This Day in Hockey History – October 14, 1972 – Southern Cooking on Ice

Thanks to indoor rinks and refrigeration, ice hockey can be played in southern climates. Still, it wasn’t until October 14, 1972, that the southeastern United States opened its first arena for its earliest NHL franchise. Having begun their inaugural season on the road, the Atlanta Flames played their home-opener following the opening ceremony held at the Omni Coliseum.

Atlanta was granted a franchise on November 9, 1971 in an effort to expand the NHL’s reach out of competition with the coming World Hockey Association (WHA). The Omni Sports Group led the franchise and began constructing a suitable arena. They hired architects Thompson, Ventulett & Stainback, Inc., who created a unique design that ended up costing about $18 million. 

To Atlanta residents, the exterior looked like a “rusty egg carton.” Pods helped hold the structure up, and the rusty brown-orange walls were supposed to oxidize to a deep purple after a year or two. Omni Group President Bill Putnam called it “the most magnificent sports arena in the world.” Jay North (Dennis the Menace) complimented, “Compared to this, the Forum in Los Angeles is a cow pasture.”

The Omni still needed some interior work by opening night. Bob Kent, president of the Omni, told the press that they were still working on some last-minute items – like painting, laying carpets, finishing concession stands, installing seats, and installing the giant scoreboard. One worker joked, “They might have to pass out the seat bottoms and a screwdriver to everybody as they come in.” According to Kent, “We’ve got seats, lights, roof and ice. All the rest will soon be completed.”

For the opening ceremony and game, a sell-out crowd of 15,268 packed the Omni. Gov. Jimmy Carter, Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell, and NHL President Clarence Campbell all participated in the dedication, using a long red carpet laid on the ice. Mayor Massell told the crowd that having the NHL and arena there was “a milestone for Atlanta” and “completes our membership among the capitals of major league sports.” Gov. Carter encouraged, “I know all of us will become big hockey fans.”

That certainly appeared prophetic. The crowd was enthusiastic about the interior of the rink and about the sport. “That yelling was something,” commented one of the new Flames, Ray Comeau. “The crowd reaction definitely plays a part in how you play. When those people are behind you, yelling for a goal and yelling for you to win, it has to make a guy play harder.” Flames Coach Bernie Geoffrion remarked, “Let’s face it, the people come to see exciting hockey, so that’s what we try to give them.”

Play was somewhat slowed by the poor ice. Comeau explained, “It’s no big deal, though, because all new rinks have the same problem. Once we play a few games, the ice will be cleaner and the puck will slide better.” Campbell agreed, “They had this trouble in New York and they had it in Buffalo when they opened their rink. It will wear off after a few games. Besides, you can’t expect everything to be perfect, can you?”

The game was something of a rematch as the Flames had lost (5-3) to the Sabres in Buffalo earlier in the week. It seemed that the Flames intended to switch things up when they scored on the first shot fired in the Omni. As the Atlanta Constitution described the play, “Ernie Hicke swept in, took a pass from Noel Price and stuck it into the nets past a groping Roger Crozier.” The power-play goal occurred little more than two minutes into the game. Almost 14 minutes later, Buffalo tallied its only goal when Jim Lorentz “took a pass from Gil Perreault, shuffled it through Flame defenseman Bob Paradise’s feet, picked it up on the other side and neatly scored.”

Things heated up again in the third period as the Sabres tried to gain the lead. In one period, they sent 17 shots on net, which equaled Atlanta’s total for the game. Flames goalie Phil Myre “turned back shot after shot in a torrid third period.” Coach Geoffrion praised, “Let’s be honest, he saved the game for us. Phil played one hell of a game.” Myre was more concerned about the team and fans. “I just wish we could have won. You do what you have to do. Playing before the home crowd for the first time is always something special, so you like to give them a win. That’s the one thing that bothers me.” In that, his coach agreed. “I thought we’d take this one for sure. Playing before our fans for the first time was something special. All the players felt the same way.”

The teams remained tied 1-1. “They out-shot us pretty bad, 31-17, and that hurt us,” analyzed Geoffrion. “But the main thing is we didn’t lose. Even those ties count for points in the standing. I just wish we could have given those people a better performance. They really went for us, eh? It was great. Except for not winning.” With the tie, the Flames had three points and a record of 1-3-1.

Additional Sources:

• Ron Taylor and Maurice Fliess, “‘Beautifuls’ Hail Sold-Out Omni,” Atlanta Constitution, 15 Oct. 1972, pp. 1A and 12A.
• Jim Huber, “Flames Tie Christens Omni,” Atlanta Constitution, 15 Oct. 1972, pp. 1D and 12D.
• Furman Bisher, “Refrigerated Mystery,” Atlanta Constitution, 15 Oct. 1972, pp. 1D and 12D.
• Tony Petrella, “Fans Great, but Ice Greater,” Atlanta Constitution, 15 Oct. 1972, p. 12D.
• Jim Stewart, “Omni Doors Open To Atlanta Tonight,” Atlanta Constitution, 14 Oct. 1972, pp. 1A and 12A.
• Tony Petrella, “Flames,” Atlanta Constitution, 14 Oct. 1972, p. 1D.
• https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/buf-vs-afm/1972/10/14/1972020025#game=1972020025,game_state=final
• https://thepinkpuck.com/2019/06/02/this-day-in-hockey-history-june-2-1972-atlanta-aflame/
• https://thepinkpuck.com/2018/10/07/this-day-in-hockey-history-october-7-1972-long-island-goes-down-in-flames/