Will the NHL give the city of Atlanta another chance via expansion?
According to a Wednesday report from NHL insider Kevin Weekes, Georgia’s Forsyth County is “about to green light the arena project, a significant step towards a potential pro hockey team.”
**Major Potential @NHL Expansion Update đź‘€**
Exciting news from Georgia ; Forsyth County is about to green light The Arena project, a significant step towards a potential pro Hockey team. Stay tuned for updates as buzz around this groundbreaking development continues ! #HockeyX— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) January 31, 2024
The report comes three months after NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN he was optimistic about the prospect of a franchise in Atlanta, saying he thinks “some of the challenges that we’ve seen in the past in Atlanta can be overcome.”
The NHL has set up teams in the southern city twice before. The first came in 1972, when the Atlanta Flames joined the league. Struggling to maintain a fanbase, the team was sold and relocated to Alberta to become the Calgary Flames in 1980.
Then came the Atlanta Thrashers, who became the league’s 28th franchise and played their inaugural season in 1999-2000. The city lost their team to Canadian relocation once again, though, in 2011 when the Thrashers were sold to True North Sports and Entertainment to become the Winnipeg Jets.
While they remain strong candidates for future expansion, Atlanta is not the only city in the conversation.
Just one week ago, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith formally asked the NHL to initiate the expansion process and bring a team to Salt Lake City.
Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) — owners of the Utah Jazz — have asked the NHL to “initiate an expansion process” to bring a team to the state via a publicly shared release.
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