Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta , Georgia . They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . Since the team ' s inception , their home games have been played at Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta . The Thrashers have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs once in their ten seasons in the NHL , during the 2006 – 07 season . Franchise history . Atlanta was awarded a NHL franchise on June 25 , 1997 . This marked a return to Atlanta , Georgia by the NHL . The old Atlanta Flames team departed for Calgary in 1980 and became the Calgary Flames . The nickname " Thrashers " , after Georgia ' s state bird , the brown thrasher , was selected from a fan poll . " Thrashers " had actually been runner - up to " Flames " for Atlanta ' s first NHL team and Philips Arena , the Thrashers ' new home , was built on the site of the former Omni , which had been home to the Flames . By coincidence , the first encampment ( circa 1839 ) which would later become Atlanta was called Thrasherville , and a historical marker of this is located just down from the arena in front of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta . First season . The newly - formed Thrashers selected Patrik Štefan with the first overall selection and Luke Sellars with their thirtieth overall pick ( second pick of the second round ) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft . However , the entire 1999 NHL Entry Draft was a major disappointment for the Thrashers , as only one of their eleven draft picks ( Garnet Exelby , selected in the eighth round , 217th overall ) continues to play in the NHL as of 2009 . Their first two picks ( Štefan and Sellars ) were called two of the biggest disappointments in draft history ; NHL . com listed Štefan as the worst first overall pick of all - time and Sellars as the worst thirtieth overall pick in NHL history . This was a major surprise as not only was Štefan hyped by the media to be a franchise player , but Thrashers GM Don Waddell was considered by hockey experts as a man with excellent scouting ability . The Thrashers played their first game on October 2 , 1999 , losing 4 – 1 to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions , the New Jersey Devils . Captain Kelly Buchberger scored the franchise ' s first goal in the loss . The team went on to finish their first season in last place with a record of 14 wins , 61 losses and 7 ties for a total of 39 points . The team ended up with the number 2 pick in the next draft , which brought better results for the team . With the second overall pick they chose Dany Heatley , who went on to become one of the Thrashers best players until he was traded to the Ottawa Senators on August 23 , 2005 , for Marian Hossa and Greg de Vries . The Early Years ( 2003 - 2006 ) . On September 21 , 2003 , the team was sold to a group of Atlanta Spirit , LLC by Time Warner , along with the National Basketball Association ' s Atlanta Hawks . Atlanta Spirit consists of Bruce Levenson , Ed Pestkowitz , Rutherford Seydel , Beau Turner , Michael Gearon , Sr . , Michael Gearon , Jr . , Felix Riccio and Steve Belkin . That same month brought tragedy as just eight days later , 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 . Heatley ' s blood alcohol content was far below the legal limit , but his combination of speeding ( he was driving an estimated 80 miles per hour ) and recklessness led to criminal charges ( eventually settled with three years ' probation and a penalty of community service ) . Thrashers players wore black patches with Snyder ' s number , 37 , on their jerseys . At the end of the season , Heatley requested a trade for personal reasons . Heatley was traded to Ottawa in a move that brought Marian Hossa , a four - time 30 goal scorer at the time of the trade , to Atlanta . Led by captain Shawn McEachern , the Thrashers jumped quickly out of the gate with some notable highlights . Ilya Kovalchuk scored eight goals in the first seven games , including two hat trick s , one in a 7 – 2 rout of the Chicago Blackhawks and another in a come - from - behind victory against the Nashville Predators . Those comeback victories became a recurring sight throughout the season , including shocking upsets against the Toronto Maple Leafs , the Boston Bruins , and the Ottawa Senators , as well as wins from games against the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Islanders . Eleven games into the season , the Thrashers were alone in first place atop both the Southeast Division the NHL . Although they continued to play well , they could not keep up with the Tampa Bay Lightning , the eventual Stanley Cup champions , or other teams in the league . 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 done for the year , they still played on and ended up finishing second in the Southeast Division and tenth in the Eastern Conference , only a handful of wins away from the playoffs . Kovalchuk ended up tying for the league lead in goals ( 41 ) with Jarome Iginla and Rick Nash . Goaltender Kari Lehtonen started his NHL career with four wins in four starts , including one shutout . Before the start of the 2005 – 06 season , the Thrashers picked up many veteran players in the hopes of making the playoffs . They signed Mike Dunham , Peter Bondra , Bobby Holik , Jaroslav Modry , and Scott Mellanby . 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 . Only a few minutes into the first game of the season , Lehtonen pulled his groin , an injury that would keep him out for a good portion of the season . Veteran backup Mike Dunham , an experienced number - one net minder , stepped in , but also promptly injured himself only a few games later ; this left only prospects Michael Garnett and Adam Berkhoel to mind the nets . Journeyman goalie Steve Shields was signed , but he too was injured within ten games . On April 6 , Lehtonen was run into by Tampa Bay ' s Chris Dingman , injuring him yet again . 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 . First Taste of Sucess ( 2006 – 07 season ) . The Atlanta Thrashers 2006 – 07 season began with the highest expectations in franchise history , even with the offseason loss of their second leading scorer , Marc Savard to the Boston Bruins . Veteran center , Steve Rucchin , Niko Kapanen , and Jon Sim were acquired in hopes help fill the Savard loss . With NHL superstars Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk and a healthy goaltender , Kari Lehtonen , the Thrashers clinched the first playoff berth and won the Southeast Division claiming the # 3 seed and home - ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs . However , they were eliminated from the playoffs on April 18 , being swept by the New York Rangers in four straight games in the Quarterfinals . 2007 - 2010 . Just months after reaching the playoffs for the first time , the Thrashers started off 0 – 6 . Consequently , the Thrashers fired coach Bob Hartley on October 17 , 2007 , he was replaced on an interim basis by the general manager Don Waddell . The Thrashers ended the season with only 76 points , finishing 14th in the Eastern Conference . January 27 , 2008 , The NHL All - Star Game was played for the first time in Philips Arena matching the Eastern Conference All - Stars vs . the Western Conference All - Stars with the East winning 8 – 7 on former Thrasher Marc Savard scoring the game winner late in the third period . Savard spurned Atlanta for a 2 – year deal with Boston after the 2005 – 06 season but was cheered on by the crowd the entire night . The game was originally scheduled for the 2004 – 05 season but due to the lockout , 2008 was the next available date . On June 20 , 2008 , John Anderson was named as the fourth head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers . In his first season , the Thrashers matched their 2007 - 08 season with 76 points , while finishing 13th in the Eastern Confrence . On November 3 , 2008 , during the 2008 - 09 season , a Maryland court began proceedings on February 17 , to decide the fate of the Thrashers ' ownership . A dispute between Steve Belkin and his seven fellow owners dated back to 2005 . Belkin claimed the other owners breached their contract , giving him the right to buy them out at cost , while his counterparts said they should be able to buy out Belkin ' s 30 % stake . In the final year of his contract , Ilya Kovalchuk and the Thrashers could not come to an agreement on an extension . Thrashers general manager Don Waddell reportedly offered 12 - year , $ 101 million and seven - year , $ 70 million contracts , both of which Kovalchuk turned down . Rather than potentially losing him to free agency in the off - season , Kovalchuk was traded on February 4 , 2010 , to the New Jersey Devils . Atlanta received defenceman Johnny Oduya , rookie forward Niclas Bergfors and junior prospect Patrice Cormier , and a first round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Kovalchuk and defenceman Anssi Salmela ; the teams also traded second round selections in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft . The Thrashers finished 10th in the Eastern Conference , with 83 points . A Change in Direction . On April 14th , 2010 , 3 days after the finish of the 2009 - 10 season and after 2 unsuccessful attempts at making the playoffs , Coach John Anderson ' s contract was not renewed . His coaching staff also did not receive contract renewals . Former General Manager Don Waddell was promoted to President of Hockey Operations , Rick Dudley former Assistant GM was promoted to General Manager . This marked the first GM change in Atlanta Thrashers history . Dudley made his first trade as General Manager on June 23 , 2010 . It was a major trade , a nine - player trade ( including picks ) with the Chicago Blackhawks . The Thrashers receive Dustin Byfuglien , Ben Eager , Brent Sopel and Akim Aliu for Marty Reasoner , Joseph Crabb , Jeremy Morin , the Thrashers ' 1st - round pick ( # 24 overall ) in 2010 and the Thrashers 2nd - round pick ( # 54 overall ) in 2010 . Later , the Thrashers also traded for Blackhawk Andrew Ladd , while sending prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy , and a draft pick to Chicago . The Blackhawks , 2010 Stanley Cup champions , found it necessary to trade players for prospects and picks as they were in difficulty with the salary cap . The next day , the team named Craig Ramsay as the new head coach . Ramsay , who had been an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins for the previous three seasons , had played with Dudley with the Buffalo Sabres during his playing career . In the following weeks the Thrashers hired an Associate coach , John Torchetti , and a Assistant coach , Mike Stothers . The team also hired Clint Malarchuk as the team ’ s goaltending consultant . Team colors and mascot . Jerseys . The last team colors were ice blue , navy blue , red , and gold . In 2003 , the NHL decided to switch home and road jerseys . In 2007 , Reebok came out with the new jerseys as part of the rollout of the RBK Edge Uniform System . The piping only changed for the Thrasher ' s jerseys . Atlanta unveiled its new third jersey , red with white and gold trim on October 10 , 2008 . Mascot . The team ' s mascot was Thrash , a Brown Thrasher which is also the official state bird of Georgia . Nickname . The Thrashers fan base and Philips Arena were referred to Blueland " . Season - by - season record . " This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Thrashers . For the full season - by - season history , see List of Atlanta Thrashers seasons " " Note : GP = Games played , W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , OTL = Overtime Losses , Pts = Points , GF = Goals for , GA = Goals against , PIM = Penalties in minutes " Players . Honored Members . " Hall of Famers " : Currently , no member of the Thrashers has been inducted into the Hall of Fame , " Retired Numbers " : Franchise scoring leaders . These are the top - ten point - scorers in franchise history . Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season . " Note : Pos = Position ; GP = Games Played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; P / G = Points per game ; * = current Thrashers player " NHL awards and trophies . Calder Memorial Trophy Rocket Richard Trophy Media . The Atlanta Thrashers are broadcast on cable television on SportSouth , which is available in many Deep South states . Until October 13 , 2006 , SportSouth was known as Turner South . In 2009 – 10 , the channel will broadcast about 75 % of the team ' s schedule . Broadcasts are occasionally available on Fox Sports South , which will air one game in 2009 – 10 . Outside of the league ' s contract with NBC , the team has no broadcast ( over - the - air ) TV contract ; thus , games are only available on television to fans with cable or satellite . Radio coverage includes play - by - play of all games on 680 The Fan — an AM sports station in Atlanta . The station is the flagship of a network that includes 18 stations . Most are in Georgia , but there are two affiliates in South Carolina and one in Scottsboro , Alabama .