Bring back the NHL — Georgia needs hockey to complete its sports region status
Credit: AP
When National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly begin publicly entertaining the idea of the NHL returning to Georgia, it’s not speculation — it’s a signal.
They’re not looking to place a team just anywhere. They want the right market, the right leadership and most importantly, the right home.
As someone who has spent a career leading and marketing world-class entertainment destinations like Six Flags, Paramount Parks, and what is now Capital One Arena in D.C. — and who has loved NHL hockey since my teenage years — I believe there’s never been a better time, or place, to bring NHL hockey back to Georgia.
A purpose-built arena can ignite a region
My own journey started knocking on doors, selling season tickets for a struggling Washington Capitals franchise — selling the experience, not just the team.
I believed in the game. Watching hockey live creates lifelong fans and unforgettable memories.
Credit: Handout
Years later, I led marketing efforts when the Capital Centre gave way to a new downtown D.C. arena. That venue didn’t just give the team a home — it helped revitalize the surrounding area. Fans came, restaurants opened, businesses boomed, and the Capitals became one of the league’s most successful franchises.
A purpose-built arena can ignite an entire region.
Some say, “Hockey didn’t work in Atlanta.” That’s a convenient headline — but an incomplete one. The Flames and Thrashers both built passionate fan bases. What they lacked wasn’t support — it was stable leadership and proper infrastructure. This time, those pieces are in place.
Even Bettman said it on May 9: “It’s a different place than when the Flames and Thrashers left… I don’t think the prior two visits have any bearing on whether or not we would go back — if all the other pieces… were put together.” Today, NHL viewership in North Atlanta is 20% higher than the national average, according to the NHL to Atlanta X account.
While there’s no formal NHL application process, the league has indicated that a market that checks every box might just earn a meeting with the commissioner. Does Georgia have that project? I believe so. The Gathering at South Forsyth not only has everything required to be a new home for hockey, but also for live entertainment, dining, shopping and living.
Six reasons South Forsyth should be home to an NHL team
The Gathering at South Forsyth is a $3 billion, privately funded, mixed-use development with a next-generation, NHL-ready arena at its heart. Think of it as The Battery 2.0. I remember the early skepticism around The Braves and the Battery: “Traffic.” “Parking.” “Suburban location.” And now? It’s a national model, often called the gold standard. The Gathering will follow that same winning formula — only this time, with ice.
Here are the facts:
- 100-plus acres of land are already owned
- Market studies, traffic and ride-share planning are complete
- Zoning is done
- The county supports it
- Funding is real
- The arena is purpose-built for pro hockey and community use
No stone has been left unturned.
In my career, I’ve never seen a private sports and entertainment effort this far along, this well-located, and this strategically executed. Auto dealership CEO and philanthropist Vernon Krause and his team, who are pushing for the NHL in Forsyth County, aren’t pitching a concept — they’re offering a solution. They are shovel-ready today, not years from now.
Atlanta is already a top 10 sports market and home to the Braves, Falcons, Hawks, Dream, Vibe, United, Swarm, a deep college sports culture, and premier events from the Super Bowl to the upcoming FIFA World Cup. The one hole in the lineup? The NHL.
Hockey fans are a different breed. We travel. We live and die by sudden-death overtime. No other sport has a community-driven fan base like hockey. Georgia has a strong undercurrent of these fans — still here and moving here, still hungry after 13 long years. Bringing hockey back would complete Atlanta’s roster and tap into a sport that’s quietly thriving here — from youth leagues and adult rec teams to sellouts for the minor league Gladiators in Gwinnett. Hockey’s here. We just need a team.
We’re ready. I’ve seen firsthand what a team and the right arena can do for a community.
This is our moment. South Forsyth is the place. Let’s bring the NHL back — and this time, let’s do it right.
Dale Kaetzel is an Atlanta resident and the former president of Six Flags Atlanta Properties, and a lifelong hockey fan whose career includes the NHL Capitals, MLB SF Giants, venue management, thousands of live events and eight different theme parks across North America.
