Potential Atlanta NHL Expansion Team Thread
- Thread starter MMC
- Start date
AtlantaWhaler
Thrash/Preds/Sabres
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Ha, even the 37 people that live there doesn’t find that funny.
Bixby Snyder
IBTFAD
Probably the smartest move by the Ziegler era NHL was to block the relocation of the Blues to Saskatoon.
AintLifeGrand
Burnin Jet-A
GreenHornet
Registered User
So, it's a now a chicken or the egg kind of thing? Interesting. I know Bettman and the BoG would really like some sort of resolution with the Coyotes situation out in Arizona before they even think about moving on some sort of expansion, so we'll see how they react (if at all) to this proclamation.
MMC
Global Moderator
GreenHornet
Registered User
Whole bunch of smoke. We'll see if there's any fire with it.
nhlfan79
Registered User
Voight
#winning
That was kind of obvious. I don't see anyone contributing all those resources unless they have an anchor tenant.
Yukon Joe
Registered User
nhlfan79
Registered User
Like everyone, I'll believe it when I see it. My current mindset is still cautiously optimistic. But at the same time, I can't help but think that Buccigross and Weekes have gone soooo far out on a limb on this that it'd be insane (and deeply damaging to their reputation) if they're repeatedly perpetuating this story for the better part of a year with no firsthand credible substance behind it.
dj4aces
An Intricate Piece of Infinity
The county has likely had conversations with the league on this matter, and it'd be foolish to assume otherwise, I think. This may simply be their way of saying "Yeah, we'll build it, no problem... but because this is likely gonna cost our taxpayers, you have to take the first step."
With the rumors circulating that members of the BoG are "getting tired of the Coyotes situaiton" as it were, plus the idea that expansion isn't even on the table until said situation has some sort of resolution in sight, I think it's all about safety. Why saddle the taxpayers of Forsyth with the debt of a $2bn arena when there's no public assurances a NHL tenant is ever gonna show up? I think they saw what happened to Kansas City and Quebec City, building NHL barns with no NHL tenants in sight, and just want a guarantee that Atlanta will get a team.
At any rate, it's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see how this plays out.
TheLegend
"Just say it 3 times..."
TheLegend
"Just say it 3 times..."
“The Gathering team says the arena will be viable with or without a professional sports team.”
AtlantaWhaler
Thrash/Preds/Sabres
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I don’t think he’s using that picture as a specific location within the city, but rather just referring to Atlanta as a city. That picture is used in a lot of articles and other media as a general stock photo for the city.
MMC
Global Moderator
Maybe my post wasn't clear but by "another development here" I was referring to news coming for the project discussed in this thread, not another project being developed somewhere in the city
dj4aces
An Intricate Piece of Infinity
If I recall correctly, it was something from the October BoG meetings. It was supposedly said by an "unnamed governor"; however, I can't seem to find the specific article I'm thinking of.
During my search for that, I ran across this... which seems dubious at best. Seravalli and Daily Faceoff is cited as the source, but I can't find a print article on the site. It's possible Seravalli mentioned that particular rumor during a podcast, but I don't put much stock in that. It seems to simply take another comment from Bettman ($$) of "we’ll see where we are, come February" and attach a date to it. Whether Seravalli actually said it, or this site just made it up, is beyond me.
That said, you know I have no desire to see the Coyotes move.
AtlantaWhaler
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My take...It's not really big news. It's just the investors, county, and developers all publicly admitting that this is all for an NHL team (which, of course, was always the case). It is good news, however, for Forsyth County tax paying residents as they're not just going to build this and wait decades for a team to arrive.
Voight
#winning
Quebec City needed a new arena, both for their major junior team (which has some of the best attendance in the Q) and to host events.
Hamilton built their arena back in the day for a similar reason.
TheLegend
"Just say it 3 times..."
Servalli has said he “thinks” there’s a deadline of the end of the month for the Coyotes.
Which means he’s guessing like everyone else but hockey bloggers and everyone else out on social media who follows him takes that as a real thing and run with it as such.
KevFu
Registered User
It seems to me that the place we should be paying attention to is really Houston more than ATL, QC and PHX.
The NHL isn't going to add Atlanta and Quebec to the East, leave two open holes in the West and just see what develops.
They might do Atlanta and Salt Lake and see what develops in Houston; but I don't think you want to do experimental cities like Atlanta and Salt Lake, or a small market sure thing like Quebec, without having a heavy hitter as part of the expansion.
Plus if you got Houston and Salt Lake, you can put both in the Central (for the COL/SLC rivalry) and put PHX back in the Pacific.
The NHL isn't going to add Atlanta and Quebec to the East, leave two open holes in the West and just see what develops.
They might do Atlanta and Salt Lake and see what develops in Houston; but I don't think you want to do experimental cities like Atlanta and Salt Lake, or a small market sure thing like Quebec, without having a heavy hitter as part of the expansion.
Plus if you got Houston and Salt Lake, you can put both in the Central (for the COL/SLC rivalry) and put PHX back in the Pacific.
AtlantaWhaler
Thrash/Preds/Sabres
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Eh, to me, the whole alignment thing is overblown. Sure, if they had 3 or 4 teams with potential owners willing to give billions and a ready arena in line, it may be one of the factors they look at, but in the end, it's all about the $$. If any city has the cash, the NHL will make it work.
If Detroit or Columbus has to be moved to the West in order for the owners to split billions in fees, then so be it.
KevFu
Registered User
Oh, I get that money talks. To me it's a lot less about the alignment than it is the balance of "home runs" and "experiments."
Atlanta is an experiment. Quebec will definitely be supported. But they'll be supported like Winnipeg and Buffalo are supported.
Last time, Vegas was the experiment and Seattle was the home run. That's not to say you can't start Atlanta and Quebec City and then six years later add Houston and Salt Lake (or San Diego). But you have to have a reasonable expectation that your home run is on the way.
The NHL knew Seattle was working towards being #32. (It wasn't by any stretch a done deal; but you had FIVE PARTIES trying to make it happen, one of whom was Leiweke, who's like the Johnny Appleseed of sports/entertaining venues. BTW, back when the Kraken were announced, Leiweke said the NBA was "a 10-year process" and it looks like that's probably gonna come true, too).
And for the record, I mean no disrespect to Atlanta when I say it's an experiment. That's what I called Vegas while believing it would work. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a poster who's more pro-expansion and southern markets than I've been over the last 20 years of posting here. But a spade is a spade.
dj4aces
An Intricate Piece of Infinity
Indeed. Hence why I said *that* particular source I linked is dubious at best. I already don't put much stock into what Seravalli says, but I put even less stock into what some random hockey blogger on some random site says. I get being defensive of the Coyotes, as I was much the same way with the Thrashers, but don't read too deeply into it. I do my level best to remain objective and show my work where possible, which seems to be where I've failed this time around.
mouser
Business of Hockey
“Forsyth County government announced today that they are taking steps to ensure approval of The Gathering at South Forsyth is contingent on the arena having an NHL tenant”
I don’t see any citation in this tweet or any other sources supporting this claim that Foryth County announced anything with these requirements?
