Atlanta and the National Hockey League (NHL) haven’t exactly been the best match. Two teams have come and gone. The Flames were first, then the Thrashers. Now, there’s serious talk of a new team possibly coming to town, with hopes that Georgia can try one more time to become a hockey state.
I had the opportunity to talk with Rick Cawston, a local hockey fan who started documenting updates about bringing an NHL team to Atlanta on his social media pages, going by “NHL to ATL.” He was motivated to counter the narrative surrounding Atlanta hockey. Growing up in Atlanta, Cawston had fond memories of the Thrashers, and he wanted to show that Atlanta could be a hockey town again. What started as an Instagram account eventually expanded to Twitter and Facebook, gaining the attention of local fans showing interest in the project.
Talks of getting another hockey team started in 2019, according to Cawston, when the former president of the Atlanta Gladiators mentioned that one of the minority owners, Anson Carter, was looking for investors. Cawston went public with this news.
Cawston explained that two main ownership groups, the Anson Carter Group and the Vernon Krause Group, have been competing to bring the NHL back to Georgia. The Krause Group first announced plans in 2022 to build an arena in South Forsyth County as part of a larger entertainment hub called “The Gathering.” This proposed 100-acre, $2 billion district would feature an arena, apartments, hotels, and other attractions.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly said that expansion isn’t currently a priority for the league. While that could change, Cawston pointed out that the biggest challenge for Atlanta would be finding an arena. There’s currently no hockey-specific arena that could host an NHL franchise downtown. Despite this, Cawston still believes in the potential for hockey to thrive in Atlanta. He sees the city ready to rally behind a team if the opportunity comes.
He did point out some issues that caused Atlanta’s previous team, the Thrashers, to struggle. He thinks the Thrashers never really got an opportunity to expand its fanbase and that ownership didn’t care about the team. In 2011, the Thrashers moved to Canada because of financial issues. They are now known as the Winnipeg Jets.
“Voting yes,” Cawston explained, “on the tax allocation district, if you’re in the Forsyth area, to give the county redevelopment powers, is huge.”
In this most recent election, Forsyth County election results show more than 70,000 residents voted yes for the redevelopment, winning with over 55% of the vote. Following the decision, Krause and The Gathering Development Team released a statement, saying, “Residents have enabled the project to move a step closer to reality.” Beyond this, Cawston encourages continued support for local hockey teams, like the Atlanta Gladiators, who play in Duluth, and keeping the conversation about hockey alive in the area.
Emerson Thomas, 19, explained that high ticket prices are a major barrier for teen fans. She also said that “having an arena that’s easy to get to would play an important role.” Affordable tickets, a fun game atmosphere, and easy access to the arena would make a big difference in drawing younger fans.
Transportation to the proposed arena in Forsyth County isn’t super clear right now. For now, there’s a project to widen State Route 20 between Canton and Cumming in Cherokee and Forsyth counties for 24 miles, but that’s not really helpful for people who don’t have cars.
Spencer Calvit, 17, is also super excited about the idea. He says, “A lot of my friends are into hockey,” and would love to have a team in the city. Spencer adds that he’d be at every game he could if an NHL team came back.
