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Atlanta Thrashers
League
Championships None
Conference
Championships None
Division
Championships None
Playoff
Appearances None
Atlanta Thrashers, professional ice hockey team and one of five teams in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Thrashers play at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, and wear uniforms of blue, copper, red, and gold. The team’s name is taken from the brown thrasher, the state bird of Georgia.
On June 25, 1997, the NHL officially awarded expansion team franchises to Atlanta; Saint Paul, Minnesota; Columbus, Ohio; and Nashville, Tennessee. The company that owns the Thrashers, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., also owns the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Atlanta Braves of major league baseball.
Stan Kasten, who is also president of the Hawks and the Braves, is president of the Thrashers. Before the start of their inaugural 1999-2000 season, the Thrashers filled their roster with players selected in a series of drafts.
# June 25, 1997: The NHL awards the city of Atlanta an expansion franchise to begin play in the 1999-2000 NHL regular season.
February 16, 1998: The Atlanta Hockey Club, Inc. announces the "Thrashers" as the official name of the team.
April 23, 1998: The Atlanta Thrashers unveil their official team logo in an NHL-first live Internet launch and simultaneously at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
May, 8, 1998: The Thrashers began converting deposits to season tickets.
June 23, 1998: Don Waddell named as the club's general manager. Waddell, the second youngest GM in the NHL at 39, comes to the club from the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, where he served as assistant general manager for the 1997-98 season.
August 10, 1998: Waddell names Bob Owen Director of Player Evaluation and Development. Owen, 48, joins the Thrashers after establishing RHO Hockey, North America's first independent professional scouting service.
Nov. 25, 2003: Unveiled third jersey at the team's morning skate prior to game against Ottawa at Philips Arena.