Thrashers’ owner ranked NHL’s fourth worst

The Atlanta Spirit were named one of the five worst owners in the NHL in a recent ranking by Sports Illustrated’s Web site. The group, which owns the Thrashers and the Hawks, did not make the list of the five worst owners in the NBA.

The Web site ranked the five top and worst owners in the four major sports. Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Braves owner Liberty Media did not make the lists for the NFL and MLB.

In ranking the Thrashers owners as the fourth worst in the NHL, the Web site wrote of the Atlanta Spirit: “Ironic that it was neither wholly Atlanta (its partners are also based in Boston and Washington, D.C.) nor spirited (they’re involved in an in-house feud with Steve Belkin) with both sides claiming they have an option to buy each other out.) … The Thrashers have been getting steadily worse since their lone postseason appearance two years ago and have squandered talented players …”