Atlanta Flames - Gold Logo

The Atlanta Flames joined the National Hockey League in 1972 along with the New York Islanders. The two expansion teams were awarded in effort to thwart the newly-founded, rival World Hockey Association and its attempts to gain a foothold in those cities. In 1980, the Flames moved to Calgary, Alberta. Georgia's capital would be without hockey until 1999 when the Atlanta Thrashers hit the ice. That team, though, also left for Canada, becoming the Winnipeg Jets in 2011.