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TheGoodShepard1 said:
This has to be the year for the Leafs. If this version of the Lightning (who are starting to look understandably exhausted) bounces them in Round 1 yet again, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say they might consider blowing it up and starting over.



Yeah, but Gary gets that sweet sweet nectar of the expansion fees. Money always comes before the quality of the product
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I'm happy to have more franchises, but not Atlanta. Two time losers already.
 
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Kids takeover day for the Sabres - new player portraits.
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The Midnight Burrito said:
I'm happy to have more franchises, but not Atlanta. Two time losers already.
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This has never been a good argument, to be fair. The first time around NHL didn't really have the reach it has nowadays and the Flames barely got any help trying to spearhead hockey in the South. The second time the ownership group succumbed to infighting, then sold the team to a party that just wanted the arena and absolutely disregarded the franchise to get it out of their hands.

Atlanta can and will work with proper ownership and current-day expansion rules, there's no question. I'm more surprised that they're not there already considering how big the market is.
 
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Dryish said:
This has never been a good argument, to be fair. The first time around NHL didn't really have the reach it has nowadays and the Flames barely got any help trying to spearhead hockey in the South. The second time the ownership group succumbed to infighting, then sold the team to a party that just wanted the arena and absolutely disregarded the franchise to get it out of their hands.
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Sorry, but even pre-internet and pre-cable/satellite TV, it was very easy to know that there was a major league team in your town. Those teams moved because they didn't draw. They had good players and good foundations - e.g. the Calgary Flames were immediately a playoff staple in the 80s and were dominant in the latter half, and the only reason they have just one championship is because of the Oilers dynasty. All of that was setup in Atlanta and the fans there missed out on it because they didn't bother to watch it in the first place.

Dryish said:
Atlanta can and will work with proper ownership and current-day expansion rules, there's no question. I'm more surprised that they're not there already considering how big the market is.
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There's lots of question tbh, I don't know why you'd say otherwise. It's just wish casting. Beyond practical reasons I'd also want to avoid dessert insensitivity.

Not saying it could never work in Atlanta but I wouldn't try a third experiment with it until some other markets gets a shot at it. Atlanta's doing fine with the ECHL.
 
The Midnight Burrito said:
Sorry, but even pre-internet and pre-cable/satellite TV, it was very easy to know that there was a major league team in your town. Those teams moved because they didn't draw. They had good players and good foundations - e.g. the Calgary Flames were immediately a playoff staple in the 80s and were dominant in the latter half, and the only reason they have just one championship is because of the Oilers dynasty. All of that was setup in Atlanta and the fans there missed out on it because they didn't bother to watch it in the first place.


There's lots of question tbh, I don't know why you'd say otherwise. It's just wish casting. Beyond practical reasons I'd also want to avoid dessert insensitivity.

Not saying it could never work in Atlanta but I wouldn't try a third experiment with it until some other markets gets a shot at it. Atlanta's doing fine with the ECHL.
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I dunno, I will admit that my knowledge of the Flames situation isn't as informed as I'd like it to be, so argumentation there is weaker. The downfall of the Thrashers is pretty well documented, though, and I don't think it was anywhere near as simple as "fans just didn't show up". Sure they didn't, but there's always reasons behind that too that we need to look at to get the full picture.

Here's a take in video form that changed what I thought of the city as a hockey market. Make of that what you will, but I think there's some reason in it:

 
atlanta spirit group is the reason why the thrashers moved. plain and simple. i believe the only reason they even bought the team in the first place was because they had to if they also wanted to purchase the hawks and the arena

they never gave two shits about the thrashers
 
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Dryish said:
I dunno, I will admit that my knowledge of the Flames situation isn't as informed as I'd like it to be, so argumentation there is weaker. The downfall of the Thrashers is pretty well documented, though, and I don't think it was anywhere near as simple as "fans just didn't show up". Sure they didn't, but there's always reasons behind that too that we need to look at to get the full picture.

Here's a take in video form that changed what I thought of the city as a hockey market. Make of that what you will, but I think there's some reason in it:

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This a whitewash. There are lots of reasons to not show up to games. You can either take the excuse or not. Would the Thrashers have moved if the building were full? Would an ownership group that supposedly didn't give a shit about the Thrashers have made a $100M offer to Ilya Kovalchuk? Or were they desperate to not lose one of the few things their shitty fans were willing to pay money to see?

Bad management happens, sometimes for decades. The fanbase matters.
 
The Midnight Burrito said:
I'm happy to have more franchises, but not Atlanta. Two time losers already.
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This is true. And because each time Atlanta fails, another Canadian team is born. Canada is hoping Atlanta gets that third chance so they can eventually land another Canadian team.

One way Atlanta might survive this time around is that the expansion draft is better today than it was in 1999. Although, Anaheim survived and it's quite a smaller market than Atlanta. And with the Samueli's developing grassroot hockey in southern Cal, the Ducks can ensure to have fans still coming to games. We're very fortunate that Z is quite flashy and that's all some fans know about the game.

I'd like to see the Hartford Whalers jersey back up again, but I dunno if Hartford/CT would be able to sustain itself with Boston, the two NY teams, and NJ all close to one another.
 
Mr Rogers said:
Impressive showing for the Kings tonigh
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Yah they got a good mix of veterans that are producing and young players that are producing.. If they get the great goaltending.. They can do damage.. The west is open.. They have about a 2 year window before Kopi and Doughty start to slide in play.. They gotta go all in..
 
CrazyDuck4u said:
Yah they got a good mix of veterans that are producing and young players that are producing.. If they get the great goaltending.. They can do damage.. The west is open.. They have about a 2 year window before Kopi and Doughty start to slide in play.. They gotta go all in..
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yeah, their future is a bit ominous. outside of Kopitar, they have Fiala (injured now?) but really a bunch of what look to be 2nd liners (albeit some really good 2nd liners if you ask me). but there isn't that one star forward. You have to have someone like that, at least one, but usually 2.
 
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ff8 said:
Milwaukee Cheese Curds
Portland Weirdos
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Sounds about right.

Some other ideas for them:
Portland Lumberjacks
Milwaukee Beerhalls
Portland Ironics
Milwaukee Lederhosen
Milwaukee Frankfurters
Portland Hipsters.
 
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