Three Ways Atlanta Can Have Hockey Without The Thrashers

There are still a good two-plus months remaining before the Atlanta Thrashers really become conspicuous by their absence to the fans that fell short of keeping their team in the area.

In the interim, discussions continue on how to supplement at least some of the void, particularly in the form of adopting another regional NHL franchise as the TV market’s go-to team. And by all counts, Georgia’s minor league hockey team isn’t going anywhere for a while.

But is that the best the underpopulated, yet indubitably existing sector of hockey fans in Georgia can hope for? Isn’t there a way to at least bring a sporadic sampling of live puck action to the state capital?

This author says yes. In fact, there is a hat trick of perfectly viable options.

1. NHL Preseason/regular season showcases

This would be all but impossible to arrange for any time in the coming year, seeing as the 2011-12 schedule was made public a month ago. But down the road, there ought to be easy ways to bring the NHL back to Atlanta for the occasional visit.

If nothing else, at least encourage a couple of southeastern teams to converge for an exhibition game every September. You can bet your blades that the Nashville Predators wouldn’t turn that opportunity down in light of the recent revelations that they are vying to adopt Atlanta puckheads as their own fans.

Or better yet, why not have two teams go down to Philips Arena to play a virtual home-and-home series one weekend? After all, if NHL clubs are willing to burn off one of the 41 dates at their arena to take part in the Premiere in Europe, then surely one could convince them to play in a neutral North American city.

Not sure if, for this scenario, a pair of matchups between the Calgary Flames and the Winnipeg Jets would be taken as nostalgic, historically classy, or just plain insensitive. It seems like it could go either way, especially if the two teams wore the uniforms of their previous incarnations. But we’ll leave that ruling to the locals.

One caveat, though. Let’s not allow this idea to gain enough traction that too many other would-be or ex-NHL cities start doing the same thing and, in turn, pressure the league to expand.

If Atlanta is to ever establish a third full-time franchise, it should wait until someone else is looking to transplant their team (and until this hypothetical experiment has proven the market worthy again).

2. Minor league promotional events

The Gwinnett Gladiators, the Thrashers' former ECHL affiliate, are slated to stay where they are in Duluth, Ga., for at least another three years. They are barely 45 minutes away from the capital city and their home arena neighbors the site of the Thrashers' old practice facility.

Gwinnett’s attendance has already stayed well above a healthy 5,000 rooters per night in the team’s first eight years of existence. Now, with their presence as the state’s only professional hockey team, odds are that desperate ex-regulars at Thrashers games will bulk up those figures.

With that, the Double-A franchise is advised to borrow an idea from the Indiana Ice junior team, which annually plays one regular season game at the Conseco Fieldhouse for charity. The Gladiators should consider hosting a similar “Pack the House” event at Philips Arena at least once a year.

By all counts, all parties would benefit from that. A forlorn fan base could still get an annual fix of pro hockey in its former NHL abode. A minor league team could garner a can’t-hurt dollop of extra publicity. And at least one, if not multiple charitable organizations could reel in much-needed funds and embolden its name around the greater Atlanta community.

3. Alumni games

Hey, these events never cease to stoke the sentiments and spirits of Hartford Whalers fans, whose old team is infinitely less likely to return than any Atlanta-based NHL club. So why not round up retired Thrashers, Flames and even IHL Knights players for a periodic twirl in their former city of employment?