Atlanta, which has lost two NHL teams in the past half-century, is trying again to attract a league.
Right now, two separate groups are seriously trying to convince the NHL.
Both aim to build a large sports entertainment complex north of Atlanta. But the barrier to getting a team on the ice remains high.
The NHL says it has no plans for expansion. And retired longtime Atlanta sportswriter Jeff Schultz said commissioner Gary Bettman is unlikely to change his mind, saying he made the mistake of moving the Thrashers to Winnipeg in 2011. This is because it means admitting that it was.
“Eventually we're going to have someone build an arena for $1 billion,” Schultz said. “At the end of the day, you're going to have someone buy your team for $1 billion. Those are very big hurdles.”
One of the NHL's bids appears to have hit a deadlock over an agreement with Forsyth County commissioners.
Another recently announced bid is from Fulton County, led by former player Anson Carter.
If either group convinces the league to expand, another Atlanta team could succeed — as long as it performs better than the Thrashers, said NHL senior writer Sean McIndoe. The Athletic.
McIndoe said the team had never won a playoff game in its 12 years of existence and was a failure in business because of its failures on the ice, and blamed Bettman for not supporting the team in its early days. .
“It's definitely going to expand again at some point,” McIndoe said. “The question is when, where and how comfortable will they be able to return to markets they have recently entered?”
Before the Thrashers, Atlanta hosted the Flames for eight NHL seasons until 1980.
Elsewhere in Georgia, professional hockey is showing signs of growth.
The ECHL's Ghost Pirates, a minor league team, was recently launched in Savannah.
And another minor league team, a yet-to-be-named FPHL team, was recently announced in Athens.
This article was brought to you by Rough Draft through a media partnership with GPB News.
