Vegas Golden Knights / Atlanta Thrashers: Two Tales of the Highs and Lows of NHL Brand Expansion
It only took three minutes and thirty-six seconds in overtime for Dallas Stars’ winger Denis Gurianov to snipe the puck passed Vegas Golden Knights’ goalie Robin Lehner to send the Stars to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2000. Dallas celebrated as the horn blared through the recorded sound of crowd applause (a custom used throughout all sports during COVID) as Golden Knights players stood motionless on the ice, watching them solemnly. To the non-hockey fan, this would seem like a failure to the Vegas franchise. But this is a wild misconception. They are a product of effective brand expansion, and them reaching the Western Conference Finals was a historic success.
The Golden Knights became the first Las Vegas professional team in the four major sports in North America (NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL) just one year prior, their inaugural season beginning in October 2018 through April 2019. The NHL has made strides in expanding their brand, as they still limp far behind the other three major sports in the market. Although a strong product in Canada, hockey has never translated as strongly in the US, relying on big hockey cities like New York, Boston, and Detroit to carry them along the way. In recent years it’s become much more popular through expansion, but there were many blips along the way, none worse than the Atlanta Thrashers.
The Thrashers’ NHL tenure began during the 1999–2000 season and ended June 21, 2011, ultimately relocating to Winnipeg. The eleven year run was unremarkable to say the least. They only made one playoff appearance in 2007, where they were swept in four games by the New York Rangers, and not once did they have a sell-out crowd. There are a number of factors that caused this failed expansion, but there is only one that truly matters: the ownership didn’t care about the product.
It’s that simple really. The team was bought by the Atlanta Spirit Group, who were looking to buy the NBA franchise Atlanta Hawks, however it was a package deal with the Thrashers, so reluctantly they were bought with them. The owners paid little to no attention to the franchise, asking its Atlanta consumers to support the team that couldn’t win a game nor attract premiere players to play for them. The product was far from the best in the NHL, and it never improved.
Expansion in general was difficult for building a strong team at the time. Expansion teams throughout the years, like the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators, took decades to become a competitor. But through passionate ownership, smart marketing / promotion, and developed brand identity, they inched their way into becoming places where stars wanted to play, ultimately creating a much stronger product. There are two reasons for the Atlanta downfall: a poor drafting system implemented by the NHL for expansion teams, and poor ownership. I believe a team should only be bought by an owner who is passionate and knowledgable of the product in order to ensure strong marketing tactics and growth. Also, a new system needed to be created in order to get an expansion team more competitive earlier in their tenure to create sustainability. The NHL realized this in 2018, which ultimately created the Vegas Golden Knights.
The new draft structure forced teams to protect less players from the ensuing draft, allowing Vegas to choose from not just more players, but more quality players. The result? They became a sensation never before seen in professional sports. The inaugural season taking place just days after the devastating Las Vegas shooting also created an identity to the team, as well as becoming a symbol of hope, perseverance, and honor for the city. The world took notice, and the players felt the passion. Ownership put the right people in charge in guiding this team to success, made strong moves in trades and drafting, and promoted the Knights everywhere in Vegas, most prominently in casinos, which are a staple of the city. The Golden Knights became the first expansion team ever (in any sport) to reach the finals in their first season. When they lost that game, they were met with a standing ovation by their fans, illustrating the mass support this team gained in just one season.
The Knights today are still considered one of the best teams in the NHL, finishing first place in the standings last year. The NHL recently announced they are expanding once again, this time to Seattle, where the newly named Seattle franchise (Seattle Kraken) will embark on their journey in 2021–2022. With the NHL’s new drafting system in place, I have strong faith that Seattle will be a success in this league for a long time. Why shouldn’t I? After seeing what they did to adapt from their past mistakes, the NHL has given me no reason to believe their expansion won’t be a success going forward.
