Buff with Cup in Thrasher blue – Bad karma or good omen?
First off, I’m going to say up front that today’s topic probably is much ado about nothing…mountains vs. molehills and all that. But seeing that we are still in the middle of August – we are still awaiting the latest chapter in “As The Kovalchuk Turns” – it seems as though this summer’s version of the “Will Tomas Kaberle Be Traded?” game will end up like last year’s – and, let’s face it, we have just done possible Thrashers lineups to-freakin’-death…I figured what the heck.
Dustin Byfuglien sports his new Thrashers jersey while spending his day with the Stanley Cup (TwitPix/Ben Hankinson)
Anywhoooo…have you seen these photos of Dustin Byfuglien spending his day with the Stanley Cup in his hometown of Roseau, Minnee-SOH-Tah. His agent Ben Hankinson posted them recently via TwitPic.
Nice shots. But at first glance at these photographs, something just didn’t seem ’right’ to me.
An NHL player…with the Stanley Cup…wearing a Thrashers jersey.
If nothing else, it certainly makes for an interesting visual.
Like so many others, I followed Byfuglien closely last spring when he and the Chicago Blackhawks made their successful push through the playoffs. And when my crackberry lit up in June informing me that he and a couple other Hawks had been traded for by Atlanta, I was thrilled.
But since that time, whenever I pictured Byfuglien in my mind…the mental image painted still had him in that classic red jersey of the Chicago Blackhawks. So having the first image of Buff in Thrashers blue being one of him holding Lord Stanley’s Cup triumphantly over his head was indeed eye-catching.
Also, I have to admit it’s nice to see that D-Buff is more than willing to sport his new colors during his special day with the Cup. I suppose one could take away from this the fact that he’s taking kindly to the thought of playing in Atlanta. Of course, knowing that so many of his Stanley Cup-winning teammates will be on hand to help him through any transition period has to be comforting.
Byfuglien's wearing of Thrasher blue while with the Stanley Cup is...
- Good omen: Makes for a good picture of future possibilities (47%, 136 Votes)
- Bad karma: It just isn't 'right' (22%, 65 Votes)
- What was that you said about mountains and molehills? (31%, 88 Votes)
Total Voters: 289
Loading ...Because of this maybe, just maybe, to some the sight of Buff with the Cup in Thrasher blue is good thing…a good omen, as it were. I mean, a player hoisting the Cup in an Atlanta jersey isn’t exactly something we in Thrasherville are accustomed to, if ya get my drift?
Uh-huh, maybe. But at the risk of sounding too much like a curmudgeon, let me tell you why these pictures have me reaching for some salt to toss over my left shoulder.
To me, there is something not quite ‘kosher’ about seeing your team’s jersey on a player lifting the Cup when he won it with another team. This is especially true when your team has never actually won the Cup. More correctly stated… never even been within sniffing distance of the Cup.
Now, I’m not really “superstitious” mind you. Oh sure, I may never wash my jersey when the Thrashers are playing well. And even when I do it’s the only item in the washer, it’s hung up to dry with the crest facing north toward the hockey Mecca of the NHL Hall of Fame in Toronto. Also, I only eat at the Chick-Fil-A at CNN Center before home games. Oh yeah, and I must…MUST…MUST salute he The Blueland Chronicle boys when passing by their perch in section 317 on way to my ‘far closer to the ice than theirs’ seat. Plus, I may be prone to switching places on the couch if the Thrashers are not playing well during a road game. Oh, and if I wear a new item of clothing to a game and the Thrashers lose not only do I never wear it there again, it actually gets sent to Goodwill or The Salvation Army. That is, of course, if I don’t actually sacrifice it as a burn offering upon the alter to the hockey gods constructed in my back yard.
But I am NOT superstitious.
What I am, however, is a person who believes that there is something to this whole “karma” business. As such, I don’t like messing with it. And seeing this photo of Buff in a Thrashers jersey with the Stanley Cup… well, let’s just say I felt a disturbance in the force. The karma force.
…shudders…
Plus, I’m just not so sure this will sit well with the hockey gods. And since I can’t burn Byfuglien’s new #33 sweater on an altar to counter this possible breach of hockey etiquette, I would suggest that he and/or his agent send a few cases of Moosehead beer to them for appeasement purposes.
You know, just to be on the safe side.
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282 comments Add your comment
Lord Stanley
August 18th, 2010
10:42 am
Adding slowly maybe corrct, but they need a playoff team now to bring back fans or keep them for that matter.
JF your opinions are appreciated but backoff on Flames, He has had some great knowledge that has been anounced prior to any media outlets including Eklund.
kracker
August 18th, 2010
10:54 am
Have Mason pitch a couple of shutouts and that mask will look really good. Or….we could go back to Kari w/ his space game girls.
Rhytnmpenguin
August 18th, 2010
11:01 am
Why is simple bad? The way a mask looks is not going to change the game.
GaVaHokie
August 18th, 2010
11:08 am
At least Mason’s mask doesn’t have cartoon and video game characters on it.
J.B.
August 18th, 2010
11:09 am
Yep. Flames has consistently had inside information that’s been proven to be valid. Don’t know who he is or what he does, but he’s in there at some level. I don’t recall him posting anything that’s turned out bogus.
Smoothie
August 18th, 2010
11:11 am
RE: Mason’s mask. I can appreciate the old school sentiments, but I don’t really like it aside from the back of the helmet. The personalization of the back is pretty cool and the stars and stripes maple leaf is pretty dope. Unity baby. North America needs to be a unified front in this crazy world, even if them thar Canuckleheads have socialized medicine!
Smoothie
August 18th, 2010
11:13 am
I just hope Flames doesn’t raise the ire of D-Wad and get himself into trouble by posting here. Hopefully he is protected somehow and somebody is purposefully feeding him leaks.
BTW, 206 posts in the dead of August when there’s no news to report? Wow Rawhide, look what you have built here! You should be proud indeed.
GaVaHokie
August 18th, 2010
11:13 am
Hokie, I’m not sure Whalewood would be a good fit here.
That’s why I only give him a tryout… if he can’t be motivated to stay in shape and play in Toronto and Vancouver, Atlanta has no chance of getting a good performance out of him.
It’s a shame really… when he’s on top of his game, he’s great at finding time and space.
Joe Friday
August 18th, 2010
11:22 am
“Flames has consistently had inside information that’s been proven to be valid.”
I think I follow the board fairly closely, not as much as in the regular season, but what inside info did he provide that no one else knew? Only thing I’ve seen from Flames is last week (mabye the week before?) he posted something about a big trade coming, did I miss the big trade?
But then again I don’t understand why people believe Eklund, he doesn’t have any real inside info, he makes a million claims, most of which are common knowledge. You throw enough crap against the wall, eventually some of it sticks.
The club monitors this message board, I know that to be true.
The NHL has rules about tampering and GMs always play things very close to the vest, no one wants it to be known what their plans are, and teans monitor other clubs’ message boards to try to glean any info.
Again, if you think someone inside the Thrashers’ front office would be posting inside info on the local rag’s public message board, you might want to rethink that . . .
rob
August 18th, 2010
11:28 am
I would say Rissimiller shouldn’t make the lineup unless he has some kind of camp. More upside would be gained giving a prospect a spot vs a guy who hasnt been able to crack the league and stay in it for a length of time IMO. Would rather have a youngster practicing with the team and being eased into things now rather than throwing them in later.
As for the mask, Mason seems like the kind of guy we need here. Outspoken and passionate. He seems pretty approachable and happy to be here. I just hope that doesn’t change if the fans stay away and take a wait and see approach. Same goes for Buff, I hope the pics in the Thrashers sweater are him liking the team and not just being a FU to the Blackhawks for trading him. With all the young guys here, the team needs to have everyone here have a positive attitude so we can move forward.
Frankly
August 18th, 2010
11:29 am
Joe Friday is the jealous Don Waddell
The One
August 18th, 2010
11:30 am
Actually he is Sage with a new name
Jack
August 18th, 2010
11:34 am
Good Mask for Mason,wonder if he has a home and away mask.
rob
August 18th, 2010
11:44 am
Lost my train of thought there…..as for the mask I like it. Simple and to the point. He can let his play be what stands out…..I hope.
Smoothie
August 18th, 2010
11:52 am
Flames was posting more on Viv’s blog long before he started posting more frequently over here. Obviously you take everything with a grain of salt, but he’s yet to be wrong really. I think he said there was a trade that fell through, but that is perfectly plausible. Hey, it gives us some added intrigue apart from the usual August tripe that Sage feeds us.
Jack
August 18th, 2010
11:56 am
Smoothie totally agree. Don’t remeber him being wrong matter fact as you said he mentioned that something was on the table but did not materalize. Even I have moved over here, because there has been more Blog activity here vs Chis’s blog this summer which is partly due to Chris covering the Bravos .
Smoothie
August 18th, 2010
12:11 pm
Jack – no offense to C-Viv, but this is THE PLACE TO BE as far as blogging goes. Go to Viv for some news updates, but the real discussions seem to happen here. Of course, it may be a bit too long-winded for some’s tastes, but seems like there are very few trolls here compared to Viv’s blog, which goes stale very quickly.
JF makes some good points about the potential legitimacy of Flames, but he was correct in several assertions he made earlier this summer on Viv’s blog. I believe he broke the news on our coaching hire, but I can’t remember. I’d have to go back and look at old blogs.
Anyway, how do y’all like the idea of having Derek Lee play 1B here?
GaVaHokie
August 18th, 2010
12:24 pm
In all fairness to Eklund, he did mention “John Madden to the Wild” 5 hours before it hit the AP Wires and was posted on TSN.
Flames
August 18th, 2010
12:24 pm
I would never put out any information on this blog that isn’t true. I really enjoy reading everyone’s post. I have nothing to gain or lose by posting bad information. I am able to add some insight on things that are going on behind closed doors. JF- I’m not throwing crap against the wall and hoping that somethings stick. Chris Vic has e-mailed in the past wanting to know who I was and how I get such information. I didn’t tell him much because he is the beat writer for them. I’m sorry if I have offended anyone. I will continue to post things that I know are going to happen. I really try to keep a low profile and just read the blogs. This is the best hockey blog in the country. Chris Viv and Rawhide has done a awesome job reporting on the Thrashers. You guys are true hockey fans! Again I am sorry if I have offended anyone. Go Thrashers!
J.B.
August 18th, 2010
12:31 pm
i don’t think you’ve offended anyone Flames. Some are just more skeptical than others. That said, wouldn’t Chris be able to see your email address, at minimum since you post here?
Smoothie
August 18th, 2010
12:36 pm
Not that Flames owes anything to anyone, and it’s up to you as an individual if you choose to believe him, but I give you this:
POSTED BY FLAMES ON 6/22: I’m for resigning Boults as well. He is a tough SOB and has a lot of grit. He will not make a huge dent on the cap space at around 500K. He is a leader in the locker room. Bogo, Slater and Thorburn look up to him. I expect him and a few others to sign in the next 7-10 days. Bogo and Slater are leaving in a few weeks to go to Iraq on behalf of the Thrashers to visit the troops. I wish them well. The NHL wanted two American Players from each team to go. I’m still hearing the echos of a trade draft day with Chicago…Please let it be # 10.
For the record, the Byfuglien trade went down on the 24th. Boulton signed in early July along with a couple of other UFA’s, albeit depth signings for Chicago. Have not heard anyone else mention Slater’s & Bogo’s trip to Iraq so perhaps Flames can point us in the direction of some press release regarding the trip to visit the troops.
I know there are other instances of Flames posting good information for the bloggers over on Viv’s page, but I’m too lazy to look up anymore. He’s shown me enough to believe that he is privy to some information coming out of the Thrashers’ management circles.
Brendan
August 18th, 2010
12:36 pm
Red Light, only two really grab me. Stempniak, because of his awesome production post-trade deadline, and Artyukhin … just because he’s a big body to help us win puck battles in the corner boards. I don’t think R2Kin did anything to play himself out of a job while here. To me, the issue with Artie is … “does he WANT to play here?” And if so, is he willing to do just a 1-year deal, or … are his demands something larger?
Red Light
August 18th, 2010
12:38 pm
Speaking of long-winded…
I agree that you can never have enough grit, but you also need more skill on this current roster, even if you keep Burmistrov, Little returns to 2009 form, Bergfors duplicates his rookie season, Kane improves, and Ladd and Byfuglien contribute 20 goals each. As ex ex STH said, and I firmly believe, this club needs a top-6 forward, preferably a playmaking assist man. Little, Bergy, Kane, Byfuglien, Ladd, Eager, Slater, Boulton, Thorburn aren’t top-flight passers. Antropov, Burmistrov (not yet at the NHL level), Peverley (occasionally) fit that bill. In fact, the best passers on the team are Enstrom and Oduya in my opinion (Hainsey’s not bad either), but those are more up the ice passes rather than setting up goals. As you know, many assists are recorded because of rebounds off shots.
There isn’t a single forward that you can label as a great passer/playmaker, like Backstrom, St. Louis, Sedin, Crosby or Parise for example. Antro is the closest thing this team has.
There is a guy whose performance slipped last year, who will come at a considerable discount to what he was making… who is a fabulous playmaker: Paul Kariya.
He has averaged 48 assists per every 82 games since the lockout. The downside: age, 36 in October; only two times in his career has he played in more than one playoff series in a single season, averaged only 17 minutes of ice time last season, and of course, he’s small.
Is it a perfect fit? No. Could it be a good option for him and the team? Maybe. If Dudley sends Burmistrov back to Juniors, then what other options do you have?
Red Light
August 18th, 2010
12:44 pm
By the way…Kariya is third on the active list among guys who will (could) eclipse the 1,000-point mark this season…
Alfredsson 992
Kovalev 990
Kariya 989
Flames
August 18th, 2010
12:46 pm
Yes! He e-mailed and asked who I was. It worried me. My E-mail address doesn’t give me away. I have several addresses. I was worried that somebody but him up to it. I think he was just wanting me to keep him in the loop. I reported the Blawkhawks trade before it happened. That was when he contacted me. JF- is right that the organization does read theses blogs. I really don’t want to get anyone in trouble, including myself.
Brendan
August 18th, 2010
12:54 pm
I have a question to ask. “Why is the budget still so low?” Before anyone answers, I want this thought in the back of your minds. Back in 2008, I thought “This is a build year.” And it was. In 2009, I thought, “this is a build year.” And it was. By then, we’d added Bogosian and Kane, Lasu, Redmond, Klingberg, etc., via the draft. In 2010, I thought, “This is Year 3 of what I still suspect is a 4 year building process.” But here we are now, at the beginning of the 2011 season … so … let me ask you: “Is this ‘Year Four’ of the building process?,” which would help explain the low budget, or is this a year where the ‘bluster’ about playoffs is actually justified? My $0.02 is … this is YEAR FOUR, the last and FINAL year of the build-up process. When Craig Custance was the beat writer, he said that it would take the Thrashers 5 years to get back to the postseason, after the disasterous 2007 trade deadline moves. I counter-argued, at the time, that it would only take four years (2011) to get back. If we make the playoffs, great! I win my argument with Custance. If not, I lose. But remember the formula. We need to be a +22 on the GF/GA differential for that the happen. I think I remember someone posting that we were a -22 last year. That means we need to improve by 44 goals this year. I can honestly see us shaving 30 goals off the GA, but I’m not too confident that we’ll even reach last year’s GF totals. We needed a Frolov, or an Afinogenov, or something to make up for Kovy’s goals and Finny’s goals, from last season. If Antropov, Little, and Kane can make up that difference between the three of them, then great! If not, we need to sign or trade for a goal scorer, or two.
Re: Playoffs, I hear ya! “Look at the East last year, it only took 88-points to get in!, so ’screw the formulas!!’” I think we had 83-points last season. Well, the thing is … those formulas tend to be right. And 88-points, to make the playoffs, is a bit of a statistical anomaly. It normally takes 93 to 94-points to qualify for the postseason dance. Think it over. On your marks, get set, post!!
Midfield
August 18th, 2010
12:57 pm
Now I’m worried too. If I don’t come back home in three weeks, my lawyer will open an envelop tipping off investigators in the direction of Teflon Don and the ASG mafia.
J.B.
August 18th, 2010
1:00 pm
Flames – i guess i assumed your email address would at least partially give you away. e.g, if it ended in @atlantaspirit.com or something like that
. I only have one and forget that alot of people keep different addresses for different purposes.
Don’t get yourself in trouble!
I know you mentioned feverish work on Little and Bergfors. Is there any chatter regarding bringing in someone else from outside via UFA or trade or has that ship sailed for the season?
Flames
August 18th, 2010
1:05 pm
Smoothie- The trip to Iraq got canceled by the NHL. It was suppose to happened in August. If any of you get a chance, ask Bogosian or Slater about the trip. Each team was supposed to send two Americans. Bolts volunteered to go but he is Canadian.
Jack
August 18th, 2010
1:12 pm
Flames thanks for all your great information. Don’t see how anyone could be offended, especially the true Thrasher fans that wants to know what the team is ir is not doing.
Thank you again.
Flames
August 18th, 2010
1:15 pm
I’m not sure. They think they might need another scorer. It depends on what they do with Buff. I think he will be a forward and not a blueliner. If that is the case then they might be done. I will keep you posted. I just don’t think we are done.
Dwayne
August 18th, 2010
1:18 pm
To Flames….Who was the Grassy Knoll gunman?
Jack
August 18th, 2010
1:24 pm
On a side note any more news on the kchoke saga
Alan R.
August 18th, 2010
1:27 pm
I just don’t think we are done.
Neither do I. We need to add more salary to get to the floor, and I don’t think all that salary will be covered by the RFA signings.
Flames
August 18th, 2010
1:28 pm
Dewayne- Sage! J/k
Smoothie
August 18th, 2010
1:32 pm
Flames – Damn, just damn.
Sage will be gunning for you next probably!
Alan – pretty sure the Little & Bergfors deals should get us comfortably above the floor. However, not sure how bonuses are accounted for at the beginning of the year. If the full potential counts against the floor at Day 1, then we’re fine. But I could see us making one more depth signing or trading for an odd-man out from the Bruins as Ramsay would be able to give us some good insight on whether a particular player is worth it.
SomaAtl95
August 18th, 2010
1:34 pm
Thanks again Flames – one of your posts got me to thinking – your employers read these blogs? Any responses to what is posted here? I’m sure some folks would be unhappy if they knew that the ASG was reading what they had to say and just didn’t care.
kracker
August 18th, 2010
2:04 pm
twitter dankamal Top-pick Alexander Burmistrov has been skating in Duluth for about a week. He looks 10 lbs heavier than last month. I’d say 180, all muscle.
For the skeptics: It’s good to hear that A. Burma is here in Duluth and not somewhere in Russia. And he will probably be about a muscular 185 for camp.
GaVaHokie
August 18th, 2010
2:14 pm
Burma will also have a couple weeks to play with Antro, Little and Kane (next week) before training camp starts up… good for him, taking full advantage of his opportunity.
Flames
August 18th, 2010
2:15 pm
Sage- I was just poking fun at you. Nothing personal.. I really respect everyones opinion on this blog.
Smoothie
August 18th, 2010
2:27 pm
Johnny Burma is every bit the character guy Dudley says he is. Judging from his work ethic at prospect camp, we will be very pleased with this kid when he dons the cobalt blue for real. He was the first on the ice and last off of it, reportedly with Telegrin, and I witnessed how gracious and friendly he was signing autographs and posing for pics after the last prospect camp scrimmage. If he continues to put on the weight and matures adequately, we may finally have our franchise center in 2011. Although I do think he’ll get his 9 games this fall before heading back to Barrie in mid-November. And I didn’t even have to rely on Flames for that prediction!
Brendan
August 18th, 2010
2:32 pm
I remember that one of the Spirit members specifically cited poster LAC in some article about message boards. They wanted to know if he was a poster named “whammer.” But, it turned out … that “whammer” posted during the interview with the paper, trying to catch him hiding/posting under this name. Not even I would believe Gearon or Levenson would do something like that.
But, the fact that at least one (1) owner of the team knew who LAC was … is encouraging. Although, LAC was usually challenging him/them to a fist fight for control of the team.
kracker
August 18th, 2010
2:47 pm
twitter – scottywazz Boo-urns. RT @KatsHockey: Big faceoff dot in the middle of the zones is just another rule tweak http://tweetphoto.com/39825888
Are they going to do this???
kracker
August 18th, 2010
2:48 pm
Surely that’s a photoshop altered pic!?
Jack
August 18th, 2010
2:56 pm
Thats crazy it looks like (real) wrestling on ice.
kracker
August 18th, 2010
3:11 pm
More twitter – mirtle I must have missed it, but why is the NHL testing out shallower nets at the R&D camp?
More room to set up & pass from behind the net? That could be interesting…
Jack
August 18th, 2010
3:15 pm
and more checking. Did I hear right that they are also testing not using the trapazoid behind the goal?
kracker
August 18th, 2010
3:20 pm
Here is another pic
mirtle I call it cyclops. RT @reporterchris: This is what an NHL rink looks like with one faceoff dot in each zone. http://tweetphoto.com/39829739
Does the goal net look smaller? I think it does. And note the 3′ wide blue line.
kracker
August 18th, 2010
3:21 pm
By ’smaller’, I mean not as deep.
glovesave29
August 18th, 2010
3:28 pm
Kracker – Brendan Shanahan of the league office is working with the Leafs to try out new configurations and rules. This happens every year. So the 3 face off circles in the middle are not a doctored photo. This is not the first time they have considered centered face off circles either. In the last few years they have also tried wider lines and smaller circles. The smartest change ever was the removal of the old Art Ross style nets – the old ones that were shaped like a “3″ at the base and had a sharp protrusion in the middle. Mark Howe hit one once (once) in a game and got a huge gash in his thigh. Nasty
The faceoff circle change seems a bit much for me. The 4 rules I would remove are -
1. Remove the trapezoid from behind the net
2. No icing when shorthanded
3. Team must serve all 2 minutes of a penalty kill regardless of how many goals are scored
4. No touch up icing – play is dead when it crosses the goal line (unless passes thru crease)
On another note – looks like Hamilton may lose the CFL Tiger-Cats. Cant keep that team in town, but they expect to support NHL hockey? They are proposing a new stadium for the team that seats 15,000. 15,000? High school football games get a larger crowd than that!