MacLean needs to stick to moderating the discussion....he is so soft when attempting to take a position/make a point.

Posted by LT on 10/03/09 at 11:23 PM ET

Oh really? Moving the Thrashers, eh? First I’ve heard of it.

It’s called “wishful thinking.” Not going to happen.

Posted by Alan from Atlanta on 10/04/09 at 12:14 AM ET

The Hotstove is the greatest 9 and a half minutes in hockey.

Posted by Moneypuck on 10/04/09 at 12:19 AM ET

Look up in the the stands? You stupid moron, have you even been to a game in Philips Arena? I was there tonight, and it was a sell out crowd. Even when the team is doing bad, and the crowd is low, it’s still more than the Islanders, Oilers, or New Jersey. Next time try backing it up with some statistics or facts, rather than spewing garbage from your mouth.

Posted by LLTM from Atlanta on 10/04/09 at 01:17 AM ET

Glad to see ATL fans defending; dirty south in the house

Posted by Osrt on 10/04/09 at 03:39 AM ET

I too was there tonight!!! The season Just started are you kidding me!!!! Give it a break we are not moving!!!! And yes I am from South Carolina, and I drive 2 hours one way to go to 22 home games a year!!!!! Go THRASHERS!!!!!

Posted by THRASHER FAN!!!! from Anderson,SC on 10/04/09 at 07:01 AM ET

I think it might behoove the league to deal with ONE troubled team at a time.  First get Phoenix sorted out - there or elsewhere, whatever - and then move on to whatever team is in the most trouble afterwards.  The NHL hasn’t shown it can competently deal with one struggling franchise yet.

Then again, they give every impression of being incapable of organizing a one-car parade from time to time.  Atlanta isn’t in as much trouble as several other teams, and I believe their ownership situation still needs to be fully sorted out.  They might be on the way to being fine once that is taken care of.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 10/04/09 at 08:49 AM ET

Here’s why the Thrasher will not be moving anytime soon.

1.  The Philips Arena naming rights are tied into the arena having an NHL and an NBA team.  One goes, so does Philips and their $9 million a year in free money.

2.  Atlanta Spirit LLC signed an agreement with the NHL not to move the Thrashers for a set number of years of unknown length, but it is said that they still have a number years left on that agreement.

3.  Atlanta is a top 10 TV market in the US.  That means $$$.  Why else does the NFL want to put a team back in the L.A. area so badly?  Because being in a top TV market means money TV revenue.

4.  If the Thrashers were to move, that would cost Atlanta Spirit LLC at least 44 event days and their revenue at Philips Arena, which they hold a long-term operating lease on.  They would be hard pressed to fill even half of those dates, as there are multiple venues in the Atlanta area that they now compete with for events that in the past would have used Philips Arena.

5.  If the Thrashers were to leave, this could trigger a number of luxury suite contracts to be canceled by businesses who are locked into long-term deals on them, further costing Atlanta Spirit LLC revenue.

6.  No city in the Modern Era has lost two NHL franchises to relocation.  We lost the Flames because the bidder who would have kept the team in Atlanta couldn’t trump the offer Nelson Skalbania’s group made.  That bid was definitely an overpayment for the times and the owner of the Flames was in a bit of a cash crunch (Not directly related to the Flames.) and was probably happy to get more than he expected but was probably sad to see the Flames move. 

Even after they lost the Flames, Atlanta kept getting mentioned as a possible city for a team to relocate to.  The Pens, the North Stars, the Nordiques, and the Jets were rumored to be moving to Atlanta at one time or another.  Ted Turner was approached on several occasions in the early to mid 90s to buy an NHL team and move them to Atlanta but he turned them down because he did not want them to play in an outdated arena for any length of time before a new arena would be built.  This is why he waited for an expansion team.  He even remarked when awarded the Thrashers that he wished he would have bought the Flames when he had the chance as it would have saved him over $200 million (He was offered a chance to buy the Flames, as he had previously bought the Hawks from the Flames’ owner, but his money was tied up in some cable news network he was launching.).

Posted by StevenintheATL from Blueland on 10/04/09 at 10:26 AM ET

First get Phoenix sorted out - there or elsewhere, whatever - and then move on to whatever team is in the most trouble afterwards.

Ah, the perpetual cycle appraoch.
Just kidding Baroque, I actually agree with that.

I always thought I didn’t like Milbury. Maybe it had to do with his Bruins’ roots. But having listened to him the last two seasons I think a lot better of him now. He’s been very objective even on the NESN telecasts, I will say he might be a tab bit over exposed though ,he’s on something like 183 media outlets.

Posted by Lindas1st from New England on 10/04/09 at 02:10 PM ET