It's Your "Atlanta Is In Trouble As An NHL Town" Post Again...

((HT: Sports Radio 1290 Winnipeg/Illegal Curve))

But this time it comes from NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, who was a guest of the "Illegal Curve Radio Show" in Winnipeg the other day...

Remember Winnipeg...?

The city that could use an NHL franchise more than a half-dozen US towns at the moment...

Here's what Daly said:

“I would acknowledge that Atlanta historically has been a difficult sports market, and I can’t exactly put my finger on it as to why that’s been the case. You make good points when you point to the fact that the Atlanta Braves make the playoffs 13 consecutive years in baseball, where it is a little more difficult to make the playoffs. And they are having difficulty selling out their home playoff games, which, you would think in most markets is unheard of. So, Atlanta has proven to be a very difficult market.”

“Again, it might be a situation where the building location isn’t ideal in that market, and if it was built in a different location within the Atlanta Metropolitan location, it might be drawing better. But those are all issues that are important issues, obviously the building is not moving. We’re going to have to look at the long term prospects of that franchise, and if the determination is made that it can’t make it there, and can’t be successful there, then something will have to be done.”

Listen to the interview hyah...

The Thrashers know their core audience won't ever, really, exceed 10,000 or so of the hardcore fans. They're going to have to market themselves a little differently. They get that as well...

But the issue is, and always be, ownership...
Until someone is in place that will spend liberally, the teams Atlanta Spirit monitors will be average to good and nothing more...

The only thing that will bring in the casual fan in Atlanta is winning. Rick Dudley, the HQ is confident, could do that given a budget more fitting the 8th-largest media market in the country.

With Philips Electronics looking to jet from their sponsorship deal for years now- provided they can find a replacement themselves- anything could go very quickly if someone else's name is on the marquee.

Which, the HQ will say for the billionth time, needs to happen...
Either invest or divest and let someone else with deeper pockets and deeper interest take over once and for all...

Oh, the Thrash just won their fifth in a row...
Here's the highlights beating Boston 4-1 Sunday...