News Article: The lonely existence of Winnipeg Jets fans in Atlanta

Wolf357

Registered User
Jul 16, 2011
1,194
484
The Thrashers as a entity seems to have all but dissolved..you still see North Star, Nordiques, Whalers, merchandise, even, Rockies and KC Scouts..but Thrasher stuff is hard to find...is there anything left in Atlanta? Any old banners hanging?
 

razorsedge

Registered User
Oct 19, 2006
5,144
4,578
I am glad there are still fans of the Franchise in Atlanta..
When the Jets 1.0 left in ‘96 I admit to being bitter...I freaking hated...loathed The Coyotees...I was not the better man..I was hurt...
Props to all the Thrasher fans still cheering for their team..

It's because they moved to a worse market where no one cared about having an NHL team like we did.
 

ATLbound

Registered User
Aug 3, 2006
5,795
3,983
Ontario
Still have a Thrasher Kovy and Little jerseys. Being from Canada i casually followed the Thrashers. Not really having a fav team just followed certain players, and a few teams those players were on. I really liked Kovalchuk (back then, just as a player) and Hossa/ Heatly. That was why I started watching more Thrasher games. I was on the bandwagon for the sweep to the Rangers. Having watched Little in JR a bit in Canada and world juniors, I became a fan of his. And by the end of the Thrashers I was pretty much a full blown fan. Loved Buff, Wheeler, Ladd, Little and an elite back then Enstrom. So it was easy for me from day 1 to just become a full blown Jets fan. And have never looked back. Now I hate almost all other Canadian teams. So a little bit weird for me how I became a Jets fan.
 

GJF

Beaver Jedi
Sep 26, 2011
8,811
2,491
Heidelberg, GER
This has a go fund me project written all over it.

I'd certainly support helping pay to bring him back to Winnipeg!

Why not go fund project me to get to Winnipeg? :( As it stands right now, I'll probably even have to sell my Helsinki ticket since I lost my job 2 weeks ago :cry:

Still got my Thrashers away Kovy jersey! :banana:

Still got my away Hossa jersey :)
 
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GeorgeJETson

Hnidy probably has us on his no trade list
Sponsor
Sep 30, 2016
7,407
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Why not go fund project me to get to Winnipeg? :( As it stands right now, I'll probably even have to sell my Helsinki ticket since I lost my job 2 weeks ago :cry:



Still got my away Hossa jersey :)

Yuck, sorry to hear that GJF. :(

(About the job, not the jersey)

Hope you wind up with a better job soon.
 
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AtlantaPeg

Registered User
Oct 14, 2016
9
26
The 2011-2012 season was very difficult for me. I hated Bettman, hated the ownership group that let the Thrashers go. Hated Winnipeg for taking the Thrashers. I didn't watch much hockey that season. I was very attached to the players because I was a Thrashers fanatic.

The next offseason I started reading info about the Jets and what they were trying to do with the Team. Checked out the draft, and read about the previous one. Have loved hockey since 1983 when in the Navy a friend introduced the playoffs to me. I said to myself I don't have any other team that I would consider following so lets see how this team does and I have been a fan ever since...Never miss a game!

Oh I still hate the owners of the Atlanta Hawks, as they were the ones that let the Thrashers leave, but I no longer hate Winnipeg and have repeatedly told my wife that I have got to travel up there one day to see a game. I don't post much on here but usually read here almost daily.

Now come on Jets win this game tonight!!!
 

GJF

Beaver Jedi
Sep 26, 2011
8,811
2,491
Heidelberg, GER
Yuck, sorry to hear that GJF. :(

(About the job, not the jersey)

Hope you wind up with a better job soon.


The job isn't really that big of a problem as I'm still young and have no family and car and whatever. The thing that really annoys me is: again no holidays this year, probably no Helsinki weekend when the Jets visit etc. Those things are just too expensive if you can't plan with a regular long-term income.

But let's not get into it more in this thread I had enough attention when it happend in other threads :)
 

JohnStaymoose

Bring Back The Trough
Jul 2, 2016
394
638
Mordor
As someone who has lived in Atlanta during the Thrasher years and frequented Thrashers games reading this article put a smile on my face. Yes the arena was rarely full and the game of hockey wasn't the most popular sport in town but for those Thrasher fans I met and cheered with they loved the game just as much as us Winnipeggers do and this proves that. It's great to know these fans are experiencing this very special season with us even if they are miles away and in another country. To our brethren in Atlanta lets enjoy this ride together.
 

Blasto

Registered User
Dec 1, 2009
158
31
Atlanta, GA
I still wear my black Thrashers practice jersey because.....my mourning never ends. <pours one out>
Die in a fire Atlanta Spirit Group!

That all being said I don't hold it against the Jets ownership of the city. They went through what Atlanta has gone through, though Atlanta has lost the Knights (Atlanta Knights - Wikipedia), Flames (Atlanta Flames - Wikipedia), and the Thrashers. Talk about bad luck for us...

While I did watch some 'canes and preds games after the move, it just never felt like my team. So I guess I'm stuck with the Jets and the players I cheered for while they were in my hometown. The team roster has changed and to me it seems that everything has improved greatly and it's great to know where they came from and to see how much better they are now.
I am glad to see the Jets continued success and how much the city has embraced the team. I am enjoying the playoffs and hope they close out this series and move to the WCF.
Go Jets!

p.s. Will have to talk to Santa about getting a Jets jersey. =)
 

kxx

the great southern threadkill
Feb 21, 2015
1,824
66
Winnipeg, MO
i kind of like the fact this team has a connection to Atlanta (one of my favorite cities) which is so different than Winnipeg - it was a strange era for sure. I recall seeing somewhere pictures of the old website and articles from the years before the move to Winnipeg and its a shame they didn't have an appropriate plan in place (in any way - both in terms of on ice and off ice) to help them succeed.

The homer in me is thankful the team is here where it is loved and it was nice to finally see Bettman (who I don't hate as much as most - he's a shrewd businessman trying to grow the visibility of the league in what continues to become a saturated US sports market) do something that didn't appear to be actively against a small Canadian market. (I get the idea to grow the game but at a certain point you gotta cut your losses and regroup). I think Winnipeg and maybe Quebec are the last of the small markets that had/have a chance at an NHL team due to legacy. Outside of that they are eyeing Seattle, Houston, etc.

The worst thing about Atlanta is they didn't even have a chance to become a successful market and unfortunately with the history of both the Flames and Thrashers I can't see the league going back anytime soon (though I still think its on the long term plan - there is a big gap on the NHL map I'd love to see filled in the Southeast). From what I gather, the original Jets departure was more complicated than just a bad owner - was a product of the times. Seems the Thrashers ownership was utterly useless.

I get former Atlanta fans not liking the Jets but hope we see more and more come in.
 
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Duke749

Savannah Ghost Pirates
Apr 6, 2010
47,782
22,672
Canton, Georgia
Still have a Thrasher Kovy and Little jerseys. Being from Canada i casually followed the Thrashers. Not really having a fav team just followed certain players, and a few teams those players were on. I really liked Kovalchuk (back then, just as a player) and Hossa/ Heatly. That was why I started watching more Thrasher games. I was on the bandwagon for the sweep to the Rangers. Having watched Little in JR a bit in Canada and world juniors, I became a fan of his. And by the end of the Thrashers I was pretty much a full blown fan. Loved Buff, Wheeler, Ladd, Little and an elite back then Enstrom. So it was easy for me from day 1 to just become a full blown Jets fan. And have never looked back. Now I hate almost all other Canadian teams. So a little bit weird for me how I became a Jets fan.

I want a Little Thrashers jersey soooo bad. Could be a collectible down the road.
 

Mortimer Snerd

You kids get off my lawn!
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Jun 10, 2014
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Why not go fund project me to get to Winnipeg? :( As it stands right now, I'll probably even have to sell my Helsinki ticket since I lost my job 2 weeks ago :cry:



Still got my away Hossa jersey :)

Sorry to hear that GJF. You'll bounce back, but I hope it doesn't take long.
 

Royale With Cheese

Fuelled by Whiskey
Nov 24, 2006
8,037
13,969
I totally get this.

When Jets 1.0 left for Phx, that became my team. I knew all the players, and it just seemed to make sense. I followed that team right up to the point that the Thashers relocated. In fact, I was actually torn as to who I should cheer for when the Thrashers came here. That only lasted a few games though, and I ditched the Coyotes, who, by that time only had 1 or 2 Jet players left.
 
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Blasto

Registered User
Dec 1, 2009
158
31
Atlanta, GA
I still have my Kovalchuk Army shirt!



Longer version:
 

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Wolf357

Registered User
Jul 16, 2011
1,194
484
The 2011-2012 season was very difficult for me. I hated Bettman, hated the ownership group that let the Thrashers go. Hated Winnipeg for taking the Thrashers. I didn't watch much hockey that season. I was very attached to the players because I was a Thrashers fanatic.

The next offseason I started reading info about the Jets and what they were trying to do with the Team. Checked out the draft, and read about the previous one. Have loved hockey since 1983 when in the Navy a friend introduced the playoffs to me. I said to myself I don't have any other team that I would consider following so lets see how this team does and I have been a fan ever since...Never miss a game!

Oh I still hate the owners of the Atlanta Hawks, as they were the ones that let the Thrashers leave, but I no longer hate Winnipeg and have repeatedly told my wife that I have got to travel up there one day to see a game. I don't post much on here but usually read here almost daily.

Now come on Jets win this game tonight!!!
If you do decide to come see a game..make it a true Manitoba experience..come in January when it’s -45 degrees with 75km winds...
If you do come I will take you ice fishing on the Red River...
 

Afterburner

FREE UKRAINE
Sponsor
Jun 24, 2016
16,997
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Dimension C-137
Why not go fund project me to get to Winnipeg? :( As it stands right now, I'll probably even have to sell my Helsinki ticket since I lost my job 2 weeks ago :cry:

Still got my away Hossa jersey :)

Oh man GJF, that sucks. Really hope things turn around for you soon and you can still go to Helsinki
 
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TXHockeyFan

Registered User
May 11, 2018
12
32
You have a Texas fan now. I'm a recent convert. What won me over was actually the passion of Winnipeg fans. I watched the chants on YouTube (and laughed hysterically), saw the whiteout envelope the city repeatedly, and just felt the visceral love of hockey that so many Americans lack. My team (Stars) is in the Central as well of course, and we got stomped repeatedly by Laine. Now he's my favorite Jet. I would kill to be able to attend a game at Bell MTS. Cheers for your contagious admiration of the greatest game on earth.
 

jefferoni

your mother was a hamster
Oct 30, 2013
4,214
11,895
Winnipeg
You have a Texas fan now. I'm a recent convert. What won me over was actually the passion of Winnipeg fans. I watched the chants on YouTube (and laughed hysterically), saw the whiteout envelope the city repeatedly, and just felt the visceral love of hockey that so many Americans lack. My team (Stars) is in the Central as well of course, and we got stomped repeatedly by Laine. Now he's my favorite Jet. I would kill to be able to attend a game at Bell MTS. Cheers for your contagious admiration of the greatest game on earth.
Greatest first post... EVER! :laugh: :thumbu:
Welcome aboard!
 

tobo

Registered User
Jun 28, 2011
2,564
20
Belgian Jets fan checking in. Ironically it was the whole Phoenix fiasco that got me interested into Hockey to begin with. While reading the newspaper one day, I came across an article about the Coyotes and their ownership woes. Of course I thought to myself: 'durrr, who puts a hockey team in the desert anyway? This league is Pejorative Slured.' I spent some time reading up on the Phoenix situation and was amazed / fascinated by the scale of ineptitude by all parties involved: NHL BoG, carpetbaggers looking for a cheap meal and of course the Glendale municipal government. The concept of relocation is also hard to grasp for a non-North American and I felt pity for the Jets 1.0 fans. No one should go through the despair and sense of loss that comes with relocation.

When the Thrashers got booted by Atlanta Spirit Group and moved to Winnipeg, I immediately felt a connection to this franchise. Small market? Check. Local ownership? Check. Underdog? Check. Fans that know what pain is? Check.

Years of waiting patiently is about to pay off. Just 8 more victories and glory will be upon us.
Make it happen, boys in white and blue.

EDIT: No Jets fans to be found here either. Hell, I've had more response from people while wearing my Nordiques t-shirt.
 

ps241

The Ballad of Ville Bobby
Sponsor
Mar 10, 2010
34,831
30,981
Why not go fund project me to get to Winnipeg? :( As it stands right now, I'll probably even have to sell my Helsinki ticket since I lost my job 2 weeks ago :cry:

Really sorry to hear that GJF.
 

3rdManIn

Put'n on the foil!
I follow a Thrasher page on FaceBook and man are there some very bitter former Thrashers on there. I understand their beef, but good Lord. Winnipegers aren't responsible for the AJC's inner workings.

Most of them were pulling hard for Nashville too.:naughty:
 

Board Bard

Dane-O-Mite
Jun 7, 2014
7,886
5,054
I follow a Thrasher page on FaceBook and man are there some very bitter former Thrashers on there. I understand their beef, but good Lord. Winnipegers aren't responsible for the AJC's inner workings.

Most of them were pulling hard for Nashville too.:naughty:

It's not a phenomenon confined to Atlanta. I sometimes used to lurk on the Phoenix newspaper sites before the Jets came back, when there was a possibility the Coyotes would be moving here. There were some absolutely psycho Winnipeggers posting there, wishing the Coyotes and anything that looked like them nothing but ill. Talk about an ironic lack of empathy. Even now, more than 20 years after Jets 1.0 left Winnipeg and 7 years after Jets 2.0 arrived here, you can still see some of it.
 

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