This turn of events was a major surprise, as not only did the media hype Stefan as a franchise player, but hockey experts also considered then-Thrashers General Manager Don Waddell to be a man with excellent scouting ability. Their first two picks (Stefan and Sellars) were called two of the biggest disappointments in draft history NHL.com listed Stefan as the worst first overall pick of all-time and Sellars (who played only one NHL game) as the worst 30th overall pick in NHL history. However, the entire 1999 NHL Entry Draft was a major disappointment for the Thrashers, as all 11 of their draft picks were out of the NHL by the team's last season of existence Stefan played the most games for the Thrashers from that draft, 414. The newly formed Thrashers selected Patrik Stefan with the first overall selection and Luke Sellars with their 30th overall pick (second pick of the second round) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. By coincidence, the first encampment (circa 1839) which later became Atlanta was called Thrasherville, and a historical marker of this is located just down from the arena in front of the State Bar of Georgia (the former home of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta). "Thrashers" had actually been runner-up to "Flames" in the poll (as a homage to the old Atlanta Flames), and Philips Arena, the Thrashers' new home, was built on the site of the former Omni, which had been home to the Flames. The nickname "Thrashers," after Georgia's state bird, the Brown Thrasher, was selected from a fan poll. The Flames had been the League's first foray into the southern U.S., and their failure discouraged further efforts to bring NHL hockey to the region for another decade. The birth of the new franchise marked NHL hockey's return to Georgia, as the Atlanta Flames, established in 1972, departed for Canada in 1980 to become the Calgary Flames. Paul, in which each new franchise would begin play as its respective new arena was completed. This also included teams in Nashville, Columbus and St. In both cases, the team moved from Atlanta to a Western Canadian city the city's previous NHL team (the Atlanta Flames) moved to Calgary, in 1980 to become the Calgary Flames.Īfter the departure of the International Hockey League (IHL)'s Atlanta Knights (1992–1996) to become the Quebec Rafales, the city of Atlanta was awarded an NHL franchise on June 25, 1997, as part of a four-team tiered expansion. With the sale and relocation of the team, Atlanta became the first city in the NHL's modern era to have two ice hockey teams relocate to different cities. The sale and relocation were approved by the NHL on June 21, 2011. The group moved the franchise to Winnipeg, which became the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets (the first incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix in 1996 to become the Coyotes). In May 2011, the Thrashers were sold to Canadian-based ownership group True North Sports & Entertainment. The Thrashers qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in the 2006–07 season, after winning the Southeast Division, but were swept in the first round by the New York Rangers. They were members of the Southeast Division of the NHL's Eastern Conference, and played their home games at what is now known as State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 season. The Atlanta Thrashers was a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Louis Blues at State Farm Arena on September 22, 2007. The Thrashers take the puck into the offensive zone against the St.
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