(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1999 2003 2011 Atlanta Thrashers Team Formation After the departure of the IHL’s Atlanta Knights 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 …