15 Years with No Playoff Joy for the NHL in Atlanta
I was doing some research this season on playoff wins by franchise and market and I was surprised to learn that the Atlanta Flames never advanced past the preliminary round of the playoffs in their years in this city. (Back then the 1st round was very short best of three series while the top clubs received byes.)
The Thrashers are clearly going to miss the playoffs and thus add yet another year of no playoff series won to that streak. So if you combine the 7 Atlanta Flames seasons with the 8 Atlanta Thrashers seasons the steak will reach 15 combined springs that fans in Atlanta have gone with just 2 playoff games won all time and 0 playoff series won all time.
People over at HFboards rag on Atlanta as a hockey market all the time but the truth is we don't know what this market is capable of because so far--because the product just hasn't been very good most years. In all the years the NHL has had a team in this city NOT ONCE have the fans be able to feel a glimmer of excitement that comes with advancing further in the battle for Lord Stanley's Cup.
This is year another reason why I despise the Colorado Avalanche and fans who go on about how great their market is. I have a feeling that if the Avalanche had relocated to Atlanta instead of Denver and won the Cup in their first year the NHL would have no problem selling tickets down here.
NHL Playoff Record in Atlanta
1972-1973: no playoffs
1973-1974: swept 4-0 by Flyers
1974-1975: no playoffs
1975-1976: swept 2-0 by Kings
1976-1977: beat 2-1 by Kings
1977-1978: swept 2-0 by Red Wings
1978-1979: swept 2-0 by Leafs
1979-1980: beat 3-1 by Rangers
1999-2000: no playoffs
2000-2001: no playoffs
2001-2002: no playoffs
2002-2003: no playoffs
2003-2004: no playoffs
2005-2006: no playoffs
2006-2007: swept 4-0 by Rangers
2007-2008: no playoffs
Summary of 15 NHL season in Atlanta: 9 springs with no playoff games, 7 1st round defeats, 5 times being swept out. Combined NHL playoff record is 2-19...holy cow that is bad!
Let's see what a quality hockey product can do for this market!
The Thrashers are clearly going to miss the playoffs and thus add yet another year of no playoff series won to that streak. So if you combine the 7 Atlanta Flames seasons with the 8 Atlanta Thrashers seasons the steak will reach 15 combined springs that fans in Atlanta have gone with just 2 playoff games won all time and 0 playoff series won all time.
People over at HFboards rag on Atlanta as a hockey market all the time but the truth is we don't know what this market is capable of because so far--because the product just hasn't been very good most years. In all the years the NHL has had a team in this city NOT ONCE have the fans be able to feel a glimmer of excitement that comes with advancing further in the battle for Lord Stanley's Cup.
This is year another reason why I despise the Colorado Avalanche and fans who go on about how great their market is. I have a feeling that if the Avalanche had relocated to Atlanta instead of Denver and won the Cup in their first year the NHL would have no problem selling tickets down here.
NHL Playoff Record in Atlanta
1972-1973: no playoffs
1973-1974: swept 4-0 by Flyers
1974-1975: no playoffs
1975-1976: swept 2-0 by Kings
1976-1977: beat 2-1 by Kings
1977-1978: swept 2-0 by Red Wings
1978-1979: swept 2-0 by Leafs
1979-1980: beat 3-1 by Rangers
1999-2000: no playoffs
2000-2001: no playoffs
2001-2002: no playoffs
2002-2003: no playoffs
2003-2004: no playoffs
2005-2006: no playoffs
2006-2007: swept 4-0 by Rangers
2007-2008: no playoffs
Summary of 15 NHL season in Atlanta: 9 springs with no playoff games, 7 1st round defeats, 5 times being swept out. Combined NHL playoff record is 2-19...holy cow that is bad!
Let's see what a quality hockey product can do for this market!
posted by The Falconer at
2:24 PM
5 Comments:
i agree, i mean even the panthers have been to a final.
although, if you're going to make a playoff run in the next couple of seasons, i'd recommend you time it so that you don't meet the rangers.
eek.
By
The Chad, at 4:35 PM
How did we lose to the LA Kings twice? Now that is a franchise with very few playoff series wins in their history and Atlanta fell victim to them twice.
Or how about losing to the Red Wings in the 1970s--that was the "Dead Things" era of truely terrible Wings teams--how did we lose that series?
By
The Falconer, at 5:03 PM
I know we beat Calgary tonight, but I was going to ask if you really think we are out of it. I know that Carolina, Washington, and Florida all won last night. Have we been mathematically eliminated? I have heard no official word. I know that if Carolina wins a few more, we are certainly out. I was thinking that if Carolina wins two or three more, and we don't win, then we are surely out.
By
Anonymous, at 11:35 PM
If you assume that Atlanta wins every game and Carolina loses every game we may not be out of it--but we are. If Carolina losses every game those points are going to WAS, FLA teams that above us in the standings.
By
The Falconer, at 1:16 PM
You should definitely copy this to Kincade. I remember him spouting off about how the Flames were able to consistently make the playoffs and how they were a much more successful franchise. Two playoff wins more than the Thrash doesn't reek of success.
By
Anonymous, at 12:18 PM
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