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Tue Oct 07, 2008 10:39 am EDT

Thrashers fans vote with wallets as season-ticket base plummets

By Greg Wyshynski

Hockey fans aren't stupid. (OK, except for that fat guy who takes off his shirt every time he's on Dance-Cam at the arena.) When they see their team failing to do what's necessary to contend, they're going to pull out their financial stakes until conditions change, like with any other investment.

So when Atlanta Thrashers fans took a critical look at the off-season, for a team that 34-40-8 and finished 14th in the conference, they saw little to inspire hope for the 2008-09 campaign under new head coach John Anderson. As The Falconer reports, the season ticket holders have made that clear:

Just how bad were renewal rates? The Sports Business Journal is reporting that as of August 15th the season ticket renewal rate was just 40% for the Thrashers. I have a feeling that many of those who did renew are corporate buyers who don't care all that much about the on-ice product but use the tickets as entertainment for clients. My guess is that among individual fans the renewal rate is probably south of 40%. If my guess is correct, that's quite a statement about what the hockey consumer in this city thinks of the NHL product in this city.

Who can blame them really. The on-ice product has been exceedingly poor for 8 seasons. One playoff appearance and zero playoff wins. There are few markets where hockey would thrive under those conditions. What can a savvy consumer do other than vote with their pocket book? The thing that concerns me the most is the present ownership seems to slow to realize what everyone else knows.

The Falconer rests the blame on GM Don Waddell, and it's hard to argue that his management hasn't exactly brought sustained success to the franchise. But are we looking at a Jay Feaster situation here? As an ownership feud slowly moves through the legal process, could the Thrashers be paralyzed as a franchise much in the same way the Lightning were between owners?

That's hard to swallow when the team was rumored to have been in the hunt for Brian Campbell this summer. It's also hard to swallow when you consider the debilitating missteps in team building for the last several years, which are the real reason Atlanta's such a mess. There are midget basketball teams that are deeper at center than the Thrashers.

Like Dirk Hoag wrote: This is less about a non-traditional market failing than ownership and management repelling fans with inaction or inept decisions. Either way, a 40 percent renewal rate is downright embarrassing.

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100 Comments

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  1. TheTick
    1. Posted by TheTick Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:29 pm EDT

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    What, you mean hosting the All-Star game didn't rescue hockey in Atlanta???
  2. Adam Jones
    2. Posted by Adam Jones Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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    That pretty lady eating the chicken fingers is TERRIFIED.
  3. Hans Gruber
    3. Posted by Hans Gruber Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:58 pm EDT

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    Atlanta is not a sports town period. Look at the support that the Braves, Hawks and Falcons get, no much. These people only come out when the team is good, and in the Braves case that wasn't always true.
  4. Journeyman
    4. Posted by Journeyman Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:49 pm EDT

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    Las Vegas Thrashers. Has a nice ring to it.
  5. RC
    5. Posted by RC Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:59 pm EDT

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    Goes back to what i've said many times before....the best thing for this team is to get as terrible as possible, play their kids (at least the ones they dont make angry, like Pavelec), and rebuild with high draft picks. I just don't know if their market can sustain the team pooping for 2-3 years consistently
  6. FlyersFan4Life
    6. Posted by FlyersFan4Life Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:49 pm EDT

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    Yeah, Thanks for GIVING us Braydon Coburn for Alexei Zhitnik. Trades like that definitely killed the trashers.
  7. Wilf
    7. Posted by Wilf Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:46 pm EDT

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    This team needs to be in Winnipeg or Quebec. It just needs to be.
  8. carl_vs_mastershake
    8. Posted by carl_vs_mastershake Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:18 pm EDT

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    Maybe they need more mascots or Jerseys that look like jester costumes.
    Maybe Ted Turner will buy them, put them on TBS, and come up with a gimick the fans can do with their hands like the Thrasher Smasher or the Blueland Bash.
  9. chris k
    9. Posted by chris k Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:24 pm EDT

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    how about moving them back 2 canada where hockey is loved an not down south or out west.Dont need them in vegas not 2 mention they wont support them anyway..
  10. Ryan B
    10. Posted by Ryan B Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:06 pm EDT

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    Atlanta is a great sports town. just ask any college sports fan. so how come professional sports suffer so much here, and college sports thrive? well, college sports within 5 hour driving distance of Atlanta has been very successful on the surface of play. final fours are hosted here. the sec championship game sells out. successful schools with a great local alumni base such as Georgia, Georgia tech, Florida, Auburn, Clemson, and South Carolina play here often to sell out crowds.
    the problem is look at the products on the surface of play in atlanta professional sports. the word you'll here unequivocally is "meh." completely underwhelming. let's look at championship teams in Atlanta and opportunities to win championships. the big thing to note: only 1 professional world championship of any of the major professional teams to play in Atlanta over the past 44 years:
    Atlanta Braves (the only thing marginally successful in Atlanta on field) - 44 seasons in Atlanta (1966), 1 World Championship, 5 NL Championships & world series appearances, 11 NLCS appearances, 16 division Championship
    Atlanta Falcons - 44 seasons in atlanta (1966), 0 World Championships, 1 NFC Championship & Super Bowl, 2 NFC Championship Game appearances, 3 division championships, 263-387-6 all time (losing) record
    Atlanta Hawks - 41 seasons in Atlanta (1968-1969), 0 World Championships, 0 Eastern Conference Championships & NBA Finals appearances, 2 conference finals appearances (1969, 1970)
    Atlanta Flames - 8 seasons in Atlanta (1972-1973), 0 World Championships, 0 Stanley Cup Finals appearances, 0 conference championship appearances, 0 division championships, never finished better than 3rd in Patrick division, only 2 wins in 6 first-round playoff appearances
    Atlanta Thrashers - 9 seasons in Atlanta (1999-2000), 0 world championships, 0 Stanley Cup Finals appearances, 0 division championships, 0 conference championship appearances, 1 division championship, 0 playoff wins in 1 playoff appearance, 286-326-45-47 all-time (losing) record
    Now tell me, who wants to pay to watch that, year after year, for over 40 years?
  11. Josh
    11. Posted by Josh Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:59 pm EDT

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    The gril with the chicken fingers is quite hot!
    The ownership in Atlanta needs to get it together, they have had many good players there, they can never keep them. I am surprised they still have Kovochuck, he is one of the best in the NHL.
  12. Chris W
    12. Posted by Chris W Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:51 pm EDT

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    The drop in season tickets is more of a Big F U to The Atlanta Spirit Group than anything.
  13. garbage can moochers
    13. Posted by garbage can moochers Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:21 pm EDT

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    bettman he can run but he cant hide this is another black eye for the laughing stock nhl that gary bettman is slowing running this once great sport right into the ground .Move atlanta to quebec city and bring back the quebec Nordiques they had such a great rivalry with the montreal canadiens this sport needs a new commissioner real bad!!!!!!!!!!! Firebettman.com.........hockeyfights.com
  14. Mad Mike
    14. Posted by Mad Mike Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:13 pm EDT

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    KC Thrashers & Hamilton Predators. I could live with that. As a Manitoban, please do not move a team to WPG. The arena is too small and at $75 for an average ticket, the support will not be there in the long term.
  15. PaulW
    15. Posted by PaulW Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:47 pm EDT

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    Sure, the inferior product on the ice is part of the problem, but there's also no incentive for buying season tickets. Why buy a season ticket, when you can get half price deals anytime you want and sit right beside the season ticket holder who paid more for his seat than you?
    They need to treat the loyal fans better, instead of catering to the casual fan.
  16. Sandy S
    16. Posted by Sandy S Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:02 pm EDT

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    being from new jersey near manhattan i'm used to not being able to get great seats for games most of the time. if you really love hockey than atlanta's the city for you because you can see almost any game you want and buy good tickets at the last minute. i think this is a true hockey lovers paradise and i'm not kidding.
  17. michael m
    17. Posted by michael m Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:17 pm EDT

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    Move them to Winnipeg!
  18. se@n
    18. Posted by se@n Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:25 pm EDT

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    NY has basically 3 teams, LA has 2, why not move the thrasers to Toronto? Imagine what a 2nd team in a great Canadian market would do for the nhl & maple leaf mgmt. do not put a team in vegas, hamilton or any other non-hockey/small market.
  19. MoltarRocks
    19. Posted by MoltarRocks Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:15 pm EDT

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    But, wait, you mean Matthieu Schneider can't single-handedly revive the franchise?
  20. Lance
    20. Posted by Lance Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:57 pm EDT

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    move the damn team. it's pathetic
  21. jamesgabrieleandrew
    21. Posted by jamesgabrieleandrew Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:28 pm EDT

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    How about contraction. I seen enough 3-2 hockey games. The league is so watered down..
  22. Justin K
    22. Posted by Justin K Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:44 pm EDT

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    Not to keep bringing up the attractive lady, but her boyfriend/husband looks like he is going to kill the camera guy.
  23. Jim I
    23. Posted by Jim I Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:03 pm EDT

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    8 seasons of pathetic hockey….don`t feel bad, you have a long ways to go before you reach the level of ineptitude the LA Kings organization brings year after year. 40 years worth of misery….and counting
  24. STEVEN
    24. Posted by STEVEN Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:59 pm EDT

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    move them to Winnipeg and name the Jets! even Hartford or Quebec. get Hockey out of the south eastern states states and put back up north where it belongs.
  25. mechaniker06
    25. Posted by mechaniker06 Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:14 pm EDT

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    Bring back the Nord's......French speakers around the world will love you for it.
    With the USD more equal to the CD it would not financially hurt as much as it did 10 years ago, the main reason for the Canadian exodus. It certainly was not lack of fan support.

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