - with no guarantee of getting all their money back if they did buy Season Tickets anyway.

 

[pucka lucka]

You're right. Atlanta is in a much better situation then Phoenix. If Atlanta had made the playoffs two years in a row, this wouldn't even be a discussion(and no, i'm not taking a shot at Phoenix. Like it's been said, "different situation and circumstances").

Ok, so the two situations are nothing alike. Progress.

 

[pegcity]

I find it interesting that this report from Dreger is similar to the one that has been mentioned in Winnipeg for the last 6 months. By similar I mean exactly the same.

I also find it interesting that dreger said that someone confirmed the potential of this to happen within the NHL and people here are still extremely skeptical.

 

[Joe Hallenback]

I hate the rumor mongering as well but I remember about half a year ago being told by someone who works for True North that is not the Yotes they were after but Atlanta. The story I got was they had agreed to buy them last year but the NHL stepped in and said they had to try and find local ownership. Well no one has come forward with a serious bid and True North is willing to pay 170 million for that team.


Guess we will find out one way or another soon

 

[pucka lucka]

I find it interesting that this report from Dreger is similar to the one that has been mentioned in Winnipeg for the last 6 months. By similar I mean exactly the same.

I also find it interesting that dreger said that someone confirmed the potential of this to happen within the NHL and people here are still extremely skeptical.

It usually just devolves into whining about how awful the Canadian media is. There is a term for it, willful ignorance. That's not meant as an insult.

 

[Duke749]

I hate the rumor mongering as well but I remember about half a year ago being told by someone who works for True North that is not the Yotes they were after but Atlanta. The story I got was they had agreed to buy them last year but the NHL stepped in and said they had to try and find local ownership. Well no one has come forward with a serious bid and True North is willing to pay 170 million for that team.


Guess we will find out one way or another soon

After almost 5 months? Do people really ignore the fact that the team couldn't be sold or even negotiated while they were in lawsuit?

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

I hate the rumor mongering as well but I remember about half a year ago being told by someone who works for True North that is not the Yotes they were after but Atlanta. The story I got was they had agreed to buy them last year but the NHL stepped in and said they had to try and find local ownership. Well no one has come forward with a serious bid and True North is willing to pay 170 million for that team.


Guess we will find out one way or another soon

Impossible.

Up until this January, no one knew exactly who owned the Thrashers. And even if it was known, had True North talked to the Thrashers ownership, then it would have been reported in court.

So if True North did in fact approach the Thrashers and offered them 170 million, then ASG is in huge trouble for withholding information.

 

[pegcity]

Impossible.

Up until this January, no one knew exactly who owned the Thrashers. And even if it was known, had True North talked to the Thrashers ownership, then it would have been reported in court.

So if True North did in fact approach the Thrashers and offered them 170 million, then ASG is in huge trouble for withholding information.

All sales go through the NHL. It has been documented in the Media (yes, I know) that ASG has approached the NHL a few times about off-loading the Thrashers. TNSE is the number one option and has been in contact with the NHL for 8 years. ASG <-->NHL<-->TNSE

 

[blues10]

Is it time for Kincaide to reveal the Balkan and end all of this insanity?

 

[atl thrasher344]

I find it interesting that this report from Dreger is similar to the one that has been mentioned in Winnipeg for the last 6 months. By similar I mean exactly the same.

I also find it interesting that dreger said that someone confirmed the potential of this to happen within the NHL and people here are still extremely skeptical.

You really think it's news that the Thrashers could move to Winnipeg if the Coyotes don't? I've known that for a long long time. Maybe I should work for TSN.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

All sales go through the NHL. It has been documented in the Media (yes, I know) that ASG has approached the NHL a few times about off-loading the Thrashers. TNSE is the number one option and has been in contact with the NHL for 8 years. ASG <-->NHL<-->TNSE

Oh joy, more pointless speculation.

You will be right at home in this friend, guy.

Anyways, I was responding to your theory that True North approached ASG around a year ago, which is not true.

And if it were true, then the fact that ASG forgot about it would be highly illegal.

I'm no lawyer, but if True North reveals that they did make an offer for the Thrashers before Belkin was bought out, then could Belkin sue ASG again and get more money?

 

[JetFan4Ever]

Is it time for Kincaide to reveal the Balkan and end all of this insanity?

ThebalkaN....hmmm

 

[TaketheCannoli]

Thanks Dreger. Now we have another thread that will be filled with wild speculation. We finally had the other thread closed, and now we have this. I'd sure like to know who his sources are.

Love the fact that apparently the NHL would fight tooth and nail to save Phoenix yet would turn around and screw Atlanta(at least that's what the speculation is). And to let it happen for a 2nd time?

I think the record shows that the NHL will do everything imaginable in its power to keep any franchise in its current market, as long as it has an up to date facility and someone who wants to own the team there.

If the day comes that there is no one who wants to own the team in Atlanta, or the facilities are seen as obsolete with no funded and approved plans for a replacement arena, they will be out of there.

 

[AugustBurnsRed*]

Nobody in Atlanta wants to own them.. the only real option seems as if it's True North right now.

 

[roccerfeller]

Didn't see this posted yet.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Winnipeg-only-option-for-Thrashers-sale-120815069.html

Winnipeg only option for Thrashers sale

...

The cheering in the background? Some of it is from Coyotes fans, but the real loud cowbell and drum-banging stuff, that’s from the clubby, leather-and-mahogany set in Atlanta.

"They want to sell and they have no options other than Winnipeg," a source close to the transaction told the Free Press. "They want the NHL to solve its issues in Phoenix and sell the team to (Matthew) Hulsizer so they can then sell to the group in Winnipeg.

"The NHL will let them sell. This market has failed once before and these guys have been trying to sell for years and no local group has come forward. They are desperate to sell and the Winnipeg guys are the only ones with money ready to go."

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine said last week he’d like to put together a group to buy the Thrashers, but he himself didn’t have the "$80 million to $100 million" required to make a deal.

"If the NHL gives Spirit the green light to sell to Winnipeg, the team will sell in the neighbourhood of $145 million, with the NHL taking its cut off the top for a relocation fee and Spirit receiving somewhere around $100 million," said the source. "That’s more than they can expect to get from a group that wants to keep the team here. The team is a financial disaster and no one wants to touch it."

As much as some want an NHL franchise to return to Winnipeg, the owners of the Thrashers want to get rid of one.

Take it as you will.

Speculate away.

 

[blues10]

Nobody in Atlanta wants to own them.. the only real option seems as if it's True North right now.

It certainly appears that no ownership group is stepping forward quickly enough to keep the Thrashers in Atlanta. This has always remained a reason for the NHL to move teams. I feel for Thrashers fans but this does not appear to look promising for the long term future of the team in Georgia. We can only hope that it is settled very quickly and doesn't become the circus sideshow taking place in Glendale for the past two years. The NHL really needs to get their act together.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

If I'm a neutral and unbiased observer (which I'm not, and very few are in these threads), why should I believe Kincade's Balkan character any more than this speculation from Dreger?

Actually, Kincade has stated for a while now that ASG is waiting on Phoenix to pan out first to see if they can gain leverage. He has tweeted it and talked about it on Winnipeg radio. I'm not really sure if there's any new news here.