Atlanta could be hot stuff for third try at NHL expansion with new arena deal

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Three times could be the charm for the National Hockey League to put another team in Atlanta.

Failed history won’t be a deterrent, listening to backers of a proposed new arena in Forsyth County.

After the Flames and Thrashers failed to draw consistently at two downtown facilities — the Omni and Philips Arena, respectively — the county, about a 45-minute drive northeast of Atlanta and business partners went through numerous procedural hoops this week to clear a $3 billion US project called The Gathering, which would feature an 18,500-seat rink.

The deal only commits to using taxpayer funds if the NHL grants an expansion team.

The NHL has been coy on expansion, but has carried a torch for the highly populated, TV-ratings-rich region since the Flames first arrived in 1972. If this project makes the rink the crown jewel of a new entertainment district, where the other two didn’t, it will be worth the trip out of town.

In Atlanta’s favour, despite calls in Canada to give Quebec City or a second Toronto franchise a shot, is the impressive winning streak that two Deep South teams have been on. The Florida Panthers are chasing a second straight Stanley Cup in their third appearance in the final after the Tampa Bay Lightning won back-to-back in 2020 and 2021.

The league’s two most-recent additions, Las Vegas and Seattle, have been a success with the Golden Knights bringing the Cup to the desert in 2023.

Vernon Krause, who owns a chain of car dealerships and fronts The Gathering, told local media he spoke with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Monday and they’ll meet again in the early summer.

Atlanta, or another entry, would alter the balance of the 32-team league’s two conferences, thus another would eventually be needed in the West.

A city long thought to be an expansion favourite is Houston, with its natural sports rivalry with Dallas and a long hockey history with minor pro teams and the World Hockey Association’s Aeros.

The league already has met with a group headed by Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin, who owns a share of the English Premier League club Everton. The Toyota Center in Houston, home of the NBA Rockets, can seat 17,800 for hockey.

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