The Lost NHL City of Atlanta

I will be blunt when I say this - the city of Atlanta no longer deserves an NHL team. It is the second time the city had an NHL team, but ultimately lost it due to financial hardship. This is not to disrespect the few NHL fans living in Atlanta, but even you must admit your city can not support an NHL team.

In life, you'd be lucky to find a boss willing to give you a second chance after you've screwed up, and luckier to find a girlfriend willing to forgive you on your first mistake. And for the city of Atlanta known more for its Braves, there's no three-strike rule here. The city's inability to attract fans and more importantly, revenue and profitability, for a second time is proof that the hockey market in southern USA is very small and limited.

Success also breeds interest and a lack of success by the Thrashers does not attract the casual fan. Once Kovalchuk was traded, what's left to watch? The team was essentially a stopping point for many teams in the southwest, a way to practice and get their kinks out. I only remember this franchise making the playoffs once, and it ended in the first round. Now, let's see if Winnipeg owners can do something about their mediocrity and make them a half-decent team.

I feel bad for the hockey fans that do exist in Atlanta, as they have lost a team twice now. Moving a team is always the last thing a league wants to do because it uproots families and players, and adds uncertainty into a league. The expectations that the NHL will revert back to a 20-something-team league is definitely a possibility as many markets in the sunbelt are showing signs of thinning margins and there are fewer cities in Canada and the United States that can support a team than teams losing money.

Anyways, without getting too off topic, Winnipeg has been given a second chance by the NHL, well, as we wait for the vote next week, which will almost certainly pass. The city is the smallest market in the league, with just 750,000 citizens. It also has the smallest arena by capacity and television deals and season ticket sales are unconfirmed numbers at this point. The city must support their team financially and emotionally, or else this should also be the final time Winnipeg gets an NHL team. Fair is fair.