Rumour: big name reportedly involved in bid to bring back Atlanta Thrashers
This is one of those rumours that I really hope there's some truth behind. A Twitter account named 'NHLtoAtlanta' is reporting that a well-known name in the hockey world is looking for investors in the hopes of bringing the Atlanta Thrashers back to the NHL. The name involved is former player and long-time hockey broadcaster Anson Carter.
According to the account, the news comes from a podcast that featured Jerry James, President of the Atlanta Gladiators. The Gladiators serve as the ECHL affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes. It was also mentioned that Carter had attempted to keep the original Thrashers in Atlanta before the team was eventually sold and relocated to Winnipeg.
If there is a concerted effort being made to return a team to Atlanta, it could end up being the third time an NHL franchise has been in the city. The Atlanta Flames started in the league in 1972, but purchased and moved to Calgary in 1980. While two previous failures isn't a good look for a location looking to get a team in any league, it's often been noted that both Atlanta franchises failed because of poor management, and not because hockey couldn't gain a foothold there.
The Thrashers entered the league in 1999 before folding after the 2010-2011 season. The team had some big names on its roster throughout its short run, including Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa, Dany Heatley, Dustin Byfuglien, Evander Kane, Marc Savard, Vyacheslav Kozlov, and many others.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 28 | 1164 ANSWERS Rumour: big name reportedly involved in bid to bring back Atlanta Thrashers Are you in favour of the return of the Atlanta Thrashers? | ||
| Hell yeah! | 374 | 32.1 % |
| No, two chances is enough | 615 | 52.8 % |
| I don't care either way | 175 | 15 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Jason Robertson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Chandler Stephenson | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mikael Granlund | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Roope Hintz | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Wyatt Johnston | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Montour | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| William Nylander | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jaden Schwartz | - | 2 | 2 | |
| John Tavares | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jamie Benn | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Evgeny Dadonov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Yanni Gourde | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pontus Holmberg | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Fraser Minten | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ryan Poehling | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Roslovic | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Daniel Sprong | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 18 | 14 | 4 | - | 28 | |
Capitals | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | |
Wild | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Devils | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Stars | 18 | 12 | 6 | - | 24 | |
Golden Knights | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||