Atlanta IS a hockey city, example

If you're considering if Atlanta is a hockey city or not, read this post.

There are tons of NHL fans in Atlanta, the problem is, only about 25% of them are Thrashers fans. I work for a big employer, from which I have direct contact with about 150 of their employees. While its true that only 3 of them are season ticket holder Thrashers fans (myself included), I can easily count at least 9 others big NHL fans who currently support other teams but would switch over if the Thrashers did well. Plus there are about 10 others who are mildly interested in hockey and would come to a few games if they did well. What other NHL franchise could quadruple their fanbase with a couple winning seasons?

This ratio really correlates well with what you see in the broader Atlanta community outside my employer too. Take car decorations for example. For every Thrashers sticker that I see (they are rare, but I do see them) there are about 3 times as many for other teams. Mostly from teams in the Eastern conference. And where do people in Atlanta come from? I polled 60 people I work with and about 90% of them come from the Eastern time zone. The rest come from the Central time zone, and I encountered none from Rocky mountain or Pacific time zones.

Another point, Atlanta is the anchor of the Southeast division. It's the geographic center of the division, as well as the unofficial cultural and financial capital of the Southeastern states. I know 4 teams that absolutely need the Thrashers in Atlanta, and 10 other Eastern conference teams that should fight very hard to keep them here as well.