Greeting from snowy, icy, cold Nashville, Tennessee…a place that looked more like the state capital of Montana this weekend than that of one in the south.
As I’m sure you know, hundreds of Thrashers fans braved the elements to make their way up here to participate in Music City Snow Jam 2010…most traversing the frozen tundra in buses with the Atlanta Thrashers Fan Club.
But many made their own way…climbing through the slippery slopes of I-24…or even up I-65 by way of Birmingham…to take in the festivities and root for our hometown Thrashers. Such was the case with the Rawhide-Blueland Chronicle Consortium. Razor Catch Prey and I traveled together and met Big Shooter, Mortimer Peacock and French Catalogues who arrived an hour before us, just about lunch time.
It only took about 3-1/2 hours to get to the outskirts of Nashville…the roads were cleared off nicely and we traveled speed limit most of the way. The Tennessee DOT deserves much credit there. But once we got inside the city’s perimeter, the ice, slush buildup slowed traffic to crawl and it took 90 minutes to go the final 20 miles.
As for the game itself…very, very disappointing outcome. The Thrashers had gotten here the day before and were rested while the Predators played Friday night in Detroit. Atlanta came out flat…left some people unattended in front of the net…and fell behind 2-0 halfway through the first period. This certainly did not go unnoticed by the throngs of Preds fans sitting around us, who enjoyed showing us just where the scoreboard was…making sure we were aware of the situation.
In all honesty…Preds fans are pretty cool folks for the most part. They, along with Caniacs are among my most favorite of supporters of other teams. They can rib ya…take some in return…and not take it personally.

Chris Thorburn celebrates his short-handed goal with Marty Reasoner, Zach Bogosian and Ron Hainsey (AP Photo/Frederick Breedon)
Wasted in the effort were Bryan Little’s pair of goals and Chris Thorburn’s shorty. For Bryan they were numbers 7 and 8. Todd White assisted on Little’s first goal…the one that got Atlanta to within one before the first break…giving him two points in as many games. Whitey is also a +1 in the past five games.
After Martin Erat’s blast put Nashville up 3-1 halfway into the second, Atlanta roared back with Thorburn’s short-handed goal…assisted by Marty Reasoner…and Little’s second assist of the game. But it was all undone right at the beginning of the third when Jason Arnott, Cody Franson and Steve Sullivan teamed up to take a face off win and score with just seven second elapsed in the third period.
Apparently, they had observed that the Thrashers tended to come out of the locker room somewhat flat and had a plan to capitalize on it.
“It was Franny’s call,” Arnott said after the game. “He came up to me before the draw and said, `If we win it, bust up the middle and I’ll hit you,’ and he did. And it just happened so fast”.
And that was all Nashville ultimately needed to procure the two points and send the Thrashers back to Atlanta with nothing to show for their stop off in Nashville.
After the game, the buses packed with disappointed fans headed back home. However, the five of us decided to meander out onto Broadway to do a little in-depth investigation into the nighttime activities of the local population. What we found was fascinating, to say the least. There are many establishments in which folks can gather to listen to…and dance to…live bands while consuming vast quantities of adult beverages. Morty, Shooter, Razor, Frenchy and myself made it a point to…ahem…investigate several such businesses on our way back to the hotel.
Actually, this “checking out” process of the local pubberies began shortly after lunch when we found two or three such places and began our “studies”.
Along the way, we ran into several Thrashers fans who were doing the same thing the five of us were…and a great time was had by all.
One of the people I met was John, an occasional contributor to this forum. I also met some great fans from Douglasville… Melissa and Aimee…and they promised they and their husbands would move from “lurker” status to actually posting a comment or two.
I’m gonna hold ‘em to it once they make their way home…which is something I will do myself later in the day once some of this snow gives way to the sunshine that is starting to appear up here right now.
Oh…and one last thing. In one of these Nashville bars, Mortimer Peacock lost his Ilya Kovalchuk signed jersey. I can only imagine that somewhere around here, a pretty young gal is waking up wearing a blue Thrashers jersey and wondering just where in the world it came from.
Oh well…what happens in Nashvegas, stays in Nashvegas.
212 comments Add your comment
Not Blind
January 31st, 2010
9:43 am
None of this matters. Like was pointed out in an earlier blog, this team will be hard pressed to win any of the last 5 games of the season.
Nikita (in PA)
January 31st, 2010
9:56 am
Whatever, Debbie Downer.
Those of us who did not attend were hard-pressed to comprehend the game, since the feed on Centre Ice was…well…if you haven’t seen it, you have no idea how weird it was. Let’s see…not hi-def. No commentary or score bar. Occasional interruptions of the game to show us the organ guy rocking out. It was very strange.
As to the game, we lost a game that we should have won. Those first two goals were ridiculous and inexcusable. Beyond that, if only the Slater/Whoever fight hadn’t happened, we should have made it to overtime.
Mrs. Zoomo
January 31st, 2010
10:20 am
safe travels!! we are hitting the road later after the Country Music Hall of Fame.
I hope the bus got back to ATL ok.
Rawhide
January 31st, 2010
10:23 am
Mrs. Zoomo – Enjoy the CMHoF. I’m heading out in just a short while.
Great to see you, Zoomo and the little guy yesterday…be safe on the trip home.
Nikita – As for the feed last night…I would suspect that since the game was not on TV in Nashville or Atlanta, Center Ice picked up the house feed. I’ve watched a couple games like that this season.
World Be Free
January 31st, 2010
10:27 am
Tough loss, but a good effort.
Darren
January 31st, 2010
10:42 am
It was extremely frustrated to see the hard work in the second negated by such a sloppy start to the third. It was also frustrating when the Kane goal got wiped out. Alas, that came back to haunt Atlanta.
Good thing Boris and Arnott seemed okay. That not only looked bad live, it sounded bad live.
Darren
January 31st, 2010
10:49 am
Make that extremely *frustrating*.
Smoothie
January 31st, 2010
10:56 am
It’s past time that they split up Hainsey & Bogosian. I think I’d rather see Hainsey & Valabik on the 2nd pairing at this point. Every time somebody scores a goal it seems Zach and / or Ron are behind the play just coasting towards the goal. Or they could just trade Hainsey & Kovy to Calgary for Phaneuf, Bourque & Boyd. Saw the replay of Kane’s sweet (no)goal and I can’t for the life of me understand why you would blow the whistle behind the play like that when they are so far from the puck, but I guess that’s how it works. Blow the whistle as soon as the altercation gets heated. But they hadn’t even thrown off the gloves! Oh well, the goal to start the third was inexcusably lazy.
rob
January 31st, 2010
11:08 am
Obviously lots of problems with the feed and stuff there, and the first half of first period was strange, almost as bad as watching the Montreal game in french earlier in the season. Finally got a game clock and the radio announcer for them linked up, and the announcers weren’t too bad, pointing out the good and bad of each team. The call on Kane’s thing was unfortunate, but correct. Slater coming up behind the guy and provoking the calls cost us a goal, but oh well move on with it. Enough sloppy play on both teams parts and we had several GOOD chances to tie/win but the bounces didn’t go our way. Hockey gods are toying with us, me thinks. I blame all bad luck on bad GM and owners, who have upset the hockey gods to such a great extent that they will forever dog them until they are banished from all of hockey!!!
rob
January 31st, 2010
11:20 am
Oh yeah, heard a lot of LET’S GO THRASHERS chants which had to have been good for the team to hear. Hope they appreciated all of you driving through the weather for a chance to see them play hockey outside Phillips and to be so vocal about it! They owe you thanks, should give you a ticket voucher with ticket stub from Nashville.
FlamesFan
January 31st, 2010
11:37 am
Listening to the game on the internet, I thought I heard a whistle during Kane’s Breakaway, and was surprised when I Kamil called out “HE SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORES!” So, Rinne (Pred goalie) may have also heard it and let up some.
Miami Screaming Eagle
January 31st, 2010
12:09 pm
If Waddell blows this Kovalchuk situation and loses him for nothing, he should be fired immediately and driven straight to the airport, given a one-way ticket out of town never to return to this region again.
Why the heck this issue goes unresolved is way beyond me.
World Be Free
January 31st, 2010
12:18 pm
Dion to Toronto/wow!
Leafs give up their offense in Hagman, but get a stud that will anchor their backline for the bext 10-12 years. The players going to Calgary will be long out of the league when Dion is still playing in Toronto.
Great deal by the Leafs.
Brendan
January 31st, 2010
12:41 pm
Rawhide, safe travels. Nashvegas can have that effect on some people. Sounds like everyone had a great time. The Preds’ house looked PACKED on the “Jumbotron feed” that Center Ice ran last night.
WBF, the bottom line is this. Going into the 3rd period, Atlanta positioned themselves for ONE POINT in the standings, if they played the 3rd stanza “even” with the Preds. They did not. Consequently, they got ZIP. No points. But am I broken up about it? Look, Nashville is the better team. And there it is. We lose to the Leafs, Isles, Bolts or Cats like that, and it bothers me a bunch.
Miami Screaming Eagle, I think I’m ready to make my prediction on Kovalchuk. They’re not gonna trade him. They’ll obfuscate that Atlanta is way too close to making the playoffs, and keep him. At season’s end, the gloves come off, and Kovy is free to say whatever he jolly well pleases about ownership, Waddell, Coach Anderson, the scouts, whomever. By that point, fans of the club are so angry … that they welcome the trade at the June draft for some other team’s disgruntled, high-salaried cap issue PROBLEM CHILD and a 3rd round pick to the Thrashers.
Our reaction? The problem child player ‘maybe just needs a change of scenery’ and the 3rd round pick is moved for this club’s next Chris Thorburn, to replace either Thorburn or Boulton. And life continues on, led by the perpetually clueless in charge. With their ‘pattented strategy’ of league minimum payroll and reloading via the lottery draft. With six thousand (6,000) fans of the other team attending the home games. Come to think of it, the AS, LLC doesn’t even need a ticket rep for that. They just need an open box office on game day. Yay! Another cost-cutting measure! They should hire me as a consultant. I can fleece them out of their money, Waddell-style. He gave me the blueprint and the idea. All I’d have to do is follow it.
LAC
January 31st, 2010
12:57 pm
Gee Brenden, I think you may be correct !!!!!
This team needs a SHAKE UP from Top to Bottom.
But I have to ask this and ALL name calling aside… Where ARE these owners ?
Why do they NOT make comments on the Thrashers ? Why do they seem content with
a POOR product on the ice, when WINNING packs the house ? Just WHY are they
doing NOTHING and saying NOTHING ? Just WHAT is THEIR collective problem ?
I think “collective” is the key word here, but this team needs a SPARK and with waddell in charge
it’s like using a Civil War Cannon against an A-1 Tank… NO chance we will win !
But I can only hope this zach is GONE, he was worthless last night like most everynight,
Why does he get so much TOI when he $ucks ? I’d Gladly take a third tounder for him right now, before he has ZERO value in the near future, yet another top pick WASTED, watch you WILL see, he is NOT going to make it !
hollywould
January 31st, 2010
1:17 pm
Just watched the highlights (or lowlights) Man, Bogosian has turned into the worst. Sit him/make him acountable.
fes
January 31st, 2010
1:19 pm
I didn’t get to make the trip since I’m battling a nasty cold. There were times during the radio broadcast that I swear you guys were louder than our crowd sometimes is in Philips. It’s an unfortunate L, but they are the better team. Until our guys play a full 60 minutes and learn to pass where someone is going to be instead of where they are, we’re going to keep spinning our wheels as a mediocre team.
Glad to hear that some of you hit up the arena area pre and post game, as there are some really good bars in Nashvegas. A couple of them are so good that I don’t even remember them first-hand, hehe.
Brian Burke has been a busy man today…they’ve aquired Phaneuf and Giguere.
World Be Free
January 31st, 2010
1:22 pm
LAC, Brendan, I look at what Burke just did in Toronto, pretty amazing. Change can be done in situations where it is needed, like Atlanta.
With virtually no assets, Burke just went out and bettered his team by getting a superior player to what he gave in return. That’s how a pro does it. Dion Phaneuf can play on my team anytime. All Toronto really gave up to get him was Hagman, who came to Toronto free anyhow – thru free agency.
You have to be willing to make changes in your roster, considering the number of teams in the playoff hunt especially in spots 6-8. By now, it is clear what we are and what we are not. Make some moves, either trades or callups to get this roster going.
Atlanta leads the league in 1 goal games; a few more wins in these games, where would we be?
R. Stroz
January 31st, 2010
1:25 pm
Does the ASG receive a tax credit for having a special needs GM on the payroll?
LAC
January 31st, 2010
1:29 pm
WBF, You are CORRECT, he saw a sinking ship and did something to repair it. Will it stick, maybe… maybe not, but for now it might help.
Meanwhile here in Atlanta we are stuck with the man with NO brain waddell, who is STILL calling the shots, though I cannot believe how after he has ruined hockey here and he will do NOTHING to improve the team and esp the DEFENSE, which is being ruined by this zach b. kid !
WAIVE zach b NOW !
We don’t have a preyer as long as The Master of Disaster is in control !
Lee
January 31st, 2010
1:31 pm
Dion in a Maple Leafs jersey…..can’t picture that. I’d have Dion on my team any day of my life, but it’s a dream, because they can’t even sign kovy.
Mooseberg
January 31st, 2010
1:31 pm
Thanks to the Nashville High AV club for the game broadcast on NHL Center Ice…of course that is better than we got for the local stations here.
BG33Brown
January 31st, 2010
1:32 pm
Waive Zach Bogosian…..are you nuts? Is he struggling…no doubt about it. But you don’t give up on 19 yr old Defensemen. You were probably bitching about Coburn too. I got an idea, lets trade zach for rob blake a 19 year old for a 40 year old. Brilliant!!!
Lee
January 31st, 2010
1:36 pm
I think Burke purposely did that to insult Waddell. Haha I can imagine this:
Burke-Hey Donny, guess who I signed??? And guess who you didn’t?
Waddell-Shut up Burke, I bet I could sign Kovy by tomorrow!
Burke-(chuckles) Ooook, whatever.
2 years later, Burke decideds to call Waddell to see what he’s up to, waddell never answers because the team moved.
Sigh……………..
gcs
January 31st, 2010
1:48 pm
Flames trade Dion Phaneuf to the Leafs. Thrashers do nothing. Film at eleven…
.
World Be Free
January 31st, 2010
1:57 pm
LAC-even a callup would suit me right now. You have to stor the pot on occasion and this pot is lon overdue for a mixup.
I don’t share your desire to get rid of Bogo, but I do agree with your feelings on his play. I still say he needs a vet to get him in the right direction.
The coaching staff needs to deal with this.
Smitty
January 31st, 2010
2:06 pm
Unbelievable. Calgary improves. Toronto loses what little offense they had but improves defensively. Anaheim ????. And our GM is still sitting accomplishing nothing while the face of the franchise is getting quotes from United Van Lines.
Bad game defensively last night as well as some quetionable goaltending and officiating.
TSN.ca/NHL has over 50 pages of responses to the trade and he we sit with the same questions about Kovy as we did at the end of last year.
ASG, you have got to wake up.
BG33Brown
January 31st, 2010
2:17 pm
I am no Waddell fan….however-the last 2 trades between Burke and Waddell, there is no arguing Waddell flattened him.
R. Stroz
January 31st, 2010
2:17 pm
Comparing Burke and Waddell is like comparing sh!t to shinola.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/114000.html
And we all know Burke is the shinola.
Jimbo
January 31st, 2010
2:23 pm
Time to beat a dead horse to death. Anderson’s “SYSTEM” stinks. Early in the season we entered the offensive zone with multiple passes and it was fun to see. Now, we’re back to the old dump and chase. BORING. And there is NO DEFENSIVE COMPonent to it. Why in the world can’t Hainsey and Bogosian recognize their defensive assignments when their partner is in the corner or behind the net? All they do is run around and leave gapping holes in front of Moose. Time for Bogosian to sit and watch for awhile. Bring up Kulda. FRUSTRATING, FRUSTRATING to see this team with its talent simply run around.
rob
January 31st, 2010
2:50 pm
I posted on Chris’ blog a thought. How about a series detailing the history of the Thrashers to date? Start at the top with ownership (if you can call them owners, maybe we should refer to them as absenty owners), What have they accomplished for the team and hockey in this city? GM (AKA slumlord) same thought. Coaches, players, and us the fans. A perfectly honest series detailing hockey here and what has gone right/wrong with it and what still needs to be done. Would you read such a story? Would it be relavent to the team, the city, and the fans? If Waddell doesn’t want to answer questions about anything important, how about asking the ASG?
Not Blind
January 31st, 2010
3:03 pm
When the D-man at the points [ offensive zone ] turns around and starts quickly skating towards his zone to be in position for the other team’s oncoming puck carrier I call it “hauling a$$”. It is usually a smart move.
Right now the Thrasher’s D ain’t hauling a$$ when they should. They are either standing at the other teams blueline or ,even worse, trapped on a stupid pinch.
World Be Free
January 31st, 2010
3:27 pm
I am so depressed today; I can’t believe we missed out on Dion Phaneuf. If you were going to ask me to start a team from scratch, which defenseman I would take first, it would be Dion. Why you say?
-He’s a number one defenseman on virtually any team in the league.
-He is under contract for a few more years.
-Put him with Bogo and have a #1 team for the next 4 years. Bogo won’t stray playing with Phaneuf.
-He is physical, in the corners and in front of the net
-He’s a minutes eater; the more ice time, the better he plays.
-His Howitzer slap shot, do you think that would help our power play? Do you think those fellows in Florida would be so eager to block his shot?
-Phaneuf is surly most of the time. Western Canadian media didn’t like him because he didn’t like stupid questions and most of all, he played surly. I like surly.
Most of all, you have the fear factor. Beyond just being physical, he is a lights out hitter. The worst fear for any forward is being on the ice with the guy knowing he’s looking for you. Put your head down and its nighty-nite. His hitting ability is the intangible that puts Phaneuf over the top. Phaneuf could have neutralized all the top lines in our division, including Ovechkin. I don’t think The Great 8 would be such a smart ass with Dion on the ice.
What makes this worse is that Toronto basically gave up a bag of turds to get Phaneuf. We have enough turds that we could have made this deal without giving up Kovalchuk.
The only person more depressed that me right now is Sean Avery. Dion’s in the East.
Brendan
January 31st, 2010
3:49 pm
WBF, I completely agree. More directly to the point, how do you compensate for blowing the Coburn situation? Well, isn’t the answer, “You get Phaneuf, the 9th overall pick from 2003, one draft position behind #8 Coburn?” Ummn-hmmn. Yes, that’s what you do.
How did Burke pull this off? What did he give up for Giguere, by the way? Giggy walks in this door, he’s the #1 goaltender in Atlanta. Pavelec can be the backup. Toronto had nothing to give. They suck. There’s Schenn, but that’s crazy to give up. So, now they have Kessel, Giggy, and Phaneuf. Next order of business for the Leafs? Jettison Exelby for whatever you can salvage. Oh gosh, he’s coming back to Atlanta, isn’t he? Carolina caught the Leafs in the standings, WBF. Maybe that’s the impetus for these moves. Boston is smiling.
Ya know what? Let’s say the Bruins MISS the playoffs. That means they’ll draft anywhere between 5th and 14th overall. Plus, they get Toronto’s 1st rounder and 2nd rounder vis the Kessel trade. WBF, for argument’s sake, let’s say the Bruins draft 10th overall. Still with me? And, let’s say that the Leafs finish 28th or 29th in the league. Let’s just say 28th. That’s the 3rd overall pick, plus the 10th overall pick, plus the 33rd overall pick. Plus their own 2nd round pick, makes 40th overall. What does it mean? Boston gets four picks inside the Top 40 overall.
Think what they could do! If I’m Waddell, and I must trade Kovalchuk, I’d sure like that 3rd overall pick, via Toronto, from Boston. Even their 10th overall wouldn’t be bad. The Bruins know that Savard and Kovalchuk is a combination that will work. It worked in Atlanta, so it’ll work in Boston, too.
Yeah, I know. The Bruins might make the playoffs, too. I hear ya.
Red Light
January 31st, 2010
3:59 pm
Leafs get a 24-year-old all-star defenseman under contract for four more years, a 32-year-old goalie under contract for one more year, a dependable 26-year-old defensive forward making $750k and a 20-year-old 6-foot, 6-inch defenseman playing in the AHL, in exchange for two soft forwards owed $6 million each for the next two years, a tough veteran forward who will become a UFA, a guy who has yet to reach his potential and will become a UFA, a goalie who makes $4 million and proved since leaving San Jose he is and always will be a back-up and a dependable defenseman making $950k. Burke got the better of the deal while Calgary added a lot of depth. I think Mayers and White will play well for the Flames in the playoffs, but how Sutter can justify this deal for what he got in return should make good blog fodder up north.
It’s a steal for the Leafs!
Smoothie
January 31st, 2010
4:02 pm
Well, nice job DWad sleeping on the job again! Shoulda, coulda had Phaneuf. We might have even been able to dump Ron Hainsey considering all of the salary Calgary took on in the deal with TOR. They are SO desperate to make the playoffs that they didn’t even get any real cap relief. Like WBF said, we might have been able to jettison the likes of Afinogenov, White and dare I say, Little to get a #1 D-man to tutor the struggling D-man of the future, Bogosian. Not that Kovy wants to stay. A trade of Kovy, Hainsey & Little for Phaneuf, Bourque, Boyd and Sjostrom (a guy we should’ve signed as a FA) would have given them more cap relief, plus a legitimate shot at keeping Kovy. This team needs grit and work ethic to play with Antro, Kane, Peverley, Slater & Army. If we don’t pick up some hard-working NHL players with a future, we have no shot at keeping Colby in the fold. Now I guess we should focus our attention on Boston and Philly as they seem to be the likely front-runner for Kaptain Kupcake.
Red Light
January 31st, 2010
4:02 pm
It was Toskala and Blake for Giguere. Blake is making $3 million per for the next two seasons and so is Hagman. That was my reference to the soft forwards above.
Smoothie
January 31st, 2010
4:06 pm
Bourque – Antro – Max
Kane – Peverley – Army
Boyd – Slater – Sjostrom
Boults – Reasy – Thor / White
Phaneuf & Bogo
Kubina & Tobes
Boris & Peanut
Yeah, I think I could like that line-up even with Finny’s nasty habit of turning the puck over at the blueline and whiffing on one-timers.
The Joker
January 31st, 2010
4:32 pm
In a conversation earlier this weekend:
Brian: Hi Don, how are things going down there with the contract talks?
Don: Well, not as well as expected. The phone keeps ringing off the hook.
Brian: Don, I think you and the wife need a break this weekend, so I booked a rustic mountain cabin for you, so you wont have to deal with cell phones and emails.
Don: Thanks Brian, we’ll pack this bags and head out immediately, I’ll give you call Monday.
Brian: Hangs up phone, and says “SUCKER”
World Be Free
January 31st, 2010
4:35 pm
Brendan, I totally forgot about the draft! A number of teams dropped the ball on Dion, naturally we were one of them. This guy is 24 years old, barely broken in when you consider the development of defenseman. Elisha will like Toronto.
As for the trades, well like Sam Pollack used to say, the team that gets the best player in a deal wins the deal. Tronna got Jiggy and Dion in 2 deals. Nuff said. Ian White is very over rated. If he didn’t play for the Leafs nobody would know who he is. Mayers is a pipe fitter.
Red Light-I like Stajan and I agree with you that he has not reached his potential. Getting our of Toronto will help him, as it did for Alyn McAuley.
Sage of Bluesland
January 31st, 2010
4:56 pm
Wow.
Too bad too many didn’t listen–and continued to subsidize the incompetence exhibited by the ownership and the GM of this pitiful franchise.
Look in the mirror for a big ’cause’ of the current problem, those who still had that hopelessly laughable “Belief in Blueland”!
I think Brendan is right: The ownership loves that blustering, lisping little fraud of a GM leading this team. After all, he continues to pee on the sheep, ‘promising’ it’s just rain–and, remarkably, the sheep continue to buy it!
Wow. Congratulate yourselves…You have continuously proven that P.T. Barnum was indeed correct…
Traveling Thrash Fan
January 31st, 2010
5:12 pm
Where did you sit Rawhide? I didn’t see you at the tailgate or anywhere with the group.
Your take in the Thrashers fans loading up disappointed is completely wrong. Yes it was a tough loss but all the fans who went had a great time before, during and after the game. The bus I rode was very lively and lots of good hockey talk. Many thanks to the Fan Club for setting this trip up.
stendec
January 31st, 2010
6:46 pm
As long as apologist sheep savor close defeats why the #### should the owners or GM give a ####? Praise? After a giveup 4-3 gut punch? Not fans as far as I am concerned! Happy for sixth, seventh or even eighth place? Give me a ####### break! Professionals are paid to win. Not show up! Not sign autographs. Not to appear in television promotional spots. Not even to compete. To win! At least true professionals do. Johan Moose Hedberg is a professional! Other professionals on the team are, uh, oh, well, no one comes to mind. Why? Because there are simply not any more! Give ############# son of a ##### Ilya Kovalchoke the big long term contract. Guarantee bottom feeder status for years to come! So #### digusted with you sheep who demand no accountabilty that I do not know what else to say. Are all of you really so satisfied with this inferior bull####? Sheesh! ++STENDEC++
Darkhorse
January 31st, 2010
7:02 pm
Besides our own village idoit running the show here, how can all the other GMs not have offered a better package for Dion than Burke? Surprised the Flames didn’t wait and get a better deal elsewhere. Many teams around the league have better NHL quality depth they could send for Dion than what Toronto sent.
Lee
January 31st, 2010
7:11 pm
Giguere too? Geez….
John
January 31st, 2010
7:42 pm
Rawhide- great meeting you last night, sorry we didn’t run into ya on Broadway, but we’ll jus make a point to do it later this season when the preds and thrash meet in the Stanley Cup Finals. Hope you had a safe trip back…tough one to think about on the drive though…
World Be Free
January 31st, 2010
7:43 pm
Smoothie-I hate the thought of Toronto getting better. I wanted them in last place for the next decade, maybe more.
Darkhorse-I keep wondering the same thing. The rumor of Dion being available has been out there for weeks. Smoothie suggested a few guys we could have gave Calgary that I thought were better than Toronto’s. Amazing
Rawhide
January 31st, 2010
7:47 pm
Traveling Thrash Fan – We were sitting upstairs…just above where you guys were. Seeing so many Thrashers fans down there was quite a sight indeed.
Sorry I missed the tailgate party. The group I was with were dining at one of the pubs down the road and had planned to join…but got caught up with a couple other Thrashers fans there and lost complete track of time. It was 7:00 when we left and ran 2 blocks through the ice and snow to get to the arena and our seats just as the puck dropped.
I swung down during the first intermission to say hi to several there.
As for my comments regarding Thrashers fans being “dissapointed ” when they left on the buses…it was mean in light of the team coming up on the losing end of the score. That’s all. I am certain that the entire group had a fantastic trip up, during the game and the ride home!!
Great showing from Thrasherville!
John – Dude! Buddy! Thanks so much for swinging by and introducing yourself. It was great to meet you and your friend sporting the Bruins 2010 Winter Classic jersey.
The drive back was much easier than the drive up…all ice and sludge was removed from the I-40 and I-24. Did the trip in 3-1/2 hours today.
And yes…it’s a date! This June, we do it again!
Smoothie
January 31st, 2010
8:01 pm
World – it is depressing because it is becoming increasingly evident that DWad doesn’t have the balls to trade Kovy. It has to be done. Even if we make the playoffs with Kovy, we can’t beat Wash or Pitt in a 7 game series. We need to pile up assets if we can’t get enough good players in a Kovy + (insert player) swap. Meanwhile, Burke recognizes the need for change and he will likely deal and deal and deal until all the dead weight is gone.
On a side note, it was nice to see Little finally get some rewards for his hard work. However, if it means getting some good players in exchange for Kovy, so be it. Perhaps a trade involving Little over the summer can be used to pry those prized RFAs from Chicago.
World Be Free
January 31st, 2010
8:46 pm
Smoothie-hope the boys upstairs are reading your post. Sign him or trade him; doing nothing invites the possibility us getting nothing or close to nothing-what Florida received for Bouwmeester right before he became a UFA.
Brendan
January 31st, 2010
9:41 pm
Exactly right, WBF. The return for Kovy in June … won’t be much.
Brendan
January 31st, 2010
9:42 pm
Toronto drafted 7th last year, right? If they’re ahead of us by next season, I’m gonna hurl.
I mean, technically, good for the Leafs, right? They’re TRYYYYING to improve themselves. Gazing at the standings, we’re in better position than they are. But really, don’t you have this sinking feeling in the pit of your stomachs that … we’re just marching games off the schedule, with no real goal in sight?
I’m sure there are those who do feel that if losing Kovy is inevitable, we might as well keep him, in hopes of a playoff berth. Rather than trading him and foregoing the rest of the season with whatever is the return. In Waddell’s shoes, Kovy walking in free agency makes #17 look like the bad guy, who wouldn’t accept a reasonable contract. 10-years, $85 million isn’t chump change, if that really was the offer. And if Kovy had accepted it, Atlanta could have really fielded a decent team around him. Of course, that’s more of a July 2009 price structure. Inflation now makes Kovy’s “value” more like $10+ million. Consequences for inaction, anyone?
Truthfully, I don’t know that Atlanta can make the playoffs, even if Kovy stays. I guess it’s possible. But the final 5 games are the toughest games on the whole schedule. I see a point, maybe two, in those final five games. I know that trading Kovalchuk won’t ever replace him. I know that waiting until the June draft to trade him to where he wants to go … might get us something, but it won’t be as good as what we can get at the deadline. And above all, I know we can’t turn the hands of the clock back to 2007, to fire Waddell and Hartley … and bring in real instruments of change for this franchise.
It’s hard to watch it all unfold, folks. But this is the “effect” of standing pat with Waddell. I’ve always said, we must compare ourselves to other teams, in similar situations. One of those teams was the Columbus Blue Jackets, who did fire their village idiot, Doug MacLean. But right now, I think Columbus is in 13th or 14th place in the West, after a 2009 playoff berth, where they got swept by Detroit. So, believe it or not, we’re actually ahead of them, with Waddell. Amazingly. But GM Scott Howson has to make a decision on Head Coach Ken Hitchcock pretty quickly. In fact, it can be argued that he’s already wasted too much time. Tampa Bay is another club to measure ourselves against. Today, the Bolts lost to the Capitals in regulation time. Never cheered so loudly for an Ovechkin goal. I suppose, we can take some comfort in knowing that the Florida Panthers are about an inept as we are. Florida, believe it or not folks, hasn’t won a playoff game since 1997. And they haven’t made the playoffs since 2000, when they were swept out by New Jersey.
The point? Well, sadly, it’s this. There are quite a few inadequate franchises in the NHL. It’s not just us. But just because some other clubs are just as pathetic and poorly run as we are … is no excuse for inaction.
For all the vitriol of Sage of Bluesland, (and this time, that is the real Sage, not the imposters,) he is right about something that is very painful for me to discuss. When Atlanta fans get disrespected, we shrug and make excuses for the ownership and Waddell. Oh, it’s the lawsuit. We can’t expect much. Oh, it’s the hoodwinkable ownership. They just don’t know any better. Oh, it’s that the ownership cares about basketball, not hockey. And then … there’s this thought. We better be happy to be sleeping on the cot in the basement, because it’s really much colder outside. Meanwhile, hubby is shacked up with his secretary, in our bedroom, in OUR house, wearing our pearls. And all the neighbors know it. Her car was in the driveway … all night long. So, she spent the night. But when she goes off to work, it looks like a ‘happy, stable home’ … and a successful marriage, from the curbside drive-by onlookers.
Folks, our house is in disarray. We’re being tremendously disrespected. Hubby’s pretty happy with his live-in mistress, though. Her name is the Hawks. He hasn’t been served with divorce papers, because the Thrasher fans are happy to have a cot … in the cold, damp … mildewy basement. Ostensibly because … it’s really much colder outside. If we don’t get an attorney, to reclaim our house, and order inside it, Hubby won’t be held accountable for his treasonous transgressions. If you’re a STH, you’ve got to call your ticket rep to say … your seat will be empty next season, unless your fire Waddell.
R. Stroz
January 31st, 2010
9:49 pm
Exactly right, WBF. The return for Kovy in June … won’t be much.
True, but it will be better than the return for Todd White.
Jeff97
January 31st, 2010
10:00 pm
Rawhide, despite the loss, I think a great time was had by all. It was a pleasure speaking with you for a few moments over at The Second Fiddle.
I spoke with numerous Preds fans that night and all of them were cool people and most thought that we as Thrasher fans travelled real well. It was great to go on the road and make it feel at home.
As for the game itself, Anderson has to find a way to shore up the man advantages that teams get up ice against us. it seems that almost every game teams get 2-3 breakaways from the blue line in and multiple other 2 on 1’s and 3 on 2’s. There really should be no excuse in allowing a goal 7 seconds into a period.
As for Kovy, whether he stays or goes is one thing, but the thing that bothers me the most is that it does not seem like he is putting in a full effort for the last 10 games. He has not been hustling to the puck as he normally does, he hardly hits anyone anymore (is he saving his body for his new contract?) and just appears to be loafing at times when he is on the ice. if your gonna leave us, at least gives us your best until the last game.
ben
January 31st, 2010
10:06 pm
Burke is a genius. I couldn’t believe that deal. Calgary, are they in the playoffs? Is Phillips really wanting to drop the naming rights? Is that real?
Brendan
January 31st, 2010
10:07 pm
Keep ‘em coming, R.Stroz. You’re on a roll!
I think Todd White can be packaged. You’ve just got to find a team flush against the cap. If Waddell can find a home for Patrik Stefan and Brad Larsen, he can trade White, as well.
Rawhide
January 31st, 2010
10:26 pm
Jeff97 – Pleasure was all mine. The Second Fiddle is a great place, eh?
LAC
January 31st, 2010
10:32 pm
Well brown 33, YOU been watching zach’s play this season, HE $UCKS, PERIOD.
At this point you should improve not regress and he is THE WORST Defensmen on the
team, he has COST us at least 6-7 games this seasons, Games we would have WON if NOT for good old little wimp boy zach… He is not going to improve, if he was he would be, he is a WASTER third overall pick who is NOT NHL ready and not worthy of the “A”, he SHOULD be in the ECHL at the very very best.
So brown33, YOU watch his play next game and see how many goals he gives Tampa, I bet TWO !
World Be Free
January 31st, 2010
10:32 pm
Leave it to Stroz to 1-up me. I can get a Jimmy T-shirt, but forget the Todd White jersey. Still cannot forget the guy in CNN with the Todd White game jersey. That’s like have a sign on your ass that sez “kick me”.
Brenden, you are correct; we are not the only franchise that can’t make the deals. But it seems like we have been this way forever. I think back on today and the dealings of Brian Burke. Really, he has nothing to lose cause they are almost in last anyhow. Burke lost games with the 6 guys he just traded, so why not lose with a new group of guys?
Who can figure out Calgary? They just traded for 4 guys, gave 2 back to Tronna. This means they have to open up 2 more roster spots for a stiff like Mayers and 1 more. Stajan is gone at year’s end and White is an RFA looking for a raise on a team with no cap room. So at the end of the year you have Hagman for Phaneuf.
Also, Ales Kotalik has walked out on the Rangers becuase of a lack of playing time. The Rangers signed him to a 3 year deal over the summer. Now NY is finding out what Buffalo knew all along. Big Ales plays like Little Alice, that huge frame means nothing if you don’t use it.
Sharon
January 31st, 2010
11:58 pm
What the heck is Calgary doing? First Phaneuf, now Jokinen (if the deal goes through) for some ‘interesting’ pieces in return. I wonder if they’re putting together a package to trade for…?
World Be Free
February 1st, 2010
5:40 am
Calgary moves-I think the Sutter brothers have had too many concussions
Smoothie
February 1st, 2010
8:36 am
Why would the Flames ever consider trading Jokinen for Kotalik?? At least Ollie hustles and plays both ways.
Damn it, I knew CGY would be open to trading both Phaneuf and Jokinen. ATL could have been the trading partner with Kovy as the centerpiece. But perhaps they wanted at least 2 roster players (Little and Hainsey?) back in a deal for Dion.
World Be Free
February 1st, 2010
9:00 am
Smoothie-that would be another stupid Calgary trade for sure. I like Olie, he always seemed to have the Thrashers’ number that’s for sure.
Alice is useless
Hockey Biltong
February 1st, 2010
9:13 am
Watched the low def game on center ice, while listening to 680 the low def radio broadcast. The sound of Thrasher fans was very cool to hear coming from Nashvegas!!! Kudos to all the Thrasher fans who made the trip!!
After watching OTF last night and learning about all the moves the ML’s just made, I cant’ help but wonder what sort of things are going on with Dudley and Waddell in terms of deals? Dealin’ Don and Rick have got to have something up their collective sleaves, right????
WBF – 119 H for Tues.. Hope to see you!!! You too Rawhide , ya big galumph…
Bob
February 1st, 2010
9:16 am
“With virtually no assets, Burke just went out and bettered his team by getting a superior player to what he gave in return. That’s how a pro does it. Dion Phaneuf can play on my team anytime.”
I can’t believe we missed on out Phaneuf. I have no idea why Cal-gary soured on him, but he was the #1 dman we’ve always missed. I would have done Kovy for Phaneuf straight up and laughed about it for years.
Now where in the world is Sara? I want to continue discussing the vitures of Brian Burke vs. Don Waddell with her (snicker) and talk about Kovy’s contract status, come out come out, Sara.
Drew
February 1st, 2010
9:16 am
Am I the only one that is asick of NBC showing the Penguins every week? Don’t get me wrong I like having the extra hockey, but good grief……
NBC = Nothing But Crosby. And is there a bigger douche than Pierre McGuire? I’m waiting for he and Sid to elope.
World Be Free
February 1st, 2010
9:37 am
Drew-good one, I am so sit on these guys. at least we will see Washington this week.
Biltong-you gonna jinx us with the 3rd jersey?
Bob-the Toronto trades drive me nuts yesterday when I should have been relaxing.
Hockey Biltong
February 1st, 2010
9:40 am
Yes!
Hockey Biltong
February 1st, 2010
9:48 am
The Columbus Blue Jackets remind me of two things.
1- How efficiently they resigned Nash and,
2 – How Manny Mal. turned down our large offer to go play for less, somewhere else…
It just rubs me the wrong way.
Smoothie
February 1st, 2010
9:50 am
Biltong – I hear ya man. I’m getting annoyed to the point that I wish Dealin’ Donnie would trade for Campbell and Malhotra and sign Zherdev to a $6.5 M deal to replace Kovy. Make all the players who spurned us play in this terrible hockey purgatory. Then again, I guess Z wanted to play for us. I traded for him in NHL 2009 and he couldn’t finish as well as I would like so I traded him to CHI for Patrick Sharp. Man I love me some Patrick Sharp!
hip czech
February 1st, 2010
9:51 am
Sharon, what would be more disastrous than what Calgary is doing is that the Rangers are making these moves to trade for Koastalchuk….which would mean, gulp, Jokinen coming here.
How depressing would that be? Kovalchuk a Ranger and Ollie Jokinen here. Please NO!
Smoothie
February 1st, 2010
9:58 am
hip czech – there are a lot worse players who could come here than Jokinen such as Kotalik, Redden and over-the-hill Drury. Hell, if that were to happen and we could get let’s say Jokinen, Staal and Dubinsky (we would surely have to give up Little or Army and probably Kubina), I would be quite pleased. Kovy and Grossman would not need to worry about a lack of funds because Sather would certainly find a way to give Kovy what he wants.
hip czech
February 1st, 2010
10:03 am
Two years ago I would have loved Jokinen here…not sure now given his play the last year or so.
Should be an interesting week, heck, even an interesting day as supposedly this is the day the Thrashers move one of the goalies. My guess is Moose will be the odd man out. Let’s hope Waddell improves this club this week (not holding my breath).
Smoothie
February 1st, 2010
10:15 am
Apparently, the Flames / Rangers deal might still be on according to Sportsnet in CA. According to them, Kotalik must give permission.
This trade seems very odd to me. It would basically be Chris Higgins for Ollie Jokinen straight up. Prust is a goon and plays 5-6 mins / night at best (does this mean Brashear is gonna get cut?) and Kotalik is a PP specialist capable of scoring once every blue moon at best.
Will there be more dealing by Sather to free up space for Kovy? Would Kovalchuk ever agree to play in NY for Torts of all coaches? Doubtful if you ask me. As much as I still think Jokinen has game (in the right system), I hope to hell Donnie does not make a deal with NY as I fear the worst when it comes to some of their old, washed-up players.
Red Light
February 1st, 2010
10:49 am
Perhaps, it’s the other way around with Kovy going to Calgary in exchange for a package of forwards and d-men.
White, Hagman and Higgins and Calgary’s 2nd-round pick in the 2010 draft to Atlanta (Coyotes already have the first-rounder).
Jokinen and Prust go to NY
Kotalik, Stajan, Mayers and Kovy in Calgary.
Sutter wouldn’t look like so much a fool then, would he?
hip czech
February 1st, 2010
10:54 am
Sutter wouldn’t look like so much a fool then, would he?
No, he wouldn’t..guess who winds up playing the fool in that scenario? Sorry, Hagman and Higgins are good 2nd or 3rd line players…we have enough of those already.
Bob
February 1st, 2010
11:00 am
“guess who winds up playing the fool in that scenario?”
Pick me, pick me!
I would have been fine with Phaneuf for Kovy straight up. And our team would have improved because of it (how much money would that have left us to go sign a scorer next year to replace Kovy?)
Bob
February 1st, 2010
11:07 am
Phaneuf is signed for 4 years after this year at a hit of $6.5m per year. That would leave us about $2.5m to sign someone to replace Kozlov on the 2nd line, Kane is taking the top LW spot next year.
hip czech
February 1st, 2010
11:10 am
Well, if Burke hadn’t made the move for Giguere I might have believed that Toronto turns around and sends Dion here for Kovy & Lehtonen or Pavelec. THAT would have been interesting.
Rawhide
February 1st, 2010
11:17 am
Bob - Look at it this way. If D-Wad had actually been able to pull a Kovy for Phaneuf straight up kinda deal…that would have ment bringing in a player signed for seral more years at roughly the price Kovalchuk is paid now.
Then, Kozlov’s $3.6 mil drops off this summer leaving you with that whole amount to do play with. Plus, Army’s $2.4 and Zhinik’s $1.16 paid to NOT play for us.
That’s a total of $7.16 million.
Bob
February 1st, 2010
11:26 am
Rawhide, good point. But we do need to replace Army as well, so mabye look at Kozzie and Zhitnik’s money, that would have meant Phaneuf for 4 years at $6.5 plus we have $4.5m to go sign a 2nd line LW (and then spend the $2.4m from Army on a 2nd line RW).
What the heck is Waddell doing?
Smoothie
February 1st, 2010
11:41 am
Red Light – interesting scenario you paint. I think we would be much better off with that trio than what we have now. I’d rather have Hagman on the 2nd line than Afina-skatearound. Max is wearing me out. At least he isn’t turning the puck over as much.
hip czech – I realize that return wouldn’t be very glamourous, but wouldn’t you rather have a consistent, 2-way player like Hagman who can pot 20-25 goals / year over Kozlov and Max? Add some grit to that line with Higgins who has not realized his potential due to erratic minutes and I think it would be a decent trade. Look at the line up potential:
Kane – Antro – Little (or Max)
Hagman – Pevs – Higgins
Army – Slater – Max (or B-Lits)
Reasy’s Pieces
Kubes & Tobes
Bogo & White
Hainsey & rotation of Boris / Salmsy
Right now, White would be an upgrade over either of our two under-performing 2nd pairing D-men.
While I think we could do better in a Kovy trade, at least we wouldn’t have to trade a goalie to CGY in this scenario. I’d rather they wait longer with Lehtonen and trade Moose at the deadline if Lehts plays well and can show his early spring form of last season.
Rawhide
February 1st, 2010
11:43 am
Bob – True…of course, another option is to waive Todd White and bring up Joey Crabb to fill his spot. Then, if the unthinkable happens and no teams just jumps at the prosect of taking on White’s $2.4 million hit to the cap…use the “Zhitnik Buyout Fund” to pay him to not play for us next season.
See…we do have options
Spud Webb
February 1st, 2010
11:44 am
WBF, I swear I posted saturday, Kovy for Dion??? I knew he was about to be traded, now I’m freaking pissed off. UGH. I hate toronto and they FLEECED the flames.
That a boy DW and ASG. A stud D man for the next four years at 6.5 is a STEAL (see Brian Campbell). We have a disgruntled captain, let’s be realistic ladies and gentleman, the time for signing Kovy has come and gone…unfortunate, but the fact none the less. Now what do we do???
Side note, I’ve gone to a nashville game each of the last 5 years…that barn is one of the coolest places ever to see a hockey game. I love it. Sorry I missed going to see the thrashers this time> I’ve actually never gone to see ATL, just other various teams from the West. As far as the bars Bill, well I have a few stories, being a single, bald, skinny guy!! What happens in Nashville stays at the marriott, ugh I mean in nashville!!! I love that town. What a party, all the time. I also suggest the country music fest in the summer, even if you dont like country, if you’re single it’s a HELL of a weekend!!!!!!
Spud Webb
February 1st, 2010
11:46 am
Bill I don’t think we’ll ever move todd white, then the photos he has of DW and the ASG kissing and such will come out. I fully expect him to be signed to a freaking life long contract anytime. ahhahahhahah
Smoothie
February 1st, 2010
11:51 am
Bill – thank you for mentioning Joey Crabb. Boy is flat-out on a tear of late. Scored 2 goals on Friday night’s win I think and has something like 10 goals in his last 16 games. Uh, time to cut bait with Slava or White and to open up a roster slot for 3rd line grit auditions. I’d rather have Colby playing wing on the 2nd line than White or Kozlov, especially if DWad is going to chicken out and keep Kovy for the “playoffs” stretch run. Idiot.
R. Stroz
February 1st, 2010
11:56 am
Is Kovy re-signed yet?
It’s February isn’t it?
Didn’t Waddell say this matter would be resolved by February?
Did Waddell name the year?
Inquiring minds want to know.
TableHockey
February 1st, 2010
11:56 am
apparently Exelby was wearing number 7 at the leafs skate this AM – guess he got no love when Dion came in and wanted his number.
Smoothie
February 1st, 2010
12:00 pm
XLB knows he’s the next throw-in on Burke’s subsequent deal.
Hey Donnie, call up your drinking buddy, Burkie, and offer him Kovy’s rights and Ron Hainsey for XLB, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Grabovski and Frank Kaberle. You fleeced him on Kubina so tell him you feel bad for hiim and offer him Koastal-chuk as a return favor!
The Burke
February 1st, 2010
12:19 pm
Donny didn’t fleece me, I just needed to clear cap space for Komiserick.
I like Donny, he’s a moron, but I like him anyway.
J.B.
February 1st, 2010
12:33 pm
I have this feeling something is going on behind the scenes with the thrashers which may or may not be related to the Toronto-Calgary-(possible) NYC business from this weekend and/or Kovy…
damn. i sound like eklund.
If Burke isn’t done dealing, I believe i’d like to see Poni in Atlanta.
erock
February 1st, 2010
1:05 pm
WE DONT NEED ANYMORE EUROPEAN PLAYERS…..PERIOD !!!!!!
The Burke
February 1st, 2010
1:11 pm
You have much to fear, I’ve been setting Donny boy up the last couple of trades now.
Drew
February 1st, 2010
1:35 pm
Kooling off for Kovy????
http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/151770-interest-in-kovalchuk-cooling?eref=fromSI
rob
February 1st, 2010
1:45 pm
If we have all of these “prospects” playing well, WTF wouldn’t you throw them up a few times throughout the year and see where they stand? Then if you are talking deals, you have a much better idea of what you really have vs. what you think you might have? UGH!!! All I wanna see is a good hardworking hardhitting team play hockey in a home jersey here.
How about a signed petition by STH and any other “concerned” fans to the ASG and Bettman?
Signed,
We have no doubt we will be substandard until you are gone or are removed by the league
J.B.
February 1st, 2010
2:34 pm
the roster is at capacity, I believe. you can’t bring someone up without making room. there’s also the issue of having to clear waivers for some players. not as simple as sticking someone from chicago in the roster for a game or two just to take a look.
as far as a petition goes, i think that’s been talked about pretty much every season and may have been tried at some point with little to no participation and/or success.
Rawhide
February 1st, 2010
2:47 pm
J.B. – With Schubert on IR, I think there is one slot open. If White were to be waived it would open a permanent slot. If possible, I’d love to see Crabb, Gratton or Spencer Machacek play while White and Kozlov manned the press box buffet.
However, I think you are correct regarding a waiver issue. I don’t know if either of the baove-mentioned players would be subject to that or not. But I sure would hate either of them to get “Peverley-ed” from us.
Hockey Biltong – I will be in 119 Q tomorrow night. I’ll see and Squeaky there.
Everyone – Here’s a couple of quick stats I failed to mention in the post yesterday morning…Atlanta finished January with a record of 6-5-4. Also, after allowing 3 power play goals to Carolina on the 21st, they have killed off 13 of the 14 man advantages faced in the past four games.
hip czech
February 1st, 2010
3:19 pm
Did the Thrashers practice today? If so, any reports from Duluth?
If today passes and we still have 3 goalies then Waddell’s statement from last week is just one more case of Waddell blowing hot air.
Rawhide
February 1st, 2010
3:24 pm
hip czech – Yes… C-Viv posted a blog earlier about practice…here it is.
Smoothie
February 1st, 2010
3:27 pm
Rawhide – Spencer Macho-check would certainly not need to clear waivers as he’s only played 2 NHL games. Crabb and Gratton may be a different story. I still think Crabb should have been on the roster starting from day 1. He probably would have made it if not for the late waiver pick-up of Schubert. And the injury to Valabik made Popovic necessary. Not really sure how Oystrick’s play at the end of last season didn’t count for more in the battle with Popovic. I like Pops but Oystrick played well in spite of XLB and sometimes Valabik.
Lee
February 1st, 2010
4:24 pm
White is sure to score another goal before Kovy gets this contract signed.
Rawhide
February 1st, 2010
4:26 pm
Lee – I think you just came up with a new Fan Poll for me….
What happens first: Kovy is re-signed/traded – or – Todd White scores another goal.
I’m going with the first option.
Brendan
February 1st, 2010
4:41 pm
We are rudderless at the GM position. Let’s just face it. There’s a minor league “habitus” that permeates our hallways. Until that changes, expect “inaction.”
alex
February 1st, 2010
4:48 pm
relax everybody, i am not sure how dion going to perform in east against big guns (ove, sid, malkin, stamkos, ext.) fire power in west, ofcourse he not played against iginla, much lesser. also remember kovy, when not contract distracted made him look like clown. so i am not in a hurry to declare toronto winner in this trade. now, could somebody explain me what asg is thinking. we already 6-8 point short because kovy situation affected everybody on the team. he is playing 40-50 % (don’t pay attention what JA saying, he knows it’s not tru but he must follow ASG+DW lie rule). let me get 2 possibilittis. #1 kovy got hurt on olimpicks or prior. what return DW going to get on deadline march 3 – nothing. #2 kovy not sign we in playoff playing with him. would he play to win or to save consider if he get seriosly injured it’s jeopardize his future long term big bucks. any way like usually asg screw up everything shoting himself in the foot. i give up guys.
R. Stroz
February 1st, 2010
4:59 pm
There’s a minor league “habitus” that permeates our hallways.
Add in the owners and that becomes a minor league habitat.
LAC
February 1st, 2010
7:02 pm
I just wish #17 would MAN UP to the FANS here on what he will do.
This cat and mouse crap has gone far enough, either come out and say
it’s over in Atlanta I will not resign or resign.
As far as don waddell goes, he is the most lying piece of human scum I have ever seen, Nobody like that deserves to be employed
even as a dish washer, waddell has LIED and LIED and LIED to ALL of us
I would just like to walk up and knock his teeth out, maybe, just maybe then the little coward would finally show some backbone, but I doubt it.
waddell has no idea what to do or how to do it. He will screw up any type trade that comes along, give #17 a week to sign or get out of town
before the Olympics, so all this mess will not be hanging over our heads for three weeks… GOD to have a REAL Professional GM, could this EVER happen for this messed up franchise ?
Like I said, Where the HELL is the NHL and Gary Bettman, I am losing a LOT of respect for him as each day passes, he needs to step in and
take over this club before it sinks to the absolute bottom.
Come on Bettman DO SOMETHING !
World Be Free
February 1st, 2010
7:52 pm
You know Spud, I think we all saw this coming though Calgary denied for a long time that they were trading Dion. It never made any dense that they signed Bouwmeester when you had Dion and bunch of other good D-men. All Bouwmeester has done is take time away from Dion; expendable at 24? Bouwmeester has been a disappointment in Calgary, so they get rid of Phaneuf? This kid should have anchored the Flames backline for the next decade. Like Burke said, Phaneuf is a warrior. Best descrption I have heard of him for sure.
Spud-I missed the Nashville trip too. I heard cold, ice and snow and thought it would be like a trip to Buffalo. I grew up in Hamburg along the lake; I had enough of that stuff, let’s plan a trip to Miami!
Kovy for Dion? Bob, I’d go with that if the Flames would have to toss in more than that, like maybe Olie to give us a #1 center for right now. Not sure what Calgary is thinking right now. They didn’t get anyone I would trade a stud for.
Biltong-I echoed your comments about the Blue Jackets during the summer. BJ’s ponied up and locked in key players and told Manny to take a hike. I think they are probably the most disappointing team in the league this year, but they are setup for the future. But remember, as much as we talk favorably about Columbus, the Blue Jackets have won exactly the same number of playoff games as the Thrashers – zero, zilch, nadda. So you can look good on paper, but you have to prove it on the ice. They have missed on some first rounders too.
Brendan-wonder where Dudley is in all this? I expected him to have a role this year. At this point, I have no idea what his role is. Bill, can you help us where, on what Dudley is supposed to be doing? I was juiced when I heard he was coming on board last summer, but I have no idea what his involvement means to this franchise.
Sage of Bluesland
February 1st, 2010
9:04 pm
Silly sheep! Don’t you realize that all you’re discussing–all you’ve EVER been discussing is merely re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic???
Do you even realize that? I’m serious with this question. I snicker when reading some of the comments which are sure to make the team do better–line changes and such rot in particular!
Keep re-arranging those chairs, lambchops, but allow me to let you in on a little secret: the Titanic is going down…down…down…This particular one has been sinking for near a decade now.
Yet many simply said, “MMMMM, Chocolate!” when it was quite the opposite being fed to them…but you lapped it up, didn’t you? You wanted to believe so, so badly!
(and you refused to listen to those who can spot a fraud a mile away)
World Be Free
February 1st, 2010
9:06 pm
Always good to have you on board Sage. You are part of this Titanic too.
World Be Free
February 1st, 2010
9:13 pm
Alex-the comments from players out west, especially in Vancouver are all elated that they will no longer have to play against Dion Phaneuf on a regular basis. Had Atlanta acquired Phaneuf, I can assure you that all the guys you listed would have had their heads up whenever Dion was on the ice. And at 24, he has plenty of gas to play his game, 28 minutes per game with no problem.
In football, if the opposing team has a great pass rusher off the right end (i.e. Bruce Smith), you go out and get a left tackle to attempt to neutralize him. Phaneuf would have been a neutralizer for Atlanta. Mean, nasty, surly, warrior, body checker-sounds alot like Denis Potvin to me.
R. Stroz
February 1st, 2010
10:47 pm
When choosing players, Waddell uses the three S system, short, soft, and slow.
Brendan
February 1st, 2010
11:27 pm
R.Stroz, “Habitit for Hockey,” how to be a minor league team in the NHL, and make ‘incremental progress’ doing it.
Ya know what I think of when I think of our team? Ever see a little kid trying to make it up a really steep incline on his bike? Right about the time it looks like he’s reached the plateau … and will rocket down the other side … he plummets back down the hill, from whence he started.
That’s ussssssssssssss. We’re that little kid, still trying to climb that steep hill on our first bike. But we can’t help it. We keep watching and hoping that today is the day that the kid makes it over the hill, to the other side.
WBF, I have to wonder if Rick Dudley is having second thoughts. Maybe, he’s still silently behind the scenes … pulling his hair out. But he can’t say anything, ‘cuz he’s secretly hoping that Waddell gets fired or kicked upstairs, so that he can gain control of the team.
But I’ll repeat this thought, if that’s true. You cannot bring about change … while retaining Waddell at the same time. If you make Rick Dudley the GM, but he has to ask, “Mother, may I?” to Don Waddell before making any move, then nothing has changed. It’s just been renamed. Waddell’s still in charge. Just not the “face” sitting in the GM chair. And Dudley would be nothing more than a puppet, like the LAST EMPEROR, Pu Yi. And Blueland would be his “Manchuquo.” Not Manchuria. Dudley will not be the next “Lord of 10,000 Years, His Majesty, the Emperor.” If Waddell is forced to clean out his office, then I’ll believe real changes are afoot. Despite what many claim, I think Waddell has far more power, authority and direction over the Thrashers than many think. Said another way, the AS, LLC will defer all matters of hockey judgement to Dudley, if Waddell walks or is FORCED out.
I simply don’t believe, back in 2005, that any member of the AS, LLC could positively identify Devin Setoguchi in a police lineup. Nor do I believe that the AS, LLC ever said to Don, “You get us Alexei Zhitnik, or you’re fired.” I believe they said, “YOU SAYYYY we need a defenseman. Go get one. Go fix it. Fix it, now! Or else!” And that’s vastly different from, “Either you get us Alexei Zhitnik, or we get ourselves a new GM.” And therein lies a fairly substantial difference. In the same spot, Dudley may have fired Hartley and come down to the bench to “fix” the problem. Or, he would have made a better trade.
Brendan
February 2nd, 2010
12:03 am
Well, Anaheim beat Florida, 3-0. That’s good. But Philly beat Calgary, 3-0. Guess Jokinen trade talks sort of “doomed” that game for the Flames, eh? Carolina got out to an early lead, but it was Edmonton that prevailed, 4-2. At this point, Carolina wins don’t hurt Atlanta. The ‘Canes are so far back.
LAC
February 2nd, 2010
12:34 am
Let’s hope the team is working as a unit Tuesday night and wins, as we have ZERO chance to win in D.C.
World Be Free
February 2nd, 2010
5:41 am
Brendan-not sure where Calgary goes from here. The deal still blows my mind. It would like the Braves trading Brian McCann. Just makes no sense.
On Dudley, the man has a proved track racord of building teams. He was a leader on the ice, the type of leadership that translates to scouts and coaching.
Stroz-based on your criterion, we did get it right once with Boris, just once, he’s tall but slow and soft.
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
8:04 am
Give me Danick Paquette, Jeremy Morin, Karl Klingberg, Paul Postma and Arturs Kulda to go with Kane, Bogosian, Machacek, Slater, Thorburn and Crabb. They seem anything but slow and soft. Okay, perhaps Morin is a bit slow. But how much longer am I willing to wait??
World Be Free
February 2nd, 2010
8:04 am
Another deal by Calgary that makes no sense to me. They give us a #1 center who is struggling in Olie and toughness in Prust. They get 2 underachieving forwards and a contract in Kotalik’s that will take up $6M in cap space over the next 2 years.
In 2 days, the Flames have acquired 6 players; only one of the 6 interests me and that’s Nicolas Hagman. No deal is better than 2 bad deals.
As for the Rangers, they rid themselves of Alice and obtain the size in Prust they sorely need. The Rangers have been getting pushed all over the place.
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
8:14 am
Is the trade official World?
hip czech
February 2nd, 2010
8:18 am
So Monday has came and went and we still have 3 goalies…yet another Waddell statement you can discard. How can any team take this man seriously?
Cammalleri going down might have changed the landscape some, maybe Montreal gets in on the sweepstakes (I would think 29 other GMs are all in line for the chance to fleece the Thrashers). Other than Halak (which we would probably have to swap a goalie for also) I don’t see any resources the Canadiens have.
Philly, Boston, LA, Montreal, where in the world does is Ilya Kovalchuk going to land? Is tonight the last home game for Kovalchuk?
Personally, I’d love for it to be Philly if Carter would be coming this way. Sharp/Barker from Chicago would be another decent deal, but I’m dreaming. The only hope that we have that this scenario will be different than Hossa is maybe Dudley will be the one making the picks of the draft choices we receive for Kovalchuk.
Who will be the Pascal Dupuis this time…the last person on the lifeboat before the ship goes down.
Let’s hope for a miracle.
Hockey Biltong
February 2nd, 2010
8:36 am
WBF – good comment on the CBJ. My reference was only to point out that they took decisive action, versus “milling about smartly”!!!!
World Be Free
February 2nd, 2010
8:42 am
Smoothie-according to AJC it’s official.
Hip- Du-puss is playing pretty good in Pittsburgh. Guess moving on suited him just fine.
Trading Kovy to the East would be awful. We would get his talents on a new team rubbed in our face a few times/year. Trade him to Vancouver, out West in another time zone so we can just read about him.
TableHockey
February 2nd, 2010
8:53 am
So Calgary is overloaded with Wings now – guess another trade is coming soon. Could it involve Kovy? What does Calgary have to offer?
J.B.
February 2nd, 2010
8:55 am
Rawhide – just fyi, gratton was sent to russia to play, I think on loan. can’t remember which KHL team he went to. That’d be one helluva call-up and a lot of travel just to take a look/mix things up a bit. It’s a shame too; I really was excited about seeing him play at some point this season. not sure if he automatically returns to chicago after the loaner to russia is over…
World Be Free
February 2nd, 2010
8:58 am
Table-not sure Calgary has much left that I would have interest in.
The player that interests me is Ethan Moreau from the Oilers. The team captain, hard working, good corner man and net charger. He needs a change.
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
9:01 am
We can only hope the LA Kings are still serious players for IVK. It needs to happen soon so there are some games for Kovy to play before the Olympics. Problem is the Kings just won their 6th game in a row.
GaVaHokie
February 2nd, 2010
9:28 am
If the Philly part of this rumor is true, I will personally drive Kovalchuk to Philly…
The Rangers are talking to Atlanta about Kovalchuk, but so far the Rangers are insisting that Redden be a part of the deal. Atlanta is not biting.
The Kings and Thrashers are not getting closer to a deal either (as of 6pm tonight at least) The Thrashers are not getting a “key element” Waddell wants in the deal. The Kings are offering up the prospects, but not the player Waddell is looking for who could help the Thrashers this season to make a run.
While there are expected to be as many as 10 teams in on Kovalchuk this week (the Official Week of Kovalchuk I am told) it really comes down to the same few teams..
The Bruins (who are in need of a piece they could be getting from Edmonton still)
The Flyers (The Thrashers would want 2 of van Riemsdyk, Hartnell, Giroux… The Flyers would need the Thrashers or someone else to take more money off their hands likely Carle)
DWTOO
February 2nd, 2010
9:34 am
Thanks J.B. Was perusing the Wolves roster yesterday and noticed he isn’t listed as active.
Maybe today will be the day Donnie Waddell pulls the trigger on a big deal. We’ve spent a lot of time considering who we would get for Kovy. Think we should be more proactive. Outside of the Kovy speculation what does everyone think we need to add for a playoff run? I’d like to see a big guy who would park themselves in the crease and knock home a rebound or two. Think Nik A. has been a very good addition, but, I don’t see him filling that role.
Red Light
February 2nd, 2010
9:34 am
Remember prior to and during the deadline in 2008 with Hossa?
Cory Stillman, Mike Commodore, Patrick Eaves, Joe Corvo, Brian Campbell, Steve Bernier Tuomo Ruutu, Andrew Ladd, Cristobal Huet, Brad Richards, Jussi Jokinen, Marc Andre Bergeron, Hal Gill and Brad Stuart changed sweaters before Waddell finally pulled the trigger on the infamous Hossa deal.
The summer following, free agents like Rolston, Hossa, Ryder, Stillman, Hagman, Streit, Commodore, Campbell, J. Ruutu, Orpik, Huselius, B. Morrison, Montador and Brisebois and Selanne were among those available.
Waddell signed Reasoner, Hainsey, J. Williams and Boulton.
This year, Kovy, Marleau, Nabokov, Cullen, Jokinen, Higgins, Plekanec, Frolov, Tanguay, Ponikarovsky, Stajan, Svatos, Kubina, Volchenkov, Turco and Rinne are available.
Both years are eerily similar because after the top 5-10 players there really isn’t a whole lot of quality help available and there are plenty of teams that will have plenty of cap space to bid on the top guys.
In my opinion, you either have to re-sign Kovy and Kubina or deal everyone on your UFA list to try to stockpile your roster for next season or the next two seasons. If you don’t think you have enough depth in Chicago (doubtful) to sustain you then it would seem the time is right for several deals now. If you depend upon Atlanta’s ability to overpay the top free agents this summer, which we all know ain’t happening, then you have to do it through trades.
We’ve lost the ability to strike while the iron is hot, thanks to Sutter, Burke and Sather, so we had better strike when the iron is at least medium.
hip czech
February 2nd, 2010
9:39 am
DWTOO, a Phaneuf type defenseman….outside of Kubina (who has some) we have no muscle, grit, whatever you want to call it, on the blue line.
J.B.
February 2nd, 2010
9:54 am
while i am aching for the Kovalchuk issue to be resolved, I did buy tickets for the game tonight in hopes of catching him in thrasher blue one more time in person, so if something happens today, i hope it’s after 10:30pm or so.
World Be Free
February 2nd, 2010
9:57 am
Hip-I agree on the toughness of our defence, but Boris (no longer Doris) may be coming around. He packed confidence, but he’s getting there.
TableHockey
February 2nd, 2010
10:01 am
J.B – I had the same thoughts. I caught Hossa’s last home game why not go for Kovy’s? Though there could be some credibility in the theory that no team will pick up Kovy before the Olympics since they would have to pay his salary while he is playing in Vancouver.
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
10:12 am
Hokie – from where did you glean that series of rumors? Please tell me it was someone other than that idiot Eklund. I like the Philly part of that too. I would gladly welcome Matt Carle if it means we get Giroux and Hartnell or JVR. I’m not a huge Hartnell fan because he seems like a bit of a d!ck, but he’s probably what this team needs. But can Giroux excel playing in the Top 6? Probably not. If we get him, I think we need to go with JVR.
How about this?
ATL gets JVR, Giroux, Carle, Emery and their # 1 pick
Philly gets Kovy, Pops or Salmela, Lehtonen & a prospect
DWTOO
February 2nd, 2010
10:38 am
Hartnell may be a D!ck, but, he would be the Thrashers D!ck. World of difference there.
Smoothie – I would pull the trigger on that trade right now and ride shotgun with you all the way to Philly so we wouldn’t have to stop.
World Be Free
February 2nd, 2010
10:40 am
Smoothie-gotta chew on your proposal for awhile.
One thing I can say is that Emery is my least desired player in the league. I wouldn’t want him and I like Ansi.
People talk about getting rid of Kari, but who would then be our #1?
We need to get a center at some point too.
Thrashers27
February 2nd, 2010
10:42 am
No way would I want to see Emery here. Decent goalie when he’s on his game, but not good for a locker room.
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
10:46 am
Indeed! We traditionally lose to Philly anyway so why not let Kovy light us up a few times a year? Then again, Peverley and Kane would probably score a couple of goals while he’s out there floating on the blueline waiting for an outlet from Mike Richards.
DWTOO – so are you saying you’d prefer to have Hartnell & JVR? That would probably be ideal from a size and upside potential standpoint. I like Giroux, but he seems like a slightly, more talented version of Eric Perrin…we have enough smallish, soft players right?
JVR – Antro – Kane (hmmm, that could really be a great line eh?)
Army – Pevs – Hartnell
Little – Slater – Max(?)/ Thor (don’t know if he’d re-sign without Kovy)
Machacek – Reasy – Crabb (Boults for more physical opponents)
Carle & Bogosian ??
We would need to figure out a way to unload Hainsey because we can’t have him getting $4.5 M to play 3rd pairing minutes with Valabik. That is assuming we can get Kubina to come back but I don’t see why he wouldn’t as he waived his NTC to come to Atlanta right? Or was there a 1 month window for Burke to trade him anywhere?
GaVaHokie
February 2nd, 2010
10:49 am
Smoothie… of course it was Eklund.
Nobody rebutable is willing to say that much… that’s why I qualified it with “if it’s true”.
I’d say the LA deal sounds best to me if Lombardi is willing to budge on the “key element”… which I’m guessing is either Jack Johnson or Dustin Brown… the prospects would have to be Brayden Schenn and Loktionov… maybe Simmonds if he’s still considered a “prospect”.
Simmonds could also be the “key element”… the kid is emerging and scouts, apparently, are crazy about him.
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
10:50 am
Emery is a UFA, he’d only be insurance for Pavs / Moose depending on how Pavs is playing. At this point, Moose has earned a chance to finish the year in ATL. However, it may make more sense for us to flip Moose to a contender like Vancouver for another draft pick. There should be goalies available like Biron, Johnson and even Rinne in FA to go after.
Pavs should be the future…with the right tutelage and guidance.
J.B.
February 2nd, 2010
10:52 am
TableHockey – I agree no other team will want to pay kovy while he’s skating for Russia in Vancouver. I figured since i’m not going to the olympics, today was still likely my last chance even though he could technically still be a thrasher until the trade deadline.
Nikita
February 2nd, 2010
10:54 am
Correction: we LOST to Philly. We now have no excuse for getting beaten by them going forward, because they suck (and I know, because I’ve seen them up close and personal. They’re going down fast, and faster if they trade for Kovy).
And, um, I like any lineup with Spencer Machacek in it. I have high hopes for the boy.
GaVaHokie
February 2nd, 2010
10:57 am
Well, with regards to Machacek… anyone willing to give up so much for Kovalchuk as a rental might want some long term value as well, ie Machacek.
So, would you give up Kovalchuk and Machacek for, say, JVR, Giroux and Carle?
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
11:11 am
Yes, I would Hokie. Chances are Kovy would re-sign in Philly. He’d be silly to turn down the chance to play with Richards, Carter, Gagne & Machacek!
Looks like Philly would need a RW back in a trade too so we would certainly have to give up Little to get JVR & Hartnell. But then I would want one of Philly’s top prospects in addition to the # 1.
hip czech
February 2nd, 2010
11:46 am
Philly would have to move Carter if they had any chance to sign Kovalcuk long term…unless the other players they have signed to big contracts waive their no-trade clause.
Carter/Giroux/Carle for Kovalchuk/Salmela or some D in Chicago/ and a goalie
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
12:15 pm
Works for me Red Light! I’d like a prospect back as well if we are giving up a goalie.
Darkhorse
February 2nd, 2010
12:18 pm
Not to switch gears too much, but how can the Lightning be sold twice in the past to years, and we can’t find a buyer? Tampa’s not going anywhere for a few years at least, and a Boston based guy is buying them now.
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/lightning/content/meetings-move-tampa-bay-lightning-sale-closer-conclusion
Russian
February 2nd, 2010
12:28 pm
My personal opinion that Kovy will not be trade. We lost him end of season. It will be same situation as Florida went last year.
OR he might try to get $10-11 per year (which HE WILL NOT) and back to Atlanta.
DWTOO
February 2nd, 2010
12:36 pm
Smoothie – I’d like Hartnell and JVR first. Think we could someone with Hartnell’s attitude. Giroux would be the second choice after JVR. He has some slick moves, but, think we need power first.
Miami Screaming Eagle
February 2nd, 2010
12:48 pm
Nobody wants Briere and that loser contract? Little Danny has played about 20 games without getting hurt, so he’s overdue.
The only thing worse would be taking Pronger and his stupid contract. I love it when the Philly fans thump their chests about how much money they spend, until the realize they’re spending on old, overpaid way past-their-prime players.
Could be worse Thrasher fans. You could have Frank Wren as your GM.
TableHockey
February 2nd, 2010
12:54 pm
Could be worse Thrasher fans
It definetly could be worse – I was perusing the Flames message boards today and that place is a wreck right now!
GaVaHokie
February 2nd, 2010
12:58 pm
I’d take Briere, and I’m sure ownership wouldn’t mind either… he’s a playmaker… his cheaper years are coming up, but (I think) his cap hit will be higher than his salary.
Perfect for an ownership group that wants to hit the cap minimum with as little money as possible… Lubomir Vishnovsky is another similar player.
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
1:00 pm
DWTOO – agreed on that count. But none of this will probably happen. Sigh. I think we’re stuck with Kovy until at least the deadline. And if we go 3 – 2 – 1 or 2 – 2 – 2 over this next 6 games, Waddell will probably foolishly hang onto Kovy for the “stretch run”…ha ha! Damn.
J.B.
February 2nd, 2010
1:19 pm
if we trade with philly, i want jvr for sure.
World Be Free
February 2nd, 2010
1:21 pm
GavA-too prone to injury. Really liked him Buffalo, but he has slowed down.
Table-I bet they are totally losing their minds in Calgary. Stinks in Edmonton too, being in LAST PLACE. Fans are not so smug in Alberta these days!
Now Eklund has Kovy rumored to New Jersey. Is this his Groundhog Day Prediction? Could you imagine Kovy and Jacques LeMaire together? The only team not in play for Kovy is my favorite team from the old North American Hockey League-the Beauce Jaros.
http://www.officialgamepuck.com/TownIndex/Canadian/Quebec%20Towns/Beauce%20Jaros.htm
Tony C.
February 2nd, 2010
1:25 pm
Briere? seriously? Nah man. No more smurfs thanks.
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
1:31 pm
Briere would fit right in on a line with White and Kozlov on the wings!
If we trade for Briere, I’m officially changing my allegiance to NSH or some team out west that I will only have to see play once in awhile.
This week’s series of games against SE Division rivals will probably set the table for what we do at the deadline. Win the TB and Fla games and DWad has some breathing room on making a Kovy trade. If not, and we lose 4 or 5 of 6, then we could end up wholesale sellers come March 2nd!
hip czech
February 2nd, 2010
1:31 pm
Kovalchuk would be a healthy scratch in Lemaire’s system…no way Lemaire puts up with the ole defense
Bob
February 2nd, 2010
1:42 pm
Come on, guys. Eklund? You really believe any of his nonsense? Waddell and Grossman won’t even talk to the press, and you think Eklund has info? Really? No, really!?
Calgary’s GM needs his head examined for moving Phaneuf for that, again I’d have taken Phaneuf for Kovy straight up and laughed about if for years. Phaneuf is a stud and will be for years, Burke made a very smart move there. Remember, we could have had Burke from Day 1, yet we still sit here saddled with Waddell.
Ok, here’s my made up fantasy Eklund impersonation for today. Burke grabbed Phaneuf and Giggy and will move them after the All-Star break to Atlanta for Kovy and Lehtonen
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
1:43 pm
Spector’s recap of the reported Philly interest in Kovalchuk:
CSNPHILLY.COM: “Tim Panaccio reports an NHL executive claims the Philadelphia Flyers have had intermittent talks with the Atlanta Thrashers and are listening to what the Thrashers might want in return for Ilya Kovalchuk. GM Paul Holmgren said he might want to do something on defense and at forward but not in goal. The source claims find one winger and one defenseman whose combined salaries add up to Kovalchuk’s and the Flyers might be interested but added the Flyers don’t think they can do this deal any more than they could’ve done the Phaneuf deal.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: “The problem is return and comfortably fitting Kovalchuk under their cap. Again, that’s why I believe if the Thrashers do decide to trade Kovalchuk it’ll likely be to the Kings, who have the assets and the cap space.”
Guess that confirms what we’re thinking that it would have to be Carter and Carle to make monetary sense. But what D-man would they want? Kubina is too expensive and Hainsey and Coburn are very similar. Enstrom and Bogosian are likely off-limits so perhaps Valabik?
How many folks here would be comfortable losing Valabik along with Kovy and perhaps a prospect for Jeff Carter and Matt Carle? Perhaps we can sweeten the pot and offer Morin for Giroux?
Brendan
February 2nd, 2010
1:49 pm
Haven’t we been burned by Philly and GM Holmgren enough? Honestly, why can’t Dudley be making our trades, if there are trades to be made?
Lou Lamoriello
February 2nd, 2010
1:51 pm
His ass will play defense or i’ll call Scott Stevens out of retirement to knock his lights out.
TableHockey
February 2nd, 2010
1:52 pm
WBF – I would love to get LeMaire’s autograph! Think he is tied for the record for most game winning Stanley Cup goals.
Rawhide
February 2nd, 2010
1:56 pm
Briere would fit right in on a line with White and Kozlov on the wings!
Smoothie – LOL!
The only “right” line for Kozlov and White as far as the Thrashers are concerned is the one that form at the press box buffet.
Briere? Pass…
GaVaHokie
February 2nd, 2010
1:58 pm
Bob… it’s called “passing the time”… I don’t think anyone here truly believes Eklund… and really, do we need to be reminded of that everytime someone says “Eklund”?!
Kind of gets the same reaction when anyone mentions the word, “Waddell”.
hip czech
February 2nd, 2010
2:00 pm
I am subscribed to the hockey buzz feeds (so I can get Mr. Tiller’s updates of course! …and the other teams bloggers) and I think I can honestly say that Eklund has yet to identify a trade correctly. I keep waiting for the day that one of his e3’s really comes off as a real trade.
How does the guy make a living doing this? I’m in the wrong line of work.
Brendan
February 2nd, 2010
2:04 pm
How many times has Carle been traded now? I don’t know what’s true and what isn’t, but anytime a player is traded every two years or so, it’s not usually all that good. For it means each that gets him, thinks he’s an expendable piece.
Folks, I’ll remind you of something, as you deliberate who you’d like Atlanta to get, if the player didn’t AGREE TO SIGN HERE, he probably doesn’t want to be here. And when the option is exclusively his, about where he plays, he’ll likely make like a tree and leave. So, you’ve got to look at a Phaneuf-type situation, where the player is still locked in for 4 or more years.
I completely agree with Bob. This trade of Phaneuf is utterly ridiculous. I’m at the point, now, where I wonder if Darryl Suter will still be the Flames GM in the Fall of 2010. If the team falters, what does Darryl do? Fire his own brother, Brent? Any time a team brings in six (6) new faces, this late into a season, then that should tell you that something’s gone haywire.
Folks, I’ll toss this question out there for your deliberation. Is the trade deadline for ‘tweaking’ your roster, or OVERHAULING in desperation? You shouldn’t need much time to craft your answer.
If the Flames do fire Darryl Suter, he’d still be a better GM than Waddell. With Darryl as GM, and Brent as Head Coach, at least our boys would play defense. And we’d have vision and a strategy. And it wouldn’t take a DECADE’s worth of time to craft it.
GaVaHokie
February 2nd, 2010
2:14 pm
Kevin Allen and Bob McKenzie are the only reputable reporters… Eklund is no worse than any of the Canadian press outlets.
… it’s fun to speculate… and obviously it works, because people can’t help but read it… just like the Enquirer.
World Be Free
February 2nd, 2010
2:41 pm
Smoothie-I believe you are correct on LeMaire at 10 cups. Very underrated as a player, exceptional at both ends of the rink, but not outstanding. He still looks like he has “the fire” too.
Brendan-I think Carle’s biggest problem is that he carries a contract that is too rich for his talent. Like alotta guys Philly brings on. Overpaid for his abilities. I hope the Thrashers don’t become a dumping ground for bad contracts. We already have a few ourselves.
GaVa-you wonder why McKenzie has never been on Hockey Night in Canada. He’s pretty straight – maybe that’s his problem with HNIC!
Nikita
February 2nd, 2010
2:42 pm
*So, would you give up Kovalchuk and Machacek for, say, JVR, Giroux and Carle?*
Well…probably, though I have my concerns about Carle. But I still would prefer to give up someone like Joey Crabb, if I had the choice. Or Brett Sterling.
One of the nice things about Machacek, and the reason I think he’s going to do great things for us, is that he’s easy to take a long, in-depth look at. His entire career is on tape, and we know exactly what his skills are. Right now, he’s a solid two-way forward. He’ll probably mature into a Marty Reasoner/Colby Armstrong/2nd line muscle type — he’s not likely to become a power forward or top liner. But he’s reasonably skilled, a hard worker, and a banger, and he plays a well-rounded game. Skillswise, we’re going to need him.
What I also like about him is that he’s highly esteemed by virtually every person who plays with him. Which includes virtually our entire youth movement. In short, he’s a glue guy, and we are going to need him.
Sterling and Crabb are reasonably skilled already, and bring value. But they don’t bring quite the all-around advantages of Machacek.
So tradeswise, I suppose I’d like to see someone who’s established rather than up and coming. Or how about Steve McCarthy? Who can we trick into that?
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
2:56 pm
WBF – I’m afraid u r attributing me credit for something someone else wrote w/r/t Lemaire. But very true. Perhaps Lemaire would be able to convince Kovy to play a 2-way game 100 percent of the time. But I’m afraid until Kovy learns to diversify his offensive game it won’t matter. He can’t even score on his backhand and rarely scores off a deke or a greasy goal from in front. His game is too drpendent on the rush and scoring thru screens.
Brendan – to take your point a step further: do you really believe Kovy wants to be here? If he did, he’d be signed by now. And if this is the 3rd year of a 4 year rebuild, then we can’t afford to get just picks and prospects. We’ve got some talent but we are not a complete team, obviously.
Nikita – good points about Macho. He seems like the right kind of player for this organization right now, someone who, along with Kane, Bogo and Pevs, can change this team’s culture. Let’s hope their buddy Levko Koper (love that name) blossoms as well as a future Thrasher.
Rawhide
February 2nd, 2010
2:58 pm
According to C-Vi….Mark Popovic will start tonight and Salmela sits.
The Thrashers are 11-4-2 with Pops in the lineup.
Just sayin’…
Bob
February 2nd, 2010
3:11 pm
“Eklund is no worse than any of the Canadian press outlets.”
Hokie, you say the silliest things sometimes, that’s like saying Obama is as good a Prez as, ah, nevermind.
I’m likin’ Popovic back in the lineup. I played golf with a couple guys from Tronna last month and they were talking Pops up, said we’d be happy with how he pans out for us. I’ve always liked his game.
timthebrave
February 2nd, 2010
3:12 pm
Heard that there will be announcement about Ilya on 680 AM radio. That he is for sure not signing, etc. Have you heard anything?
Bob
February 2nd, 2010
3:17 pm
“you wonder why McKenzie has never been on Hockey Night in Canada. He’s pretty straight – maybe that’s his problem with HNIC!”
McKenzie is on there a lot, can’t say I’ve seen him this year, but he was all over it last, I like his takes
Brendan
February 2nd, 2010
3:18 pm
Smoothie, if the ownership situation were stable ANNNNNND there was a good GM, ANNNNNND the Thrashers offered him $10+ million per season, I think Kovalchuk would re-sign here. But too many of those criteria are absent.
So, if we’re talking trades, it’s got to be a Phaneuf-type trade. You’ve got to get players with YEARS and YEARS still left on their deals. The trouble with that is … those types of players often have ‘no trad clauses’ in their deals. So, again, UNLESS they’re willing to come to play for Atlanta, all that time, they’ll just block the trade.
Unfortunately, I think we’re really looking at a 1st and 3rd round pick type of situation, tied to a prospect, potentially. Maybe we get a body or two back, just to make cap room for Kovy’s $6.5 million transferring to the other team’s roster.
3stripes
February 2nd, 2010
3:19 pm
From Darren Dreger on TSN chat: “…the Atlanta Thrashers are still working hard to re-sign their captain to a long term, mega-million dollar deal. As of yesterday, sources close to the negotiation stated there’s as good a chance of Kovalchuk staying in Atlanta as there is of Thrashers GM Don Waddell trading him. Atlanta remains in a battle for a playoff spot and Kovalchuk is key to this franchise making the playoffs. There has been much written about LA’s expected play for Kovalchuk, however I believe the Kings have targeted Ray Whitney. Boston has also been rumoured to have interest, and the Bruins do, but not if it means mortgaging the future to make the deal. Multiple teams will continue to keep Waddell’s number on speed dial, however the asking price is said to include 4 or 5 key assets. We’re talking a young roster player(s), prospects and draft picks. Few teams will line up to pay that.”
J.B.
February 2nd, 2010
3:29 pm
Gasoline, please meet Fire:
Take this however you’d like y’all…
I sent jay grossman a message this morning via twitter that read ‘re:Ilya, if patience is a virtue, then why does it feel like an elephant sized burden?’
I got a direct message in response a short time later that read ‘Nothing to get in the way of staying in ATL’
So, there you go.
Smoothie
February 2nd, 2010
3:49 pm
Grossman’s twitter must’ve crapped out before he could finish that sentence with: “…but a couple million dollars.”
Sorry, I have just grown tired of this charade. Surely if Kovy is the kind of leader and person we all thought he was at the beginning of this season, he would realize that asking for more than what Ovie is getting paid is quite insane not to mention what a $10 M + contract will do to this already cash-strapped ownership group. If we are going to allow Kovy to hold us prisoner, why not just offer him 10% stake in the ASG with the option to buy more shares after he retires??
Even with the allowance for playing in a place like ATL where there is a lot of perceived uncertainty, there is no way Kovy is worth more than $1 M more than market value which should place him in the area of $7.5 – 8.5 M / year. Perhaps Grossman realizes that, eventhough the Cap will probably not go up for a few years, inflation will start to move well above 3% under Obama and 5-10% more of his earnings will get taxed.
Brendan – lastly, if it is that obvious to us that both ASG and DW suck beyond sucking, why the hell does anyone believe Kovy would be foolish enough to sign here long-term?? If we don’t trade him, you can darn well bet Lombardi will use Frolov’s $5 M and Randy Jones’ $2.4 M to sign Kovy to a lucrative deal between $7.5 – $8.5 M / year. Surely, they can afford to get him in FA. Where does that leave us if Donnie refuses to pay above market value? That’s right, another re-build.
All we can do is hope and pray that Boston, Philly, even LA falters again in the next 2 weeks to make them desperate enough to cave into some of Waddell’s trade demands. If not, then we can only hope Dudley can help DWad get a good return from CHI and rescue them from salary cap hell. $10 M over if Buffy, Versteeg and Barker all get 10% raises. The Hawks may have no choice, but they don’t need to do it now.
Hockey Biltong
February 2nd, 2010
3:50 pm
Hmmmm. And I was dreaming of new fresh players, who would play both ways and really execute the system, to win, baby, win…..’cause that is all it really takes.
J.B.
February 2nd, 2010
3:51 pm
just passin’ it along
Hockey Biltong
February 2nd, 2010
4:06 pm
Hey and if we do resign Kovupchuck, where is the upgrade coming from?? C’mon “let’s make a deal!!”
timthebrave
February 2nd, 2010
4:11 pm
I’m sick of rebuilding. I want to win NOW. And by win I don’t even need a cup just ONE playoff victory would be nice
World Be Free
February 2nd, 2010
4:23 pm
Smoothie-
Looks like I short changed
Tabl e Hockey on the Lemaire line
Sorry T-H!
World Be Free
February 2nd, 2010
4:27 pm
I see McKenzie on TSN not HNIC
rob
February 2nd, 2010
4:36 pm
A thought.
Do you really want Kovy to stay here? Honestly? Is he the kind of player you build an entire team around?
Don’t hate the question, and don’t get me wrong, he has talent. But at the NHL level, can he actually be the center of a team that will go all the way, or is he a great offensive addition to a VERY strong defensive team that could take his goals and capitalize on them by playing defense?
The Thrashers problem is there is no one that you can point at and say, that is the heart and soul of the team. No one that goes out on the ice and leaves it all out there for everyone else to see. A team, every team, desperately needs that leader. Other things would fall into place with a player like that, because they make everyone around them play harder. So back to the question, do you really want Kovy here at the cost he is asking and to the detriment of ever building a true contender??
Brendan
February 2nd, 2010
5:24 pm
Smoothie, for Kovy, Atlanta is one of the markets he can utterly commandeer. If that’s his goal. Think of the POWER he’d hold? GM’s and Coaches cost $1 million apiece, at the most. His deal is worth $10+ million. Who’s in charge? Kovy is, with a no trade clause.
But what are Kovy’s true intentions? If Kovy gets his deal from Atlanta, maybe he could demand Waddell’s firing? That’d be nice. But that act, alone, won’t stabilize the ownership situation. Smoothie, I don’t know what to tell ya, bro. The AS, LLC runs the Thrashers like a business, not a sports franchise. In their view, Kovy is the one selling the tickets. So, they’ll probably keep him, blustering and obfuscating about a playoff berth. Counting the gate after every game.
And if they do manage to re-sign him at some ungodly sum, it’ll be pretty tough for them to do much more with the roster. We’ll be “middling fodder” for the rest of the league for the duration of Kovalchuk’s new deal. Welcome to 15th place in the NHL, in perpetuity. Some years we make the playoffs at #7 or #8, and sometimes, we miss at #9. Anyway you slice and dice it, we’re DONE in the 1st round of the playoffs, as a “one-trick” pony.
If the Thrashers can finagle a trade for locked-up players, it’s worth at least pursuing. Of course, in my view of things, I’d fire Waddell immediately, and use the draft picks to re-shape and mold the team. Let the new GM hold the firesale. Kovy and Savard have worked before. Prying that lottery draft pick the Bruins hold via Toronto, to give them Kovalchuk, might be a nice possibility for the next GM. Imagine if the Thrashers drafted 3rd and 8th, let’s just say? Even if the next GM doesn’t want to make the selections, he can still trade them for roster players. It’s a bit short-sighted, in terms of strategy, but changing the minor-league climate that exists here is, or should be, a top priority.
We could go on and on about speculations, Smoothie. But, I really … I just have zero confidence that the AS, LLC will remove Waddell, EVER. Waddell will be here for as long as they are in charge. They think they have a “prize” in the GM chair. So, what will it matter whether we get draft picks, prospects, traded players, or merely salary cap relief as Kovy walks for nothing? Or something close to nothing at the June Draft. Step #1 … is not a Kovy trade. Step #1 … is making Waddell clean out his desk, about six years too late.
Paminski
February 2nd, 2010
5:56 pm
So no problem. Fire Waddell, trade Kovy and build a team around Jim Slater! And don’t forget to recycle.
Hockey Biltong
February 2nd, 2010
6:16 pm
That is all about recycling!!! LEED certified at that.
Lee
February 2nd, 2010
7:28 pm
Good shot by Stephane, nothing OP could do.
thrasherssuckthrasherssuck!
February 2nd, 2010
7:33 pm
mother f**kin thrashers cant f****n win! 2-0 bolts so far! F**k the thrashers! Im now a Caps fan!
Lee
February 2nd, 2010
7:51 pm
intresting article:
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/31103-Rumor-Roundup-King-Kovalchuk.html
I think if anyone were to sign him, it’d be LA.
LAC
February 2nd, 2010
7:53 pm
I now have to agree, I am switching to a WINNER, Nashville, I am SICK and TIRED of this TRASH called the Thrashers. This first period was $HIT
period, NO NOTHING as USUAl and The Coaster was back out there Coasting as Always !!!
I’ve finally had enough and cannot support this Wreck anylonger, just a bunch of QUITTERS and a minor league coach and owners who are simply
put should be in a mental hospital and a GM that the WORST HUMAN BEING
on Earth, there is NOTHING that could be bad enough to happen to the man who destroyed hockey in Atlanta… Go to HELL YOU QUITTERS !
GO NASHVILLE !!!!!!!!! Well owned, Well Managed and players who know how to win and they GIVE A DAMN, Atlanta players do not !
Go to HELL waddell !!!!!!!!!
kovygoingthrasherssuck
February 2nd, 2010
7:53 pm
I live in Don Waddels neighborhood and im going to freaking egg or teepee his house if he does not get deal done with Kovalchuk. BIGGEST LIAR AND NOT A PROFESSIONAL! LIES BEHIND EVERYONE’S BACK! If he was a GM on any other team they would fire him not even after the end of the season! SCREW DON WADDELL, HE’S A PIECE OF CRAP!
Lee
February 2nd, 2010
8:08 pm
Rawhide-Didn’t I tell you Whitey would score??
stendec
February 2nd, 2010
8:35 pm
That piece of #### Ilya “All For Me” Kovcalchoke cannot get the #### out of town fast enough for me. Watching the Maryann Hossa son of a ##### now. Any other player worth half a #### would have half a dozen goals by now! How many wide open shots does this fool misfire on every game? #### quitter! Good riddance to bad rubbish. Go back to Siberia and rot you commie bestard! You will #### sure not be missed. ++STENDEC++
Tom
February 2nd, 2010
8:41 pm
At the beginning of the broadcast Darren mentioned that Kincaid had a rumor about Kolvy being traded this weekend. He did not give any details. Does anyone know anything.
Personally I think his leaving is now the best thing for the team. A great disappointment as Captain.
stendec
February 2nd, 2010
8:47 pm
Anyone interested in watching TWO genuine NHL team compete should tune in VS. Minnesota and Dallas are going at it. That semi professional team in Atlanta has retired for the evening. ++STENDEC++ Someone please wake the fraud captain up after the third period so he can figure eight his way home!
Bob
February 2nd, 2010
9:01 pm
“I see McKenzie on TSN not HNIC”
Oh, you’re right. He’s on TSN all the time, sorry!
White scored? Blind squirrel, it was Pop’s good play that he just tipped. Pavelec looked awful in the 1st, better in the 2nd. This club is so dysfunctional this 3rd could go either way, we win 4-3 or lose 5-1, it’s TheHockeyWay
Tom
February 2nd, 2010
9:25 pm
Interesting site on Kovalchuk’s trade rumors. Looks like people are dropping out of the running for him. http://www.mynhltraderumors.com/2010/02/02/ilya-kovalchuk-trade-rumors/
HookyBob
February 2nd, 2010
9:32 pm
CC !
stendec
February 2nd, 2010
9:40 pm
See El Kapitan Ilya “No Goals-No Assists” Kovalchoke broke his stick following yet another giveup home gag job at Loseland. I would have been glad to have broken the stick. Over his uncaring head! Ship this cancer as soon as possible. Good riddance to bad rubbish! This fraud figure eight skating quitter is nothing but an overrated piece of commode residue. Captains lead by example? Teams take on attributes of their captains? Must be true. The Atlanta hockey club is dropping in the standings quicker than an iron ball in the Atlantic Ocean! I hate the Siberian slacker with a passion. Overpaid bum quit on team long ago. Only those who have vision obscured by rose (blue) colored glasses cannot see this obvious fact. This is a completely heartless team. Exactly like el kapitan! No fire. No desire. No guts. No pride. No concern for the lone remaining fan. Anyone who shelled out even counterfeit money to watch this nauseating giveup job were cheated! Somebody tell the captain to cheer up. The Olympics are not too far off. They are all this quitter cares about anyway. May they all shake hands with Lucifer soon. Except Mr Johan Moose Hedberg. The only professional hockey player in Atlanta with a heart that cares! ++STENDEC++ Ten million bucks? RIGHT!
LAC
February 2nd, 2010
9:44 pm
Stendec, Do you think last place in the east is still something Atlanta can gun for ? I do, Your thoughts on these QUITTERS who, like you say,
NO heart, NO grit, NO hustle, NO giving a damn. You are correct, AS always, on Captain Quitter, max salary NO WAY !
stendec
February 2nd, 2010
10:13 pm
Hi LAC. Thanks. I really do not understand those apologists who want to KEEP this slacker! We can bring in someone who can miss wide open nets, avoid physical play like the plague, make blind passes to no one in particular, lose puck possession after being sneezed on, choke on breakaway opportunities, break defenseless sticks after another pointless debacle and skate figure eights while awaiting breakout passes for a whole lot less than $10 million or so per season! Atlanta Flames in their prime would DESTROY these heartless creampuff p#ssies. Have a nice evening. ++STENDEC++
LAC
February 2nd, 2010
10:29 pm
Standec…. Can you just see Willi Plett against Captain Creampuff ?
How about Ken Houston, He broke Dave Schultz’s jaw remember, against
say crybaby zach ? Or Pat Ribble going up against, ron, I missed him on the ice, so you can quote me in the paper, hainsey ? If would be a slaughter !!!!
Lastly, like YOU said, Where O Where are all these “I love waddell”
Idiots. They rake us over the coals when WE TELL IT LIKE IT IS, but when IT does come out with lackluster play etc… Where the HELL are they. Crying in their BEER because WE ARE RIGHT and they have not a leg to stand on. Bet Slava is laughing his tail off because he is not involved in this crap.
I just think everyone should boycott ALL remaining games until a new OWNER is found, one who will FINALLY FIRE worthless waddell !
Thanks for your support Mr.Stendec !!!!!! Keep up the GOOD WORK !
stendec
February 2nd, 2010
10:30 pm
Anyone not on medication think Ilya Kovalchoke worth $10 million per season? Goals? Assists? Nice figure eights? Ah hah! Thought so. ++STENDEC++
HookyBob
February 2nd, 2010
10:32 pm
Does anyone remember an ESPN commercial, perhaps 12-16 years ago, with Rangers goalie Mike Rickter stopping everything shot at him,….or the puck appeared to hit the post? He then skates away and another shot, obviously on net bounces out. He comes back and rubs the rubber mark off a plexy-glass net covering. Seems like that in the Nittymaki situation against the Thrashers.
Moose lost a couple of games giving up 2, or less, goals,..now Pavs gets the same result. This can’t be blamed on our defense,…can it? Coach’s system is offensive,…if we get 1 goal I’d have to say it isn’t working too well.
Who are the Atlanta Thrashers. What is their identity?
12345
February 2nd, 2010
10:38 pm
Losers Losers Losers I not stopped attending anymore games, this team is nothing, What gets me is this is the exact same issue we went through with Hossa, why are we doing all over again ?
We have been lied to by Waddell, like many have said and that is why I have quit on the Thrashers, owners who do not care and a GM who frankly has no business running an ice cream stand, in control.
Please sell the team so we the long suffering hockey fans here
can try to rebound and make this team a winner, before they are in KC or Winnipeg !
Miami Screaming Eagle
February 2nd, 2010
10:45 pm
Do you think the Marx Brothers (ASG) got together and said “gee, let’s buy a hockey team and make sure it sucks all the time. We can hire a clown (Waddell) to run it, who will hire our first coach (Fraser) who has no business being an NHL coach. And it will go on forever unless we piss everyone off so nobody allows us to steal their money anymore”.
Atlanta Thrashers=Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Hockey League.
How could anybody let this Kovy situation get this far? How incompetent are these people, from top to bottom. This should have resolved months ago. Don Waddell should be fired tomorrow. How can anyone let a player control a situation so much that it disrupts the team for 1/2 a season. The sports world must be laughing at us for supporting this franchise for 10 years.
Most of all, then we can dedicate ourselves to gangster basketball.
mike
February 2nd, 2010
11:13 pm
stendec got 1001 you blogs with hate rage against kovy OK NOW PLEASE GET JUST ONE YOUR EXPERT OPINION ABOUT OWNERS ASG AND GM DON WADDELL. SO GET JUST 1. CAN’T BELIVE YOU ADMIRE THEM. JUST SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH DONNY WE GOING TO GET GOOD RETURN BECAUSE OF YOU OUTSTANDING JOB FOR THIS FRANCHIZE FROM 19998 TO CURRENT. STICK IN STENDEC.
stendec
February 2nd, 2010
11:50 pm
I totally agree Don Waddell should have been fired (fill in blank) years ago. Owners? What owners? Cowards are chicken shet bestards afraid to show their crater pocketed faces! Have absolutely no use for ANY of them. But you know something that bothers me even more? A player who puts himself above the team! A supremely SELFISH player. That player is Russian immigrant Ilya Kovalchoke. The team (insert laughter here) captain who does not give a damn about the team of which he is the captain. Understand? And he is holding out (mentally at least) for $10 million per season. Really? What have you done for me lately IK? Missed hundreds of wide open shots? Fled like a thief in the night when an opponent skates nearby? Marked the ice surface with figure eights awaiting breakout passes? You let me down. No problem. You let the fans down. Who cares? You let the city down. Been done by other pro teams. You let your teammates down! As captain? Totally unacceptable! Was that explained enough? ++STENDEC++
Nikita (in PA)
February 3rd, 2010
12:25 am
That was a freakin’ debacle. And incidentally, it makes me very, very angry when we lose to Tampa. I could accept being owned by Philly until recently, because Philly was good. But Tampa hasn’t been good in years. They simply have a few players that we STILL HAVE NOT LEARNED TO NULLIFY to this day, one of whom isn’t tall enough to ride the Scream Machine. What’s next, beat downs by Moose’s daughters?
Other observations:
1. Please, dear God, bring back Kari, and bring him back well.
2. Forget you, Captain Creampuff. I hope you get traded, and we get someone who cares enough to play and lead. You obviously won’t do it.
3. Sloppy passes, turnovers, softness — tonight sucked. Once again we lost a game we were perfectly capable of winning.
4. Our power play is so bad that I find myself saying “nooooo!” whenever we get one. That aspect of special teams is glaringly, egregiously bad — seriously, when’s the last time we buried a 5-on-3? Or a 4-on-4? We do better relative to our peers both ES and SH.
By the way, I know I’ve been very ambivalent about Kovalchuk, but I really do want him gone. I can accept a .500 team that plays hard, pays attention to fundamentals, and is maturing into a serious force. But I’ve had it with a bunch of players who apparently have been told that their only goal is to enable scoring by someone who isn’t interested in working for it or playing any defense.
mike
February 3rd, 2010
12:48 am
sinserelly but wrong. this is amater view. still not get why you pick up on nationality. is russians due you. i assume he is not legal immigrant, if so GM of usa team get him on the olimpic roster despite your hate. only upper managment responsible for environment to star players be succesfull. check how that working in deitroit, washington, pittsburg, ets. sorry organizations atlanta, miami, columbus always get stendecs to blame players for managments fouls. don’t worry he going to be ok because in suberia exile (atlanta) he already been, and this is the worst. need to get rid of asg and donny ASAP. maybe to late and hockey be out of there in 2 years.