What Should the new Atlanta NHL team be named?

[Nostradumbass]

"Quebec Nordiques"

The Atlanta Nordiques so Quebec fans can stop complaining that the Nordiques no longer exist.

 

[The Panther]

"The Atlanta Over-Expansions"

Man, the NHL is really in love with the possible Atlanta market, isn't it? Failed in the 70s? Try again! Failed in the 2000s? Try again!

One of my best friends recently moved to Atlanta. He speaks highly of it. Great place (in most areas, anyway), I'm sure. But to speak frankly, hockey is the southern USA is an entirely middle- and upper-class white sport, and Atlanta is a working class "chocolate city". There are lots of middle- and upper-class whites in Miami, Tampa (incl. Canadian "winter-ers"), and Dallas. But in Atlanta? Hockey is always going to be a difficult sell there.

Needless to say, the NHL is already over-expanded and adding more teams is just going to lower the overall product for everyone, but NHL executives and owners are all about short-term profit, so they couldn't care less.

 

[Woodrow]

The Atlanta Nordiques so Quebec fans can stop complaining that the Nordiques no longer exist.

Or so they won't even have to change their name when they relocate to Quebec in a few years.

 

[HellebuyckOurSaviour]

Atlanta Lil Jon's

 

[Nostradumbass]

Or so they won't even have to change their name when they relocate to Quebec in a few years.

There have been ample opportunities in the last 30 years for Quebec city to get a team (expansion, relocation, etc.) but that has yet to happen. Hell, Winnipeg got their team back before QC.

 

[The Hobgoblin]

"The Atlanta Over-Expansions"

Man, the NHL is really in love with the possible Atlanta market, isn't it? Failed in the 70s? Try again! Failed in the 2000s? Try again!

One of my best friends recently moved to Atlanta. He speaks highly of it. Great place (in most areas, anyway), I'm sure. But to speak frankly, hockey is the southern USA is an entirely middle- and upper-class white sport, and Atlanta is a working class "chocolate city". There are lots of middle- and upper-class whites in Miami, Tampa (incl. Canadian "winter-ers"), and Dallas. But in Atlanta? Hockey is always going to be a difficult sell there.

Needless to say, the NHL is already over-expanded and adding more teams is just going to lower the overall product for everyone, but NHL executives and owners are all about short-term profit, so they couldn't care less.

Its almost like the new arena called The Gathering isn't being built in the suburbs were the vast majority of former Thrashers fans actually live. Oh wait! It is!

And for the record? There was a lot of non white fans at Thrashers games. We had by far the most diverse fanbase I've seen for NHL games. Attendance was never an issue for the Thrashers. The worst ownership in sports history was.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

The Atlanta Trilogies

 

[catnip]

Cobblers, either peach or shoes.

In all seriousness, something other than your basic fierce, "manly" animal or natural disaster. Maybe a small, fluffy rodent.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

this would be a nice logo

also speaks to locals using terms they understand

 

[The Panther]

Its almost like the new arena called The Gathering isn't being built in the suburbs were the vast majority of former Thrashers fans actually live. Oh wait! It is!

I know nothing about this, so perhaps you're right. Sounds like a smarter plan.

And for the record? There was a lot of non white fans at Thrashers games. We had by far the most diverse fanbase I've seen for NHL games. Attendance was never an issue for the Thrashers. The worst ownership in sports history was.

What I was speaking to was that the best way to involve the Atlanta community in hockey (and thus stabilize the franchise) would be to attract black fans. Maybe I'm treading on "controversial" ground here (forgive me, as I'm a critical race theorist) but I always find it a little off-putting when the hockey fanbase doesn't match the larger community base (Detroit's all-white fanbase being another example). It's no fault of the fanbase, obviously, or even the ownership, but I just think it's a bad look.

Anyway, if Atlanta had this diversity you speak of 20 years ago, that's great. Maybe it's something to build on with another franchise.

 

[DEANYOUNGBLOOD17]

Atlanta Movers

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Atlanta is a working class "chocolate city".

Say what?

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Atlanta Lil Jon's

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I mean I guess Thrashers would be easier because there would be fans that remember the name but then again, Trashers was also parodied with it. It'd be wise to just go with a new name.

Bird theme seems to be their thing though - Thrashers, Falcons, Hawks....then there's the Braves. They also have the Gladiators. Thrashers did have cool jerseys. My wife has a ton of family in Atlanta so it'd be fun to go to games there (massive population of Vietnamese there).

 

[nhlfan79]

I know nothing about this, so perhaps you're right. Sounds like a smarter plan.

What I was speaking to was that the best way to involve the Atlanta community in hockey (and thus stabilize the franchise) would be to attract black fans. Maybe I'm treading on "controversial" ground here (forgive me, as I'm a critical race theorist) but I always find it a little off-putting when the hockey fanbase doesn't match the larger community base (Detroit's all-white fanbase being another example). It's no fault of the fanbase, obviously, or even the ownership, but I just think it's a bad look.

Anyway, if Atlanta had this diversity you speak of 20 years ago, that's great. Maybe it's something to build on with another franchise.

This thread has taken a bizarre turn. Yes, generally speaking, metro Atlanta has a larger black population compared to many other cities, and the inner city of Atlanta itself is certainly majority minority, but the metro area as a whole is far from predominantly black, and the planned location of The Gathering is overwhelmingly white and affluent. Any suggestion that Atlanta is some anomaly where the NHL will need to specifically cater to the black community in order to survive here is silly.

Of course, the team (if one happens) absolutely should strive to actively market to everyone. Your comments about "matching the larger community base" suggest the same dumb reasoning that Atlanta Spirit once tried by compiling a roster with Byfuglien, Oduya, Anthony Stewart, Evander Kane, Nigel Dawes, and others, all at the same time. It was so superficially transparent what they were doing that it was cringy and embarrassing, and made no hockey sense at the time it was happening.

This really is simple. Ice a competitive team, make games a must-attend event, and people of all races will want to be a part of it. See Atlanta United, for example.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

"The Atlanta Over-Expansions"

Man, the NHL is really in love with the possible Atlanta market, isn't it? Failed in the 70s? Try again! Failed in the 2000s? Try again!

One of my best friends recently moved to Atlanta. He speaks highly of it. Great place (in most areas, anyway), I'm sure. But to speak frankly, hockey is the southern USA is an entirely middle- and upper-class white sport, and Atlanta is a working class "chocolate city". There are lots of middle- and upper-class whites in Miami, Tampa (incl. Canadian "winter-ers"), and Dallas. But in Atlanta? Hockey is always going to be a difficult sell there.

Needless to say, the NHL is already over-expanded and adding more teams is just going to lower the overall product for everyone, but NHL executives and owners are all about short-term profit, so they couldn't care less.

I've heard every racist term out there being black, but to call Atlanta a Chocolate city working class place?

I wish this place would change for the better, but it fails each time.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

This thread has taken a bizarre turn. Yes, generally speaking, metro Atlanta has a larger black population compared to many other cities, and the inner city of Atlanta itself is certainly majority minority, but the metro area as a whole is far from predominantly black, and the planned location of The Gathering is overwhelmingly white and affluent. Any suggestion that Atlanta is some anomaly where the NHL will need to specifically cater to the black community in order to survive here is silly.

Of course, the team (if one happens) absolutely should strive to actively market to everyone. Your comments about "matching the larger community base" suggest the same dumb reasoning that Atlanta Spirit once tried by compiling a roster with Byfuglien, Oduya, Anthony Stewart, Evander Kane, and others, all at the same time. It was so superficially transparent what they were doing that it was cringy and embarrassing, and made no hockey sense at the time it was happening.

This really is simple. Ice a competitive team and people of all races will want to be a part of it. See Atlanta United, for example.

I don't think blokes here understand how diverse Atlanta actually is. It's like when someone goes to Houston and they're like "Wait, why are there so many Asians and Indian people here?" like there's this racially insensitive stigma of thinking Atlanta is just a "black city." I don't think most understand the levels of diversity there, there's a very large population of Vietnamese and Indians there as well, ironically.

Atlanta was done dirty, they never got even 1/4 of the protection the Coyotes get when they struggled in the city. Bettman so badly wanted the Coyotes to work and let Atlanta get f***ed over twice.

Its almost like the new arena called The Gathering isn't being built in the suburbs were the vast majority of former Thrashers fans actually live. Oh wait! It is!

And for the record? There was a lot of non white fans at Thrashers games. We had by far the most diverse fanbase I've seen for NHL games. Attendance was never an issue for the Thrashers. The worst ownership in sports history was.

I mean for example, even during the worst times for the Thrashers, they would have never had trouble filling a 5,000 seat College arena.

Atlanta Thrashers yearly attendance at hockeydb.com

A historical graph of the yearly attendance for the Atlanta Thrashers of the National Hockey League.

www.hockeydb.com

With the amount of information out there, the ignorance in this thread is just pathetic trolling and laziness.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

With the amount of information out there, the ignorance in this thread is just pathetic trolling and laziness.

Misinformed Atlanta Pathetic Trolls of Laziness is too long of a name.

 

[The Panther]

I... don't think I'm saying anything shocking here, am I?

Atlanta is a big place, and I'm aware there are lots of wealthy and also white people there.

What I'm saying is: NHL cities in the "deep south" have had a hard time, typically, even if it were an all-white middle class area. That's one issue. Then, black people in the south typically aren't NHL fans (to put it mildly). Thus, about half the Atlanta area that might be an important part of an NHL club's fanbase is going to be difficult to market to.

I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm saying it's difficult. Hence, part of why two former NHL franchises failed there.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Atlanta Interims

 

[Quickdraw2828]

Something not specific to Atlanta. Something that will work well in other more northern locations in ten years.

Hosers?

 

[nhlfan79]

I... don't think I'm saying anything shocking here, am I?

Atlanta is a big place, and I'm aware there are lots of wealthy and also white people there.

What I'm saying is: NHL cities in the "deep south" have had a hard time, typically, even if it were an all-white middle class area. That's one issue. Then, black people in the south typically aren't NHL fans (to put it mildly). Thus, about half the Atlanta area that might be an important part of an NHL club's fanbase is going to be difficult to market to.

I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm saying it's difficult. Hence, part of why two former NHL franchises failed there.

There is so much wrong in all of what you wrote. "Deep South"? What does that even mean? A coded allusion to the confederacy? FFS. Atlanta is physically located in the south, but it's not 1950's Montgomery, Alabama or whatever conception you're insinuating. And what NHL cities in the "deep south" are having a "hard time," specifically? Seems like Carolina, Nashville, Dallas, and the two Florida teams (which do not count as "the South" for the record) are all doing better than fine.

Two franchises left (not "failed") here because (1) the first owner lost his shirt in the commercial real estate downturn in the late 1970's and needed quick cash, and (2) the second owner didn't ever want the team, made no secret about it, and deliberately evicted them the very first moment they were legally allowed to do so. Neither of those reasons has anything to do with geography or the market itself.

 

[b in vancouver]

Charm

Works both with Southern charm and third times the charm.

 

[ShootIt]

Atlanta Lil Jon's

Can't believe some of his skits are near 20 years old.

 

[Machinehead]

Chicago is 30% black. LA is half Latino. New York is...well, a little bit of everything but only 30-40% white.

Those cities host three of the most financially successful hockey clubs in the world.

Yes, they're just huge markets. So is Atlanta. I understand the sentiment because hockey does have a lot of white players, and those reasons have been touched on, but the demographics of a city haven't really shown to be a barrier to a successful hockey franchise.

As for the thread topic, just bring back the Thrashers.