- 1999
- 2003
- 2011
-
Atlanta Thrashers Team Formation
After the departure of the IHL’s Atlanta Knights from 1992 to 1996 to become the Quebec Rafales, the city was awarded an NHL franchise on June 25, 1997, as part of a four-team tiered expansion. This also included teams in Nashville, Columbus, and St. Paul, in which each new franchise would begin play as its respective new arena was completed. ... -
New Ownership Atlanta Spirit
On September 21, 2003, Time Warner, the owners of both the Thrashers and the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, sold both teams to Atlanta Spirit, LLC, a group consisting of businessmen based both in Atlanta and elsewhere. -
Heading to Winnipeg
Due to financial losses and ownership struggles, the team was frequently a target of relocation rumors. In later years, reports saw the team courted by suitors intending to relocate to Kansas City, Missouri; Quebec City, Quebec; Hamilton, Ontario or Winnipeg, Manitoba. On January 22, 2011, the team’s ownership group claimed it had lost the US $130 million in the last ...
History of the Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were an NHL team that began playing in the 1999-2000 season. The team was originally owned by Time Warner, and they played their home games at Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta. They had a short but eventful history, making two playoff appearances before being relocated to Winnipeg after the 2010-11 season.
The Thrashers’ first few years were marked by struggles on the ice as well as off it; they finished last or second-last in their division for five consecutive seasons from 2000 to 2005. Despite this poor start, things started looking up for them when Don Waddell took over as general manager prior to the 2006–07 season and brought with him a new head coach—Bob Hartley—and several key players such as Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk who helped turn around both the team's fortunes on ice and its attendance figures off it.
In 2007–08, under Hartley's leadership, Atlanta made its first-ever post-season appearance after finishing third overall in points earned during regular play; however, they lost 4–2 against eventual Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins despite putting up an impressive fight throughout all six games of that series - something which many attributed largely due to Kovalchuk’s heroics (he scored 11 points). Sadly though this success was not sustained beyond 2008/09 when another round of player departures saw them miss out on playoffs yet again before finally having no choice but relocate themselves northwards into Canada following the 2010/11 campaign whereupon they became known simply as “Winnipeg Jets."
Established
1999
City
Atlanta – Winnipeg
League History
1999 – Present / National Hockey League
Team History
2011 – Present / Winnipeg Jets
1999 – 2011 / Atlanta Thrashers
Nickname
Thrashers – Originally part of Turner Broadcasting, and owner Ted Turner christened his 1997 expansion team after the state bird of Georgia, the brown thrasher part of the mockingbird family, called the Atlanta Thrashers.
Championship
Stanley Cup 0
Arena
2018 - Present / Bell MTS Place
2011 – 2017 / MTS Centre
*Atlanta*
1999 – 2011 / Philips Arena
Owner
2011 – Present / True North Sports and Entertainment
2003 – 2011 / Atlanta Spirit, LLC
1999 – 2003 / Time Warner
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
99 / Wayne Gretzky
*Blue is this team’s history
