Atlanta Thrashers

The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season. They were members of the Southeast Division of the NHL's Eastern Conference, and played their home games at Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta. The Thrashers qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs only once, during the 2006–07 season when they won the Southeast Division, but never won a game in the postseason as they were swept in the first round by the New York Rangers.

In May 2011, the Thrashers were sold to a Canadian ownership group, True North Sports & Entertainment. The group moved the franchise to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and became the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets. The sale and relocation were approved by the National Hockey League on June 21, 2011. With the sale and relocation of the team, Atlanta became the first city in the NHL's modern era to lose two hockey teams. In both cases, the team moved from Atlanta to Canada; the city's previous NHL team, the Atlanta Flames, moved to Calgary, Alberta in 1980 to become the Calgary Flames.