When the Atlanta Thrashers drafted Dany Heatley, it felt like their fortunes were finally turning. He won Rookie of the Year and looked like the franchise player they desperately needed—until a tragic car crash changed everything. In today’s video, we’ll take a look back at how Heatley’s rise and the heartbreaking accident that took teammate Dan Snyder’s life shaped the future of the Thrashers. Heatley’s rise would be overshadowed by unthinkable loss. This is the story of how one moment forever altered the Atlanta Thrashers.
The Thrashers played their first ever game on October 2 1999, in a 4-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils. Their first win came three games later when they defeated the New York Islanders 2-0. But things didn’t go so well after this, as the Thrashers only managed to win 14 games in their first season, losing 61 games, which totalled only 39 points in the standings. This actually placed them as having one of the worst records in NHL history, with a winning percentage of only .238. But things did fare a little better in the stands, as at least initially there was great interest in the team throughout the city. Home attendance averaged just over 17,000 fans a game for their first season, which put them just outside the top ten in attendance figures for the 1999-2000 season. Some of those fans became season ticket holders who sat in a dedicated section of the arena known as the “Nasty Nest”, where they’d yell at the opposing team’s players and presumbley the opposing fans as well.
After the disastrous 1999 draft, the Thrashers turned things around the next year when they drafted Dany Heatly, seen here on a prom date with the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year which he won in 2002. Prior to that, Atlanta drafted another future star player in Ilya Kovalchuk in 2001, who would later finish second in voting to Dany Heatly for Rookie of the Year. Even with the influx of new talent of the team, the Thrashers continued to struggle on the ice. They slightly improved their record in their second season, winning 23 games and losing 47, finishing just ahead of the Tampa Bay Lighting for last in the division. But then they regressed in their third season, winning 19 games and losing 52, while finishing dead last in the Eastern Conference. At this point, the excitement and interest around the brand new team had begun to fade. Crowd sizes fell to an average of 15,262 in 2001 and fell again to 13,668 in 2002, which put them close to the bottom of the league for home attendance.
By 2003 TimeWarner, the parent company of TBS, had decided to divest itself of it’s sports teams in order to place more focus on their media companies. With that, TimeWarner sold both the Thrashers and the Atlanta Hawks to a semi-local business group named Atlanta Spirit, LLC. I mentioned semi-local, because the business group was actually made up of three smaller companies, one based out of Boston, one out of Atlanta, and one out of Washington D.C. This is an important fact that will come up later in the video, but essentially the three companies worked together as Atlanta Spirit, LLC., and on September 21, 2003 the sale of both teams was finalized.
Just eight days after the sale was completed, tragedy struck when star player Dany Heatley crashed his Ferrari while driving with teammate Dan Synder. Heatly sustained serious injuries which included a broken jaw, a broken wrist, a torn anterior cruciate ligament (also known as an ACL), and a torn medial collateral ligament (known as an MCL). But the worst news came five days after the accident when, tragically, Dan Synder succumbed to his injuries due to septic shock. Heatley had been speeding, driving around 80 miles an hour, and had lost control of the car. Criminal charges were filed against Heatly for reckless driving, but were later dropped and he was ordered to do community service while serving three years probation. Heatley, who had been enjoying an ascension of stardom due to his great play, was the featured player on that year’s EA Sports NHL video game. But immediately following the car crash, EA Sports pulled the cover, and swapped it for one that featured Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche instead. For the entirety of the 2003-04 season the Thrashers wore black patches with Synder’s number 37 on them and the team dedicated the season to his memory. That season the team’s play improved somewhat with the Thrashers jumping out to an early lead in the division. But towards the middle of the season, the team went on a losing stretch, only winning 3 games over a six week period. The Thrashers managed to just miss out on making the playoffs, and ultimately they’d finish the season in second place in their division behind the eventual Stanley Cup winners the Tampa Bay Lighting.
Any hope to build on the momentum they had from the previous season would be crushed in the following year due to a season-long lockout of the NHL. The lockout began on September 16, 2004, which was mainly over a dispute between the players and the owners over instituting a salary cap. The lockout lasted through the following summer, on July 22, 2005 when a new collective bargaining agreement was reached that allowed for both a salary cap and revenue sharing between the owners and the players. The Thrashers looking to make their first playoff run, signed new additions to the team such as forwards Scott Mellanby, and Bobby Holik, goalie Mike Dunham, and defensemen Jaroslav Modry. At that same time, Dany Heatley, still dealing with the after effects of the fatal car accident had requested a trade, understandably wanting to put the tragedy behind him. Heatley was later traded to the Ottawa Senators for Marion Hossa and Greg de Vries. Even with the team once again narrowly missing out on the playoffs during the 2005-2006 season, the new signings would eventually pay off as the team bounced back the next year. With the help of star players like Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa, and Slava Koslov, the Trashers won 43 games and captured the Southeast Division title for the first time. While also clinched their spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time as well. On April 12, 2007 the Thrashers hosted their very first playoff game in front of a sold out crowd in Atlanta. The excitement about the playoffs wouldn’t last long though, as unfortunately for the Thrashers, they were swept in the first round by the New York Rangers. This marked a disappointing end to an exciting season, and it also would become the first and only time the Thrashers made the playoffs while in Atlanta.
The Atlanta Thrashers’ story is one of potential never fully realized—a team that showed flashes of promise, only to be derailed by tragedy, instability, and missed opportunities. Dany Heatley’s crash didn’t just alter the trajectory of his own career—it marked a turning point in the short and turbulent history of the franchise. Ownership struggles, dwindling attendance, and a lack of sustained success chipped away at what little momentum the team had left. By 2011, just over a decade after their debut, the Thrashers were sold and relocated to Winnipeg, where they became the second incarnation of the Jets. It was a quiet end to a franchise that once had real hope of becoming something more. And it all might have played out differently—if not for one tragic night.
In 2024, TotalProSports ranked the best NHL franchise relocations of all time, and the Atlanta Thrashers’ move to Winnipeg to become the new Jets was ranked an impressive number 2. This relocation is widely regarded as a successful and positive move, revitalizing hockey in Winnipeg. The Thrashers’ move was ranked just behind the Quebec Nordiques’ relocation to Colorado, becoming the Avalanche. It was ranked ahead of other well-known moves, including the original Winnipeg Jets moving to Phoenix, the Minnesota North Stars relocating to Dallas, and the Hartford Whalers moving to Carolina.
So what did you guys think about the Thrashers move to Winnipeg being listed as the second best relocation in NHL history? Would you rank it higher or lower? Let me know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, check out my deep dive on the full history of the Atlanta Thrashers, which goes further into the rise and fall of the short lived franchise. As always, please like and subscribe if you haven’t already—and thanks for reading!
All Sports History 
Leave a comment