Elliotte Friedman Makes Things Clear Regarding an NHL Team in Atlanta

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Wade Messier
June 5, 2023 (4:59 PM)

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Over the past few weeks, there's been much chatter about where the Coyotes will end up, and what the best scenario would be for that franchise. Some popular cities such as Houston, Salt Lake City, and even Kansas City have been thrown around, but one city that's gone relatively under the radar is Atlanta.

NHL Looking at Atlanta

According to truster insider Elliotte Friedman, who was recently on the Jeff Marek Show, the NHL is seriously considering the Atlanta area for a potential Coyotes relocation. The team's arena would be built in Alpharetta, which is a small city just outside of Atlanta.

While this wouldn't be the Atlanta Thrashers, but rather the Coyotes in a different city, it would be NHL hockey in the state of Georgia once again.

Third Time's the Charm

The NHL has tried and failed twice to make an NHL team work in the city of Atlanta. The first attempt saw the Atlanta Flames relocate to Calgary, and the second attempt saw the Thrasher move to Winnipeg, where they were rebranded into the second incarnation of the Jets. The NHL deemed that a city that had already lost its NHL team in favor of Arizona, was more worthy of an NHL team than Atlanta.

Many have argued that rather than placing a third Atlanta NHL team in a suburb such as Alpharetta, the NHL should try to build a stadium in Atlanta itself and embrace the population of the city. By marketing directly to the people of Atlanta, the NHL can grow the game in a way they've been saying they want to for years, yet haven't been able to.

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