Nearly 13 years after the National Hockey League (NHL) left Atlanta, there is significant movement towards brining hockey back to the city.

The Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment Group, fronted by former NHL player Anson Carter, has formally requested the NHL commence with an expansion process aimed at bringing a franchise to the area for a third time.

Atlanta was previously home to the Flames (1972-1980), who relocated to Calgary, and the Thrashers (1999-2011), who moved to Winnipeg.

The announcement, published on Tuesday by Sportsnet, states the group is seeking an NHL team for a new arena designed by architect Frank Gehry that will be part of a larger development at the North Point Mall site in Alpharetta.

“I have no doubt that the best league in the world will thrive in its return to Metro Atlanta,” said Carter, currently an analyst for TNT broadcast, in a statement. “I have been in dialogue with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman since 2019 about an expansion team returning to the Fulton County Metro Atlanta market, knowing that franchise decisions are exclusively decided by the NHL Board of Governors.”

Among the partners mentioned in the announcement are Neil Leibman of Top Tier Sports, Peter Simon of Simon Sports, Aaron Zeigler of Zeigler Automotive Group and New York Life Real Estate investors, who is a partner in the mixed-use land development.

In a statement on Tuesday, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league appreciated the enthusiasm from Carter’s group.

“The League appreciates Anson’s passion for bringing NHL hockey back to the Atlanta area, and he has certainly kept the subject on our radar screen for several years running,” Daly said. “While, as we have made clear, we have no expansion oriented process in place currently, it’s always good to know there is bona fide interest.”

Carter is a part owner of the ECHL Atlanta Gladiators hockey team. Carter previously attempted to purchase the Atlanta Hawks, Thrashers and their arena in 2011 with a group called Atlanta Sports and Entertainment, but they were declined by Atlanta Spirit, which owned the teams.

©2024 Cox Media Group