Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg!

[plainwhitejerseys]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

Awful for the league and awful for the game.

You don't expand your brand by ditching a market sector to sell to people who are already buying your product.

Increased revenues are bad for the league?

Having the Thrashers in Winnipeg isn't going to increase revenues for the league. Quite the contrary - the Canadian TV deal would be split seven ways instead of six. And the Canadian teams are the ones who are going to lose fan support over this. Winnipeg will be taking fans away from the Oilers, Flames and Leafs.

Not a single new fan will be generated from this. The people of Winnipeg are already buying the NHL product. The only thing that will increase is attendance by a couple thousand people per game.

This is a terrible mistake, and I hope the NHL steps in and fixes it before it's too late.

 

[thefatguy]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

82000 more butts in the seats each season will NOT mean more revenue?

 

[gt2590]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

And please remember outside of the 10 or so "Big" market teams, most NHL teams only make money IF they make the Playoffs, which wasn't nearly as likely in Atlanta.

The new TV deal MAY change this, but not by much...

 

[plainwhitejerseys]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

82000 more butts in the seats each season will NOT mean more revenue?

For the league? No.
For the Thrashers? Revenue, yes. Profit, no.

 

[bmc398]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

Winnipeg Metro population is around 800, 000, so its not like they are really tiny or anything. Plus they would also have the entire province of Manitoba (population 1.3 million) and some of Saskatchewan supporting them as well.

8th largest city in Canada.

The point is....it never had to be this way. The owners thought it was cool to have a hockey team for about 5 years, until they figured out they had no clue how to run one and no clue how to hire anybody who knew how to run one either.

Exactly, so they probably shouldn't have had a team in the first place.

Problem solved.

Dude, thats f'd logic. If the NHL would have taken the time to find a competent ownership team I think this situation would NEVER happen. It has been mismanaged up and down. When the ownership comes out and openly blames fans for a lack of support while trading and releasing all of your stars or high draft picks and not investing in top talent (until this year really) it creates a bad situation up and down.

Your comment shows that you don't understand the true facts of the situation....the city WAS and still is ready to embrace a competently run and competitive team. As long as current ownership is in charge...neither can happen. Any local buyers are also handcuffed by the fact that if you buy the team from the ASG, you then are held at ransom by them to charge basically any amount they want for you to play in their arena.

 

[thefatguy]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

[youtube:1radg879]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdvr-4nYs5s[/youtube:1radg879]

 

[bmc398]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

You'd be hard-pressed to find a guy on the Thrashers excited to go to Winnipeg.

[youtube:1pqxyvqu]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gLLk8JEEpM&feature=related[/youtube:1pqxyvqu]

 

[hockeyfights]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

There's plenty of fans to support the team here in Atlanta, with many Northerners that have moved down here the past 3 or 4 years and we have a big junior program and have tons of young fans. Like Cope said, it was the ownership. I stopped paying for tickets back in '06 or so because of Don Waddell and the incompetence of the ownership group and no real desire to have a competitive team because that would mean they had to spend more money. I watch the Thrashers on TV and listen to Dan Kamal on the radio for every game that I was able to, but still refused to buy tickets to the games unless my NHL official friend gave me his tickets for free.

And to the point of 1.3 million people in Manitoba trying to fill up the seats, there's 5+ million people living in the Atlanta Metro area and 9.6 million living in the state. The NHL has the opportunity to grab a huge market in the South if there was competent ownership. There's no opportunity in Winnipeg or Manitoba. Plus, what player would really want to move to that part of Canada when they live in the Atlanta Metro area? Many of the Atlanta Flames players that had to relocate due to the team's move to Calgary kept their homes here in Atlanta and still live here. I realize that's Saskatchewan, but it's still Western Canada.

 

[G $MONEY$]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

I realize that's Saskatchewan, but it's still Western Canada.

Calgary's actually in Alberta not Saskatchewan

 

[hockeyfights]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

I realize that's Saskatchewan, but it's still Western Canada.

Calgary's actually in Alberta not Saskatchewan

hahah good catch, I was trying to figure out how to spell sask and was thinking about saskatoon and Barry Melrose's mullet that lives there :lol:

 

[PhillyPuckNut]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

Winnipeg Metro population is around 800, 000, so its not like they are really tiny or anything. Plus they would also have the entire province of Manitoba (population 1.3 million) and some of Saskatchewan supporting them as well.

8th largest city in Canada.

The point is....it never had to be this way. The owners thought it was cool to have a hockey team for about 5 years, until they figured out they had no clue how to run one and no clue how to hire anybody who knew how to run one either.

Exactly, so they probably shouldn't have had a team in the first place.

Problem solved.

Dude, thats f'd logic. If the NHL would have taken the time to find a competent ownership team I think this situation would NEVER happen. It has been mismanaged up and down. When the ownership comes out and openly blames fans for a lack of support while trading and releasing all of your stars or high draft picks and not investing in top talent (until this year really) it creates a bad situation up and down.

Your comment shows that you don't understand the true facts of the situation....the city WAS and still is ready to embrace a competently run and competitive team. As long as current ownership is in charge...neither can happen. Any local buyers are also handcuffed by the fact that if you buy the team from the ASG, you then are held at ransom by them to charge basically any amount they want for you to play in their arena.

bmc, I'm not trying to start an arguement with you here. I'm sorry you lost your team. I know if the Flyers moved, I'd be pucking pissed. We're actually going to be getting their AHL affiliate in the next city over a couple of years from now. Only problem there being once they're here, I probably won't be.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is this. Yeah, it may be f'ed up logic and true, I may not understand all the facts of the situation, but what is very clear to me is this. Every post you've made in this thread has been about problems with the team, it's ownership, and now the arena that they play in. If I owned the team, kinda glad I don't, you couldn't pay me enough to keep it in Atlanta just based on what you said about ASG.

It was inevitable that Winnipeg was going to get a team. It was just a matter of which team.

 

[hockeyfights]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

Winnipeg Metro population is around 800, 000, so its not like they are really tiny or anything. Plus they would also have the entire province of Manitoba (population 1.3 million) and some of Saskatchewan supporting them as well.

8th largest city in Canada.

The point is....it never had to be this way. The owners thought it was cool to have a hockey team for about 5 years, until they figured out they had no clue how to run one and no clue how to hire anybody who knew how to run one either.

Exactly, so they probably shouldn't have had a team in the first place.

Problem solved.

Dude, thats f'd logic. If the NHL would have taken the time to find a competent ownership team I think this situation would NEVER happen. It has been mismanaged up and down. When the ownership comes out and openly blames fans for a lack of support while trading and releasing all of your stars or high draft picks and not investing in top talent (until this year really) it creates a bad situation up and down.

Your comment shows that you don't understand the true facts of the situation....the city WAS and still is ready to embrace a competently run and competitive team. As long as current ownership is in charge...neither can happen. Any local buyers are also handcuffed by the fact that if you buy the team from the ASG, you then are held at ransom by them to charge basically any amount they want for you to play in their arena.

bmc, I'm not trying to start an arguement with you here. I'm sorry you lost your team. I know if the Flyers moved, I'd be pucking pissed. We're actually going to be getting their AHL affiliate in the next city over a couple of years from now. Only problem there being once they're here, I probably won't be.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is this. Yeah, it may be f'ed up logic and true, I may not understand all the facts of the situation, but what is very clear to me is this. Every post you've made in this thread has been about problems with the team, it's ownership, and now the arena that they play in. If I owned the team, kinda glad I don't, you couldn't pay me enough to keep it in Atlanta just based on what you said about ASG.

It was inevitable that Winnipeg was going to get a team. It was just a matter of which team.

The problem with finding ownership locally is that the rights to the arena go with the Hawks instead of the Thrashers. We're already at a disadvantage of trying to find someone locally if ASG is bundling the arena rights with the Hawks. No owner in their right mind would buy a team without any rights to the arena. ASG is picking the winner and the loser here, with the hockey fans getting the shaft from the piss poor ASG. If the owners would just make an attempt to show the fans they care by investing in a winning team and direction, the fans would show up in support. But when there's no chance of any of our top picks resigning after their rookie contracts are up, we're back to rebuilding mode after a few years. Keeping Don Waddell around the entire time shows there was no attempt to go in the winning direction and fans like myself refused to pay if he was still in charge. He's still calling the shots even with Dudley as GM now.

 

[G $MONEY$]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

Just watching TSN and they showed a video of a small group of Thrashers fans rallying to voice their displeasure of the teams move to Winnipeg. Not sure if the rally was yesterday or this morning, but one of the Thrashers fans pulled out a Winnipeg Jets banner and lit it on fire :lol:

 

[hockeyfights]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

Just watching TSN and they showed a video of a small group of Thrashers fans rallying to voice their displeasure of the teams move to Winnipeg. Not sure if the rally was yesterday or this morning, but one of the Thrashers fans pulled out a Winnipeg Jets banner and lit it on fire :lol:

:lol: There were a few of the Thrashers fan clubs holding rallies and season ticket holders were picking their seats today.

 

[thefatguy]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

MOTREAL - According to RDS, a deal between Atlanta Spirit and True North Sports has been finalized and an announcement about the Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg could be made in the coming days.

Reporter Renaud Lavoie reports on his blog that the deal is worth $170 million, with $40 million going to the National Hockey League as a relocation fee.

That is down from the original fee of $60 million the league was requesting in the deal.

No timetable has yet been set for an official announcement as the league tries to make sure the move doesn't overshadow the playoffs.

More to come.



Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/D ... z1NQMsILTM

 

[hockeyfights]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

AJC reporting that a local group has stepped up. Don Waddell has confirmed that ASG will offer a significant discount to any buyer willing to keep the team in Atlanta. I heard it was a season ticket holder in the group. Kenny Rogers may be stepping up. He's a big Thrashers fan and season ticket holder. Speculation on my part about Kenny Rogers being this "season ticket holder", but it very well could be. We'll know more on Tuesday.

 

[robert67]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

It's a done deal:

http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-thras ... 62820.html


This could have been the Preds a few years ago. Hope we can continue to build the fan base here or we may be next.

Good luck to Winnipeg and sorry to the Thrashers fans that were in Atlanta.

 

[bowmanchromeandorr]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

Bettman is announcing it now on TSN. of course, ESPN isnt acknowlwdging it. the 'peggers are getting the band back together

 

[hockeyfights]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

I wish unpleasant things on the ASG and the NHL. There was never a real attempt to keep the team in Atlanta by the ASG or the NHL. The NHL didn't try to work with Atlanta to keep the team here. They did everything they could to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix. If they would have just shown 10% of the effort they put into keeping the team in Phoenix, the Thrashers would still be here. I feel bad for the kids in Atlanta, junior hockey has gotten huge here and this is a pretty big blow.

 

[BluesBroSJ]

Re: Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg?

I wish unpleasant things on the ASG and the NHL. There was never a real attempt to keep the team in Atlanta by the ASG or the NHL. The NHL didn't try to work with Atlanta to keep the team here. They did everything they could to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix. If they would have just shown 10% of the effort they put into keeping the team in Phoenix, the Thrashers would still be here.

THIS x1 000 000 000