Calling Out The Atlanta Spirit Group for Negligence

Magnus Fulgur

Registered User
Nov 27, 2002
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Everybody that has played or worked for The Thrashers believes in Blueland except for the damn owners. Even Kovalchuck, Hedberg, and Heatley have come out in the press saying they believe that Atlanta should be a solid hockey market, and they feel bad about what is happening. When the ASG spent around $55m on The Thrashers payroll and they made the playoffs in 2006-7, attendance was 16,200 per game. Now these guys spent $68m on The NBA Hawks, who made the playoffs for the third year in a row but only drew 15,600 per game. I know the NBA TV deal keeps the Hawks afloat, but for how much longer? The Hawks are dying as a franchise in Atlanta despite their success! Ditching The Thrashers isn't a solution, it's suicide for the owners. You can't spend consistently at the bottom of the league for four years straight in a top ten US market and expect to be taken seriously.

If the Atlanta Falcons did this, they'd go from sellouts to blackouts.

Even if the college teams in Georgia showed such a lack of effort, the fans would back off!

I'm calling out The Atlanta Spirit Group for complete negligence in how they've dealt with their NHL franchise, and the league needs to step in.
 

Hamilton Tigers

Registered User
Mar 20, 2010
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Hamilton
How much of the blame falls on the NHL for approving such owners?



A sign at an Atlanta Thrasher rally.

Because-We-Fight-Hard-for-Every-City-and-Our-Fans-Need-to-Know-that-we-DONT-Just-Run-Out-300x225.jpg
 
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Magnus Fulgur

Registered User
Nov 27, 2002
7,354
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How much of the blame falls on the NHL for approving such owners?

Good question...but it was always tricky since they were buying a NBA franchise and an arena at the same time. The assumption must have been that "they're dedicated to Atlanta, so we'll support them, especially since they have family ties to Ted Turner".

What people have said about the other prospective owner, David McDavid, is that he would have unloaded The Thrashers as well. However, he would have done so early and perhaps done what he could to keep them in Philips Arena.

Despite how much I think these owners have poor character, I don't think this would have ever come to this if there wasn't the Belkin lawsuit...but again, that was born out of the poor character of the owners.
 

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Gone Hollywood
Feb 27, 2002
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It matters little in the end, as I think Bob McKenzie wrote earlier this week....the only people that will argue about the real reasons are in Atlanta, to everyone else the story will be hockey failed in Atlanta for a 2nd time.

An easy sound byte for Bettman and the BOG.
 

not a trapdoor

I swallowed my keys
Apr 13, 2011
254
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Sydney
What is Bettman supposed to do in this situation?

Hopefully (along with BoG) learn from this whole affair & avoid approving bad owners.

So that if/when ATL gets another hockey team, the owners actually respect the franchise & love the game. Sure, it may still fail, but if he doesn't do that hockey in Georgia will never have a chance to succeed.
 

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Gone Hollywood
Feb 27, 2002
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What is Bettman supposed to do in this situation?

Slightly more than just mocking Thrashers fans on his call in show would be a good start.

His deputy was chasing down crazy men at City of Glendale meetings, neither he or his deputy set foot in Atlanta since this started.

He found several possible suitors for the Yotes, who wanted twice as much as the Thrashers were looking for locally, found owners for Nashville, Tampa, and other markets.

Heck, the NHL actually got involved in the ugly ownership squabbles in Tampa and ordered them to behave.

Bettman did nothing for the Thrashers, not a damn thing.
 

Finlandia WOAT

js7.4x8fnmcf5070124
May 23, 2010
24,134
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There is not much Bettman can do other than stall for time and hope an 11th hour buyer emerges. ASG owns the arena and does not want NHL hockey in their building.

And I wouldn't consider ASG an "NHL" ownership group. The NHL ownership group was brushed aside for these clods.
 

The CyNick

Freedom of Speech!
Sep 17, 2009
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What is the $$$ gate for an avergae Hawks game vs a Thrashers game?

You can throw out attendance figures (which are often bogus), but unless you know the dollars coming in, its basically irrelevant.

The thing about the players saying Atlanta is a good market is meaningless. They're not going to trash a group of fans. The NHL wouldnt be happy about that.

I mean they may actually think Atlanta is a good market for hockey, but what they say in a public setting doesnt hold much water.
 

The CyNick

Freedom of Speech!
Sep 17, 2009
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There is not much Bettman can do other than stall for time and hope an 11th hour buyer emerges. ASG owns the arena and does not want NHL hockey in their building.

And I wouldn't consider ASG an "NHL" ownership group. The NHL ownership group was brushed aside for these clods.

Ive heard this "ASG doesnt want hockey in their building" argument from Thrashers people.

How would a rational person wrap their head around this statement? Now that the Thrashers are gone, the building loses 40 dates. If hockey had potential, why would outright WANT TO lose those dates?

Does the ASG people have a bunch of large Bah Mitzvas they are planning?
 

Finlandia WOAT

js7.4x8fnmcf5070124
May 23, 2010
24,134
23,681
Ive heard this "ASG doesnt want hockey in their building" argument from Thrashers people.

How would a rational person wrap their head around this statement? Now that the Thrashers are gone, the building loses 40 dates. If hockey had potential, why would outright WANT TO lose those dates?

Does the ASG people have a bunch of large Bah Mitzvas they are planning?

ASG has wanted to sell the Thrashers ever since they got the keys to the franchise.

To be honest, I agree with you. I just think that ASG wants the Thrashers gone at all costs.
 

not a trapdoor

I swallowed my keys
Apr 13, 2011
254
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Sydney
Ive heard this "ASG doesnt want hockey in their building" argument from Thrashers people.

How would a rational person wrap their head around this statement? Now that the Thrashers are gone, the building loses 40 dates. If hockey had potential, why would outright WANT TO lose those dates?

Because they have no interest in hockey & therefore no interest in losing money on the franchise. Contrast this with the new ownership in Buffalo - Pegula has come out and said that he's not in it to make money & that he loves the Sabres & wants them to win the Stanley Cup (and yes, I'm very happy to hear it :yo: ). If that means taking a loss, I'm sure he's okay with it (to a point, anyway). Why would ASG want to lose money on a franchise they never cared about, in a sport they don't love?

I'm not defending them (bunch of *****s IMO), but I guess they'd rather empty arena dates than losing money on ownership of the Thrashers. They'd probably happily sell to a local owner but none will take the franchise without revenue streams from the arena that ASG will retain control of - in that case ASG could well make money out of the Thrashers as a tenant. So they've chosen to abandon the Thrashers completely & ship them out of town.
 

The CyNick

Freedom of Speech!
Sep 17, 2009
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ASG has wanted to sell the Thrashers ever since they got the keys to the franchise.

To be honest, I agree with you. I just think that ASG wants the Thrashers gone at all costs.

Yeah, trying to be respectful to the position, but it makes no sense that they would just want to get rid of them for no good reason.

If they thought they could make more money selling the Thrashers to the TNSE group than they could keeping it in ATL, that makes sense.

If they thought they will cut their losses with the Thrashers and replace those dates with things like concerts or maybe some other tenant (do they have an Arena Football team?), that would make sense.

But just outright saying I want them out no matter the cost, makes ZERO sense. So somebody probably has their facts wrong.
 

The CyNick

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Sep 17, 2009
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Because they have no interest in hockey & therefore no interest in losing money on the franchise. Contrast this with the new ownership in Buffalo - Pegula has come out and said that he's not in it to make money & that he loves the Sabres & wants them to win the Stanley Cup (and yes, I'm very happy to hear it :yo: ). If that means taking a loss, I'm sure he's okay with it (to a point, anyway). Why would ASG want to lose money on a franchise they never cared about, in a sport they don't love?

I'm not defending them (bunch of *****s IMO), but I guess they'd rather empty arena dates than losing money on ownership of the Thrashers. They'd probably happily sell to a local owner but none will take the franchise without revenue streams from the arena that ASG will retain control of - in that case ASG could well make money out of the Thrashers as a tenant. So they've chosen to abandon the Thrashers completely & ship them out of town.

Right but if we're saying the Thrashers will lose money is a guarantee, then obviously the franchise is doomed no matter who owns it. At some point any owner will say no mas on the money losing.

The difference with the Sabres is that you know there is a string hockey fan base there that will buy tickets and support the team. I dont see that being the same in the ATL. They got their fans, but not like BUffalo.
 

not a trapdoor

I swallowed my keys
Apr 13, 2011
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Sydney
Right but if we're saying the Thrashers will lose money is a guarantee, then obviously the franchise is doomed no matter who owns it. At some point any owner will say no mas on the money losing.

Right. Which is why the franchise is off to Winnipeg where the financial situation will be different (at least in TNSE's eyes). And ASG don't care if it lands in Nunavut, Penang or on Mars, so long as it's not costing them money. Right now owning the Thrashers are costing them money, noone wants to buy it & pay them to use the arena so ASG are happy to shaft the Thrashers' fanbase & have 41 more empty arena dates. Sure they wont make money on those dates, but right now they're losing money on having the Thrashers around on those dates.
 
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SilverRiver89

Registered User
Aug 2, 2010
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People are saying they don't want hockey in the arena because they've seemingly done everything possible to prevent it. It's not about the money lost. They were trying to "sell or otherwise dispose of" the team literally as soon as they bought it.

They have only had clear ownership of the team for six months and they are already selling to relocate. The fact that no one locally could buy the team even if they wanted to until last Friday (an exclusivity agreement on the Hawks and arena made it impossible to negotiate to play in the arena until then) makes it seem like they were trying to freeze out buyers who want to keep the team here.

I don't know if I agree that it's the case, but there aren't many (if any) facts making them seem like people who are doing anything to keep the team here. The other possibility is that they're simply just that incompetent. Which isn't really out of the question. :dunno:
 

Mayor Bee

Registered User
Dec 29, 2008
18,084
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What is the $$$ gate for an avergae Hawks game vs a Thrashers game?

You can throw out attendance figures (which are often bogus), but unless you know the dollars coming in, its basically irrelevant.

The thing about the players saying Atlanta is a good market is meaningless. They're not going to trash a group of fans. The NHL wouldnt be happy about that.

I mean they may actually think Atlanta is a good market for hockey, but what they say in a public setting doesnt hold much water.

It didn't stop Ben Eager from trashing Atlanta, or Raffi Torres from trashing Columbus. We're not exactly talking perennial All-Stars here either.

Ive heard this "ASG doesnt want hockey in their building" argument from Thrashers people.

How would a rational person wrap their head around this statement? Now that the Thrashers are gone, the building loses 40 dates. If hockey had potential, why would outright WANT TO lose those dates?

Does the ASG people have a bunch of large Bah Mitzvas they are planning?

45 dates to replace with concerts (which requires much less advertising and effort). The joy of concerts is that, once the ink is dry, the radio stations and word-of-mouth takes over pretty quickly. And since it's a one-time event, people are a lot more willing to spend a huge amount of money to see it.
 

Steve Passless*

Guest
How would a rational person wrap their head around this statement? Now that the Thrashers are gone, the building loses 40 dates. If hockey had potential, why would outright WANT TO lose those dates?

Maybe hockey doesn't have potential there, then. Maybe costs > revenue when putting on a Thrashers game. As we learned from the lockout, a lot of NHL owners did better by not having games than they did by having them. Even if they don't fill all 41+ dates, the nights that the arena holds nothing could cost less than hockey.
 

jkrdevil

UnRegistered User
Apr 24, 2006
42,633
12,472
Miami
Ive heard this "ASG doesnt want hockey in their building" argument from Thrashers people.

How would a rational person wrap their head around this statement? Now that the Thrashers are gone, the building loses 40 dates. If hockey had potential, why would outright WANT TO lose those dates?

Does the ASG people have a bunch of large Bah Mitzvas they are planning?

It isn't so much of them not wating the Thrashers in the building, it is they probably don't want to do what it will need to take on a potential lease to make the team viable and attractive to local buyers. It is more of if they can get someone to buy the team on their terms great. If not they really don't care if they leave. They can probably make up a bit in concerts. Plus it looks like they are selling the arena and the Hawks elsewhere. That complicates things more because who is going to buy a team not knowing who the landlord and lease is going to be.

With the other spots that dyanamic wasn't there. With Tampa the building was sold with the team. With Phoenix you have the lanlord (Glendale) willing to work with the team to keep them.
 

Blueland89

Registered User
Dec 1, 2009
2,275
4
Cartersville, Ga
Slightly more than just mocking Thrashers fans on his call in show would be a good start.

His deputy was chasing down crazy men at City of Glendale meetings, neither he or his deputy set foot in Atlanta since this started.

He found several possible suitors for the Yotes, who wanted twice as much as the Thrashers were looking for locally, found owners for Nashville, Tampa, and other markets.

Heck, the NHL actually got involved in the ugly ownership squabbles in Tampa and ordered them to behave.


Bettman did nothing for the Thrashers, not a damn thing.

The crazy thing too is that ASG wasn't even allowed to sell the team til December the 22nd and all the reports say that this deal has been done for around 3 to four months. so they sound like they just sound the team to the first person willing to cover the losses. ASG never cared about having hockey in Atlanta. Gearon was quoted saying owning a hockey team was an expensive hobby.
 

Retail1LO*

Guest
The crazy thing too is that ASG wasn't even allowed to sell the team til December the 22nd and all the reports say that this deal has been done for around 3 to four months. so they sound like they just sound the team to the first person willing to cover the losses. ASG never cared about having hockey in Atlanta. Gearon was quoted saying owning a hockey team was an expensive hobby.

I'll bet you there's no shortage of NHL owners that would agree with that. Obviously to own a professional sports franchise, you have to have an incredible income/net worth. No one buys a sports franchise with the intention of it being their primary source of income. While losing money isn't the idea, a lot of owners simply have teams to be part of an exclusive club...for the notoriety. Often times too, money they lose with the franchise, is made up through other business aspects ancillary to owning the franchise. Concessions, hotel/accomodation deals, and other stuff surrounding the arena.
 

manisback121

Registered User
Feb 28, 2008
3,288
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Slightly more than just mocking Thrashers fans on his call in show would be a good start.

His deputy was chasing down crazy men at City of Glendale meetings, neither he or his deputy set foot in Atlanta since this started.

He found several possible suitors for the Yotes, who wanted twice as much as the Thrashers were looking for locally, found owners for Nashville, Tampa, and other markets.

Heck, the NHL actually got involved in the ugly ownership squabbles in Tampa and ordered them to behave.

Bettman did nothing for the Thrashers, not a damn thing.

Yes, Bettman explained his philosophy after the devils won the cup (I remember because I was listening to him on the radio on the way home from the game, nothing eclipses the ringing in my ears) that the league would do anything in their power to keep a franchise that won a championship in their market.

This was to dispel the prior rumors that the devils were moving to nashville. The point here is that if Atlanta had won a cup, there wouldn't be this. No team that has won a cup has moved out of their market. Even if the Isles threaten, the league would say no IMO after hearing that.
 

ThrasherMinion

Just Chucky
Oct 2, 2006
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Add ex-coach John Anderson, current players Chris Thorburn, Chris Mason, and Flames alumni Dan Bouchard, Curt Bennett, and Tim Eccelstone that have gone on record for trashing the ASG ownership for ruining hockey in Atlanta.

Hell, even Gary Bettman alluded to it today from Tampa Bay. He's called out ASG several times.

Those snakes planted the poison pill of the exclusivity over the arena and Hawks so that a purchase or lease discussion could never take place, but NEVER set an exclusivity on the Thrashers so that they could claim "NO ONE HAS STEPPED FORWARD"

Well, it's fact that there was a guy from Montreal that looked into it and that Anson Carter's group wanted to talk last spring. That info came from past team President Bernie Mullen. The man that ran the marketing the first 2 years quit when ASG showed they were a-holes.

We need Scully and Moulder because "The Truth is Out There"
 

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