Thrashers leaving????? (Atlanta, Duluth, Dallas: house, snake, area)

[On Air]

Yeah, I've heard the Winnipeg deal is finalized already.

EDIT- Apparently there's no deal:
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-th...to-951877.html

[eastside38]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

Then please explain to me why the last FOUR teams to move have crossed southward across the Mason-Dixon Line. (Yes I know that the fans were not the real problem in any of those moves. I'm just sick and tired of know-it-alls blindly assuming that they somehow are in this case).

BTW, if it takes Lil Jon to save the Thrashers, that's fine by me!

I'll explain for those who don't know. These are very condensed explanations.

The North Stars moved because Norm Green wanted a new arena. Many arena solutions were proposed, but none worked out He was a BS owner and had no care for the team or its fans.

The Quebec Nordiques moved because of the extremely small market that they were in. They had limited English media coverage, and the weakening Canadian Dollar couldn't keep up with rising player salaries that were paid in American Dollars, regardless of the country a team would be located in. The Quebec provincial government refused to subsidize the team (unlike Glendale, AZ subsidizing the Coyotes), so the team was sold to Denver investors.

The Winnipeg Jets moved for much of the same reasons, taking away the fact that it was not a francophone town. The reasons are explained here VERY well in a news clip from 1995: YouTube - ‪TSN Announces Winnipeg Jets Are Leaving '95‬‏

The Hartford Whalers moved because their new owner Pete Karmanos wanted larger attendance figures. He was complete BS as well, but the move was justifiably based on fan support to a point.

Gary Bettman did little in these cases. He ran himself ragged saving the Predators and now the Coyotes, scamming $50 million from Glendale over two years.

However, thanks to the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the most recent salary cap configuration, and the strengthened Canadian Dollar, the door has been opened for Canadian franchises to pop up again. The NHL has introduced revenue sharing and has funneled money to Canadian franchises to keep them afloat as Canada moved through its economic problems. Economical strength is the greatest threat to Canadian franchises, not fan support levels!

Sure, I know that Atlanta Spirit is an incompetent ownership group, probably the worst in the NHL, but I have a hard time believing that true affinity has been formed between native Atlantans and the Thrashers. Rather, I suppose that a substantial portion of Thrashers game attendees are Northern transplants that go to Thrashers games to see a local NHL game, but still love their native team more. Here's this past season's attendance figures...5 out of the bottom 6 teams in attendance percentage are in the South. The Islanders are, well, the Islanders. But it bears noting that the Edmonton Oilers, a garbage team last year, sold out their games!

2010-2011 NHL Attendance - National Hockey League - ESPN

I hope this isn't the only relocation to come.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Spade

Dallas has actually been a great market for hockey. Even Northern fans are impressed by the support of the franchise there. Sucks to hear this about Atlanta.

Dallas has emerged as a totally legitimate NHL market. There is no reason for the team to be relocated from there.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by Spade

Dallas has actually been a great market for hockey. Even Northern fans are impressed by the support of the franchise there. Sucks to hear this about Atlanta.

But again I ask, is it the natives that love hockey or all of the northern transplants?

[AcidSnake]

Personally I think that Hockey could sell here, but it likely involve a comprehensive marketing tool that includes recruiting local youths from the inner city and appealing to their aggressive nature. This will likely involve motivating a lot of the "hip-hop" culture to get in on the action. People will come and watch if they see a lot of themselves in the sport & see that it is accessible to all.

But unfortunately, such a marketing process would likely involve the current owners & likely the NHL itself suspending a lot of their biases towards the "hip-hop"/inner-city culture. But after seeing the current trends in basketball, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Maybe if Lil' Jon was involved somehow in the purchasing of the Atlanta Thrashers, I may think otherwise. But for some reason, I just don't think that the NHL and maybe most of hockey's current audience are ready to open another new can of worms.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

But again I ask, is it the natives that love hockey or all of the northern transplants?

Probably a mix of both, but what does it matter? Decent support is there in Dallas.

Don't get me wrong - I am a Canadian and I am not a big fan of the NHL's SunBelt expansion. However, I don't believe teams that work reasonably well like Dallas, LA, Anaheim and San Jose should be moved just because they are located in warmer climates.

I live in a cold climate but warm-weather sports like golf are still popular up here.

So I have no problem with hockey teams in southern climes just as long as they are supported and not propped up artificially with cash from teams in the north.

[brent6969]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Probably a mix of both, but what does it matter? Decent support is there in Dallas.

Don't get me wrong - I am a Canadian and I am not a big fan of the NHL's SunBelt expansion. However, I don't believe teams that work reasonably well like Dallas, LA, Anaheim and San Jose should be moved just because they are located in warmer climates.

I live in a cold climate but warm-weather sports like golf are still popular up here.

So I have no problem with hockey teams in southern climes just as long as they are supported and not propped up artificially with cash from teams in the north.

Atlanta is full of transplants that's not the issue, it was the idiot management that screwed this franchise....They have put an inferior product on the ice for 11 years in a row...........PERIOD>>>>........

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by brent6969

Atlanta is full of transplants that's not the issue, it was the idiot management that screwed this franchise....They have put an inferior product on the ice for 11 years in a row...........PERIOD>>>>........

Yeah, I find the whole "Northern transplant" argument way too thin as Atlanta likely has way more Northern tranplants than Dallas.

Dallas has a good team, so they have a succesful franchise.

We have a team that has seen spurts of greatness, and long periods of suckiness mixed with an ownership more concerned with getting out while they can still make a profit with no sense of team loyalty. Part of a sports franchises success hinges on having a visible face so that in those years where the team does suck, they have an individual out front to support them.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by eastside38

I'll explain for those who don't know. These are very condensed explanations.

The North Stars moved because Norm Green wanted a new arena. Many arena solutions were proposed, but none worked out He was a BS owner and had no care for the team or its fans.

Norm Sucks was also in legal trouble for alleged sexual harassment, and his wife threatened to leave him unless he moved the team.

Norm Green is reviled in Minnesota for his decision to - 04.19.93 - SI Vault

I lived roughly a mile from the Met Center in Bloomington when the team left, and that situation is the reason why I've never paid to see a professional sports team since. Except the Twins. I see the Twins as a special case. But I'm personally sick and tired of these large entertainment companies being run by billionaires that continuously try to blackmail their fanbase into buying new stadiums.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Yeah, I find the whole "Northern transplant" argument way too thin as Atlanta likely has way more Northern tranplants than Dallas.

As I have lived in either one of these metro areas or the other the majority of my adult life, would say they are pretty equal in terms of northern transplants. Dallas and Atlanta stack up pretty evenly in most things measurable and in my mind are two of the most comparable cities in many regards as you could find in the country, whatever measuring stick you use.