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88-600: In 2007 Memorial Gardens played host to the Atlanta Thrashers and New York Islanders for a pre-season game after the city of North Bay was crowned as Hockeyville . The City and the Committee that brought Hockeyville to North Bay used the prize money to put up a new electronic rink sign. The arena underwent a $ 12 million renovation for the new OHL franchise, the North Bay Battalion 's arrival for

176-667: A Canadian ice hockey arena is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta . Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 season . They were members of the Southeast Division of

264-421: A few minutes into the first game of the season, Kari Lehtonen pulled his groin, an injury that would keep him out for a good portion of the season. Veteran backup Mike Dunham, an experienced number-one netminder, stepped in, but also promptly injured himself only a few games later; this left only prospects Michael Garnett and Adam Berkhoel to tend goal. Journeyman goaltender Steve Shields was signed, but he too

352-517: A regular season from the time they won the division title in 2006–07 to the team's eventual relocation in the summer of 2011. On April 14, 2010, three days after the finish of the 2009–10 season and after two unsuccessful attempts at making the playoffs, the contracts of head coach John Anderson and his coaching staff were not renewed. General manager Don Waddell was promoted to president of hockey operations, while former assistant general manager Rick Dudley took Waddell's place as general manager. This

440-575: Is located just down from the arena in front of the State Bar of Georgia (the former home of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta ). The team was owned by Atlanta-based media mogul Ted Turner , who also owned Major League Baseball 's Atlanta Braves and the NBA 's Atlanta Hawks . The newly formed Thrashers selected Patrik Stefan with the first overall selection and Luke Sellars with

528-566: The 1978–79 Flames posted the best record in their Atlanta years at 41–31–8. Bob MacMillan , acquired in the Myre deal, became the first Flame other than Lysiak to lead the team in scoring in six years and, along with Guy Chouinard , was one of the first two Flames' players to score 100 points in one season. Chouinard also became the team's first 50-goal scorer . MacMillan won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy that season as

616-522: The 1979 NHL entry draft , Fletcher selected four players – Paul Reinhart , Jim Peplinski , Pat Riggin and Tim Hunter – who would ultimately become regulars in the Flames line up. However, while the Flames again qualified for the playoffs in 1980, they again lost in the first round, losing a best-of-five series to the New York Rangers three games to one. As the team stagnated on the ice,

704-665: The 1979–80 season and was sold and relocated to Alberta to become the Calgary Flames . Eric Vail was the Flames' top goal scorer with 174 while Tom Lysiak led with 431 points. Guy Chouinard was the lone player to score 50 goals in one season. Goaltender Dan Bouchard led the team in wins (166) and shutouts (20). Two Flames players won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie: Vail in 1974–75 and Willi Plett in 1975–76 . Bob MacMillan won

792-592: The 2006 Winter Olympics the following season and the Dallas Stars ' hosting of the 2007 NHL All-Star Game , made 2008 the earliest available date. The Eastern Conference won the game 8–7, with former Thrasher Marc Savard scoring the game winner late in the third period. On June 20, 2008, John Anderson was named as the fourth head coach in Thrashers history. In his first season , the Thrashers matched their previous season with 76 points, while finishing 13th in

880-712: The American Olympic team that had won the Olympic gold medal following its " Miracle on Ice " victory over the Soviet Union. It was not successful as attendance fell to an average of 10,024. Adding to the Flames' financial woes was the fact that the Omni Coliseum was one of the last major arenas in North America to be built without revenue-generating luxury suites, which led Fletcher to describe

968-786: The Atlanta Gladiators to include the Atlanta metropolitan area. The team plays in Duluth, Georgia , located northeast of Atlanta and the Gladiators honored the Thrashers legacy on December 16, 2022, by wearing the original blue jerseys first worn in 1999 against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits , in which Greenville won 5–4 in overtime. Throughout the team's tenure in Atlanta, the Thrashers' wore jerseys of ice blue, navy blue , red , gold and white . In 2003,

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1056-663: The Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and would play out of the newly built Omni Coliseum . The team cost $ 6 million. Cousins named the franchise the Flames in homage to the burning of Atlanta by United States Army General William Sherman during the American Civil War . The Flames hired Cliff Fletcher , formerly of the St. Louis Blues , to serve as

1144-483: The Brown Thrasher , was selected from a fan poll. "Thrashers" had actually been runner-up to "Flames" in the poll (as a homage to the old Atlanta Flames), and Philips Arena , the Thrashers' new home, was built on the site of the former Omni , which had been home to the Flames. By coincidence, the first encampment (circa 1839) which later became Atlanta was called Thrasherville , and a historical marker of this

1232-622: The Detroit Red Wings , in a best-of-three series, two games to none. In March 1979, Fletcher completed an eight player trade that sent franchise-leading scorer Tom Lysiak and four players to the Chicago Black Hawks for three players, led by defenseman Phil Russell . Fletcher hoped the addition of Russell would help his team achieve playoff success. Buoyed by a franchise record ten-game winning streak in October 1978,

1320-588: The Edmonton Oilers . Blake Wheeler , however, remains a free agent . Ben Chiarot of the Detroit Red Wings is the only other player drafted by the Thrashers still active in the NHL, although he did not enter the league until after the Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg. Atlanta was not without professional ice hockey for long. In 2015, the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL changed their name to

1408-575: The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the most gentlemanly player in 1978–79 . General manager Cliff Fletcher is the lone member of the Atlanta team to be named to the Hockey Hall of Fame . The National Hockey League (NHL), which had grown from six teams in 1966 to fourteen in 1970, had not planned further expansion until at least 1973. However, the 1971 formation of a rival major league—the World Hockey Association (WHA)—altered

1496-584: The New Jersey Devils . Captain Kelly Buchberger scored the franchise's first goal in the loss and the team finished their first season in last place in the Southeast Division with 14 wins, 61 losses (including four overtime losses), and seven ties for a total of 39 points. Atlanta had the second overall pick in the 2000 NHL entry draft ; this draft brought better results, as the player chosen with that pick, Dany Heatley , became one of

1584-475: The New Jersey Devils . Atlanta received defenseman Johnny Oduya , rookie forward Niclas Bergfors , junior prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft in exchange for Kovalchuk and defenseman Anssi Salmela ; the teams also traded second-round selections in 2010. The Thrashers finished tenth in the Conference, with 83 points, which would be the most points they had earned in

1672-707: The Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with the New York Islanders , the Flames were created in 1971 as part of the NHL's conflict with the rival World Hockey Association (WHA). The team enjoyed modest success on the ice, qualifying for the playoffs in six of its eight seasons, but failed to win a playoff series and won only two post-season games total. The franchise struggled to draw fans and, after averaging only 10,000 per game by

1760-585: The St. John's IceCaps . However, the IceCaps were eventually moved back to Winnipeg in 2015. On May 31, True North Sports & Entertainment and the NHL held a press conference in Winnipeg to announce the completion of a deal to purchase the Thrashers. True North intended to relocate the team to the MTS Centre in Winnipeg on June 21, 2011 to become the new Winnipeg Jets . Both the sale and relocation of

1848-701: The Stanley Cup playoffs . Kovalchuk tied for the League lead in goals (41) with the Calgary Flames' Jarome Iginla and the Columbus Blue Jackets ' Rick Nash . Goaltender Kari Lehtonen began his NHL career with four wins in four starts, including one shutout. Before the start of the 2005–06 season , the Thrashers signed several NHL veterans in the hopes of making the playoffs, including forwards Bobby Holik and Scott Mellanby , defenseman Jaroslav Modry and goaltender Mike Dunham . At

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1936-474: The West Division and missed the playoffs. The team was reasonably successful at the gate: it sold nearly 7,000 season tickets by the start of the season, and averaged 12,516 fans per game. Tom Lysiak , selected second overall at the 1973 NHL amateur draft , joined the Flames for the 1973–74 season and made an immediate impact. Lysiak led the Flames in scoring with 64 points and finished second to

2024-595: The 2010–11 season, when the Thrashers announced that they were sold and relocating to Winnipeg, Manitoba , becoming the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets . Atlanta is the only other city besides Quebec City to have lost two NHL teams, in both cases, relocating to Western Canada . In their eight-year history, the Atlanta Flames wore red and white uniforms with yellow accents. This set generally had contrasting color stripes with yellow borders along

2112-475: The 2013–2014 season, also signing a 15-year lease with the arena. As part of the renovations, the seating capacity was increased, the ice surface was reconfigured to new OHL standards, 10 private boxes were added as well as a new 2-level team dressing room. The renovations were first $ 600,000 over budget even though promises were made to cut the renovations if it went over the $ 12 million mark by local government who ended up making special funds out of reserve to pay

2200-448: The 30th overall pick (second pick of the second round) in the 1999 NHL entry draft . However, the entire 1999 NHL entry draft was a major disappointment for the Thrashers, as all 11 of their draft picks were out of the NHL by the team's last season; Stefan played the most games for the Thrashers (414) from that draft. Their first two picks (Stefan and Sellars) were two of the biggest disappointments in draft history; NHL.com listed Stefan as

2288-678: The Atlanta Flames organization to be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame : No Atlanta Flames player has been inducted into the players category. All of the Flames' radio and television broadcasts were simulcasts. The Flames' games were televised over-the-air on WTCG 17 and on the radio by WSB (AM) . Jiggs McDonald was the main play-by-play announcer with Skip Caray substituting from 1976 – 80 . Color commentators included Andy Still ( 1972–73 ), Bob Neal ( 1973–74 ), Ed Thilenius ( 1974–75 ; home and televised games only), Bernie Geoffrion ( 1975 – 79 ), and Bobby Harper (1979–80; home games only). Pete Van Wieren also did play-by-play for

2376-653: The Boston Bruins for the previous three seasons, was a former NHL player who had been a teammate of Rick Dudley's on the Buffalo Sabres . In the following weeks, the Thrashers hired an associate coach, John Torchetti , and an assistant coach , Mike Stothers . The team also hired Clint Malarchuk as a goaltending consultant. The Thrashers' last win came against the New York Rangers, 3–0 at Madison Square Garden on April 7, 2011. On April 10, 2011,

2464-550: The Braves and Hawks. Marcel Comeau was named director of amateur scouting for the Thrashers, on July 9, 2003, and stayed in the role until the team was sold. Turner stepped down as vice chairman of AOL Time Warner , parent company of Turner's Turner Broadcasting System , in 2003. A year later, AOL Time Warner sold both teams to Atlanta Spirit, LLC , a group consisting of businessmen based both in Atlanta and elsewhere. It later emerged that Atlanta Spirit almost immediately put

2552-595: The Calder Trophy. The team overcame an eight-game losing streak in December and injuries to several key players to post their first winning season with a 34–31–15 record. However, they finished fourth in the Patrick Division and failed to qualify for the post-season. Citing personal reasons, Geoffrion resigned as head coach late in the season. He was replaced by Fred Creighton , who had been coaching

2640-544: The Calgary roster was Paul Reinhart , upon being traded to Vancouver Canucks after the 1987–88 season . The last active Atlanta Flames player in the NHL was Kent Nilsson, who returned to the NHL for six games in 1995 , after spending the prior seven seasons in European leagues. Before his return to the NHL, that distinction belonged to Brad Marsh , who retired at the end of the 1992–93 season . Several former players of

2728-565: The Eastern Conference. Simultaneously, Atlanta Spirit, LLC, the team's ownership group, was coming apart at the seams. A dispute between Steve Belkin and his seven fellow owners dated back to 2005; Belkin claimed the other owners breached their contract, giving him the right to buy them out at cost, while his partners said they should be able to buy out Belkin's 30% stake. On November 3, court proceedings began in Maryland to decide

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2816-658: The Flames in their best-of-seven series with four consecutive wins. Geoffrion was praised for his coaching of the club and finished second in voting for the Jack Adams Award as top coach. The NHL's expansion to 18 teams in 1974–75 resulted in realignment. The league moved to a four division format, placing the Flames in the Patrick Division . Lysiak repeated as the Flames' top scorer with 77 points while Eric Vail , playing his first full season, led with 39 goals. Vail's total led all rookies and earned him

2904-589: The Flames selected Jacques Richard as the second overall pick in the 1972 NHL amateur draft . The Flames made their NHL debut in Long Island against their expansion cousins, the New York Islanders , on October 7, 1972. They won the game 3–2; Morris Stefaniw scored the first goal in franchise history and the first NHL goal in Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum . The team made its home debut one week later on October 14. Hosting

2992-466: The Flames struggled at the gate. They peaked at an average of 14,161 fans per game in their second season, 1973–74, but fell to 12,258 three years later and then 10,500 in 1977–78. Concerns that low attendance could result in the relocation of the team surfaced by 1976, prompting politicians and the players themselves to purchase tickets in a bid to stabilize the franchise. The Flames attempted to boost attendance in 1980 by signing Jim Craig , goaltender of

3080-481: The Flames were established. They would keep this color scheme until 2007, only to be restored in 2020. The Hawks also added black as a tertiary color in 1992, with the now-Calgary Flames following suit in 1995; as of 2024, both teams currently wear black uniforms as third jerseys while their primary uniforms dropped black from the color scheme. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Three members of

3168-520: The Flames were named recipients of NHL awards during the team's tenure in Atlanta. Eric Vail was the first, as he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top rookie in 1974–75 after scoring 39 goals and finishing with 60 points. Paraguayan-born Willi Plett won the award two years later after scoring 33 goals and 23 assists in his first full NHL season. Bob MacMillan was named the league's most gentlemanly player in 1978–79, which earned him

3256-487: The Flames' minor league affiliate, the Omaha Knights . Fletcher later credited Geoffrion's outgoing personality as being the primary reason why people in Atlanta followed the Flames in the franchise's first seasons while the team's players later stated an appreciation for Creighton's more technical coaching and teaching style. Creighton produced a consistent, but not outstanding team, as the Flames finished third in

3344-563: The Islanders' Denis Potvin in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. Improving to 30–34–14, the Flames finished fourth in the West and qualified for the 1974 Stanley Cup playoffs . They made their post-season debut against the division-winning Philadelphia Flyers . The first game, played April 9, 1974, was a 4–1 victory for the Flyers. Philadelphia went on to defeat

3432-679: The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. He finished fifth overall in league scoring with 104 points while accruing only 14 penalty minutes throughout the season. Seven players represented the Flames at the NHL All-Star Game . Randy Manery became the team's first all-star when he played in the 1973 contest. He was subsequently joined by Al McDonough ( 1974 ), Tom Lysiak ( 1975 , 1976 and 1977 ), Curt Bennett (1975 and 1976), Eric Vail (1977), Bill Clement ( 1978 ) and Kent Nilsson ( 1980 ). There are four members of

3520-507: The NHL's Eastern Conference , and played their home games at what is now known as State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta . The Thrashers qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in the 2006–07 season , after winning the Southeast Division, but were swept in the first round by the New York Rangers . In May 2011, the Thrashers were sold to Canadian -based ownership group True North Sports & Entertainment . The group moved

3608-587: The NHL's most gentlemanly player. In the playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs , Atlanta again failed to win a game as they lost a best of three series two games to none. Fletcher continued to alter his team's make-up throughout the 1979–80 . Al MacNeil replaced Creighton as head coach prior to the season, and the team acquired Swedish star Kent Nilsson following the demise of the WHA. Nilsson led Atlanta in scoring with 40 goals and 53 assists. At

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3696-562: The NHL's plans and resulted in the two leagues battling for players and markets. The NHL sought to keep the WHA out of the newly constructed Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York . The league also opted to place a team in the American South . The NHL announced on November 9, 1971, that it was expanding to Long Island and Atlanta. The Atlanta franchise was awarded to Atlanta real estate developer Tom Cousins , who also owned

3784-553: The Patrick for the following three seasons and typically won a few games more than they lost each year. The team qualified for the playoffs all three years, but lost in the preliminary round each time. In 1975–76 , they were defeated by the Los Angeles Kings in a best of three series, two games to none. The Kings again eliminated the Flames in 1976–77 , but Atlanta earned its first playoff victory in franchise history in

3872-413: The Southeast Division title with 43 wins and claiming the third seed in the Conference and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. However, they were eliminated from the playoffs on April 18, being swept by the New York Rangers in four straight games in the conference quarterfinals. This season was the highest attended the Thrashers ever had, with every home playoff game sold out as well as

3960-406: The Thrashers also traded for Blackhawk Andrew Ladd while sending prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy and a draft pick to Chicago. The Blackhawks, the 2010 Stanley Cup champions , found it necessary to trade players for prospects and picks as they were in difficulty with the salary cap . The next day, the team named Craig Ramsay as the team's new head coach. Ramsay, who had been an assistant coach for

4048-692: The Thrashers on the market, which only came to light after one of a myriad of lawsuits involving the consortium. Tragedy struck the team just eight days after the sale, as star forward Dany Heatley crashed his Ferrari in a one-car accident that seriously injured both himself and Thrashers center Dan Snyder . Heatley suffered a broken jaw and arm, a sprained wrist and a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL); Snyder died five days later due to septic shock from his injuries. The Thrashers dedicated their entire 2003–04 season to Snyder's memory, and Thrashers players wore black patches with Snyder's number, 37, on their jerseys for

4136-626: The Thrashers played their last game in Atlanta against the Pittsburgh Penguins . Tim Stapleton scored the last goal in Thrashers history in a 5–2 loss to Pittsburgh. The final NHL goal scored in Philips Arena was tallied by the Penguins' Mike Comrie , an empty net goal and his first of the season. Due to financial losses and ownership struggles, the team was frequently a target of relocation rumors. In later years, reports saw

4224-483: The Thrashers unveiled an alternate home jersey. Predominantly blue, it featured a black yoke on the right shoulder with the word 'ATLANTA' inside. In 2006, it became the team's full-time home jersey, replacing the original navy blue jersey that had been worn since the club's inception in 1999. In 2007, Reebok released new team jerseys as part of the rollout of the Reebok Edge Uniform System. For

4312-400: The Thrashers' jerseys, the waist stripes were removed from the home and road jerseys and piping was added. Atlanta unveiled its new third jersey, red and midnight blue with white and gold trim, on October 10, 2008. It is often mocked as one of the worst uniforms in league history. On November 7, 2022, the Thrashers' former ECHL affiliate, the Atlanta Gladiators , unveiled plans to take on

4400-484: The arena was dedicated to season ticket holders that called themselves the "Nasty Nest". The "Nasty Nest" chanted and shouted at the opposing team to disrupt them. The Thrashers also had two Thrasher bird heads that faced opposite to the scoreboard. The Thrasher heads opened their beaks to reveal a flamethrower that ignited when the team scored a goal. At this time, the franchise adopted a motto "Believe in Blueland", which

4488-623: The bench on an interim basis. The Thrashers ended the season with only 76 points, finishing 14th in the Eastern Conference. On January 27, 2008, the Thrashers hosted the NHL All-Star Game at Philips Arena , matching the Eastern Conference All-Stars against the Western Conference All-Stars. The game had originally been scheduled for the 2004–05 season , but the NHL lockout of that year, followed by

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4576-456: The cost overruns. Six weeks later a further $ 4.5 million was announced as spent on the project without the knowledge of local government from city taxpayers accounts, with an audit being called that later revealed little paper work and no communication of costs were done on the city's largest municipal project. It hosted the 2013 World Ringette Championships as well as the 2018 Ford World Women's Curling Championship . This article about

4664-485: The erstwhile Minnesota North Stars relocated to the city to become the Dallas Stars . The Seaman brothers, Daryl and Byron , had made an offer of $ 14 million while the City of Calgary prepared to build a new arena for the team. However, Canadian businessman Nelson Skalbania emerged as a rival bidder for the team before joining the Calgary consortium. The group agreed to purchase the Flames for $ 16 million, at

4752-409: The facility as being "out-of-date when it opened". Cousins announced he was seeking to sell the club following the Flames' exit from the playoffs. Their final game, a 5–2 loss against the New York Rangers, was played in Atlanta on April 12, 1980. He claimed to have suffered significant financial losses on the team while low viewership hampered his ability to sign a television contract. Additionally,

4840-421: The first event in Omni Coliseum history, the Flames tied the Buffalo Sabres , 1–1, before a sellout crowd of 14,568. The team was respectable through much of the season on the strength of Bouchard and Myre's goaltending performances, and by mid-January, had a 20–19–8 win–loss–tie record. The Flames won only five more games through the rest of the season, finishing at 25–38–15. Atlanta finished in seventh place in

4928-587: The first seven games, including two hat-tricks , one in a 7–2 rout of the Chicago Blackhawks and another in a come-from-behind victory against the Nashville Predators . Those comeback victories became a recurring sight throughout the season, as Atlanta pulled off stunning upsets over the Toronto Maple Leafs , Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators , as well as wins against the Los Angeles Kings and New York Islanders . Eleven games into

5016-464: The following seasons to rework the Flames roster. His goaltending tandem of Bouchard and Myre had begun to feud with each other by the 1977–78 season as both sought more playing time. Fletcher responded by naming Bouchard his number one goaltender and trading Myre to the St. Louis Blues for three players. They made it into the playoffs again but were the only team to fall to a team with fewer points than them,

5104-543: The franchise and keep it in Atlanta, but ultimately the team was sold to the Canadian group True North Sports & Entertainment . On May 16, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that talks for a sale to True North Sports & Entertainment were underway. According to The Globe and Mail , a deal was finalized on May 20, 2011, to relocate the team to Winnipeg. The League later denied

5192-430: The franchise to Winnipeg , which became the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets (the first incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix in 1996 to become the Coyotes ). The sale and relocation were approved by the NHL on June 21, 2011. With the sale and relocation of the team, Atlanta became the first city in the NHL's modern era to have two ice hockey teams relocate to different cities. In both cases,

5280-401: The group's fate. In the final year of his contract, Ilya Kovalchuk and the Thrashers could not come to an agreement on an extension. General manager Don Waddell reportedly offered 12-year, $ 101 million and seven-year, $ 70 million contracts, both of which Kovalchuk turned down. Rather than potentially losing him to free agency in the off-season, the team traded Kovalchuk on February 4, 2010, to

5368-448: The highest expectations in franchise history, even after the team's second-leading scorer, Marc Savard , departed as a free agent for the Boston Bruins. Veteran center Steve Rucchin , Niko Kapanen and Jon Sim were acquired in an effort to make up for the Savard loss. With NHL superstars Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk, as well as a healthy goaltender in Kari Lehtonen, the Thrashers clinched their first (and only) playoff berth, winning

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5456-490: The housing market crash of 2008, and a stale economy in Atlanta. It did not help matters that the great majority of Thrashers fans lived in Atlanta's northern suburbs, and were not willing to brave Atlanta's infamous traffic to go to games at Philips Arena. Just months after reaching the playoffs for the first time, the Thrashers began the 2007–08 season 0–6. Consequently, they fired head coach Bob Hartley on October 17, 2007, with general manager Don Waddell taking over behind

5544-451: The identity of the Thrashers for a single game on December 16. The team's mascot was Thrash, a brown thrasher , which also is the official state bird of Georgia . The Thrashers never officially retired any numbers. No. 37 was unofficially taken out of circulation after the death of Thrasher Dan Snyder in September 2003. No. 99 was retired league-wide by the NHL during the 2000 NHL All-Star Game to honor Wayne Gretzky . These are

5632-423: The last win for the Thrashers before an extended losing streak. From December 28 to February 11, the team went a dismal 2–16–3. Kovalchuk became only the second Thrashers' player to score in the NHL All-Star Game (after Heatley). While the Thrashers' playoff hopes were done for the year, they finished second in the Southeast Division to Tampa Bay and tenth in the Eastern Conference, only a handful of wins away from

5720-403: The playoffs every year until 1991, a streak of 16 consecutive seasons dating to their fourth year in Atlanta. The NHL returned to Atlanta in 1999 , when the Atlanta Thrashers joined the league as an expansion franchise . The Flames and Thrashers were however in opposing conferences; this meant that the Flames, who were in the Western Conference , would play one game in Atlanta annually until

5808-437: The real estate crunch of the 1970s hit Cousins especially hard. Most of his money not tied up in his real estate interests was tied up in the Flames, leading him to put the Flames on the market. The Flames, estimated to have lost $ 12 million in its eight years, had been rumored for months to be moving to Calgary , though Dallas and Houston were also mentioned as possible destinations. Dallas got an NHL team in 1993, when

5896-430: The report, but acknowledged that advanced negotiations between the two teams were underway and that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman supported the move. Draft schedules were prepared that accommodated for the team's move to Winnipeg, as True North sought to move the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL), eventually moving the team to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador , in Atlantic Canada , playing as

5984-432: The same time, however, they lost one of their brightest stars, as Heatley requested a trade in an attempt to leave behind memories of his tragic 2003 car accident. He was eventually swapped to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Marian Hossa (a four-time 30-goal scorer at the time of the trade) and Greg de Vries . The 2005–06 season saw the Thrashers win a club-record 41 games, even with numerous goaltending injuries. Only

6072-443: The season by being named as one of the three stars of each game. The award was created in the Thrashers' inaugural season of 1999 . The Atlanta Thrashers were broadcast on cable television on SportSouth and Fox Sports South . Over-the-air, the Thrashers were broadcast on WUPA (channel 69) ( 1999 – 2004 ) and WPXA (channel 14) ( 2005 – 2007 ). Radio coverage included play-by-play of all games on WCNN in Atlanta. The station

6160-407: The season opening and closing games. The team was gaining notoriety within the league for their playoff debut, and team popularity within Atlanta reached an all-time high. Atlanta-based hip hop artist Lil Jon publicly showed his support for the team, posing for a picture with the Stanley Cup while wearing a Thrashers jersey. After this season, the Thrashers' ticket sales would start dwindling due to

6248-416: The season, the Thrashers were in first place in the Southeast Division and the NHL. Although they continued to play well, they could not keep up with the Tampa Bay Lightning , the eventual Stanley Cup champions, or other teams in the League. Boxing Day 2003 marked both a bright and dark day for the Thrashers. On that day, Heatley skated for the first time since his car accident with Snyder, but it also marked

6336-512: The season. Heatley's blood alcohol content was below the legal limit, but his combination of speeding (he was driving an estimated 80 miles per hour) and recklessness led to criminal charges , which were later dropped. He eventually received three years' probation and community service . Led by captain Shawn McEachern , the Thrashers jumped quickly out of the gate with some notable highlights. Ilya Kovalchuk scored eight goals in

6424-479: The second game of the series. Vail scored the game-winning goal in a 3–2 victory over the Kings on April 7, 1977, but the Flames were eliminated in the third game. Willi Plett , who was selected 80th overall in the 1975 draft , emerged as a young star for the Flames. He scored 33 goals in his rookie season in 1976–77 and won the Calder Trophy. Seeking to improve his team's fortunes, Fletcher made several moves over

6512-401: The sleeves, socks and tail. A red shoulder stripe adorned the white uniforms. They carried this set over to Calgary following the relocation, replacing the "flaming A" with the "flaming C" decal in front. The "flaming A" was later used by the Calgary Flames to denote alternate captains. Coincidentally, their then-sister team Atlanta Hawks also changed their colors to red and yellow shortly after

6600-454: The team courted by suitors intending to relocate to Kansas City , Quebec City , Hamilton , or Winnipeg . On January 22, 2011, the team's ownership group claimed it had lost US$ 130 million in the last six years, partially as a result of an ongoing lawsuit with former partner Steve Belkin. In February 2011, majority owner Michael Gearon stated that the team would be seeking new investors. Various local groups announced their intent to purchase

6688-809: The team moved from Atlanta to a Western Canadian city; the city's previous NHL team, the Atlanta Flames moved to Calgary , in 1980 to become the Calgary Flames . After the departure of the International Hockey League (IHL)'s Atlanta Knights (1992–1996) to become the Quebec Rafales , the city of Atlanta was awarded an NHL franchise on June 25, 1997, as part of a four-team tiered expansion . This also included teams in Nashville , Columbus , and St. Paul , in which each new franchise would begin play as its respective new arena

6776-475: The team returned to Atlanta once their careers ended. Among them, Tom Lysiak operated a horse farm outside the city, Eric Vail returned to operate a nightclub and Willi Plett operated a sporting theme park and golf course. Fletcher would remain the team's general manager until 1991, steering the team to two appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals and a Cup victory in 1989. The Flames would appear in

6864-479: The team were formally approved by the NHL's Board of Governors . The Atlanta Spirit Group, however, retained the rights of the name and logos for the Thrashers, which are expected to be used by any future Atlanta NHL franchise that may be established or move there. As of the 2024–25 NHL season , only two former Thrashers are active in the NHL – Zach Bogosian of the Minnesota Wild and Evander Kane of

6952-721: The team's best players. The team also had a fine choice in the 2001 draft with first overall pick Ilya Kovalchuk . Both Heatley and Kovalchuk played their first season in the NHL in 2001–02 ; both were named to the NHL All-Rookie Team and Heatley was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the League's Rookie of the Year. The early years of the Atlanta Thrashers saw a sharp increase of hockey fans in Atlanta. Ticket sales for Thrashers games averaged at 10,000 per night, many of them being season tickets. A section of

7040-413: The team's general manager. Former Montreal Canadiens player Bernie Geoffrion was hired as the team's head coach. The team stocked its roster via an expansion draft held on June 6, 1972. Fletcher focused on goaltending, choosing Phil Myre with his first selection and rookie Dan Bouchard with his second. Fletcher drafted a competent roster, but one that was young and inexperienced. Two days later,

7128-542: The time the highest price ever paid for an NHL franchise. The sale was announced on May 21, 1980, and the franchise relocated to Canada where it became the Calgary Flames . The Flames have since used the Atlanta logo for both its alternate captains , and the team's former affiliate that played in the American Hockey League (AHL), the Adirondack Flames . The last Atlanta Flames player on

7216-484: The top-ten point, goal, and assist scorers in franchise history. Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; G/G = Goals per game; A/G = Assists per game Calder Memorial Trophy Rocket Richard Trophy The Georgia's Own Credit Union 3 Stars of the Year Award was awarded annually to the Thrashers player amassing the most points throughout

7304-405: The worst first overall pick of all time and Sellars (who played only one NHL game ) as the worst 30th overall pick in NHL history. This was a surprise, as not only did the media hype Stefan as a franchise player, but hockey experts also considered then-Thrashers general manager Don Waddell to have excellent scouting ability. The Thrashers played their first game on October 2, 1999, losing 4–1 to

7392-432: Was completed. The birth of the new franchise marked NHL hockey's return to Georgia after the Atlanta Flames , established in 1972, departed for Canada in 1980 to become the Calgary Flames . The Flames had been the League's first foray into the southern U.S. , and their failure discouraged further efforts to bring NHL hockey south of Washington for another decade. The nickname "Thrashers," after Georgia's state bird ,

7480-485: Was injured within ten games. On April 6, Lehtonen was run into by Tampa Bay's Chris Dingman , injuring him yet again. The remainder of the season was left to Dunham. Garnett was injured in a game against the Washington Capitals . Dunham, who had started the game but was relieved by the young rookie after poor play, was forced back into action in the third period. The Thrashers' 2006–07 season began with

7568-433: Was often used in advertising. At the same time, however, the Thrashers were hamstrung by Turner's reluctance to spend the money it took to make them competitive. According to veteran forward Ray Ferraro , who played for the Thrashers during their first three seasons, Waddell told him that Turner treated the Thrashers mostly as an afterthought; they were allocated whatever money was left over after Turner allocated payroll for

7656-573: Was the flagship of a network that included 18 stations. Most were in Georgia, but there were two affiliates in South Carolina and one in Alabama . The radio play-by-play voice for the first season was Scott Ferrall , followed by Dan Kamal . Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in

7744-555: Was the only general manager change in Thrashers history. Dudley made his first trade on June 23, 2010, involving nine players and draft picks, with the Chicago Blackhawks . The Thrashers received Dustin Byfuglien , Ben Eager , Brent Sopel and Akim Aliu in exchange for Marty Reasoner , Joey Crabb , Jeremy Morin , the Devils' first-round pick ( 24th overall ) in 2010 and the Devils' second-round pick (54th overall) in 2010. Later,

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