How The NHL Clubs Are Handling With The Current Economic Crisis In What Seems To Be A Dreadful Period For Sports Franchises Across The Globe And A Brief History Of The Atlanta Thrashers.
As the regular season comes to a close and the playoffs are looming the many Low Cost Franchises dare to think about Stanley Cup glory and the chance of becoming champions. We will peek at these Low Cost Franchise in detail and work out how they have started from a Franchises For Sale advertised across the sector to the massive powers of the NHL today. The NHL franchise market has been turbulent for a lot of years from a lot of clubs struggling to stay afloat to a lot of clubs being able to hand out enormous multi million dollar deals. At this current moment the NHL franchise market is looking controlled as great amounts of money are being saved as the world economic crisis has hit the hockey market. All of the Low Cost Franchises are closing up shop and functioning with what they have, which is having a huge benefit to the proposed idea of Franchise For Sale in the market. A lot of managers for a lot of years have treated their franchise as a Home Based Franchise, they work with their franchise on a day to day basis and take it everywhere with them. This is much like any franchise in the current climate and therefore hugely beneficial to their future backer looking for a Franchises For Sale in the NHL market. The investor will have the confidence that the franchise has been well cared for and treated as if it were a Home Based Franchise.
Here is an insight at one of the NHL Low Cost Franchises that has had much support over the years incorporating massive advertising campaigns.
The Atlanta Thrashers are not a stranger to professional hockey, having been home to the Flames for much of the 1970s. In the summer of 1997, the National Hockey League awarded one of three expansion Low Cost Franchises to Atlanta. The Thrashers name was derived from Georgia’s state bird – the Brown Thrasher and the logo was planned to put forth a feeling of speed. The team begun to assemble its front office in 1998 by hiring Don Waddel as their 1st general manager. In the summer of 1999 the club revealed former Orlando Solar Bears coach Curt Fraser as their selection of skipper in the first season. The club played their 1st game on October 2, 1999, losing 4-1 to the New Jersey Devils. They won their 1st NHL regular season point later that week, drawing with the Buffalo Sabres 5-5. Their 1st victory came a week later when Damian Rhodes shutout the New York Islanders 2-0 in Long Island.
As the Thrashers got off to a slow beginning in the 2002-03 season, general manager Don Waddel was pressed into action making quite a few changes. The team did not win in its first ten games and the Thrashers signed free agent goaltender Byron Dafoe to add some veteran leadership in net. Later that year coach Curt Fraser would find himself on the way out as the team continued to labour in last place. The Thrashers signed former Avalanche head man Bob Hartley as coach at the beginning of 2003. Hartley’s tenure saw the team play over .500 and finished third in the division with a 31-39-7-5 record. Though they missed the playoffs yet again, the Thrashers saw the emergence of Dany Heatley as a potential superstar, winning MVP honours in the All-Star game and collecting 41 goals and 48 assists for a team high 89 points. The team of Heatley and Kovalchuk was demonstrating to be a potent offensive combination.