Archive for July, 2009

The 2009 Thrashers Preseason schedule has been announced. There will be a total of six preseason games…three home and three away…as well as a pair of prospect games. The Preseason home games will be at Philips Arena, the prospect games will be held at the Duluth Ice Forum.

Preseason Schedule
Thursday Sept. 17 @ Nashville Predators 8:00 pm eastern
Friday Sept 18 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 7:30 pm eastern
Monday September 21 vs. Carolina Hurricanes 7:00 pm eastern
Wednesday September 23 vs. Nashville Predators 7:00 pm eastern
Friday September 25 @ Carolina Hurricanes 7:00 pm eastern
Sunday September 27 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning 5:00 pm eastern

Prospect Games
Monday       September 14 vs. Nashville Predators 7:00 pm eastern
Tuesday      September 15 vs. Nashville Predators 1:00 pm eastern

Folks…that means only about ten more weeks before we get to go watch a Thrashers hockey game!!!

XLB on 680 The Fan

Also as a reminder…Garnet Exelby will be John Kincade’s guest on 680 The Fan today at …

Continue reading Thrashers 2009 Preseason Schedule »

Ah yes…early July. And with it comes the heat and humidity that we’ve all come to know and love during this time of year. But what this part of the summer also mean is that we’ve officially reached the mid-point of the Thrashers’ offseason.

Yup, three months ago they closed out the 2008-09 season by spanking the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 and three months from now the puck will drop on the tenth season of Atlanta Thrashers hockey.

Another item that comes with this time of year is that teams are shaping and forming their rosters via UFA signings and player trades. To that measure, Don Waddell has been a busy little camper lately in his role as Thrashers’ GM. So let’s take a quick moment to recap what has happened so far…and speculate on what may be in store for us between now and the start of training camp.

First off, back on June 8, the team announced that it had re-signed Marty Reasoner to a 2-year deal that would pay him $1.2 million this season and $1.1 the next…and the news …

Continue reading Thrashers’ Mid-Summer Progress Report »

Don Waddell has yet to make a splash in the UFA pool as of yet, but he has indeed done something to alter the shape of the team’s makeup. Wednesday afternoon, he pulled the trigger on a deal that sent defenseman Garnet Exelby and forward Colin Stuart to the Toronto Maple Leaf in exchange for defender  Pavel Kubina and the rights to forward Tim Stapleton.

Kubina is 32-years old and has played for the past three seasons with the Leafs. Last year he played in all 82 games and scored 14 goals, 26 assists and was a -15. He was a seventh round draft pick, (179th overall), by Tampa Bay back in 1996. During his time in Tampa, he played in 531 games, score 65 goals and 144 assists. In the playoffs he accounted for a goal and five helpers in 38 games played. He was also a part of Tampa Bay’s 2004 Stanley Cup championship.

He’s played in 746 NHL regular season games in 11 seasons during his career and has a total of 97 goals, 213 assists and is a -102.

Tim Stapleton was signed by Toronto …

Continue reading Good Trade Though XLB Will Be Missed »

As we did this time last summer, we gather poolside to watch and observe the events as each team attempts to procure that big-name player needed to help shape their lineups for this fall’s campaign. Our friend Five_Hole has agreed to DJ the pool party…playing an assortment of tunes from the Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffet, Bob Marley and others. And please feel free to stop by the open bar to partake of a wide assortment of adult beverages complete with little umbrellas as we take in the day’s festivities. Tending the bar is the lovely and talented Joyel from TJ’s Bar and Grill!

Hey…and it’s all on the AJC’s tab!

But …

Continue reading Waddell Ready To Test The Water In The UFA Talent Pool »