Updated: Chelios on the ice for morning skate
Chris Chelios has taken to the ice for his first practice as an Atlanta Thrasher. He will be the second oldest player to appear in an NHL game, second only to Gordie Howe, when he plays tonight at age 48.
Eight Thrashers were not born when Chelios made his NHL debut. They are – Ondrej Pavelec, Zach Bogosian, Boris Valabik, Evander Kane, Bryan Little, Niclas Bergfors, Tobias Enstrom and Clarke MacArthur.
With Chelios’ arrival, the Thrashers have changed defensive pairings: Chelios will play with Johnny Oduya (giving the team a left and right shot from the point), Ron Hainsey returns to play with Pavel Kubina and Zach Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom are reunited (in an effort to get more offense).
Chelios said he’s more than willing to lead his experience to the team, but acknowledged it will be difficult this late in the season. He said it would be more a one-on-one thing.
He also said he felt he could still play after being with Detroit in 2008. AHL Chicago made the most sense to him, because of his family, to play with the plan on returning to the NHL.
Slava Kozlov is back in the lineup. He is there to help the struggling power-play unit. Eric Boulton is also back in. Evgeny Artyukhin and Marty Reasoner are out as forwards, Mark Popovic on defense.
Johan Hedberg will be back in goal.
One note from Blue Jackets skate. Rich Nash did not participate. He is listed as day-to-day on injury report.
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101 comments Add your comment
BG33Brown
March 11th, 2010
8:37 pm
man through two periods the Thrashers give a sh*t level is zero. I’m embarassed for them. As an ex-collegiate athlete, I just assumed that professionals had pride in what they do…..guess i was wrong.
stendek
March 11th, 2010
8:40 pm
The Thrashers are in the tank! The quitters are officially playing out the string. Johan Lehtonen surrendered one marshallow goal in the first 40 minutes. Moose did not believe he would have to block shot by teammate Chris “Own Goal” Chelios. SO HE DID NOT! Do not blame beleaguered netminder for that first tally. Do blame over the hill garbage defender. Remember now why I hate the guy! Untalented loser. Hard to miss Ilya Kovalchoke. Now have a whole darn team of figure skaters with exception of Moose. Thrashers should have two uniforms. One for games in which they put forth a little bit of effort. Pink for nights like this one. Anyone who pays good money to watch these heartless quitters needs to be committed! I would not even waste counterfeit currency on these uncaring curs. I will have no respect for any fan who shows up at Loseland after this debacle! Thrashers have folded up tent for season so all fans should follow suit. There is no excuse for this! Believe even Brenden would concur. College game also being televised. Any of those teams could whip these Thrashers. SOUNDLY! Truly sad. ++STENDEK++
B. Thenet
March 11th, 2010
8:45 pm
It has been a pretty disgusting performance by the Thrashers so far tonight.
I am firmly in the Fire Anderson camp at this point. The effort in the last 3 games, with everything to play for, has been dreadful…and our PP and PK have progressively gotten worse as the season has gone on. In fact just about everything about this team has gotten worse as the season has gone on.
To go from 4-5th place in the East in the beginning of December to likely a lottery team at the end of the season is simply unacceptable. The only question is if this is the year that the owners hold Waddell & Company accountable. Based on the state of denial that the owners were in at the last Town Hall meeting, change is unlikely.
stendek
March 11th, 2010
8:55 pm
Want a bit of salt for that open wound? If the Thrashers fail to score, which seems almost a certainty at this juncture, then Chris “Own Goal” Chelios will get credit for a game winning tally in his Thrasher debut. Unfortunately, it will be the decisive marker for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Anyone else appreciate the irony? ++STENDEK++ Playoffs? Too late. Corpse has already been put into the ground!
Sage of Bluesland
March 11th, 2010
9:05 pm
“…Based on the state of denial that the owners were in at the last Town Hall meeting,…”
Correction: Based on the reception-of-approval given by the pathetic sheep at the silly wittle Town Hall meeting…no changes will be made…
Your thanks accepted.
Sage of...Reason?
March 11th, 2010
9:13 pm
The longer this season goes on, the more Sage and stendec make sense to me.
I haven’t been to a game since Opening Night…can you blame me?
BG33Brown
March 11th, 2010
9:14 pm
So here’s what I’m most confused about. I believe this team didn’t enjoy playing when they had to defer to Kovy all the time. The team seemed hungry and ready to prove to themselves and to everyone else, that they could be a “Team” and not an individual. Instead, they have shown are content to fail. Its quite sad.
stendek
March 11th, 2010
9:22 pm
Glad that crap is over! Know what needs to be done within the next few minutes? Fire both Don Waddell and John Petrino! Both are proven failures who have long overstayed their welcomes. Sign the three Hansen brothers! Install Reg Dunlap as coach. Ship all present Thrashers to Chicago! Fill out roster with Hansen brothers plus meanest hockey players available. Do not care if they score a single goal! Just want other teams to fear playing Thrashers! See some blasted jerk got Chris Chelios off hook. Too darn bad. Tired of being laughingstock sissies of NHL! SOOOO TIRED. ++STENDEK++ Heartless quitter losers!
suddenly a Canes fan
March 11th, 2010
9:32 pm
BECAUSE THEY WIN!!!
Russian
March 11th, 2010
9:50 pm
Anderson should be fired Yesturday! Waddell should be Fired Tomorrow. Horrible game.
Get The Puck Out
March 11th, 2010
10:34 pm
No guts no glory. It’s time to clean house. I’m just at a loss of words…….
Brendan
March 11th, 2010
10:35 pm
Okay, here’s your boxscore. http://www.nhl.com/ice/boxscore.htm?id=2009020994. Notice that Chelios played 13:14, and was a -1, with no points. Here’s how the D-men Ice time went down:
1. Bogosian, 22:16
2. Kubina, 21:59
3. Enstrom, 21:56
4. Hainsey, 20:54
5. Oduya, 20:05
6. Chelios, 13:14
At +1 were: Kozlov, who played 15:34, Peverley, who played 18:44, Finny, who played 17:40, and Kubina.
At -1 were: Bryan Little, Chelios, MacArthur Park, who played 13:52, and Nik Antropov, who played 17:28.
Two of my favorite Blue Jackets scored tonight. R.J. Umberger, formerly of the Flyers, and Kristian Huselius, formerly of the Flames.
Okay, since the Kovalchuk trade, the Thrashers are 4-4-1. And in the last four (4) games, Atlanta has been outscored 14-4. Are we a BETTER TEAM without Kovalchuk? In the past four games, as many as eight (8) points were possible. Atlanta earned zero (0) points in those games. You tell me, are the playoffs out of reach?
Stop. At the deadline, many of you wanted to buy. Don Waddell said, “We’re more buyers than sellers.” I advocated moving UFA players who couldn’t be re-signed. Including Kubina, Finny, Schubert, Armstrong, and above all, Mooose. I said, “above all,” because Hedberg delivered a GEM of a season for us. He gave Don Waddell a GIFT for the trade deadline. Moose’s 2009 offseason value was a 7th round pick. Surely, Waddell could have moved him for BETTER than that, at the deadline. Instead, DW opted to ‘rent’ Moose, who turns 37 in May, and who normally starts every 4th or 5th game, to be Atlanta’s #1 goalie.
I speak about ‘decision-making’ all the time. I stress that, in an ERA OF SALARY CAP, it’s all about ‘decision-making.’ It’s not SO MUCH about financing anymore. Not when the Thrashers get $17 million in revenue-sharing. It’s about making intelligent choices. Florida assessed its situation, and planned for next year. Amazingly, the Panthers, who trail Colorado 2-0 as we speak, are a victory away from tying the Thrashers in the standings. Did DW CORRECTLY assess the situation at the trade deadline? If you say, “Yes, he did. And the proof is that we’ll make the playoffs,” I can only hope that you are right. But if you LESS than correct, than Waddell messed up. He didn’t address the #1 goalie situation properly. Even though Moose has played well, only giving up 4 goals in the last two games, he simply cannot be expected to start the lion’s share of the remaining games. So, why didn’t Waddell get Biron, or Rolosson, or whomever, to be the #1 goalie, while getting max value return on Hedberg? I’m fine with trading Kari, but DW must find a suitable replacement for Lehtonen. Kubina would have fetched a 2nd rounder, guaranteed. Armstrong would have brought a 3rd rounder, guaranteed. Finny would have fetch a 3rd rounder, also. Schubie would have been 5th rounder. I hear ya. “I’d rather take our chances than stockpile ‘throw away’ draft picks, in the hands of Dan Marr.” I guess … there’s something to be said for that.
Okay, the contest is still on, by the way. I entered the 1st guess of “April 1, 2010″ as the date Don Waddell is renewed, on a 2-year contract. I will catalogue all guesses, and track them. Whoever comes the closest to the actual Waddell contract extension, wins the contest.
Smoothie
March 11th, 2010
10:52 pm
Brendan, you have valid points as always, but why are you harping on the goaltending? Moose has given up 4 goals in two games. That’s enough to win every time. We can’t score because a) we’re playing like spineless female dogs, b) we’re always looking for the perfect shot and c) we don’t have enough guys who can release an accurate and dangerous shot quickly without a GD invitation. Now I didn’t see the 3rd period but when the other team dictates all game and then you constantly have to bear down at the end to tie, it is easy to see how they might develop a mental block when they aren’t as talented as we thought and need to be. Are you serious that Roloson, Biron or Lehtonen even is better than Moose right now? A GAA of 2.6 or less should get you more wins than losses. Period.
Brendan
March 11th, 2010
11:46 pm
Smoothie, you have to look at the bigger picture. The last 20 games of the season are always the hardest. At 37 years of age, used to starting every 5th game, is Hedberg the pony to bet on? If the Thrashers keep starting him, let’s see how many goals Moose gives up in the next 5 games. Will it only be 10 goals? Will it be 15? Will it be 20? If it’s twenty, then there were meltdowns. Would it all be Moose’s fault? Probably not. But again, the question remains, is a 37-year old career backup the “best bet” for a stretch-run to the playoffs? I’m shaking my head, “no.” Did Moose play well enough to win these past two games? I’d say, “yes.” But look at it in the context of 20 games. Which was what the trade deadline decision-making … was all about, Smoothie.
Chris Chelios is Better than You | Dan On The Street - Sports and More from Dan Sheldon
March 11th, 2010
11:47 pm
[...] after the team activated him yesterday. He is the second oldest player to ever enter an NHL game, behind Gordie Howe who was 52 the last time he skated in the league.Related posts:Chris Johnson Breaks the [...]
Baldheaded Thrasher
March 12th, 2010
4:57 am
Gilligan,let’s see we have scored 3 goals in our last three losses and realy need to start a win streak or kiss the playoffs goodbye. I know what we need to do is call up a 48 year old defence man, that will put the ship back on course.
Brillant idea skipper wish I had thought of that.
Is Anderson Gilliagn or the Skipper?
Does it matter?….What does it take ro get rid of these clowns???
Sage of Bluesland
March 12th, 2010
7:23 am
“…Does it matter?….What does it take ro get rid of these clowns???”
I’ve preached the VERY answer for years now.
Stop going to the games. Period. Force a change–from either ownership or, better yet, the league office.
Continuing to subsidize this utter abomination only gives the decision-makers a false-impression, a sheeplike impression…One that does more HARM than good in the long run.
Don’t believe me? Pick up a basic Economics book and give it a read.
Most of my ire has been directed at Don Waddell, as he has been the only constant in this mess (and the fact that such a “classy” guy refused to respond to three of my emails circa 2002). However, I have recognized that an even bigger problem exists (ownership). They spent near the cap once or twice and gave me false hope that they were serious about trying to win.
I was wrong about that–very wrong. The fact they keep a buffoon like Waddell employed has been Exhibit A in the case against them being the biggest problem in the figurative joke otherwise known as Blueland.
Finally, those who continue to give false impressions to ownership have a responsibility for this egregious mess as well.
What a joke. It would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic…The only thing about this that does make me laugh is the pitiful mewling from the sheep-set (you know who you are)…Some who, ironically, stop showing up because their wittle feewings may be hurt…(or too prideful to admit they were dead-wrong all along and that I was dead-right)…
Oh well.
woody
March 12th, 2010
7:51 am
Another night another loss. “The March to the Playoffs” has become “The Stumble into Mediocrity”.
Hey guys maybe we should shuffle the lines again? HAHA. No talent is no talent no matter how you stack it.
bugman
March 12th, 2010
8:48 am
Hmmm, Chelios didn’t help in the shutout like I thought might happen. Maybe, just maybe, want my floor seats was wrong and Chelios can’t ouskate me or anyone else under 40…(rubbing chin)?! Brendan sez he was -1 last night (I didn’t catch all of the game). He musta been on the ice for our goal then as well?
“Whoever comes the closest to the actual Waddell contract extension, wins the contest”
I will only participate if the prize is getting to kick D-Wad in the junk.
Not Blind
March 12th, 2010
9:03 am
Thank god for Center Ice.
I wish the franchise would be moved to Canada. It would save me a lot of anguish about my home team sucking so bad.
Viking
March 12th, 2010
9:19 am
Smoothie, “we don’t have enough guys who can release an accurate and dangerous shot quickly without a GD invitation.”
What the heck is a “GD invitation”? I am guessing it has to do with a counter attack by the opposing team, but I can not come up with anything starting on G and D relating to that. So maybe it is a fancier way of describing a “Save” – as in “Goal Denied”?
IDNLA – I Do Not Like Acronyms!
bugman
March 12th, 2010
9:23 am
From 3/3 Want my floor seats sez:
“Aw, c’mon Bugman…Jump out there and show Chelios how he’s “no good”. He’d drag you around like a ragdoll, leaving a sh!t streak all over the ice behind you.
I’m not blind (yep, you are) I’m not a homer (yep, you are) I got extra clues for sale (no, you don’t)Maybe I can set you up with a few? (No thanks).”
Just keep spending your money to subsidize this shtty product so they’ll move. Hopefully they will take the idiot fanbase (this means people like you and Chipper) with them when they go and we can start over with a real NHL franchise.
woody
March 12th, 2010
9:34 am
Sorry guys no happy ending this year….and the next year ..and the next …and the next ….etc
Ward
March 12th, 2010
9:48 am
Another one goal loss…we lead the league in something…truth is we are closer to 14th place than 8th and schedule ahead does not permit Lord Stanley’s thoughts…there really is no evident leadership on ice…it is up to the players to remedy that..spark last night was ignited when Bolts started hitting people and for ten minutes it was contagious….hockey is 60 minutes….there is a fine core of talent and Atlanta needs new ownership/gm. to allow talent and Anderson a “chance”.
JR
March 12th, 2010
10:12 am
i’ve called for the general manager’s head for some time. i now believe that anderson does cut the mustard either.
Jack
March 12th, 2010
10:21 am
Lets pound Avery in the ground tonight!!!!!
JR
March 12th, 2010
10:46 am
make that does not cut the mustard.
who will pound avery? white?
Get The Puck Out
March 12th, 2010
11:02 am
It’s been said that Anderson is a offense minded coach.The last four is rather offensive and DW has been offensive for many, many years. I hope i win the powerball Saturday, cause i will buy the Thrashers and i will CLEAN HOUSE. But i’ve probably got as much a chance of winning the powerball as we the fans have of seeing a new GM next year. It’s all so sad, and i just don’t see how ownership can renew DW with the way things are for this subpar NHL team. I hope we don’t make it to the playoffs because the Caps will TOTALLY make this team look like an AHL team. Plus if we lose several more may be the only way we get rid of DW. Plus we could start with a new GM in the draft with a great first round pick. I’ve never wished the Thrashers to lose , but right now it seems like the real only way out.
Irish-Heel
March 12th, 2010
11:35 am
Got to say reading all the misery and having watched the ineptness of Don Waddell, it makes me so glad to have a guy like Jim Rutherford as my GM. Canes are the hottest team in the NHL 8-1-1 in their last 10. Pictures in the rearview mirror are closer than they appear Trash fans.
Get The Puck Out
March 12th, 2010
11:47 am
Really hate to say it, but you’re right.
woody
March 12th, 2010
1:39 pm
We just need to change the lines up a little and we will be fine……We are going to make the playoffs just you watch ….Antropov and Kubina are the answer…Kov stinks as a captain he is the problem…Im a Thrasher for life and nothing can will stop my misplaced devotion.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
March 12th, 2010
2:03 pm
playoffs??!! playoffs??!! losing 4 in a row is not a good way to get into the playoffs. this team needs a severe kick in the butt…like yesterday
Ranger Overrated
March 12th, 2010
2:50 pm
HMMMMM woody has sure changed his tune. Time for some change, whether its line changes or forechecking
Brendan
March 12th, 2010
3:48 pm
Sure is quiet on the plains….
J.B.
March 12th, 2010
3:52 pm
there’s nothing new to say that hasn’t been said at this time every year.
Brendan
March 12th, 2010
4:42 pm
Well, Donald Trump could make an appearance? He does hold the copyright to the magic words. How cool would that be? If the Spirit hired Trump to remove Waddell?
Jack
March 12th, 2010
4:54 pm
Where is Chris I have not heard from him all day, or did he take a personal day to watch the tournament?
Smoothie
March 12th, 2010
5:58 pm
Viking – sorry about that. Twas an impassioned, disgusted way of saying something with emphatic zest. Just think of something that rhymes with “rod” and “ham”. Apologies for my vulgarity, but I didn’t want to be too crude. Been pre-occupied with other things cuz what else can you do but distract yourself from the charade of underachieving choke-job hockey.
stendek
March 12th, 2010
8:31 pm
Anyone still watching the (Loseland lambasting)? The pitiful Thrashers are officially and without argument in the tank! Trailing the slightly less pitiful Ranjerks 3-0 after one period. On Loseland ice! In front of the one remaining Thrasher fan! Would call these quitters heartless but that would be too much of a compliment. More than any of these thieves deserve. Not even fit to be referred to as commode residue! Do not even rate that high. Johan Lehtonen has also gone into the tank with his fellow uncaring losers. Cannot say that I blame Moose. Tough being the only one that cares loss after loss after loss. Speaking of losses. This is about to be the fifth in a row. Five! So much for that March To Playoffs baloney. Like Hike To Hamilton promo much better! Sad. Truly want Thrashers to relocate. If not Hamilton then anywhere else. Until they do Atlanta will never have a winning hockey team! Will not miss them. Not one tiny bit! That is the truly tragic part. ++STENDEK++ Who is this Todd Nelson? He is an idiot too! Do not bother to fumigate Philips Arena after this septic tank overflow. Players deserve to play in filth they dictate by their apathy! Any (fans?) who join them in arena get what they deserve too.
stendek
March 12th, 2010
8:49 pm
Sign the Hanson brothers! At least teams that whip Thrasher butt will have discomfort with bumps, bruises, black eyes and black and blue marks. Think team uniforms should be pink. Match way these sissies play. If play is indeed the proper word to use here! ++STENDEK++ Boom Boom Jeff-ree-on should return from the grave to beat the crap out of every Thrasher that paasses up a shot opportunity when it presents itself! Is it against their darn religion to shoot the blasted puck? Shots not taken will never go in! Unless of course Chris “Own Goal” Chelios is on the ice.
stendek
March 12th, 2010
9:20 pm
I am legally blind, have a heart condition, am overweight and past half a century in age. That said. Even I would put up a better fight against the Ranjerks than these heartless sissy quitters. Bring em on! ++STENDEK++ Tar and feather Don Waddell. THEN FIRE HIS SORRY CLUELESS BUTT!
stendek
March 12th, 2010
9:26 pm
What John Petrino will say in a few minutes:
“Disappointing loss. Played real hard in second period. Goaltender had some bad bounces. Thought team did some things well. Tough to lose points. Have to get off to better start. Cannot get behind early then expect to come back. Never gave up. Have to start playing better. Need to start collecting points.”
Or words to that effect! Do not believe me? Just listen.
++STENDEK++
Brendan
March 12th, 2010
10:11 pm
Since the Kovalchuk trade, Atlanta is 4-5-1. In the last five games, Atlanta has been outscored 19-6. Are we a BETTER TEAM without Kovalchuk?
I’ve been talking about the 37-year old Hedberg, asking if he was the best choice to be Atlanta’s #1 goalie, at the trade deadline. Tonight, he gave up 4 goals. The fifth goal was an empty-netter. I’ve asked Smoothie to track the next five games, including tonight, to see what the results are. I said that if Moose gives up 20 goals, that meltdowns took place. Right now, the tally is one (1) game, four goals. We must look at things in the “big picture” context, as if it were the March 3, 2010 trade deadline. For that is the vision that is expected from an NHL GM. I must ask, again, is Moose Hedberg, a career back up, who turns 37 in May, who is used to starting every 5th or so game, the “best bet” in net? At the trade deadline, Waddell assessed his options. And Waddell elected to make the decision to ‘rent’ Moose, rather than trade him for the best possible return, to be Atlanta’s #1 goalie down the stretch.
In the past five games, out of a possible ten (10) points, Atlanta banked absolutely nothing. Zero. Zip. Nada. Bupkiss. In an era of sarary cap, the emphasis is no longer on finances, but rather, is on ‘decision-making.’ Is this franchise making good decisions? That’s a fair question to ask.
Brendan
March 12th, 2010
10:17 pm
John Anderson’s press conference included this gem, “It could (all) change very quickly,” responding to a reporter’s question, “how bleak is it?”
B. Thenet
March 12th, 2010
10:21 pm
It was over before the end of the 1st.
Not Blind
March 12th, 2010
10:26 pm
What he meant was “My employment status could change very quickly”. My wife came up with an obvious solution for me – don’t watch the Thrashers ! So I flipped back and forth between Pens vs Devils and watched some of the TB beating Wash.
Brendan
March 12th, 2010
10:38 pm
John Anderson also said, “Ya know, it’s funny. We’ve had more pucks go in off ourselves. If you’ve been following us all season long, you want to believe that these things will start to even out. If so, that’s something that’s got to happen quickly.”
Okay, look. I feel for the guy. It’s not as if John Anderson walked into a GREAT situation when he was hired. He’s got a year left on his deal. He’s had the same ownership and same GM throughout the entirety of his tenure with the Thrashers. But, on the other hand, he KNEW the situation when he was hired.
Currently, the Thrashers are in 11th place. And there’s a real chance they will end the weekend in 13th place. I want to ask something. But I want it to be taken seriously, instead of it being dismissed as a disgruntled question. Ready? “What PERCENTAGE is unacceptable performance, over a decade?”
Stop. Before you answer, know the following. In seven of nine (7/9) completed seasons, the Thrashers have finished in the bottom third of the Eastern Conference. If Atlanta finishes anyplace between 11th and 15th, it will mark the eighth time in ten (8/10) years to finish in the bottom third of the conference. Folks, that’s EIGHTY-PERCENT of the time. Eight-zero. 80. If they do finish 10th, the percentage of bottom third finishes in the conference would be SEVENTY-PERCENT. Seven-zero.
Now, I want you to consider something else. I may be an idiot on a blog. Fine. But wouldn’t you scream at the organization if they hired an idiot off a blog? Especially if 80-percent of the time, the idiot blogger placed the team in the bottom third of the Conference? And wouldn’t you scream if an idiot blogger like me had let all FIVE of the franchise’s 1st round picks be squandered or traded away within a decade? Follow up question, why would it or should it be any different with Kane and Bogosian, when the choice of where to play becomes exclusively THEIRS, when they reach UFA status? Don Waddell once asked, “Who do you want us to let go, Kane or Bogosian, if we sign Kovalchuk?” Our track record indicates that we won’t keep either.
And if Kovalchuk is such a lousy player, and the franchise is better off without him, why did the organization offer him a 12-year deal? Twelve years is a long time to commit to anyone. I’m just asking a question.
B. Thenet
March 12th, 2010
10:49 pm
Anderson has more excuses than Kari Lehtonen.
R. Stroz
March 13th, 2010
12:34 am
Don Waddell once asked, “Who do you want us to let go, Kane or Bogosian, if we sign Kovalchuk?” Our track record indicates that we won’t keep either.
And tht’s exactly what I said in response to Waddell at the Towne Hall Meeting. Half of the particpants applauded, the other half…well, you can’t fix stupid.
Brendan
March 13th, 2010
1:27 am
That’s totally awesome, Stroz. What did Waddell say in rebuttal? Don’t tell me, he mooned you? Like Homer Simpson did to Arty Ziff, back in high school. Had I been there, I think I would have shouted, “Why choose, let them BOTH go in favor of retaining Kovy.” Obviously, that’s a terrible and irresponsible answer, but it would have made him think. And try to explain things. Other than to say, “I would have thought that $101 million would have been enough for Kovy to live on, for the rest of his life.”
Which, let’s face it, is even more reprehensible statement, for it represents complete and utter denial of the state of the franchise. I’ll withdraw that statement if Kovy signs with Columbus, for $135.6 million, over 12 years, in free agency. For then, it would be CLEAR, that Kovy signed EXCLUSIVELY for the money, and not because he thinks Columbus is somehow the pony to bet on, in terms of winning the Cup anytime soon. It is, and always has been, my assertion that Kovalchuk left Atlanta because he didn’t want to spend his prime years languishing in a rudderless organization, with no accountability. That might seem a bit harsh, but if you examine it further, the Thrashers are an organization that is seriously in jeopardy of being in the bottom third of the Eastern Conference for 80% of its existence in the league.
Consider this. Would hire an arsonist to run the Fire Department? No, you wouldn’t. Would you hire a priest to run an abortion clinic? No, clearly not. But yet, the ownership of the Atlanta Thrashers will trot out a GM in whom the NHL Players have given a vote of ‘no confidence,’ whether they be current or former UFA members of the Thrashers or merely a candidate out on the free agent market to come here, to renegotiate their contracts. What’s Kovy supposed to say? “Fire Waddell, then we’ll talk?” Stop that, whoever just screamed, “YES!!!” No player can go public with such a sentiment. It’s up to ownership to figure it out. Kaberle, Savard, Hossa, now Kovalchuk … and yet … the light bulb does not illuminate for Bruce Levenson or Michael Gearon, Jr. But hey, maybe the ownership’s position really is … if half of one-percent (0.5%) of 5 million people who live in Atlanta show up to games on a nightly basis, we can do WHATEVER we jolly well want.
Gee, that’s just super. It’s the very definition of “respect for your fanbase.” No?