Do you know the way to Thrasherville?
Just around the corner from Philips Arena, just a block or so to the east on Marietta Street, is a Georgia Historic Marker with the header of “THRASHERVILLE, Where Atlanta Began”. Passers-by that stop and read learn how, at that very spot, in 1839 “Cousin John” Thrasher built a settlement called Thrasherville. At that time it was forested area near the peg marking the planned terminus point of the Western & Atlantic RR. The area’s first settlers, religious service and birth of a baby happened in this settlement.
In 1842 the terminus was changed to the place where Atlanta’s Zero Mile Post can now be found and Thrasherville became Terminus…both unofficial names given to the stop by the railroad. In 1843 the settlement became incorporated and the name of Marthasville was given…it was then reincorporated in 1847 under the name of Atlanta.
But it all began as Thrasherville…and it seems as though everyone and everything has come to and/or through the area ever since that time.
Now, is it just me…or does it seem as though we last gathered in Thrasherville round about the time Cousin John began the work inscribed upon that marker?
Serioulsy though, it has been just 19 days since the schedule teased us with an opening night gathering at Philips before taking the team away from us for so long…it just seems longer.
Alas however, tonight we…the residents of Thrasherville…are able to return to our official cathedral of hockey, Philips Arena, to welcome back our hometown ice combatants and to make a glorious noise unto the hockey gods as we’ve done for over a decade now in that hallowed building. I hope that you all remember how to get there…I mean, it has been a while after all. It’s the nice building next to the big covered stadium with the letters A-T-L-A-N-T-A on the front.
Yeah, you remember that.
After a most successful crusade through the foreign lands of five NHL territories, the Thrashers return home to face a pair of tough foes in Washington and San Jose…both atop their respective divisions. The Caps are 4-2-2 and sit a mere one point ahead of Atlanta. We’ll see them not only tonight, but next Thursday as well. Saturday the Thrashers will look to ward off a Shark attack from the team who currently sit atop the Pacific Division at 5-3-1 and play in Tampa tonight. Dallas’ 4-2-3 record equal San Jose’s 11 points.
A win tonight in regulation, of course, will catapult the Thrashers into sole possession of fist place in the Southeast…I know, that has a nice ring to it….and an overtime win will draw us into a tie.
A loss, no doubt, will cause much wailing and gnashing of teeth and prompt the inhabitants of Thrasherville to mass at the town square to openly lament the absence of Kari Lehtonen… call for the head of it’s Mayor, Don Waddell…demand the return of Garnet Exelby, Andy Sutton, Niko Kapanen, and J.P. Vigier …pitchforks and torches in hand.
OK…maybe I exagerate just a might, but you get the point.
As for tonight’s game against the Caps…here are the statistical matchups:
G/G: Atlanta 3.50, Washington 3.50
Kovalchuk has been able to get knuckes from his teammates 7 times so far this season (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)
GA/G: Atlanta 2.33, Washington 2.88
S/G: Atlanta 24.5, Washington 31.6
SA/G: Atlanta 35.2, Washington 29.9
PP: Atlanta 30.0%, Washington 21.6%
PK: Atlanta 88.0%, Washington 84.6%
FO: Atlanta 54.3%, Washington 54.3%
Now, here’s the real matchup:
Ilya Kovalchuk: 7 goal, 1 assist, 20 SOG, +1 vs. Washington’s defense.
Alex Ovechkin: 9 goals, 7 assists, 61 SOG, +9 vs. Atlanta’s defense.
I hope you’ll join us tonight…and Saturday night…down in Thrasherville. If you’ve been waiting for the organ-I-zation to ice a quality product before you return, they have. If you have held back to cheer on players that perform at a level worthy of your support, these are. If haven’t already procured your tickets, do so.
Get on board and don’t let this train pass you by, Thrasherville!
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70 comments Add your comment
stendec
October 22nd, 2009
8:43 pm
Damn quitting bestards! F#CK EM. The slide into oblivion has officially commenced. Heartless untalented scumballs! Pi$$ed as Hell. Thrasher fans deserve so much more than this shet! Pavs allowed Cap goal to be scored from Columbus. Not even LaLa Land jerk Sori Letemin did that! Suit someone from crowd to play goal. Can do no worse! How far these Loseland giveups have fallen. Ship em outta here! ASAP. ++STENDEC++ BTW – Now 5-2. Officially over! Going to catch Florida State football on another channel. Hell of a lot more competitive!
Brendan
October 22nd, 2009
8:44 pm
One minute, twenty-eight seconds (1:28). That’s how long it took for the Capitals to break this one open. It’s 5-2. The carnage started when Simeon Varlamov sent a pass up the middle of the ice where it was tipped by AJC Sports writer Jeff Schultz … where it then skipped all the way down the ice and eluded Pavelec. Yes, Varlamov got an assist on the play. I knew Varlamov would be a force tonight. But I didn’t think he’d wind up on the score sheet.
The Capitals pounced twice more, directly in front of the net. Yes, Moose is now tending goal for Atlanta. He’s made one save. The fans booed him for that save. ???? This isn’t MOOSE’s fault!! He just got in the game. I think the Thrasherville faithful were just venting over the goaltending tonight.
Stendec rant in … 3….2….1. What’s the over/under on Stendec claiming we should trade Pavelec for a water bottle and a bag of pucks? Now, tied that to an SOB reference, and the country of the Czech Republic.
Brendan
October 22nd, 2009
8:56 pm
I just Ranalloed by Stendec!! Jeff Schultz has a goal and two helpers, for a 3-point night. Wonder if AJC Sportwriter Jeff Schultz will do a hockey column now? Seems like the prime moment for it, with his namessake all over the stat sheet.
Hey, there’s 20-minutes still to go. We have Ilya Kovalchuk, Bryan Little, Nik Antropov, Evander Kane, Colby Armstrong, Slava Kozlov, and Max Afinogenov. That’s some firepower. If the Capitals go into “the prevent” too soon, we could get back into this one. Especially, if our PP Unit stays hot. One PPG tonight, already.
Natalie Taylor has sported a “new” look. She’s wearing straight hair, not curly, and it’s draped across her forehead and eyes a bit. Oh c’mon now! What’s left to talk about? It’s 5-2. We might as well talk about Natalie. I think she’s honestly done better tonight. Less forced smiles, more “strictly business,” but still very pleasant. Not quite “bubbly,” but pleasant.
By the way, Darren was very critical of Pavelec during the Intermission. He didn’t sugarcoat things.
Nikita
October 22nd, 2009
9:28 pm
I’m listening on the internet, so I can’t see what Pavs is up to, but my man back in GA says he’s flopping like that fish in the Faith No More “Epic” video.
Which doesn’t shock me, because Pavs has inherently bad form. Im glad to see the Thrash within two, but I’d be much gladder to see Lehts recovered and in net.
stendec
October 22nd, 2009
9:47 pm
THRASHERS LOSE! THRASHERS LOSE! THRASHERS LOSE! Do not talk to me about damn morale victories. Ain’t no such animal! Quitting bestard hiveups. Only player worth a shet tonight was Moose. Pavs sucked! Thrashers stunk out Bluesland. Once more. What else is new? Same bullshet! No points on home ice. Totally unacceptable! ++STENDEC++ BTW – About first place? FORGET IT NOW AND FOREVERMORE!
Brendan
October 22nd, 2009
9:51 pm
What a competitive finish!! Kovy tied Ovechkin atop the goal leader board at 9 goals. That’s another two-goal game for #17. Credit Moose for pitching a shutout in relief of Pavelec. That was quite a finish. Max Afinogenov had a multi-point night. But he really had a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY as time was expiring to get it tied, and sent to overtime. Bygones.
Hey, great finish … to a game … that was … by all rights … OVER. 5-2 is a rough hill to climb. Atlanta came close. Another 60 seconds or so, and I’d bet we’d get the equalizer. Washington didn’t play all that well … with the lead. What were the shots on goal tonight?
Sara
October 22nd, 2009
9:51 pm
Aside from giving the Caps SIX PP opportunities, that was a very solid game for the team. Without that meltdown by Pavs this would have been completely different. Way to go Kovy with two more goals tonight to tie for League lead .. also made possible because the team kept Ovy from scoring tonight. And speaking of all those Caps PPs – how ’bout that penalty kill? Absolutely incredible job by them again tonight.
As for Pavs … sigh … part of me wants to ring his neck but the reality is he’s young, he’s a rookie … I’ve seen veterans let in goals like that Schultz score. He’ll have to learn to mentally bounce back from that faster. There isn’t a goalie in the League who hasn’t had a brainfart in his career – what separates the best from the rest is the ability to shake it off and refocus during the game. Hopefully he can at least regroup and refocus for the Sharks on Saturday.
Brendan
October 22nd, 2009
10:01 pm
Chris Osgood, of the Detroit Red Wings, (off and on, from the mid-1990s,) used to let in shots from Center Ice with alarming frequency. He also has 3 Stanley Cup rings to show his naysayers.
Here’s what I’ve always said about Pavelec. “Ondrej Pavelec will be a very good NHL goalie. Goalies takes 5 years to develop. We shouldn’t expect him to be the #1 goalie until the 2010-11 season.”
Sara
October 22nd, 2009
10:04 pm
Brendan, I can still vividly hear “Langenbrunner … from center ice” in my head. *sigh* that was a rough play-off run to watch courtesy of Ozzie – but he stood tall in the end.
Brendan
October 22nd, 2009
10:15 pm
Nashville led Ottawa, 3-0. Next thing I know, it’s 4-3, Predators. And the Sens tie it! Then Nashville gets a PP with less than two-minutes to go, and with about a minute left, the Predators scored, to make it 5-4. I figured, “Man, what a break! Preds need one, too!” With 1.6 seconds left, Ottawa scores to tie it, again, 5-5!! Unbelieveable!
So, we’re in OT right now. Nashville, at 2-5-1 coming in, needs a win. I guess they’re technically 2-5-2 right now. But they need to be 3-5-1 by the end of the night. They’re struggling. There’s no doubt about it. I like Head Coach Barry Trotz. I like GM David Poile. But something’s not right in Tennessee.
Sara
October 22nd, 2009
10:22 pm
It should be noted that the On The Fly recap of the game was very complementary of not just Kovy and the team but also of Pavelec. Kevin Weekes, a former goalie himself, covered it very well – a young goalie who’s been strong but had an off night. In fact, nearly the entire recap focused on the Thrashers .. other than talking about Ovy having fewer shots than average and that dirty slew-foot at the end.
Let that sink in – the Caps and Ovechkin, who retained their standing at the top of the division … and they spent 95% of the game recap talking very positively about the Thrashers.
Brendan
October 22nd, 2009
10:24 pm
Shea Webber nails the Overtime winner for Nashville. They’re 3-5-1 now. Ottawa falls to 5-2-1 on the season. By the way, Tampa won.
I can’t believe the Bolts went against San Jose and spanked ‘em, 5-2. Wow. That makes TB a .500 team now. And I think they just caught the Thrashers, but Atlanta has a game or two in hand.
Devils cooled off the “red hot” Rangers. Montreal beat the Isles, 5-1. It’s 2-1, Jackets, over the Oilers, after 1 period. By the way, the Flyers won in a shootout over Boston. I haven’t seen the highlights yet. Hope there were a few good fights.
Brendan
October 22nd, 2009
10:31 pm
Sara, I can’t wait to see the recap of the Thrashers game. I love it when they talk favorably about Atlanta and what we’re trying to do. If it were Dave Reid, he’d dismiss us as having peaked too soon, with cellar dwelling for the rest of the season. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. But Dave Reid doesn’t watch much Thrashers hockey. It’s nice to know the OTF boys are being fair tonight.
Gwinnett Fred
October 22nd, 2009
10:31 pm
Well, you can’t fall asleep for a minute and a half against a good team and expect to win.
However, I was impressed by the effort – I have been at the games enough times to know first hand how many times they USED to just flat go thru the motions when things went south during a game.
I would like to believe that one good thing to take from this loss is that it shows Opie should NOT be viewed as the teams #1 – at least not yet. I could see this coming from a mile away after so many people were ready to annoint him the next Tony Esposito and to trade Kari for a puck bag after the Montreal game.
I do blame Anderson for not giving him the hook quicker. It was obvious from the get-go, he didn’t have it tonight. Sure it’s hindsight, but I thought (at the time) they should have pulled him during the review that took away the original 3rd Caps goal regardless if it was wiped out or not.
Brendan
October 22nd, 2009
10:39 pm
Truthfully, I like a lot of people are going to agree with Gwinnett Fred. Once the longshot went in, I could hear the whispers starting, “Take him out.” When the 4th goal went in, I think people were looking around … waiting … thinking… when are they making the switch? Before they could utter those words, the 5th Capitals goal was in the cage.
Moose must get some credit for his play, in relief. That’s two good games from Hedberg.
Stendecs' Billy Goat
October 22nd, 2009
11:10 pm
Baaa,uuurrrp! Baaaaa, uurrrrp! snort, snort.pfffft.
Sara
October 22nd, 2009
11:10 pm
I’m going to respectfully disagree about yanking Pavs after that long goal. For the same reason that I hope and fully expect Anderson to start him against the Sharks on Saturday. Pavs has to be given the opportunity to bounce back from a bad goal or a bad game. Every goalie has those in their career. Detroit lit Patrick Roy up like a Christmas tree more times than I can count (actually I can count them, because I relish each and every one but I digress…). Roy is still one of the best goalies ever. That isn’t to say Pavs is the second coming of Roy but the point is, all goalies have to show mental fortitude on the bad days, not just the good ones. The second part of that is that John Anderson and the coaching staff need to know if Pavs has that mental fortitude. Cause obviously if he doesn’t, we’ve got big problems down the road. Judging by Anderson’s post-game presser, he believes Pavelec does given what he saw of him in Chicago.
Marc Andre-Fleury posted a 3.64 GAA and a .896 save percentage his first year in the League. And he looked horrendous while doing it. He came back two seasons later after the lockout and posted a .898 SV % and didn’t look tons better. However his name is now engraved on the Stanley Cup and though it pains me to admit it, he looked pretty darn good doing that.
I understand the reservations about Pavelec, but don’t throw this kid under the bus or out the door either because of a really crappy 88 second span. Especially given the 65 minute stellar effort he put out there against Montreal.
That’s about as wasteful as throwing the entire team under the bus for one loss – a 5-4 loss at that – when their overall record is 4-2-1.
Darren
October 22nd, 2009
11:23 pm
According to RDS the Thrashers are close to a 9 year/$100 Million deal with Kovalchuk.
http://www.rds.ca/hockey/chroniques/284740.html
Translation: Ilya Kovalchuk and the Atlanta Thrashers are close to an agreement of nine years would bring more than 100 million dollars.
His salary would average 11.3 million per season.
First-round draft pick in 2001 for the Thrashers, Kovalchuk has recorded 304 goals in 551 career games in the NHL.
This season, the Russian-born player has scored seven times in six games.
Kovalchuk won the Maurice Richard Trophy awarded to the best scorer in the NHL when he scored 41 goals in 2003-04. He had his best season in 2005-06, scoring 52 goals and 98 points in 78 games.
sisu
October 23rd, 2009
12:09 am
“Ondrej Pavelec will be a very good NHL goalie. Goalies takes 5 years to develop. We shouldn’t expect him to be the #1 goalie until the 2010-11 season.”
That is true…worries me that there is no one else if needed. A bad night for the kid. A sloppy game from both teams but time to re group for Saturday.
Let’s get a W in the next game
Thrashy Thrashy
October 23rd, 2009
12:10 am
A couple of things of note:
1) This was the seventh game of the season.
2) If the Thrashers were undefeated, they’d still have 75 games left to play.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I tend to give my favorite teams in hockey, basketball and baseball the opportunity to get through a quarter of the season before I feel confident in assessing their true nature. I can get as mad as anybody (okay, maybe not stendec…) about my teams failing to live up to my insanely unrealistic expectations of greatness, but I can’t do it this early in the season.