I hope the mods don't mind it's just a little something I wrote on Facebook last night.
The city of Atlanta and its surrounding metropolitan area have experimented with the sport of hockey on and off again since the mid 1970s and to put it mildly it hasn't been the best of times. With the still fresh in the mind departure of the Atlanta Thrashers many fans probably feel like it is just time to throw in the towel. Let me start off by saying I share in the frustration,anger and downright betrayal of how the whole situation went down between the Atlanta Spirit Group and the NHL. We as fans to this day feel like we were given a bitter pill and told to swallow it without anything to wash it down. The Thrashers leaving certainly isn't my first experience with hockey going elsewhere in this city as I was only 10 when the Atlanta Knights packed their bags for Quebec after the 1995-1996 season and, while the ending of the Thrashers and Knights were major disappointments I have nothing but very fond memories of attending games at the Omni and then Phillips Arena.
With that said the good news is that hockey is still here and it comes in the form of the ECHL Gwinnett Gladiators. The Gladiators have been in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth since the 2003-2004 season and have missed the playoffs just twice since they arrived. The current team sits atop the Eastern Conference with 77 points after sweeping their 3 game weekend series against Trenton and South Carolina and the team has 5 remaining home games in the regular season as they are pushing for a top playoff spot. The Gladiators have generally been among the top 5 in attendance in the ECHL and play in the largest arena in the league known as the Arena at Gwinnett Center. Many will say "but its not the NHL" I agree it isn't but, this team truly has a never say die attitude as they came back from a 4-1 deficit to win 5-4 over the Trenton Titans today. With 5 home games left I encourage any Thrasher fan who hasn't yet been to go check out the Gladiators as the team could certainly use the support and most of the games are on the weekend so rush hour traffic won't be a worry. The Thrashers along with the Knights and Flames will always have a special place in our hearts but, I think we can certainly make room for the Gwinnett Gladiators. So in closing Thrasherville get out and support the hockey that is still here and Go GLADS!
Glad to see hockey still living on in Atlanta. I've had a soft spot for Atlanta since the Knights as well, since my dad used to work for the Knights here we'd go to Atlanta games all the time. Got to hold the Turner Cup over my head when I was in 5th or 6th grade. You guys had a roller hockey team too. The Fire Antz I believe?
Glad to see hockey still living on in Atlanta. I've had a soft spot for Atlanta since the Knights as well, since my dad used to work for the Knights here we'd go to Atlanta games all the time. Got to hold the Turner Cup over my head when I was in 5th or 6th grade. You guys had a roller hockey team too. The Fire Antz I believe?
Its just not the same... can not get into 3rd tier hockey
The first hockey I truly fell in love with wasn't the NHL it was the IHL and the Knights. If you love the sport then you can get behind the Gladiators.
Its just not the same... can not get into 3rd tier hockey
The Thrashers would be the 3rd tier in Atlanta hockey, behind the Gladiators and now defunct Knights. Both of the "minor" league franchises routinely ice(d) playoff caliber teams and neither go/went out of their way to screw their fans.
Fourth tier would probably be the Cottonmouths in Columbus (GO SNAKES! GO SNAKES! GO SNAKES! GO!) with the Ga Tech's club team as the 5th tier.
The Thrashers would be the 3rd tier in Atlanta hockey, behind the Gladiators and now defunct Knights. Both of the "minor" league franchises routinely ice(d) playoff caliber teams and neither go/went out of their way to screw their fans.
Fourth tier would probably be the Cottonmouths in Columbus (GO SNAKES! GO SNAKES! GO SNAKES! GO!) with the Ga Tech's club team as the 5th tier.
Very true and the Knights won it all their 2nd year in the league. The Gladiators made an appearance in the Kelly Cup finals during the 2005-2006 season.
The Knights left because there was no arena. The Omni was torn down to build Phillips for the Thrashers. The ironing is delicious as Bart Simpson would say. In the long run, we'd been better off just keeping the Knights.
The Knights left because there was no arena. The Omni was torn down to build Phillips for the Thrashers. The ironing is delicious as Bart Simpson would say. In the long run, we'd been better off just keeping the Knights.
I always wondered why they didn't build that thing out in the 'burbs, you know - where people actually live and want to go in Atlanta.
I go to about 4-5 Braves games a year, and I can't believe how crappy downtown Atlanta is. If you even want to brave the traffic nightmare, you go down there, it's the middle of the ghetto. There's nothing to do but the game, then you get the heck out of dodge before the cops leave the area. Public transportation is gawd-awful.
I've worked in just about ever major city east of about Denver, and Atlanta, by far, has the most inhospitable and crappy downtown of any of them. Why the heck anyone would want to build an arena right there - I don't know. It's doomed to fail. If the Braves/Hawks weren't part of the fabric of their leagues (not expansion teams), they'd be long gone too.
I'm sure this has been hashed out repeatedly. It just boggles the mind how many poor choices went into Atlanta not having it's hockey team anymore.
The first hockey I truly fell in love with wasn't the NHL it was the IHL and the Knights. If you love the sport then you can get behind the Gladiators.
Same; but the knights were actually legit and played in an Ihl that was not far cry from the NHL at the time. Plus they played in the omni to big crowds ; games seemed to mean something and they were representing the city of Atlanta, instead of some suburb
I always wondered why they didn't build that thing out in the 'burbs, you know - where people actually live and want to go in Atlanta.
I go to about 4-5 Braves games a year, and I can't believe how crappy downtown Atlanta is. If you even want to brave the traffic nightmare, you go down there, it's the middle of the ghetto. There's nothing to do but the game, then you get the heck out of dodge before the cops leave the area. Public transportation is gawd-awful.
I've worked in just about ever major city east of about Denver, and Atlanta, by far, has the most inhospitable and crappy downtown of any of them. Why the heck anyone would want to build an arena right there - I don't know. It's doomed to fail. If the Braves/Hawks weren't part of the fabric of their leagues (not expansion teams), they'd be long gone too.
I'm sure this has been hashed out repeatedly. It just boggles the mind how many poor choices went into Atlanta not having it's hockey team anymore.
In spite of it's flaws being downtown hasn't hurt the Braves. The site of the hockey arena wasn't a factor as far as attendance was concerned for it's first two pro teams. I think people who use this excuse run the risk of coming across as racist.
Now granted, downtown Atlanta could use a facelift and a shot in the arm. When fans leave the Bridge in Nashville, they're offered a plethora of choices with regard to music, dinning, or drinking. When fans leave Phillips arena all the see are parking lots and a big park filled with winos and homeless people. The sad fact is, this team failed because of their owners. Thrasher fans could have had the French Quarter waiting for them when they left the game and the team would still be gone.
The Knights left because there was no arena. The Omni was torn down to build Phillips for the Thrashers. The ironing is delicious as Bart Simpson would say. In the long run, we'd been better off just keeping the Knights.
Perhaps, when the IHL collapsed they either would have had to fold as well or join the AHL like Chicago and one or two others did.
Only one that isn't in the AHL now is the Grizzlies.
The franchise license was sold and became the Lake Erie Monsters. With the way franchises sell, move, and rename in minor league hockey it gets tough to keep track of what team used to be what other team. The AHL team in the Austin, TX suburbs can be traced back to Louisville, KY.
The franchise license was sold and became the Lake Erie Monsters. With the way franchises sell, move, and rename in minor league hockey it gets tough to keep track of what team used to be what other team. The AHL team in the Austin, TX suburbs can be traced back to Louisville, KY.
Did not know that. I know there is a Utah Grizzlies currently in the ECHL.
Did not know that. I know there is a Utah Grizzlies currently in the ECHL.
AHL franchises get sold and moved regularly. Some teams like the Wolves, Aeros, and Admirals remain constants. Others require a degree in genealogy to keep track of. The Louisville to Texas journey involved three cities and four names in the span of 15 years. It's almost as bad as the 70s-80s NHL and the team changes then ... just look at the Scouts and Seals.
