Atlanta Thrashers Tickets

The team was sold to a group of Atlanta Spirit, LLC by Time Warner, in September 21, 2003, along with the National Basketball Association\\\'s Atlanta Hawks. That same month brought tragedy as star forward Dany Heatley crashed his Ferrari in a one-car accident that seriously injured him (broken jaw and arm, sprained wrist, torn ACL and MCL) and severely injured Thrashers center Dan Snyder, who died five days later due to infection stemming from the accident. The Thrashers dedicated their 2003–04 NHL season in Snyder\\\'s memory. The loss of a team member became a sorry factor for the team yet they faced the challenge with a daring heart, thus accepting all the challenges that life offered them.

The Thrashers clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in team history in the 2006–2007 season, while also capturing the first division championship. They were swept 4–0 in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Rangers. But later those comeback victories became a recurring sight throughout the season, that also included wins from games against the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Islanders.

The absence of Heatley and a lack of depth started to appear. Boxing Day 2003 marked both a bright and dark day for the Thrash. On that day, Heatley skated for the first time since his car accident with Snyder, but it also marked the last win for the Thrashers before an extended losing streak. From December 28 to February 11 the Thrashers went a dismal 1–17–3. However, fans were entertained regardless of the team\\\'s struggles. Kovalchuk became only the second Thrashers\\\' player to score in the NHL All-Star Game (after Heatley).

While the Thrashers\\\' playoff hopes were still hovering for the year, they played on and ended up finishing second in the Southeast Division and tenth in the Eastern Conference, with only a handful of wins away from the playoffs. Before the start of the 2005–06 season, the Thrashers picked up many veteran players in the hopes of making the playoffs for the first time. A great leap was taken when they traded Dany Heatley on August 23, 2005, to the Ottawa Senators, in a blockbuster deal for forward Marian Hossa and defenseman Greg de Vries.

The 2005–06 season saw the Thrashers win a club-record 41 games, even with numerous goaltending injuries. Journeyman goalie Steve Shields was signed, but he too was injured within ten games. The remainder of the season was left to Dunham. Garnett was injured in a game against the Washington Capitals. Dunham, who had started the game but was relieved by the young rookie after poor play, was forced back into action in the third period.

The first official event on the new SportSouth was a National Hockey League game on October 13, 2006, between the Atlanta Thrashers and the Carolina Hurricanes. The Thrashers ended up losing 4–3, giving the Hurricanes their first win of the season. The NHL All-Star Game was played for the first time on January 27, 2008 in Philips Arena matching the Eastern Conference All-Stars vs. the Western Conference All-Stars with the East winning 8–7 in the 3rd period. The team went through a tumultuous series of turmoil and ordeal yet the name was inscribed in the hearts of ice hockey lovers which is surely hard to scratch. With such heated games, the Thrashers are sure to sway away the crowd, so grab your seat now and be the part of the thrill this season!

Audette was traded late in the season, the threesome still accounted for 76 of the team’s 211 goals. The team finished with a slightly better record at 23-45-12-2. The next season, 2002-02, began with a brighter outlook as Atlanta would bring in two good looking rookies, Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk. For the second straight season, the Thrashers were allowed to pick high in the entry draft. They selected young Ilya Kovalchuk. With Kovalchuk and Heatley both in the lineup as rookies, the team had a different look on offence, but even though Heatley won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

Kovalchuk, despite missing time due to injuries, scored 29 goals, and little-known goaltender Milan Hnlicka put up the best numbers of any Thrasher goalie to date. However, the lack of offensive support coupled with a defence still lacked in quality causing the Thrashers to conclude with just 19 wins. Both were set to have a bright future in Atlanta.

As the Thrashers would get off to a slow start in the 2002-03 season, general manager Don Waddel was pushed into action making several changes. The coach Curt Fraser found himself on the way out as the team would continue to struggle in last place. The club signed former Avalance head man Bob Hartley as coach. Hartley’s tenure saw the team play over .500, finished third in the division with a 31-39-7-5 record yet missed the playoffs again. Optimism that under Hartley the team finally reached the playoffs was derailed in the off-season of 2003.

Heatley crashed his car a few days before training camp. This accident took the life of teammate Dan Snyder but despite the tragedy, the Thrashers got off to a hot start. After being the early-season favorite for league MVP, Kovalchuk eventually cooled off. Not even Heatley’s return to the lineup could get the team into the playoffs. Later in the 2005 off-season, the Thrashers made a big move by trading Dany Heatley to the Ottawa Senators for Marian Hossa. The 2005-06 NHL season was probably the Thrashers most successful in their short history. Sadly this time too, they missed the playoffs by a couple of points.

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About the Author:
Peter Cohen calls Boston home and graduated from Brandeis University. He considers travel to be the love of his life and has already traveled to 5 different continents. He also has a passion for languages and has studied Arabic, German and Russian. While devoting his working life to writing for lifestyle magazines, he also takes out time for occasional event reviews.