Bergfors learning Ramsay finds press box acoustics perfect for delivering message
There’s this hockey player that seems to have gone missing around Thrasherville. He’s Swedish…about 5’-11”, 190-pounds-ish…was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the 2005 draft…came to the Thrashers last February along with Johnny Oduya and Patrice Cormier in exchange for Anssi Salmela and…and…snapping fingers…oh yeah, Ilya Kovalchuk.
Maybe you’ve heard of him…dude goes by the name Niclas Bergfors.
Rumor has it he still is on the Thrashers roster, however his presence on the ice has been quite scarce of late. Since the 4-2 loss to the Avalanche back on December 10th, he’s suited up for all of one game in the past seven played. But in the one game he was allowed to participate in…the 3-2 shootout loss to Carolina…he spent all but 7:40 with his backside affixed to the bench and was limited to only a couple of his 11 shifts late in the game.
For the season, he’d been averaging over 14 minutes TOI and just under 19 shifts per game.
Because of this, there has been some speculation that he’s fallen out of favor with coach Craig Ramsay…even to the point that general manager Rick Dudley might be shopping the forward to interested teams. However, while it is clear he’s found himself in Rammer’s doghouse, I don’t think the team is about to give up on the kid anytime soon.
At the bottom of this Craig Custance piece that deals primarily with contract discussions with Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien…which in and of it’s self is good news…Dudley admits that he’s fielded calls from other GMs about Bergfors. But he also added, “We have assets but we’re not inclined to give people away”.
Nic Bergfors heard lots of cheers coming from the Thrashers fans last spring. Now coach Ramsay is trying to get him to hear something else...specifically, the message he's trying to get through to the 23-year old forward. And the coach is more than willing to use the acoustics in the press box for that message to be heard (AP Photo/John Amis)
Taking those comments under consideration, one could get the impression that they aren’t looking to kick Bergie to the curb…not just yet, at least. But if Dudley and Co. are indeed intent on keeping him around, what then do we make of the lack of playing time?
Well, as I said before…it’s quite obvious he’s drawn Ramsay’s ire. And the good coach has made it clear that playing time is directly linked to effort and hustle. However, if you take into account his numbers of late, Bergfors isn’t suffering from the infamous sophomore slump. In fact, he’s “playing” at the same level he was last spring after coming to Atlanta. And as you’ll recall, that was a level that had us all singing the kid’s praises.
Consider the following…
Back then, Bergfors scored 8 goals and 9 assists in 27 games played with a –3 rating. Now, he has 7 goals, 11 assists and is a +1 in the same amount of games. That’s one more point and an improvement of +4 in the +/- column.
His 18 overall points in just 27 games are equal to those accumulated by Nik Antropov and Bryan Little. They’ve played in 35 and 30 games respectively. Plus, in his last game played before finding his way to the press box buffet for six of seven games he actually netted his seventh goal of the year. In his last eight games he has 2 goals, 2 assists and is a +2.
Also, Bergfors isn’t prone to taking silly penalties in games. For the year he has one minor to his credit, a holding call out in L.A. back on October 12 and the Kings didn’t score on the ensuing power play.
So as you can see…if viewed strictly from a statistical perspective… he’s not exactly dropping heaping, steaming piles if FAIL out there. So it has to be something more.
Based on a couple of conversations I had recently with a few individuals close to the team, what’s going on here is that coach Ramsay is trying to get Bergie’s attention…trying to drive home a point or two with the young forward. And he feels the acoustics found in the press box are just right for that message to come through loud and clear.
What’s the message, you ask? Well, among other things, the coach feels he’s not playing “tough” enough and not “battling” for pucks along the boards.
As to just what it is Ramsay is looking for from Bergfors, look no further than what he told Chris Vivlamore earlier this week about one of the players who is getting some of the playing time that Bergfors is missing…Tim Stapleton.
“Stapleton is very good without the puck. He’s going to score, but he’s been good defensively. He made a couple of solid plays the other night”, Ramsay said to the AJC’s fine Thrashers beat writer..
“The first game [Stapleton] played was in Washington and he ends up out against [Alexander] Ovechkin a couple times and got the job done. That helps a lot”, the Thrashers head coach went on to say. “ When you see that he participates defensively, you feel good about putting him out there.”
Ramsay then concluded his comments by saying, “The pucks along the wall, he wins the wall battle. He didn’t turn it over. You can see that if he can play along the walls, and he can play at any time against anybody, that’s a key issue.”
Playing hard on defense…battling along the boards…being smart off the puck…working hard even if you’re matched up against one of the premier players in the league. These are qualities Ramsay sees fit to use for a player like Tim Stapleton and is why he continues to use him… even though he has zero points to his name this season. It’s also fairly easy to read between the lines that these are exactly the same traits he feels Bergfors needs to display in his game.
How long will it take for Bergie to work his way out of the press box? I guess really that depends on how quickly his work ethic improves to his coach’s liking. But both Ramsay and the Thrashers have time to teach and mold the kid into the type of player they are looking for him to be.
And it appears they will give Bergfors ample time to receive the message in coach Ramsay’s own little sound booth…the press box.
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70 comments Add your comment
HP Drifter
December 23rd, 2010
8:32 am
1st !?!
HP Drifter
December 23rd, 2010
8:33 am
Fools gold !
waffleboy
December 23rd, 2010
8:49 am
Great post, Rawhide. You gotta love a coach that’s willing to try and help out Bergfors to the point that it may be costing the team a goal here or there. While Bergfors play offensively has been pretty good this year, I have to agree with your assessment that his game is not where Ramsay wants it to be. I hope the message gets through, because I think Bergfors has a ton of upside. When he plays responsibly, I think he can be a pretty solid two-way player in this league. Add that to the 20-30 goals he can contribute and you have a guy that will be in this league for a long time. I hope Bergfors realizes that and doesn’t pine away the press box.
HP Drifter
December 23rd, 2010
8:50 am
Bergie definitely has the scoring skills and hopefully he will accept Ramsay’s vision because others have been stepping up and he is stepping back. A full-time, focused Bergie would make the team even stronger. I have a feeling that there just might be a personality/chemistry issue with Bergie and the coach or team/players. Or possibly what Bergie offers is not what this team needs right now and some other element is needed so that leaves Bergie as odd man out.
Shawn@GSG
December 23rd, 2010
8:51 am
Rawhide – althought I don’t post frequently, I do read everyday and for that I thank you and wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. I’m thinking as long as the Thrashers continue to score at a good clip that we could see or “not see” Bergie for quite some time. Have you heard any reasons for Eager being “punished”?
Big Momma
December 23rd, 2010
8:59 am
How does Bergfors acknowledge “message received” if he doesn’t get in a game to show it and they don’t have time for practice? It may well be January before we see this kid again.
Brendan
December 23rd, 2010
9:02 am
Bergfors should play. But, I’m not the coach. And I have zero, with no threat of that figure escalating, professional victories to my credit. I didn’t want Byfuglien to play defense. He’s the team leader in almost every category.
To Nic Bergfors, stay the course, bro. You’ll get your time. And when you do, make the most of it.
Tincup9
December 23rd, 2010
9:18 am
Scores but is lazy on defense and doesn’t work on the walls. Sounds like the guy we sent to the Devils.
Rawhide
December 23rd, 2010
9:25 am
Shawn@GSG – Thank you and same to you and yours. As for Eager…I can’t speak directly to that as I have no real inside knowledge to it, but it seems obviouos that there is a ‘chemistry’ issue going on. I don’t know much more than that.
moriler
December 23rd, 2010
9:29 am
WAFFLES!
Tom Lysiak
December 23rd, 2010
9:30 am
I’m confident Dudley and Ramsay know how to handle players. They obviously see things in his game that most of us don’t see. They know what he can do, but he is not delivering. Sometimes these young guys stick with what got them to the “bigs”, and don’t accept any coaching. Ramsay is simply waiting for the kid to get the message. He may or may not, depends on his stubbornness and work ethic. Glad to see Dudley mentioned him in the list of players to sign and is not just going to take the best offer for him.
LAC
December 23rd, 2010
9:39 am
Glad the owners “WAR” is over. But the comment by drunk old bruce, of being, Get This…
“Proud” of what they have done here ?????? I’d hide under a BIG Rock if I ever came close to the disgusting way they have run these teams. They are an embarrassement to the city and The NHL,
and should sell ASAP to a respectable owner who will keep the team here and make it a WINNER,
something these Stupid Lying sprit clowns will NEVER be !!!!!!!
Tough game tonight, but Boston has not been tip top lately, Hope Mason is NOT in goal.
JLH
December 23rd, 2010
9:42 am
I trust Ramsay, but the one thing that bothers me about this situation is Bergfors comment that “the coaches have not talked to me” about the benching, about what he needs to do to be better. Is it Ramsay’s style to depend on a player to be smart enough and motivated enough to figure it out for himself? Or is Bergfors simply lying when he says this? I can’t say I understand the silent treatment, especially from a teaching coach like Ramsay.
………And, who else out there is willing to join me in the campaign to nominate Ramsay for the “Best Dressed Coach” award? Who shall we name the award after? Those ties are outrageous, but always with the perfect understated shirt, and he’s got a few flashy jackets too….. They remind me of his dead-pan humor style ……..
J-man
December 23rd, 2010
9:46 am
Stapleton is playing only 6-8 minutes most nights, maybe 10 if he is lucky. Ramsay is not using his 3rd and 4th lines much in recent games so whether Stapleton or Bergfors plays, at 10 or fewer minutes a game, they are not going to contribute much offensively. I have to say that this strategy works against Bergfors because Stapleton has that “just happy to be here at all” thing going for him and he’ll gladly do the grunt work for no offensive results. I like Bergfors but I’m just not seeing him as being happy or productive in a grinder role. If that’s all Ramsay can use him for, perhaps Dudley should be more open to the thought of trading him.
Good point by Big Momma. At some point this just becomes another NHL self-fulfilling prophecy where player X doesn’t play for some reason and he is never given the chance to show that the reason doesn’t apply any more.
Russian
December 23rd, 2010
9:56 am
Berg has to play. I liked Antro-Burmy-Eager line. Also I liked Berg-Pever-Ladd line. They do more attack than Modin and Tim. Tim is simple suck and he is AHL hockey. Modin is OK for 4 line. We lost Blues, because major plaeyrs were out of gas. Rammer did not use whole team. He played only 2 lines.
I hope Berg and Eager will play in Boston. Also I watched Burmy played lately. He did not get help from Tim and Modin. This line did not make any chemistry.
Steve
December 23rd, 2010
10:10 am
Tincup, I agree. Speaking of lazy. What about Antro?? He may be the slowest, lazyest, guy on the team. I may be missing something.
dwayne
December 23rd, 2010
10:14 am
Right on Russion. Burmy’s talent is being wasted on Simpleton and Slowdeen.
Rawhide
December 23rd, 2010
10:14 am
………And, who else out there is willing to join me in the campaign to nominate Ramsay for the “Best Dressed Coach” award? Who shall we name the award after? Those ties are outrageous, but always with the perfect understated shirt, and he’s got a few flashy jackets too….. They remind me of his dead-pan humor style ……..
JLH – How about the “Don Cherry Award”?
dwayne
December 23rd, 2010
10:15 am
That’s the anti-Don Cherry award.
T
December 23rd, 2010
10:36 am
I would rather have bergfors play than Stapleton
Matt
December 23rd, 2010
10:47 am
Don Cherry is the Anti-Christ!!!
Russ
December 23rd, 2010
11:11 am
I certainly can’t complain about the decisions the coaching staff has made this season because the results speak for themself, but I don’t see a whole lot of difference between Bergie’s game and Little’s. Maybe I’m missing something, but those two seem pretty similar with Bergie being a little more of a shooter and Little a passer? So, I don’t understand why Bergie is in the doghouse. Oh well, the team has been playing well and hopefully will send us off to Chirstmas with a W over the Bruins tonight. GO THRASHERS!!!
Red Light
December 23rd, 2010
11:20 am
There isn’t one forward that won’t get his hands dirty in the corners and along the walls, and shows hustle and determination. Even Antropov will do it (although sometimes it doesn’t look like it) and I think that is THE reason Bergfors has been benched.
Comes down to work ethic. Ramsay must have plenty of evidence.
Nice piece Bill!
cousin Eddie
December 23rd, 2010
11:20 am
Rammer would look awesome in some Don Cherry outfits. That would complete the process of being an elite team. jk.
P.S.- I heard the other day the Boston Bruins have nominated Brian Burke for “GM of the Year”.
cousin Eddie
December 23rd, 2010
11:26 am
Holy cow! Devils fire coach. Ilya must be making decisions over there at the Rock.
Hockey Biltong
December 23rd, 2010
11:27 am
2 way playing is the key for this coach.You don’t have to wonder any more than that…
Dwayne
December 23rd, 2010
11:33 am
Here is what i think, coaches get together after a game, grade the players on certain criteria and Bergs and Eager sit. maybe it’s just that simple.
razorneck13
December 23rd, 2010
12:15 pm
I don’t really see what Ramsay sees I guess in so far as scoring production being outweighed by things like digging for pucks along the boards, but at this point I trust him. Dunno if Bergfors is slacking per se, but I’m clearly not as sharp as Rammers.
If Ramsay wants, no frills, intelligent, heart forward, grinding efforts, so be it, I can’t argue I dig that the most too. Regardless, I’d rather see Eagers and Bergfors in over Modin and Stapleton, seein’ as I can’t call either of the first two guys slackers, but I can describe the latter two as something like “fading in the twilight” and “not quite ready for prime time”.
razorneck13
December 23rd, 2010
12:21 pm
Having said that, I should expect Modin and/or Stapleon to score a hat trick and have a breakout year. That’d be fitting. Foot in mouth AGAIN!!! Welcome to another dimension.
LET’S GO THRASHERS!!!
razorneck13
December 23rd, 2010
12:22 pm
Having said that watch Modin or Stapleton have breakout years making me look silly, AGAIN!!!
Wayne stuck in AL
December 23rd, 2010
12:22 pm
Name the best dressed coach award after the late Roger Nielson.
razorneck13
December 23rd, 2010
12:23 pm
Sorry, AJC just tricked me up with duplicate post stuff.
Red Light
December 23rd, 2010
1:00 pm
OK, gentlemen. Here’s a question for you, and then an answer.
How many NHL forwards since the lockout have scored 25 goals or more, had an equal number or more assists than goals (25-plus) and also had 60 or more blocked shots in a single season?
The answer is 10, but I’ll bet you can’t name half of the players who have.
The results are pretty interesting and your own Rich Peverley has a chance to do it this season.
http://sportssoutheast.com/index.php/red-light-report/59-nhl/238-the-nhls-best-all-around-forwards
Michael
December 23rd, 2010
1:22 pm
If the team was underperforming, I could understand fans questioning Rammer’s lineup decisions. However, the team is one point out of first and playing really good hockey lately so why are there so many people complaining? The main point differential to look at is us and 9th place. The going back and forth with Washington and Tampa doesn’t mean much as long as we maintain a nice gap on 9th place.
Plus, we only see Bergie in games. Is he not working hard in practice? Could that be part of the reason he is being benched?
All I know is I am thrilled with this TEAM and believe we are headed in the right direction. If we continue to trust Rammer and Dudley, I’m pretty sure we will be headed back to the playoffs this year.
Dwayne
December 23rd, 2010
1:39 pm
Best dressed coach? Tom Landry?, Dick Nolan? Jimmy Duggan?
R. Stroz
December 23rd, 2010
2:00 pm
Kovy has turned into a Koach Killer.
Hoof Arted
December 23rd, 2010
2:21 pm
R Stroz, let’s see. First there was Fraser, then Hartley, then Anderson. Now MacLean.
Yes. Koach Killer.
Hoof Arted
December 23rd, 2010
2:23 pm
Seems the only man to ever head coach a team played on by Ilya Kovalchuk and not be fired is Don Waddell. Maybe we should send him up to New Jersey too.
jimbo
December 23rd, 2010
2:48 pm
Rawhide- you or someone posted a comment from Bergfors that he had no idea why he wasn’t playing and that the coaches had not said anything to him. Do we really have to rely on the silent treatment to get a message across. I’d much prefer a coach who spelled it out and exactly what someone had to do to improve their performance. This Banishment to the Press Box is childish.
Cornbread
December 23rd, 2010
3:25 pm
For those of you who can’t for the life of you figure out why Bergfors is not playing, read Rawhide’s post again. And Again! Everyone with an ounce of hockey sense knows why he’s sitting. If Bergfors – an NHL pro – can’t figure it out, he’s one of the senseless. Quit you whining Bergy. Anyone who has ever laced them up knows what you aren’t doing.
It is clear that Coach Ramsay will not have soft floaters on his team. This team is about battling hard for every inch of the ice and right now Stapleton and Modin are battling harder than Bergfors with and without the puck.
Hockey is more than just scoring goals. It’s about what you do when you are not on the attack and the puck is not on your stick. Battle hard and everyone scores more goals and keeps the other team from scoring. The Atlanta Thrashers just got rid of the biggest figure 8 floating goal scorers in the league. Ramsay and Dudley are not going to have another, especially one named Bergfors.
Golara
December 23rd, 2010
3:42 pm
This Bergfors situation is classic NHL politics. He was brought in by the previous regime, so he is not seen as a Ramsay-Dudley guy, nor is he an established player with the club. The other thing going against him is his contract situation, as the Thrashers will have some major problems locking up their star players while staying under the cap. If Bergfors plays regularly on the top 2 lines, he will probably finish with around 50-60 pts and his agent will be asking for big money. Right now he is a luxury player, a “nice to have” if you can sign him on the cheap, but not a priority for the club as they are doing quite nicely without him. This is why New Jersey included him in the trade (although they probably regret it now).
Dudley probably thought the other GMs would bite off his hand for Bergfors, but if a guy is rotting in the press box, NHL GMs will smell blood and will offer next to nothing, hoping to pick up a real steal. This just shows Dudley’s naivete as a GM (he does not exactly have a sparkling record in management as a coach or GM). Anyone knows that if you want to generate interest in a player, you have to showcase him to other teams by playing him, not leaving him in the press box. Bringing him back for one game and seven minutes of ice time is not exactly a promotional master stroke. And if you’re going to shop a guy, do it closer to the trade deadline when his value is higher and other clubs more desperate.
Additionally, the owner will not like the idea of paying good money for his players to be sitting in the press box, it’s not like the Thrashers are rolling in revenue. So they will eventually have to play him (which may not suit Ramsay) or trade him for less than they expected to get from him.
kracker
December 23rd, 2010
4:56 pm
waffleboy….You don’t live in Toronto, do you?
mike
December 23rd, 2010
5:07 pm
kovy also responsible for firing two coaches in Russia national team and bad feeling from fired coaches in Russia toward kovy for lazy behavior well known.
Joe Friday
December 23rd, 2010
5:20 pm
If Coach thinks it’s right for him to sit, fine by me, he’s earned my respect. IRWT.
Merry Christmas, all. Go Thrashers.
Badger Bob
December 23rd, 2010
6:57 pm
Can the Devils fire Kovy? I bet they wish they could!
Stellar write-up as usual, Rawhide. And great article, RL.
kracker
December 23rd, 2010
7:08 pm
Sole ownership of last place is on the line tonight at the Prudential Center. Lemaire returns to kick some Devil arses…too bad they can’t still end it in a tie!
kracker
December 23rd, 2010
7:36 pm
Buff needs to freakin stay on his point position!
kracker
December 23rd, 2010
7:50 pm
Islanders lead NJD 3-0 after the 1st.
Michael "the abbreviation"
December 23rd, 2010
7:57 pm
I dont buy into this crap at all play bergfors..if we lose tonight to boston im gonna b super pissed he wasnt in the lineup, again
Puckhead
December 23rd, 2010
8:20 pm
A disaster in the making at Boston. I was concerned the loss to St Louis was the start of a bad stretch. Boston in a must win situation, Thomas in goal and the schedule next week is not lined up well for a tired team.
Sunday’s game against Tampa is shaping up to be a must win.
rob
December 23rd, 2010
8:39 pm
Sure are a lot of people out there who OBVIOUSLY know not a whole lot. Ramsey knows this game inside and out. He knows what it takes to make it, he knows what it takes to stay, and he knows what it takes to win. Just being a sniper does not make you a complete player. Getting rid of IK, and you want another? Bergfors is still young, and needs to listen to the coach. Calling Ramsey childish or any other name with where this team is sitting is just, well, childish. Get a grip people, we are right in the thick of things here, and if Bergfors wants to be a part of it, instead of watching the likes of TIM STAPLETON take his place, then he damn well better get his head out of his ARSE and figure it out huh?
THE ONLY PERSON HOLDING BERGFORS BACK IS BERGFORS!!
Matt
December 23rd, 2010
8:50 pm
How long until the usual Sten-bag drivel gets posted tonight?
LAC
December 23rd, 2010
9:01 pm
Looks like the downfall has now started, Poor game after a home Stinker, Really looks like the team is starting to head in the wrong direction… Sad to See…
R. Stroz
December 23rd, 2010
9:16 pm
Just returned home from dinner with the wife. I should have stayed and eaten dessert.
Boulton’s line needs a goal to keep his plus/minus streak alive.
Oh well, hopefully they will be rested for the game Sunday.
Merry Christmas Everyone.
CobbGOPer
December 23rd, 2010
9:18 pm
Meh. Who cares about hockey in this town anymore? This team has sucked for over a decade, with one brief playoff trip and nothing else to show for it. Our star players are consistently shipped off somewhere else. The coaches all seem to be wackjobs or useless (Ramsey ain’t all he’s talked up to be). The ownership puts no money into the program, or as little as absolutely required. And we get a crap product on the ice. As well, how are you supposed to build a fan base when like 1 out of every three games isn’t even on TV (in Atlanta)?
I’ll spend my money somewhere else.
michael
December 23rd, 2010
9:52 pm
how is a couple games a crap product? yes every game counts but this isnt football your gonna lose alot of games. team was just flat tonight def coulda used bergfors I dont see him sitting much longer. best part of the game was the line brawl which we need more of.
Puckhead
December 23rd, 2010
9:55 pm
Tampa gets two points and Caps have at least one point. Only good tonight is Carolina and New Jersey lost.
Always Hoping
December 23rd, 2010
10:01 pm
CobbGOPer……just curious as where you’ll spend your allowance from your monny and daddy?
Joe Friday
December 23rd, 2010
10:13 pm
“Buff needs to freakin stay on his point position!”
Why, you don’t like the 37 odd pts he’s put up so far from the blue line? Give me a break, you pinch you get burned, but he’s winning those 5 to 1 easily . . .
Great to see the boys further their room tonite. You’re going to see 4-1 losses once in a while, especially against the top clubs, good news is the boys all stepped up, when’s the last time you saw a 5 on 5 in the Bettman era? Next Thursday night is must see TV . . .
Brendan
December 23rd, 2010
10:17 pm
CobbGOPer, the point I took away from your post was that the Atlanta Spirit needs to work to win back the fans. Agreed. Could there be more Thrashers games on TV? Yes. Though, I watched tonight’s game from Valdosta, GA. So, if there are hockey fans in south GA, near the Florida line, they at least had a chance to watch some Thrashers Hockey. If I lived down here, I’d think about making a long weekend of it in Atlanta to catch a Friday and Sunday or Thursday and Saturday set of games at the Bulb. Is the ownership spending at an improper level? Yes, obviously. It is shameful to witness the Thrashers budgets, over the past few seasons.
But I would wholeheartedly reject the notion that Ramsay is a dud, or is incapable, or is anything remotely resembling a “whacko.” Neither is GM Rick Dudley is nutjob, either. Both these guys are good hockey men, with decades of NHL experience working in their favor. If Ramsay and Dudley get new ownership, or improved ownership, it’ll be fun to watch what they achieve. Look at what they’re doing with the NOTHING budget they got for 2010-11!
In the inaugural season, the Thrashers soldout 38 of 41 home games. And that … was the WORST Thrashers hockey I ever saw. So? So, if there is BELIEF that the team is truly headed in a good or better direction, then the same folks who soldout those inaugural season games will return. Trouble is, there are burned bridges to repair, by the Septocluster (TM, poster Brendan, all rights reserved.) It should begin with some sort of statement of intent, for this franchise, on the part of Gearon and Levenson. And we’ll move it along from there.
Milan Lucic
December 23rd, 2010
11:22 pm
How dare Freddy Meyer IV hit me in the chest, I am a well known tough guy in this league!!! I sent my bodyguard Andrew Ferrence to fight for my honor and then I sucker punched him in the side of his head once he was tied up.
Do not ever touch me or question my toughness again, or I will sick Andew Ferrence on you as well.
R. Stroz
December 23rd, 2010
11:34 pm
Don’t worry Lucic, Colin Campbell will step in and further disgrace the family name.
jeff97
December 23rd, 2010
11:36 pm
Hey Lucic, i think you might be getting a chance to spend an extended amount of time on your Xmas break after your sucker punch on Freddy Meyer…yes…Freddy Meyer..a Cam Neely you will never be.
Good to see Thrash stick up for each other. I am hoping that the last two games are more of a product of fatigue (9 games in 14 days) than anything else.
Alan R.
December 24th, 2010
1:45 am
Boulton’s line needs a goal to keep his plus/minus streak alive.
That streak was broken during the game against the Blues,
Cornbread
December 24th, 2010
2:52 am
Sadly that is true Alan. And so it continues. Much respect to Mr. Boulton. One Hell of a hockey player.
Cornbread
December 24th, 2010
2:55 am
Hi Milan! Pick your head up the next time you come to see me Big Boy!
Golara
December 24th, 2010
4:34 am
Brendan, I agree that the name-calling on Ramsay and Dudley is misguided, but they don’t exactly have a stellar record as head coach and GM respectively. Coming into this season, Ramsay had a total of just 16 wins in 49 games as an NHL head coach. Yes, he has a ton of experience as an assistant, but being the main guy is a different ball game and 30-odd games is too early to make any judgments on his performance. Hopefully he will be succeed, because I like guys who pay their dues to get a chance to coach (Bylsma, Boudreau and Clouston come to mind) instead of the usual reheated food (Pat Quinn, Ron Wilson anyone?)
I would be more concerned with Dudley, who only has a grand total of 2 seasons as a full-time GM: one in Ottawa where the Senators went out in the first round of the playoffs to Buffalo in 4 straight games and another in Tampa where the team won only 19 games. In fact, as a head coach or GM, Dudley has never overseen a team beyond the 1st round of the playoffs, and in 2 of his 4 years as a head coach he was canned midway through the season (BUF in 1991-92 and FLA in 2003-04). So he must have had a hell of an interview to land this job.
It is easy to say Ramsay and Dudley are geniuses now when the team is winning, but you earn your corn in this league when the team slumps and injuries hit. And even now, ATL would be considered a surprise to get beyond the 1st round of the playoffs. The most important ingredient is already in place for a playoff run, Pavelec, but ATL is not the only team with a good goalie in the East. With a bunch of agents ready to knock down Dudley’s door this summer, this may be the best chance the Thrashers get to capture lightning in a bottle. With weak attendance and poor TV coverage, I don’t see where the owner is going to get the money to keep all his best players in the club. I see this team pulling a Tampa or a Carolina, putting the right ingredients together for a Cup run, and then fading into oblivion for financial reasons. That is the unfortunate irony of the Bettman NHL, the salary cap that he so cherishes is actually killing the southern US teams which he wants to see succeed.
Brendan
December 24th, 2010
8:51 am
I think it’s important to look at results, too, Golara. After all, if we don’t, we’d wind up with 10 years of Waddell, simply because he’s a good “hockey man.” But in the cases of Dudley and Ramsay, I think they’re actually smarter than Waddell. Dudley, however, doesn’t seem to mind “working with a small budget.” And Ramsay came from the old school that says … “You earn your minutes with your play.” I can live with that, in a era of player entitlements.
The key to any franchise’s success starts with ownership, and how “committed” they are. It takes years and years of steady outlay of capital to keep the environment fertile for Championships. Look at the Ilitches in Detroit. Every year, since 1993, the Red Wings have been Top 4 Vegas favorites to win the Cup. And yet, they only actually delivered those Cups in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008. And yet, the Ilitiches are regarded as the best ownership in hockey. And I agree with that assessment. The Ilitches are “committed.” They run a model franchise. They try every single year. But if Atlanta were to become a market like Carolina or Tampa, that produces a Championship, then slumps, then goes back, then slumps again, I’m fine with that. I see that as the natural ebbs and flows of a franchise’s evolution. You take the lean years with the knowledge that those lottery picks are the building blocks of the Championship years. Ask a Canuck fan. Ask a Sabres fan. Ask a Capitals fan. As a Blues fan. In nearly 40 years, in those markets, they’ve never tasted champagne from that chalice. Never. Just getting one (1) Cup would be tremendous. If this Thrashers team were to make the playoffs 3 times a decade, but deliver two berths in the Finals and a Cup win, on average, per decade, I’d be thrilled with that. I like banners that hang from the rafters … that AREN’T painful reminders of unfortunate trade deadline moves.
R. Stroz
December 26th, 2010
8:52 am
POM POM
LAST!
Rawhide
December 29th, 2010
11:15 pm
R. Stroz – POM-POM…Nope.