Will Atlanta Get Another Team?

[AdmiralsFan24]

Fox, who owned the TV rights, wanted a team in Atlanta so chunk of the US, the South, had something to watch when they ran the NHL ON FOX.

The NHL on Fox was done before the Thrashers ever played a game.

 

[Lt Dan]

The NHL on Fox was done before the Thrashers ever played a game.

I realized that asking people to be informed and read what is linked is asking too much.
Maybe a pic will help


sedan 0 60 times

 

[BKIslandersFan]

It would be funny to see TNT put in a bid for NHL. On account that heir studio is in...Atlanta.

 

[Tawnos]

Horrible argument. Ontario, CA is part of LA Kings/Anaheim Ducks market.

What's the nearest NHL market to Atlanta? Nashville?

If there is an ownership interested and an arena, there is NO REASON why NHL should not be looking at Atlanta again. And they already had a team twice is a lazy argument, at best.

It's really hilarious. I mean, the Hudson Valley in NY has about 2 million people living in it, but no one would ever consider it a separate market for pro sports from the rest of NYC.

 

[Lt Dan]

Nobody came out to protest Raiders moving.

In Oakland fans' defense, when your team moved once and moved back and has been threatening to move since it moved back.....

 

[Dirty Old Man]

that would surprise me.
Remember that Fox was* one of the driving forces behind Atlanta's second team, not the other owners**.

.....*25 years ago, that is....**different set of owners now, different outlook.

You and Hisiceness might both be correct here, no mutual exclusivity.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

No way. No one cares about hockey here.

 

[DowntownBooster]

You'd think Winnipeg guys would be more sympathetic towards Atlanta, but I guess that's only reserved for people who have to worry about getting snowed in for 6 months out of the year.

To keep ignoring the reality of what happened there and parroting "nO fANs" is shameful.

Actually, there are those of us in Winnipeg that are sympathetic towards Atlanta and support the idea of the NHL returning there. We are also glad to see the Coyotes ownership situation resolved which will keep the Coyotes in Arizona. We manage to do so in spite of the snow, which by the way, many of us enjoy.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

Actually, there are those of us in Winnipeg that are sympathetic towards Atlanta and support the idea of the NHL returning there. We are also glad to see the Coyotes ownership situation resolved which will keep the Coyotes in Arizona. We manage to do so in spite of the snow, which by the way, many of us enjoy.

Atlanta will not get a team for the foreseeable future, IMO. And the Coyotes have what, the 4th or 5th owner in 10 years? I doubt this guy will be any better than the others. Maybe he will move the yotes to Atlanta?

 

[TheLegend]

Atlanta will not get a team for the foreseeable future, IMO. And the Coyotes have what, the 4th or 5th owner in 10 years? I doubt this guy will be any better than the others. Maybe he will move the yotes to Atlanta?

“This guy” has more assets than all the previous owners combined. So doubt it all you want.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

“This guy” has more assets than all the previous owners combined. So doubt it all you want.

I want Coyotes to stay but how will he solve the arena issue, is beyond me. Is he willing to privately finance one?

 

[Tuffy gosewich]

Probably, but they'll eventually relocate

 

[TheLegend]

Probably, but they'll eventually relocate

Been hearing it since 2009.

 

[Tuffy gosewich]

Been hearing it since 2009.

Heard what?

 

[TheLegend]

Heard what?

Your previous prediction that the Coyotes will relocate.

We’ve been hearing that line since 2009 and the team is still in Arizona and not going anywhere. Not now... nor in the foreseeable future.

 

[StreetHawk]

Owners of the Hawks control the arena. Any hockey team needs to be owned by them.

Don’t think there is a situation in the nhl where an nhl team plays in an arena controlled by the owner of the nba team.

But this is Atlanta and they’ve built the falcons and braves new homes after just 20 years in their prior one.

 

[Tuffy gosewich]

Your previous prediction that the Coyotes will relocate.

We’ve been hearing that line since 2009 and the team is still in Arizona and not going anywhere. Not now... nor in the foreseeable future.

I was talking about Atlanta, not Arizona, and I agree with you.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

I was talking about Atlanta, not Arizona, and I agree with you.

If NHL WERE to give Atlanta another team, I think this time around they will go extra mile to ensure they do not move again.

 

[Tuffy gosewich]

If NHL WERE to give Atlanta another team, I think this time around they will go extra mile to ensure they do not move again.

I don't think so. NHL is too dumb for that.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

I understand the history of the thrashers. I hav . No idea what you are talking about though. Fox pushed for Atlanta more than Turner


Fox, who owned the TV rights, wanted a team in Atlanta so chunk of the US, the South, had something to watch when they ran the NHL ON FOX.

It is documented in this book

The Instigator

The Instigator
Page163

You're taking things out of context here, and I'm pretty sure Burke's comment is incomplete [whether by editorial decision or ...... other reasons] but let's take your point and discuss it anyway.

Did Fox help nudge the discussion on expansion? Let's say they did. Did Fox require that a team be in Atlanta? Clearly not. If Fox was adamant about top-30 markets being covered, why isn't there any mention of Houston [the 5th-largest market in the country, which was - and still is - even larger than Atlanta]? Why not Seattle [which was at least as big as Minneapolis and is larger than Nashville and Columbus]? Why not San Diego? Baltimore? Charlotte? Portland? Vegas? Cincinnati? All of those were [still are] top-30 markets, and at least two of them had arenas that were either NHL-ready or close and had potential owners to be wooed - and all of them were [still are] larger than Nashville and Columbus.

The mentioning of Atlanta in that book without mentioning Houston at all just seems ....... odd. But let's move on.

If Fox was adamant about needing more top-30 markets and pushed for getting a team to Atlanta, why didn't it push for one of Houston's three (3) bids to get accepted? 2 of the 3 made it to the final round; zero (0) were accepted. If FOX was driving expansion decisions, wouldn't it have made more sense to lock down the 5th-largest market in the country in lieu of going to a market in the high-to-mid 30s that was less than 1/3rd the size - whether that was via expansion or by helping the Oilers relocate from Edmonton? Wouldn't it have gotten involved in the competing bids to try and get problems smoothed over for its benefit, the benefit of someone who was going to own an NHL team, and the benefit of other interests that might mutually benefit both another unsuccessful bidder and itself? Would it have really let Les Alexander not get an expansion team and then have the Oilers planned sale fall through so that he ended up with nothing?

The fact is, Atlanta's bid was very well-backed as noted above. Houston's bids were competing against each other and couldn't agree on anything, and the NHL wasn't awarding a team and hoping everything magically fell into place. Fox's involvement in directing who got a team was nil.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

I don't think so. NHL is too dumb for that.

So you do not think NHL will give them another team then.

 

[Tuffy gosewich]

So you do not think NHL will give them another team then.

I think they will, but I don't think the nhl will ensure they stay there

 

[TheLegend]

A lot is going to depend on the circumstances. The NHL really did not want to leave Atlanta. But they had no choice with the situation they had.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

I think there will be NHL teams in Europe before Atlanta gets another team.

 

[Fenway]

You're taking things out of context here, and I'm pretty sure Burke's comment is incomplete [whether by editorial decision or ...... other reasons] but let's take your point and discuss it anyway.

Did Fox help nudge the discussion on expansion? Let's say they did. Did Fox require that a team be in Atlanta? Clearly not. If Fox was adamant about top-30 markets being covered, why isn't there any mention of Houston [the 5th-largest market in the country, which was - and still is - even larger than Atlanta]? Why not Seattle [which was at least as big as Minneapolis and is larger than Nashville and Columbus]? Why not San Diego? Baltimore? Charlotte? Portland? Vegas? Cincinnati? All of those were [still are] top-30 markets, and at least two of them had arenas that were either NHL-ready or close and had potential owners to be wooed - and all of them were [still are] larger than Nashville and Columbus.

The mentioning of Atlanta in that book without mentioning Houston at all just seems ....... odd. But let's move on.

If Fox was adamant about needing more top-30 markets and pushed for getting a team to Atlanta, why didn't it push for one of Houston's three (3) bids to get accepted? 2 of the 3 made it to the final round; zero (0) were accepted. If FOX was driving expansion decisions, wouldn't it have made more sense to lock down the 5th-largest market in the country in lieu of going to a market in the high-to-mid 30s that was less than 1/3rd the size - whether that was via expansion or by helping the Oilers relocate from Edmonton? Wouldn't it have gotten involved in the competing bids to try and get problems smoothed over for its benefit, the benefit of someone who was going to own an NHL team, and the benefit of other interests that might mutually benefit both another unsuccessful bidder and itself? Would it have really let Les Alexander not get an expansion team and then have the Oilers planned sale fall through so that he ended up with nothing?

The fact is, Atlanta's bid was very well-backed as noted above. Houston's bids were competing against each other and couldn't agree on anything, and the NHL wasn't awarding a team and hoping everything magically fell into place. Fox's involvement in directing who got a team was nil.

There were a lot of moving parts back in 1996/7.

The Atlanta bid was backed by Ted Turner but his Sports South channel was sold to Fox in late 1996.

Houston has the market. Its city-owned arena, the Summit, is 20 years old and healthy, but with only a few luxury boxes. Local officials plan to build a $175 million to $200 million downtown arena. Financing is not set, but that does not appear to be a hurdle.

However, the league is watching the infighting between Leslie Alexander and Chuck Watson, two of Houston's three bidders. Alexander owns the Houston Rockets. Watson owns the Houston Aeros of the independent International Hockey League.

Watson owns the master lease to operate the Summit, where the Rockets play. The Rockets are in court trying to break their lease, which runs to 2003, so they can move into a new arena when it is ready.

After their presentations, each Houston group made a case for itself and against the opposition.

Watson: ''We have an arena and new financing. In the last three years, our group has spent $30 million creating the demand for N.H.L. hockey.''

Alexander: ''I have the Rockets, a women's basketball team and an Arena football team. I think you need a major sports background, not just a hockey background. I don't think running a minor league franchise does that for you.''

Gavin Maloof: ''We once owned the Rockets. We have no lease-franchise conflict now. We're not entangled in suits. We can focus 100 percent on the N.H.L.''

Yesterday's presentations were made by Houston; Columbus, Ohio (with Lamar Hunt); Hamilton, Ontario, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Today's will come from Hampton Roads, Va. (Norfolk and Virginia Beach); Oklahoma City; Nashville; Atlanta, and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. The committee will share its findings with the full board of governors this weekend in San Jose, Calif.

Cities Line Up To Join The N.H.L.

N.H.L. Names 4 Cities For Its New Franchises

What nobody knew at the time was where Karmanos would move the Whalers.

The sad legacy of the Trashers wouldn't come out until after the team moved. It has since been documented that the owners of the team were upset that the Trashers were drawing more affluent white fans and the NBA Hawks were attracting black fans which concerned the people behind ASG.