Is This Waddell’s Last Stand?
First off, let me be very clear on this point…this is not intended to be a “Bash Waddell” piece. However, given just where the organ-I-zation is at this time, I feel it is prudent to at least pose this question:
Is this summer indeed Don Waddell’s last chance to finally ice a competitive, solid, playoff-contending team…not just for this coming fall’s campaign but for the foreseeable future?
And if he doesn’t…is will time be up for him as the Thrasher’s general manager?
First let’s examine the history of the Thrashers during the Decade of Don. The overall record is 273 wins, 367 losses, 53 overtime losses and 45 ties, (accumulated during the five season’s prior to the post-lockout rules change). That amounts to a .436 points winning percentage and an average of 71.5 points earned in the standings each year. There has been exactly one playoff appearance during the nine seasons played…resulting in a four-game sweep to the Rangers in 2007.
Those, my friends are very un-good numbers.
Now, at the end of the 2007-08 debacle of a season, I made it very clear that I was of the opinion that Waddell’s tenure needed to come to an end. The circumstances that led to that miserable year was set squarely at the general manager’s feet, in my mind. And I thought even the Great Octo-Cluster could see that.
Ownership, however, chose to have Don remain.
Also, going into last season, had you told me that Atlanta would finish with the same amount of points…76…as they did the previous season, I would have called that epic failure and surely he’d be gone. But the 76 points amassed this time around are far different from those of two seasons ago…going 22-18-1 in the second half of the season instead of collapsing the way they did in March and April of 2007.
Over the course of the last calendar year, he has brought in such popular players as Marty Reasoner and Rich Peverley as well as draft Zach Bogosian with Atlanta’s third overall pick last year. Sure…many of you will quip that taking Bogey was a no-brainer, but the fact of the matter is that he did so and didn’t trade the pick away. Need I remind you of his wheeling and dealings of 2005?
So, it’s only fair to assume that if Don deserved blame for what has gone wrong in the past, certainly he deserves praise for what has gone right of late…giving rise to the hope for better days to come.
However, as we find ourselves once again enjoying the NHL playoffs from our couches instead of Philips Arena, we enter into a summer in which the Thrashers are seriously but a player or two away from being a serious threat. And what Waddell does, or fails to do, over the course of the next few months will directly impact the chances of that becoming reality…not just hope.
Of course, that “one or two players away” line is also the same as was used 12 months ago…and two summers ago. And that is why I ask the question posed above…is this finally the summer that ownership makes it clear to Don, and the whole front office, that it is time to stop building for the future and start producing results? Certainly, if we are sitting here one year from now and we’re still making the same assertions that all we need is a top-four defender and a top-six forward to complete the team…then even the Spirit Boys have to see that as an object failure…right? RIGHT?
Hope only lasts so long, after all. And it tends to fade into coldness of reality if not renewed by the observation of results.
U.S.A. vs. Russia Semi-Finals
Friday, the United States is pitted against Russia in one of the World Championships semi-finals matchup. Four Thrashers will suit up for their respective teams…Ilya Kovalchuk for the Russian squad and Zach Bogosian, Colin Stuart and Ron Hainsey for the U.S.
Here’s the linkie-linage to watch it.
Falconer’s Interview With Dan Marr Pt. II
The Falconer has posted the second part of his chat with Dan Marr. In it, Marr discusses college and European prospects. As always, great job Falconer!
Upcoming Viewing Parties At TJs
May 17 – Sunday afternoon playoff game…first weekend of the Conference Finals. Also, Tim Ecclestone will provide 4 tickets to an upcoming Braves game to raffle off that day!
June 26 – NHL Draft Party. Details to come.
As always, please RSVP with Trixie.
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116 comments Add your comment
Downtown ATL
May 9th, 2009
10:46 pm
Slappy, very well said. I bet there are 100,000 or more hockey fans who hail from outside the southeast who would say the same thing.
The Thrashers make Atlanta emmigrants who love their old team even more. Plus, if we don’t start making you folks Thrashers fans, we lose your kids too. There are two groups at stake here; Casual Thrashers fans like Slappy (and I bet Sages) and the unitiated. Failing to woo both is the model for how the league fails to build tradition in the non-traditional markets and ends up an 18 team league with a 30 year history broadcasting on Versus.
Rawhide
May 9th, 2009
10:48 pm
kracker – The only problem with all that is that this is coming coming from the same man who less than a year ago denied John Anderson had been hired as the Thrashers head coach…the day before it was announced that he was indeed hired as the new head coach.
Also, he’s the same guy who told us last summer that Alexie Zhitnick was going to be a big part of the team last season.
Brendan
May 9th, 2009
10:49 pm
Slappy, I can appreciate the sentiments behind your post. Truly, I can. I feel that pain, myself. I’ve been in “stunned disbelief” at the way the franchise has been run for many years now. But I do believe there will “absolution” of the fans for this franchise, if it were to actually leave. Which, it won’t, in my opinion. For what it’s worth, I think national writers like Craig Custance, The Sporting News, and Scott Burnside, ESPN, will defend the market of Atlanta, and place the blame where it belongs, on the ownership. I’d even go so far as to say Jeff Schultz would absolve the fans and place blame squarely on ownership moves. I doubt Schultz would say, “There’s just no passion for hockey in Atlanta.” His criticisms of Ownership/management are sometimes accompanied by citing the outrage of disgruntled fans, as well.
There is evidence to suggest that Atlanta could get a 3rd crack at an NHL franchise down the road. Some of that evidence is selling out 38 of 41 home games in the Inaugural Season, while … AT THAT TIME, setting an NHL home attendance record. (Minnesota would later beat it.) Ya know. When we DIDN’T KNOW the team would be so badly mismanaged and unloved by the ownership. A second thing about Atlanta that is hard to ignore is its national ranking as a TV market. The Thrashers also sold out their two (2) home playoff games in 2007. And it wasn’t an arena full of Ranger fans. I was there. I counted all of six (6) Ranger jerseys in a house of 18,545. There were NO CHANTS of “Let’s go Rangers!” None.
I don’t think, honestly, that fans stay away EXCLUSIVELY over wins and losses, Slappy. I think the fans see FUBAS for what and who they are, and act accordingly. It’s the ownership’s fault. Not the fans’ fault. Almost everything that’s gone wrong for this franchise can be traced to the ownership, in its various incarnations. But I blame the Atlanta Spirit, LLC (FUBAS) most of all. They had the benefit of a salary cap, whereas the previous ownerships (Ted Turner and AOL-TIME-WARNER) did not. They had revenue-sharing dollars to help. The previous ownerships did not. It was FUBAS’ decision to leave Waddell in charge, as well as Dan Marr, as head of scouting. It was FUBAS’ inability to buy out an estranged owner, that has led them to where they are. Salary cap floor spending can be traced to that. Don Waddell’s retention as GM can be traced to that. And for what? Because they failed to meet a deadline for an appraisal. Because they stupidly put in a clause that said Belkin had the right to “buy them out AT COST” if they failed to meet the timeliness of an objection of an appraisal. If your head is starting to spin, you’re not alone.
Unlike many people, I don’t consider the Atlanta Spirit, LLC, to be losers. They should do fairly well on their investment. Perhaps as much as a $10 million-per-year average yield at the time of sale. It’s clear to me they made their money in other ventures, not sports management. Not hockey management. And that’s where people think they’re a bunch of bozos. And there’s little evidence to contradict that. Just TRYYYYYY to explain this franchise to a hockey fan in a different market. They won’t understand it. They probably can’t figure out why the attendance is as good as it is.
But I digress. Atlanta hockey fans, in my opinion, are a very dedicated group. All they really ask … is for their team to be on an intelligent path, geared towards success. If the team is being competently run, Atlanta fans will come along for the ride, in the face of losses. Everyone understands what “rebuilding” means. But when the fans see moves and decisions that don’t have any outward appearance of cogent thought or effort, then no one should blame them for apathy. The apathy stems from inactive, uncaring ownership. Not losses, and lottery draft finishes, in and of themselves.
LAC
May 9th, 2009
11:13 pm
TSN pulled down the Thrashers story after only a couple hours at most.
These Canada fans need to take their Canada teams, form the Canada Hockey League and Shut The FU-K UP !
Every damn time it always Atlanta that is the weak link, never Florida or Tampa or Carolina or Dallas or LA it is ALWAYS Atlanta!
I will admit these owners could care less about the Thrashers and as long as they are in control we will be nothing more than point fodder for the Playoff teams !
Downtown ATL
May 9th, 2009
11:22 pm
Brandon says it really well. Of the 9-10 non-traditional markets Atlanta is the most fertile ground. There are nearly 5 million people here now and I’ll bet almost 1,000,000 hail from cloder weather areas where Hockey is played. With real LEADERSHIP and Hockey knowledge in the Ownership group the Thrashers could be one the most successful franchises in the League. If Ted Leonsis owned this team the sky would be the limit.
sharon
May 9th, 2009
11:24 pm
They’re moving, they’re staying, they’re moving, they’re staying. For crissakes, the rumor merry-go-round gets to be a bit much at times. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how it shakes out. Sigh…
Brendan, I agree. Thrashers fans are a dedicated, and passionate, group. They (or we) seem to get no credit from the Canadian media or fans though. Talk about a bunch of vultures, just circling the ‘non-traditional’ teams and waiting to pick them apart.
Rawhide
May 9th, 2009
11:29 pm
Talk about a bunch of vultures, just circling the ‘non-traditional’ teams and waiting to pick them apart.
Sharon – This is why I am personally rooting for teams like Carolina and Anaheim. I mean, if a SCF was played between two team in “non-traditional” markets, I think it would just drive the All-Snowbird NHL crowd crazy!
Don Waddell
May 9th, 2009
11:38 pm
Do you believe me?
1) Just wait until Stephen Baby and Kyle Wanvig get here.
2) Bourret was the player we wanted
3) Playoff Guarantee in 2005-2006 season
4) Five Year Plan
5) Incremental Progress
6) We haven’t finished our due diligence yet, John Anderson hasn’t been named as the coach.
7) We still have a chance at the playoffs (after Hossa was traded and why Holik wasn’t traded)
9) We are only one or two players away
10) There is no truth to it (selling the team). There are too many obstacles (which means we’ve already looked into it otherwise we would n’t have realized there are obstacles.
Do you believe me now?
Bill Clinton
May 10th, 2009
12:22 am
Don, I feel your pain. You know I give private lessons to improve your skill level.
Repeat after me, I did not have…….any conversations about selling the team.
stendec
May 10th, 2009
1:50 am
Good riddance to bad rubbish! Let the uncaring quitters leave. The sooner the damn better! Oh, to Hell with Ruskie besterd Ilya Kovalchuk for what he did to the AMERICAN hockey team! Sorry heartless scum that they are anyway. Let the oxygen waste STAY in Siberia, uh, Russia! Atlanta professional sports fans will always have the Falcons and, uh, cough, fidget, well, the damn Falcons to cheer for! Send the Loseland losers packing. They will definitely not be missed! SQUA TRONT!
Brendan
May 10th, 2009
1:53 am
Actually guys, the ownership has ADMITTED to the “concept” of selling the team. But, they were talking about Belkin’s portion of their ownership group. They said they were recruiting a new stream of revenue since Belkin’s has dried up.
Truthfully, I don’t think the team is leaving. I don’t think it CAN leave, given the restrictions on the naming Rights of Philips Arena, city bonds that were secured at the time of acquisition of this ownership, and that there’s still 11 years left on that lease. Which is almost unbreakable. But I don’t doubt that the team could be sold. In fact, I want it sold. I’d prefer that it be sold to a local interest. But if it’s ONE PERSON, not an ownership group or a company, and they happen to live on the West Coast, I don’t care, so long as they have deep pockets, fork over the money, want to win, and will conduct a thorough and diligent search for a compentent GM, who will have a budget that’s ALWAYS within $3 million of the cap limit on “Opening Night,” with an HEAVY EMPHASIS on PROACTIVE CONTRACTS designed for PLAYER RETENTION–preferably for our very own Thrasher draft picks.
Hijacker
May 10th, 2009
8:40 am
@stendec: I find it amazing that parts of the Thrashers fanbase finds ways to blame anybody, but the real person, for the ills of the Thrashers. Last time I checked it wasn’t Ilya Kovalchuk who was GM of this team.
Donald Waddell is the root of the problems!
Krust
May 10th, 2009
9:07 am
Well, my Sunday morning is done. But, I think back to an article I read last week about the Phoenix team moving.
The Arizona team has filed for Bankruptcy.And their owner wants out. And it is true that they almost have both feet out the door to Hamilton. If Betman looses his quest to keep the team in Phoenix IT will be in Hamilton next season. That being said Betman has quite a record for keeping
teams were they are. But, Phoenix moving to Hamilton is not a rumor its real. That makes me feel better. And why would Hamilton need two hockey teams. Wangs Islanders are in world of trouble to there arena stinks and Wang cannot get the local officials on board to get his prject fo a new arena going. So he rumored head out of town. Can someone tell me about Copps arena? How old? Seating capacity?
World Be Free
May 10th, 2009
10:49 am
The Canadian media is obsessed with moving every southern U.S. franchise to Canada. All the Canadian-based web sites are obsessed with this too. Quebec City and Winnipeg have already failed. Regina is an outpost and Hamilton is a dirty, smelly armpit.
The NHL will be the CFL on skates – third down, time tp punt!
World Be Free
May 10th, 2009
10:54 am
The Copps Coliseum was built in the mid 1980s to draw an NHL franchise. It holds about 17,500 with little or no skyboxes, it needs alotta money to become 21st century competitive.
The idiots in Hamilton believe they are entitled to a franchise just because they built this white elephant. They don’t support minor league hockey or football (CFL).
Sorry, I have been listening to Hamtilon, Ontario’s whining for 25 years. They canb have Dick Beddoes, Don Cherry and the rest of those micro-minds.
Dean
May 11th, 2009
1:03 pm
Waddell was a minor league manager before he came to Atlanta. I doubted his credentials then, and he certainly has done nothing to change my mind. Stictly AHL material.
As for the Thrashers being a couple players away from becoming a “serious threat”…what’s are you smoking?