It’s Groundhog Day in Thrasherville
It’s here, gang…Groundhog Day, that is. No, not the annual celebration that comes on February 2 when the meteorology world turns it’s eyes toward rodents to prognosticate the weather. I’m talking about the Bill Murray movie in which a Pittsburgh weatherman experiences the torment of repeating the same day over…and over…and over…and over…and over again.
For three straight times, the Thrashers and their opponents have required the individual skills competition known as a shootout to determine the winner of an otherwise tied game. The past two, versus Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers, have seen them fail to protect a 2-1 lead at the second intermission and watch the visiting team skate away with the much-coveted second point in the standings.
Last Monday, it was they who snatched away two points down in Florida after trailing 2-0 late in the third.
I can just imagine radio voice of the Thrashers Dan Kamal as he brings the game to Thrasherville bemoaning yet again, “…and there’s the horn ending the overtime period. We’ll go to the shootout tied 2-2”
Then again, “…and there’s the horn ending the overtime period. We’ll go to the shootout once more tied 2-2”.
Once more last night, “…and there’s that BLASTED horn again ending the game before SOMEBODY can win it the old fashioned way…with an actual, honest to goodness goal. Instead, we’ll now go to YET ANOTHER stinkin’ shootout”!
…sigh…
Nic Bergfors reacts after failing to convert on his shootout try Saturday night. The Rangers left Atlanta with the 3-2 SO win after trailing 2-1 in the third...just as the Tampa Lightning had two days before (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Five times this month the Thrashers and their opponents have required extra time to determine a winner and seven of the last thirteen games have done so as well. They are 3-4 in those games dating back to the overtime loss to the Lightning one day after Christmas.
This morning, the Thrashers woke up in Tampa, Florida for a game later this afternoon with the Lightning. There’s no word yet if the song that greeted them as the alarm clocks went off was Sonny and Cher’s “I’ve Got You Babe”… but the way things have been going, I wouldn’t really be surprised.
What should also come as little surprise is that the previous three times these teams have met, it took longer than 60 playing minutes to find a winner. Twice it’s needed a shootout, once just took a little bit of overtime. In each case, however, the Groundhog Day effect took over and the Atlanta squad watched the Bolts skate away with the win.
Multiplying the Groundhog Day torment of repeating the same day…or game…over and over again, the Thrashers have lived the nightmare of watching the Lightning come out on top for ten straight times. As you all know by now, they haven’t beaten their division foes since opening night 2009, and today marks the last time they’ll get a chance to do so before next fall.
That’s assuming we don’t draw them in the playoffs, which is not only a distinct possibility…but the way things have gone lately, just might be fitting in the eyes of irony.
Now if I may take a stab at trying to find some sort of good in this Groundhog Day scenario that has befallen Thrasherville, it might just turn out that this stretch of games turns out to be a bit of a blessing for us.
No, really…stick with me on this.
If I may return to Murray’s character in the movie…remember, he was doomed to repeat the same day over and over again until he finally “got it” as far as just who he was and what the people around him really meant to him. He was forced into time’s revolving door until he was able to work things out that needed to be.
The Thrashers are struggling somewhat as they work their collective ways through a rough part of the schedule in which multiple key players are healing. They’ve been forced to plug in just replacements as Nigel Dawes, Freddy Meyer, Tim Stapleton and Spencer Machacek until players like Jim Slater and Evander Kane can mend properly…and Zach Bogosian can get figured out whatever it he needs to get figured out.
But through it, they’ve managed to procure 4 points in the three games that followed a four-game losing streak in which the Thrashers were outscored 24-9. That’s nothing to get all goose-pimply about, mind you, but it’s better than hanging another goose egg in the regulation loss column.
OK, maybe some of you might think that’s going a long way towards trying to find the silver lining in the dark cloud that hovers over Thrasherville after a second straight shootout loss. But if Atlanta does find there way into the postseason dance by just a point or two…or the difference between two of the playoff positions is won by the same slim margin…then we can look at this string of games in a better light.
Every team struggles somewhat and has to work through some issues during the course of the season. If you can get through those tough times while collection at least some points at the same time…well then, that helps.
But one thing is for sure. The Thrashers have to find a way, and soon, to hold these third period leads and skate away with the second point. This is especially true when facing division opponents and conference teams battling with them for playoff positioning. Otherwise, when spring finally makes its way here, another annual nightmare may repeat itself in Thrasherville…no playoffs.
And we don’t need any smelly groundhog to scurry back into his hole after seeing his shadow to tell us that.
By: Bill Tiller – AJC.com Thrashers Fan Blog
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169 comments Add your comment
R. Stroz
January 23rd, 2011
2:07 pm
FIRST
Nuts for Boults
January 23rd, 2011
2:08 pm
first
Nuts for Boults
January 23rd, 2011
2:08 pm
never mind
Sara
January 23rd, 2011
2:10 pm
You actually ranallo’d me. I’m going to remember this. :p
Darren
January 23rd, 2011
2:19 pm
Does this analogy make Sage Ned Ryerson?
Rawhide
January 23rd, 2011
2:21 pm
Sara – MWAAAaa-hahahahahaha!!
SomaAtl95
January 23rd, 2011
2:28 pm
Yes, it really feels like we are going through the same nightmare, not only on the ice but with the negative press about ownership, attendance, moving, the non stop barrage of trolls, blah blah blah yakety smackity… Things that have been going right – Better Coaching and players who are not afraid to block shots, they were able to build excitement earlier on in the season and have become shaky as time has progressed (and casual fans start to take notice)
When the Thrashers are hot they are blazing, when they are cold its almost as if their logo has changed to “Chilly Willy”. There have been too many times we as fans have been expecting superman to show up only to be served a very feeble Clark Kent.
It would be nice to go to the playoffs this spring, the team needs to take off their Kryptonite necklaces though. The natives are starting to get restless.
GO THRASHERS! In the immortal words of Rob Schnider – “You Can Dooo Eeeet”
BluelandBELIEVER
January 23rd, 2011
2:28 pm
I cant believe how we fell apart last night. I was loving that game, and when we killed off the 5-on-3, the place went nuts!! I cant stand the dump and change system we have. There were multiple occasions last night when someone dumps the puck in and goes for a change when a turn over in our favor happened, resulting in a man being left alone in the O-zone with NO HELP.
Gwinnett Fred
January 23rd, 2011
2:30 pm
OK, I just did my part to help the team win today.
Given my inability to pick a winner (for money), I just went to my BoDog account and took the Lightning at -165.
Smoothie
January 23rd, 2011
2:34 pm
Interesting way of looking at it Bill, we are definitely stuck in a stitch of time this week. Don’t think a back to backer against our nemesis with less than 20 hours to rest is going to help. Also, 33 goals — not counting our S/O tallies — in 18 games is a very UNGOOD trend. We’ve scored more than 3 goals just once since 12/20/10 when we hung 6 on the Loafs (the MTL overtime win). This team keeps screwing over Ondrej Pavelec’s brilliant goaltending with their inability to score. Hell, last nite they couldn’t even hit the opposition’s net when tied at 2…that is unacceptable. We need a trade to add a scorer and we need it now. We’ve actually been better defensively without Bogosian. Gee, who didn’t see that coming? Perhaps now is the time to dangle him as trade bait. Problem is Byfuglien has been a bigger liability on D than anyone. He’s now a difference-maker in a different sense, but I reckon he is secretly playing hurt. Give the guy a LT deal during the ASG break and watch him go bonkers in February on the scoresheet! Oh wait, we’re “run” by the dumba$$ Atlanta dis-Spirited Group. Nevermind!
Brendan
January 23rd, 2011
2:38 pm
I say it every so often, but I am so glad that we have a blog like Rawhide’s. Not only is it entertaining and informative, but by the way in which it is run … it does tend to attract some of the better posters. This blog isn’t, like several others, some race-baiting screamfest, where people expose much more about themselves than they, perhaps, ever wanted.
The name-calling on this blog is minimal. The posts have contained some good discussions, rather than just diatribes. There’s only so many times any of us can say the ownership is undesireable. And that Don Waddell played his part in it, too. And that the lease is unbreakeable, for all realistic purposes, so the team isn’t going anywhere prior to 2019.
I can’t even believe how litigation-happy our ownership is. When I first saw this story, the first thing I thought was, “And now … they’re trying to recoup their legal fees?? These guys just don’t get it.” But in the process, they’re going to be spending even more. Bruce Levenson once explained away the entire previous 5 years this way, “In a nutshell, we just bought out an estranged partner. But this lawsuit has had ZERO impact on how we do business, and how these teams are run.” Wonder how Bruce will “spin” this latest litigation? All I ever ask for Christmas … is new ownership for our Thrashers. I think the AS, LLC never met a courtroom they didn’t like. Do they do anything, normally?
Horsetoothedjackass
January 23rd, 2011
2:41 pm
The shootout is one of the dumbest ideas ever. To me, settling a game on penalty shots would be like settling a tied baseball game with a home run derby, a tied football game with a field goal kicking contest or a basketball game with a 3 point shootout/foul shot competition/slam dunk contest. The NHL was able to go without the shootout from 1917-2005 and did not reintroduce the 5 minute overtime period in regular season contests until the 1983-84 season (they had previous had a 10 minute OT prior to dropping them due to WWII related travel restrictions for the 1942-43 season). Perhaps the NHL ought to return to the 10 minute OT and if the game is tied after that, then go to the shootout. Or perhaps do a 5 minute 4 on 4 as it is currently done, and if after 5 minutes, got to a 5 minute 3 on 3 OT. I like one thing the SPHL does in regards to OT; if there is a penalty in the final 2 minutes of OT, instead of a power play, there’s a penalty shot.
Lee
January 23rd, 2011
2:49 pm
Shootout is a killer. Overall, we played the better game last night, but ALWAYS in the last three minutes or so comes the tying goal. Ugh. Wake up Thrashers! We need to stay in top eight and right now, we’re slowly slipping to ninth. But fear not! Today is a chance to redeem themselves!
GO THRASHERS
Smoothie
January 23rd, 2011
2:56 pm
HTJA – I agree, it’s a gimmick and it needs to be tweaked. Playing 20 min overtimes is impractical. But why not play 10 mins of 4 v 4 hockey before going to the S/O. Expand the S/O to a minimum of 5 shooters to get more players involved in the outcome. Also, the distribution of points needs to be changed as follows: 3 points for a regulation win and 2 points for an OT/SO win with 1 loser point getting doled out. A greater premium must be put on winning in regulation. Perhaps teams would approach the end of a tied game late in the 3rd differently and with more urgency if they could earn a 3rd point in the standings. IDK, but I never even liked the S/O that much when Kozzy, Hossa and Lehtonen were dominating them…seemed like a “cheap” way to win. And it was.
Brendan
January 23rd, 2011
2:58 pm
By the way, I think Eric Boulton was totally responsible for that 1st Ranger goal. Gotta clear the zone when you’re standing with the puck on your blade, a few feet from the blueline.
Smoothie
January 23rd, 2011
3:03 pm
Jeez, and I pride myself on double checking my numbers. Correction: Thrashers have scored 32 goals in the last 15 games since 12/20 vs TOR…it just seems like we’ve played 18 agonizing games since then, but it’s only been 15. Still, that is barely over 2 per game…not good enough obviously.
Brendan
January 23rd, 2011
3:15 pm
I’ve been advocating the 10-minute, 4-on-4 OT for ages. The shootout has to be the very last resort. Of course, I never thought ties were evil, sinister things that had to be outlawed. A tie is a FAIR distribution of points, after 65-minutes of play. A tie also makes the “W” in the win column that much more valuable. Wins are the first tie-breaker. If the shootout must stay, why have points at all? The games are either won or they are lost. So what if 37-44 makes the playoffs? We just take the top 8 teams in the Conference, whatever their record might be.
Brendan
January 23rd, 2011
3:17 pm
Puck drop at 5PM, Rawhide?
Gwinnett Fred
January 23rd, 2011
3:29 pm
Interesting thing about the shoot out.
It’s not used in the playoffs – yet the Stanley Cup Finalists Flyers only made the playoffs last year winning their last game in a shootout.
The NHL needs more consistency (in more areas than just shootouts)
LAC
January 23rd, 2011
3:30 pm
Gee Whiz !!!!
Zoomo
January 23rd, 2011
3:31 pm
Echoing Brendan’s sentiments; this is the only blog I frequent and it is as much because of Bill’s wiitty coverage as it is the posts of the likes of Brendan, Red Light, Glovesave29, Cornbread, at el that keep me here.
Last night’s game had me as frustrated as I’ve been all year. Yes, the effort is better, but I get the sense that the offense is stalled. We are dumping, chasing, and without purpose most shifts. We need to turn on the jets in the 3rd and fight for the extra point. With the exception of the final 2 minutes of the FLA game, we been outplayed in the final period each game since last Friday’s PHL game. It has been ground hog day. We need to pick it up, TODAY!
Other than scoring the goal, Stewart was awful. Buff is getting too loose with the puck. Dawes and Stapleton, not effective! The only positive I see over what we had early in the year is Cormier’s defense play. Patrice doesn’t have any offensive game to speak of , but he seems to clearly understand positioning and various coverage responsibilities. I likening progress in that department.
Rawhide
January 23rd, 2011
3:37 pm
Puck drop at 5PM, Rawhide?
Brendan – Well,really more like 5:07 pm when the puck actually drops….but yeah, my schedule says 5:00.
And thank you for your kind words, Professor.
Zoomo – Same to you. I’m gonna double both of your pays, now
Brendan
January 23rd, 2011
3:53 pm
At the current minimum wage requirements, you’ll have to fire either Zoomo or me. That’s the “effect” of wage increases on business. I think Zoomo deserves the pay more than I do. I defer to him. If you can manage to pay both of us, at the required wage, do let us know.
Brendan
January 23rd, 2011
3:56 pm
Rawhide, coverage by SPSO at 5PM. Puck drop at 5:07 PM.
Winnipeg Troll
January 23rd, 2011
4:08 pm
If you want to see a real NHL town, check out the Manitoba Moose game at 4:30 on the NHL Network at our arena in Winnipeg.
We curtained off the entire upper deck due to lack of fan interest in the game, so the crowd would look better on TV. See, we do everything better than you.
R. Stroz
January 23rd, 2011
4:09 pm
I’d like to thank the hundreds of fans which showed support for my sign reading:
RELOCATE THE OWNERS
NOT THE THRASHERS
While walking through the concourse, the fans showed their support for hockey in Atlanta with “high fives”, “thumbs ups”,pats on the shoulder, and picture requests.
This town has great hockey fans that have shown their amazing dedication to hockey in Atlanta. It’s a shame we were dealt a group of owners that haven’t shown their dedication to anything but themselves.
Keep the Thrashers in Atlanta, I don’t care where the owners go….anyone who doesn’t support that is extremely misguided.
sisu
January 23rd, 2011
4:21 pm
Big game today, getting 3 out of 4 points is a positive, much better than the alternative! Either way, the team is hurting without one of their best players in Kane. Kane plays a physical game that takes it’s toll over the season. Bogo should be learning the game from the press box, what is more troubling of Bogo is the fact that Ramsey is a defensive teacher and Zack is just not making progress, wonder why that is? Any ideas??? Hope the team breaks the streak and gets 2 points!
Red Light
January 23rd, 2011
4:53 pm
I can see the Thrashers getting another point today, but the Lightning are 7-0 in their last seven OT/SO contests since Dec. 23. and just 3-5 in regulation games since that date. Better to get them before the extra session. The good news is that the Lightning have surrendered an extra point to six Eastern teams during that stretch, or is that the bad news?
There is no question that Atlanta has great hockey fans, and the only reason it’s not a great hockey town? None of the three ownership groups have been as committed to its success as many of us here have, and despite the head employee doing his best to serve the needs of all three of those ownership groups, it has been an unequivocal failure from 2002 to present (not withstanding the anomaly year).
Sara, nice meeting you too last night. I wish I had more time to visit with you. Hope to see you again soon.
Red Light
January 23rd, 2011
4:58 pm
By the way, Kovalchuk played 28-plus minutes last night for New Jersey, who beat Philly. Today, they lead Florida 4-1 after two periods, and he has one goal and two assists. He even went to Lemaire and asked to play more on the penalty kill and Lemaire granted the wish. Maybe old dogs can really learn new tricks? He’s actually plus 4 in his last six games before today.
Well, I found it interesting!
B. Thenet
January 23rd, 2011
5:00 pm
Good for Ilya, he has had a rough go of it. He is a better player than he has shown so far for the Devils.
Of course, I don’t mind them beating Florida at all.
Cornbread
January 23rd, 2011
5:06 pm
Folks I love the game of hockey. I love watching as many different teams as I can. I probably watch 5 games a week on the TV, see one pro game a week in person, and play twice a week myself. I have watched a lot of bad Thrashers games and seen a lot of bad Thrashers teams over the past 11 years. This team is not one of those. I still say this is the best Thrashers team I have ever seen play night in and night out.
They have been playing their system repeatedly all year and have the ability to tweak things when needed. (Another Goundhog Day analogy?) Compare that to teams of the past that lacked any cohesiveness as a whole other than get Kovy and Hossa the puck. They have great depth, speed, size, skill, and character. Their D is the best they have ever had and goaltending is outstanding. And, just as importantly, the coaching is the best they have ever had.
I think they are hurting right now – especially in the goal scoring department – due to the loss of Kane, Slater and Modin. Still, that they are even getting it to OT against some very good teams is testament to the depth and talent that they do have. As skilled and talented as they are though, they are young. They lack the experience to get them through the tight games that have been happening every night. A couple of proven veteran forwards would go further than a couple of disruptive snipers. I’ll take this team as they are now over bringing in an individual Kovy-like scorer.
January was an easier month than December only because of the time off to be able to rest, repair, and retool. They will have faced only one truly weak team in these 11 games and we all know how that turned out. All of the teams they have faced are good defensively or play a hideous trap counter-attack like Tampa. Still, they have been in it for the entire game or played World Beater hockey for 2 periods like they did in their 3 regulation losses. If they win these next two huge games in regulation I will consider the month a success. They are due for a couple of big wins in a row to get some of that swagger back. To lose them bad in regulation could be damaging to their young psyche.
They need to get over this frustrating hump. They are real close. Tighten things up just a bit and keep playing their game for 60 minutes and they will.
I still Believe In Blueland.
Let’s Go THRASHERS!
Smoothie
January 23rd, 2011
5:22 pm
Cornbread – there are no Kovy-like snipers let along bona fide 30 goal scorers on the trading block nor will there be in all likelihood. But more importantly, the Thrashers need another tested, proven veteran who has and can score when the game is on the line and every goal counts. When you play a game whereby you try to win 3 to 2, you need a guy who can score that 3rd goal in the clutch. Other than Buff and occasionally Little & Bergy, who in this lineup do you see being that guy?
Hoof Arted
January 23rd, 2011
5:39 pm
I’m seeing a lot of empy seats in Tampa tonight. It comes through very clear in glorious HD, doesn’t it? But somehow only Atlanta gets ragged on for that.
I’ll bet if the Thrashers had the record the Lightning do and were sitting on top of the division in late January there wouldn’t be as many empty seats here as there are there right now.
Are the Bucs playing today? Oh wait…no.
Cornbread
January 23rd, 2011
6:01 pm
Smoothie I’d add Kane, Peverly, Stewart, and Ladd to that list. Guys like Slater, Modin, Thorburn, and Antropov are all capable of getting those late in the third dirty ones.
I agree that they’d be better off with proven vets that can get the puck out, keep it in, set up the open man and get open for the goal.
Hoof Arted
January 23rd, 2011
6:08 pm
Yeah it’s Groundhog Day alright. Another Bogosian misplay leads to a goal for the Bolts.
Good Lord.
Hoof Arted
January 23rd, 2011
6:09 pm
Bogosian himself is a reoccurring nightmare.
glovesave29
January 23rd, 2011
6:13 pm
Didn’t catch the first – why is Pavelec wearing black pads?
Rawhide
January 23rd, 2011
6:23 pm
glovesave29 – From what I understand, they are just new pads he’s gotten and chosen to use. Oh, and they’re dark blue I believe.
Matt from MN
January 23rd, 2011
6:26 pm
Sweet Jesus, Mary and Joseph we are just a pathetic team right now. 4 goals in the second and the dreaded “shorty” to start it off. Bogosian just needs to go, where I really don’t care, just get rid of his waste of roster space.
Matt from MN
January 23rd, 2011
6:41 pm
THIRTY SHOTS AGAINST in two periods????? Oh, the humanity. This is just Groundhog Day for the Toronto game. Geez, we stink. Is that great team we saw in November EVER going to come back?
Cornbread
January 23rd, 2011
6:50 pm
Oh man! Just win the damn third!
Zoomo
January 23rd, 2011
6:51 pm
Same S**t different year. I’ve had it
Cornbread
January 23rd, 2011
6:54 pm
But, I don’t think they have it in them tonight to win the third. When I tuned in and found out the status of the team I thought just play a tight game like you have been. The first was alright but you could tell they didn’t have it. The second was just demoralizing.
Come on young Thrashers let’s see what you got in the third!
SomaAtl95
January 23rd, 2011
7:10 pm
Been a long time since I’ve been kicked in the nads. Watching this game brings all the feeling back and I gotta say, I don’t enjoy it. Going with the “Groundhog Day” analogy our team seems to be the dead guy that Bill Murray never seems to be able to save.
LAC
January 23rd, 2011
7:14 pm
Have not watched a minute of this CRAP ! Knew it was going to be a ROUT !
This team is DONE, I mean DONE, we are now the Old Thrashers AGAIN !!!
zach, AWFUL, no other way to put it, waive him NOW !
What the HELL is dudley doing ? Why have they QUIT playing ? Sick of Tampa BLASTING us !
Well, Glad Reruns of Family Feud are on and The Train, With Bert Lancaster, Much better than THIS CRAP !
SomaAtl95
January 23rd, 2011
7:18 pm
We watch when they win, we watch when they lose. Its part of loving any sport in Atlanta (or anywhere really). I’m not enjoying tonights game but still watching.
Sage of Bluesland
January 23rd, 2011
7:26 pm
Just checked in and see it is indeed Groundhog Day in Thrashersland…Yeah, this is a team gearing up for the playoffs…
Silly sheep; stick to your spweadsheets and your dweaming…One of you even has lil’ Toby as a Hall of Famer…
Wow. Just wow.
Nope; not another dollar wasted on this incompetence…Ownership needs a push in the right direction; one that only a boycott will provide…
Matt from MN
January 23rd, 2011
7:26 pm
@Soma- agreed as I stayed for the entire debacle against Toronto, but it does not make it any easier to swallow when they just roll over and play dead.
glovesave29
January 23rd, 2011
7:36 pm
Yup – NOW it’s the same as the movie – Sage has said the same thing he’s said every day.
Oh – and troll…shall I go and get the Winnipeg attendance records for your time in the NHL…where you never averaged over 13,500 per season in an arena that holds 15,565?
Stats work both ways…
Brendan
January 23rd, 2011
7:58 pm
Look, I know we’re out a lot of key personnel, but … we’re not supposed to lose 7-1, a very “apt” score, though, for that was the distribution of the possible 8-pts between Atlanta and TB from these past two games. I repeat, 7-1. Folks, I haven’t checked it yet, but aren’t we something like 1-4-3 in the past eight games, with the one win being the “miracle” comeback in the final two minutes of regulation vs. the Panthers? I want to say we’re 4-7-4 in the 15? Yeah, I know. I should double-check that. But does it matter, if it’s wrong? The point is, it’s a bad record over 15 games. The points won’t get any easier to come by for the rest of the season. If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that we’ve done well vs. the Capitals this season. Mannino got to see some NHL action. I don’t think everything was his fault. This game probably wasn’t much of a confidence-builder for him. But I think he deserves another chance at some NHL action. Maybe not against Ovechkin and Semin and Green and Backstrom, but … after the All-Star break. Wait, when is Mason due back? Is there any update on that???
SomaAtl95
January 23rd, 2011
8:21 pm
Did you guys hear that? Some annoying echo… could have sworn I’ve heard some idiot calling me a sheep yet again…
I don’t know what is worse – hearing people outside of Atlanta constantly troll in here or hearing the Newest Member of the ASG call us sheep. Gonna start referring to the ASG as “All of Sage’s Guys” since he is just as annoying and predictable as the ASG are. IF he were ever truly a fan his idiotic 1 man army approach would have given up by now but he just wont be happy until the team is gone. Then he will troll the Hawks forums as “Sage of Highlight Factory” in his ever continuing quest to stick it to the ASG… but something tells me he doesn’t have the stones to call all the basketball fans mindless sheep like he does to us…. for if he truly cared and wanted to support his cause he would be doing that, wouldn’t he.
So how bout it Sage? Why not start attacking Basketball players? The fans that go there further support your buddies in the ASG.Put you money where your mouth is. Start attacking Hawks fans too.
Everyone who supports SOB in his quest to “Bankrupt” the ASG by also attacking Hawks fans, raise your hand.
Lets see if he has the balls to go “full on” in his Anti- “All of Sages Guys” quest.
LAC
January 23rd, 2011
8:29 pm
GO SAGE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALWAYS RIGHT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This soma95atl thing… WRONG !
Sage of Bluesland
January 23rd, 2011
8:30 pm
Talk about an empty-blathering echo in here…I see the institution has left its computer lab open yet again…
mark
January 23rd, 2011
8:31 pm
Long time lurked, first time poster. I really love this blog – great commentary from Rawhide and – for the most part – intelligent debate from the posters. Thanks, Bill, for the great job you do, and it was great meeting you last night at the game.
I’m hopeful that something will happen to get our confidence back. The all star break comes at a good time, I think. We need injuries to heal and an infusion of new blood. Today’s game was pathetic, but without Kane, Ladd, Toby, and Slater while playing a hot team after a very short night, not too surprising. Now is the time that we’ll see what our Captain, our Coach, and our GM are made of. I’m not giving up, but the playoffs are slipping away.
Sage of Bluesland
January 23rd, 2011
8:31 pm
(Not you LAC; You’ve known the deal for many years now…)
Flagstaff
January 23rd, 2011
8:38 pm
I almost never expect trades… but I can’t see the following week go by without one. This ship is sinking; Dudley needs to break out the bail buckets… and throw the furniture overboard.
Flagstaff
January 23rd, 2011
8:40 pm
Heh… heh… Do you think you can fix those intended italics for me, please, Trixie? (All the years I’ve been reading this blog, and I still don’t know how to work the bold/italics/underline/strikethrough. Sorry!)
SomaAtl95
January 23rd, 2011
8:42 pm
Great. More insults my way. Now I am a sheep and considered crazy. Wanna keep insulting me? More people want to pile it on too? Fine. Everyone take you best shot, things couldn’t get that much worse.
Flagstaff
January 23rd, 2011
8:48 pm
Butting in on the fight here, I think we can all say that none of us are ever going to be able to convince each other: Sage and his buddies will never attend a Thrashers game until the removal of the ownership and of D.W., and the rest of us aren’t going to give up watching the team because people on the internet told us to. Therefore, it would be for the benefit of intelligent discussion if we all just shut up about it. (Not an insult/criticism of SomaAtl95, or even Sage, for that matter.)
SomaAtl95
January 23rd, 2011
8:49 pm
http://xkcd.com/386/
Understood.
Iron League 13
January 23rd, 2011
8:57 pm
Flagstaff, I agree that we need some moves, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t either. I’m feeling more like the naysayer I was about this organization, which is silly, cuz I’m not surprised about any of this. Unfortunately, I see it all picking up way more hockey media attention, thereby making things worse. If there’s no movement by the deadline (I’m gonna tell you ahead of time and without getting all Sagish after) I think we’re pretty much damned for as long as ASG own the Thrashers.
Not trying to be a pisser, but I really don’t see us attracting any solid free agents in the offseason (not saying we would or could anyway) with this debacle now truly official. I also hate to say this, but I don’t know that Buff will want to stay. Ladd, well he’s a captain and that may weigh more on his decision. I just don’t know anymore, other than until the ASG or the NHL find a committed buyer. I think we’re screwed.
LAC
January 23rd, 2011
8:58 pm
Sage, You have called it STRAIGHT as an arrow for years. I love hockey, but I want to see the team WIN, like you and all the others. But these who can only complain because WE see the issues and expose them and THEY refuse to open their eyes and see them…. Well Sage, Who is Right and Who is Wrong…. ???? You and I both know the rest of the story….
Cornbread
January 23rd, 2011
9:13 pm
That was probably the worst game of the year. I say probably because at least during the 9-3 Toronto loss, the Thrashers took it to and outplayed them in the first half. The only other game I can think of this season where the Thrashers had absolutely nothing the whole game was the 4-1 loss against Buffalo back in October.
If you did not watch tonight’s game, you can’t comment on it. It was a team loss and not an individual one. The injuries are really affecting them right now and that had as much to do with this loss as anything. Ladd, Enstrom, Kane, Slater, and Mason all out. Banged up Modin and Antropov, a confidence killed Bogosian, rookies, and AHLers forced in. That has disaster written all over it against Tampa.
If the Atlanta Thrashers have been losing like this all year, then I’d be with some of you and agree that they are the same old same old Thrashers. But the fact is, they have not lost bad like this as they have repeatedly in the past including last year when they were in the hunt. In 06-07 when they won the SE they lost to Tampa 8-0. Tampa, who definitely had the Thrashers number this year, have lost more spectacularly more often. The Bolts have given up 6 or more goals 8 times this year, the Thrashers just 3.
The Thrashers have a lot of good things still going for them. The first is the All-Star break where they will have time to heal and regroup. The second is they are still in a playoff spot heading into the All-Star break. The second half of the NHL always starts after the showcase game. Third and most importantly, they still have February to play. This is where I have always expected them to make their move and solidify a playoff spot. If your a skeptic and have not already done so, do yourself a favor and take a look at the schedule. It is that favorable.
If the Thrashers are playing like tonight or not getting over the hump in tight games come February, then it really will be Groundhog Day – from the first year on. But, that’s not going to happen Thrasher fans. They’ve got too many good things going for them this year.
Brendan
January 23rd, 2011
9:16 pm
Sage, I do have a question for you. “What, precisely, would the AS, LLC, do differently, if the attendance were 1,300 per game?” I used to think … it would do something like … force Waddell out, make them embark on a genuine vision for the club, etc. But, really, wouldn’t they just keep Ramsay as Head Coach? I think, probably, yes they would. Would they keep John Torchetti as Associate Head Coach? I think, “Yes, they probably would.” Would they keep Don Waddell on the payroll? “Yeah, probably.” Why? They own the team. And they care about the team in the manner which they’ve displayed.
In my view of things, Sage, the Atlanta Spirit, LLC, simply DOES NOT CARE about the Thrashers. They are quite content to ‘appear incompetent’ to anyone willing to believe that they are. To me, it appears as if the Spirit Group was forced to take on a team they had no intentions of managing, longterm. Because they did not care, they never bothered to treat the franchise with anything resembling accountability. When the lockout happened, and the ice surface was leveled to a ‘rather manageable’ $39.0 million, and the ownership ‘greenlighted’ a MAX CAPPED budget to try to earn playoff revenue, as well as making the Thrashers a more attractive sale. When they couldn’t sell it, something they’re now suing counsel for, they did the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM that the league required. In 2007, they did feel the team was close enough to the playoffs to justify spending to the $44.0 million league max by season’s end, but their energy level about a potential sale was fading fast. Then, I believe, they embarked on a 4-year rebuilding plan, designed to sell the team in 2011, which would then be, ‘according to plan’ LOADED with lottery draft selections, with a low payroll. Think about it. Low overhead. Young, fast, highly-skilled team, ready to push towards greater things. Attractive selling price. It all sounded good back in 2007, in terms of a re-sale strategy. Trouble was, the litigation wasn’t resolved quickly or easily or inexpensively, due to that terrible clause, “Or Belkin has the right to buy out his partners AT COST.” I don’t know what Belkin was eventually bought out for. Whatever it was, I think it might be reasonable to think Belkin would have accepted that figure back in 2007. But if the AS, LLC is suing for $200 million, it’s got to be to offset some of that payout. I’m sure the ownership is upset about their $20 million in legal fees that they were paying. Then the economy tanked. And the picks of Bogosian (2008), Kane (2009), and Burmistrov (2010) are still developing.
I have honestly forgotten what line of work these owners are in. But, clearly, it wasn’t in sports ownership/management. When I think of this ownership, I think of a Simpsons episode, where Bart, Milhouse, and Martin pool their money to buy a very rare and expensive comic book … that they couldn’t possibly afford, individually. In the end, they found they couldn’t work together, collectively, in a manageable way, over the stewardship of this comic book. In that episode, the comic book is ultimately destroyed. I don’t think the Thrashers franchise will be ultimately destroyed. I don’t think it will move prior to 2019. But I do think it would be a good idea for the NHL to step in and run the team. It’s important for this club to have ownership that cares and is accountable. “Nobody washes a rental car,” if you know what I mean. The NHL would certainly CARE what happens with respect to the Thrashers. And the NHL is ‘concerned’ about how its fans perceive their franchises. They’d prefer to have HAPPY fans, who love to support their team, rather that disgruntled fans, who see ownership on a par with cartoonish super villainy.
Sage of Bluesland
January 23rd, 2011
9:37 pm
Brendan–I think 1,300 in the stands would have the desired effect of getting the NHL to step in and do something about this abomination. That is precisely what I want.
Playing ‘nice’ simply won’t do. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary actions. We’ve gone down the ‘Smoothie’ route and see where that has gotten you (absolutely nowhere).
Try mine–just for a couple of weeks…and watch how fast things start happening…
(but, I’m afraid there are too many sheep to implement a fully effective boycott-strategy…Oh well, that’s where they have become part of the problem, as well…So be it–if you ‘buy’ this product, I don’t want to hear a complaint at all…)
Restless Native
January 23rd, 2011
9:39 pm
Atlanta Thrashers ticket purchasers (2005-2011) file a class action lawsuit against Atlanta Spirit LLC for false misrepresentation and seek damages of $200 million so that they can purchase the team. Also named as a defendant, Waddell, for blatant impersonation of a vice president and general manager.
Cornbread
January 23rd, 2011
10:15 pm
I expected Tampa to be improved this year but not the SE leaders. They are my biggest surprise team and, I must say, a little more than lucky. I thought they’d be where the Thrashers are now, fighting it out for the 8th spot. That they have grabbed all 12 points is the difference of where they stand. It has been that way all year. If the Thrashers take just 3 more points then it is a much closer race for the SE.
Sometimes teams do not match up well with certain teams and their style of play. I think that is the case this year with the Thrashers against Tampa. Tampa plays a horrid 1-3-1 trap. A team like Atlanta pushes their D up through the Neutral Zone. It’s 5 up and 5 back. Tampa’s game is to force a turnover and go on a quick counter attack. When you have all 5 guys going one way, fail to get it deep, and turn it over to a team that has 3 and 4 lined up on the center line facing the other way, bad things can happen.
For 3 of the games ATL did a good job countering it. Tonight was an abberation. Earlier in the season they were still learning their system and turnovers were more frequent and costly.
Why does Tampa play that way? Because they are so weak in net, on D, and forward depth. They have got to keep other teams out of their end because they are so bad in it. When they don’t they often lose spectacularly. It sucks that Atlanta was not able to take advantage of that when they did outplay them in the 3 OT/SO losses.
The Thrashers are a good young team. They are still learning their system and each other. Unfortunately, they are not at the same elite level of Philadelphia or Detroit who can change their game on the fly. Still, I like their system and think it will serve them even better than Tampa come playoff time.
Cornbread
January 23rd, 2011
10:36 pm
Correction: The Thrashers have given up 6 or more goals 5 times this year and not “3″. My point still stands, Tampa the SE leader has lost worse more often.
alex
January 23rd, 2011
10:45 pm
i will keep it simple as possible. if asg couldn’t find anybody with desire to buy the team and keep in atlanta it going to be end of nhl in atlanta. it’s not looking good so far. i suspect that brendan for example unfortunately don’t have enough money i am in same situation. what this mean obviously with asg weasels hockey done here. end of story.
R. Stroz
January 23rd, 2011
10:49 pm
WOW, I just returned from the Fox Theater after watching Blue Man Group. Looks like I picked the right “Blueland” to watch tonight.
Did the Thrashers “give up”?
Thrashy Thrashy
January 23rd, 2011
11:06 pm
It’s up to the team to figure out whether it wants to make the playoffs or not. Despite the awful stretch of play (especially in terms of points gained), the team is in position to make the postseason. Regardless of whether this team is in Atlanta next season, the season after, or many years beyond, I care about winning. Win some bleepdamn games, guys. Make us want to come to the rink for good hockey, dammit. Stop playing like a bunch of frauds. We’re sick of it. Man up. Your coach knows of what he speaks. Do what he says and win.
Thrashers27
January 24th, 2011
12:11 am
Kinda makes you wanna say “AHH, #@&% IT!”
Brendan
January 24th, 2011
12:42 am
Alex, you are correct. I do not have the money to buy the Thrashers. And even if I did, I’d need a minimum of 33-percent of the profits of all events at Philips Arena just to keep the team solvent. And that’s before we address the fact that I’d be a minority owner in the arena. In short, I’d have to have so much long green … that losing it by the tens of millions annually … didn’t concern me at all, on the Thrashers front. Even winning the lottery can’t fix that. Unless I kept on winning the lottery. And if I did that, there’d be an investigation about how ‘lucky’ I am. With good reason and suspicion.
Alex, let’s be honest, what are the odds that the lawsuit-crazy Spirit Group wouldn’t try to sue me, also … over something about the arena, perhaps? What if I DARED OBJECT to the LEEDS certification standards for Philips Arena? These guys just love litigation. That seems to be their ‘game plan’ for seemingly everything. I’m just waiting for them to sue the National Hockey League, next. Oh, they’ll find something to levy against the league. My guess? “It was UNFAIR of the league to forbid us from entering into negotiations to relocate the Thrashers.” Then they’ll fabricate that Balsillie had interest and was ready to go, but the league policy forbade it. Stop. That’s made-up, hypothetical non-sense. But it’s about par for these owners.
I wouldn’t put it past the Atlanta Spirit, LLC, to serve ex-President George W. Bush and current President Barack Obama, over the state of the economy as hindering their operations and profitability. If Bruce Levenson got a bad cheeseburger, Ronald McDonald might be subpoenaed to testify as a defendant. These guys just don’t know when to stop and take a long, hard look at themselves, and their policies. Almost every other owner, in the NHL, clamors for and NEEDS playoff revenue for financial survival. These guys have been “A-okay fine” with missing the playoffs. Oh, they’ll cite some lip service of accountability over the firings of Bob Hartley and John Anderson, and his staff, but how does one properly defend Dan Marr as head of scouting and Don Waddell’s involvement and retention in any capacity of the club since 2004? Right about now, someone will chime in, “Well, Heatley and Coburn have appeared in Stanley Cup Finals. How bad could Dan Marr really be?” If you mention Alex Bourret, Boris Valabik, and Chad Denny, plus the absence of 2nd rounders except for Pavelec throughout our history … that suddenly becomes Don Waddell’s fault, since he ultimately makes the call over who is drafted. It’s pretty easy to make insulating arguments for a GM and Head Scout alike. But, as Don Waddell once said, back in 2005 when the initial lawsuit broke, “As GM, I’ll answer for wins and losses.” Funny, though. He never did answer for those wins and losses. And, truthfully, he didn’t need the money after the first 5-6 years as GM. GM’s get paid pretty well, in the NHL. Don Waddell, barring a lifestyle issue, or caring for the medical treatment of a gravely ill family member, should be “set for life.” In other words, barring one of those exceptions, he was willing accomplice. He had the ability to simply walk away, citing “personal reasons,” for his departure. And no one would have blamed him. His working conditions were terrible. Someone would have given him another chance … somewhere the in the league, in ’some capacity’ or other. Even if it was to be an Assistant GM or Associate GM.
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
12:46 am
SOB – why don’t you send a couple of your sage e-mails to Gary Bettman. Or better yet, hit him up on the twitter and share with him your wisdom. Or are you afraid of appearing like nothing more than a jaded lover who blew his wad on unrequited love?
Michael "the abbreviation"
January 24th, 2011
1:58 am
this team is an absolute joke.. i cant believe this team still has supporters…truely sad I hope they move the team tomoroow
Dwayne
January 24th, 2011
6:05 am
we got our asses handed to us…..bummer, lets get healthy and see what happens.
Kevin
January 24th, 2011
6:52 am
Why has the Ice Man not comment of the atlanta thrashers sale of team now is paid to lie too.Why we trade that fellow we got from chicago Ramsey made into centerman n he had 20 goals that bearded feloow…to San Jose did Ramsey say No and Don(We in Quebec)Waddell worst GM now President of Team.Run to ground by Waddell n friends My idea for Don Waddell is he be fired if was else where why hell u think Redwings were laughin at Us!It was nice stay for NHL hockey we go we also lose ECHL Gwinnett team too…Way to go and please ask Fox 5 in atlanta found the story of Thrashers pendin sale n move..No more hockey here because u folks blew it under Teflon don and friends!
Kevin
January 24th, 2011
7:00 am
Oh they win the stanley cup when they moved to Quebec city in in Quebec the Provd. in Canada too become the NorQ. againskate the cup around while a Phillps arena lays empty n left alone. Waddell be here runnin the empty stands cause the new owners will tell waddell U fired.And he cry and blame atlanta for his job lost n never be able to GM any hockey teams..well maybe Pee wee hockey!
LAC
January 24th, 2011
7:05 am
smoothie, WHY don’t You and all your “so called” wisdom contact the commissioner, but the hide and seek you play is so childish, Sage has done nothing except tell it like it is and people like you, have NO defense except resorting to little childish stuff like your last comment. Just GO AWAY !
Dwayne
January 24th, 2011
8:08 am
we will be in 9th by the allstar break.
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
8:17 am
What’s that I hear? A pot calling a kettle black?!
So does it make your pathetic life better to know that some pontificating stooge on an internet blog likes you for how you threaten Levenson and Gearon with an invitation to violence? Are you really serious? That’s the problem, y’all take this crap way too personally and serious apparently. Get over yourselves! Its a fan blog for people to talk hockey and y’all think you’re more important than everyone else because your “message” has been so redundant and vociferous. Kinda sad really how big an internet ego can be.
Stan Drulia
January 24th, 2011
8:39 am
Awwwww…. so sweet! We are all getting to witness this budding romance between Sage and LAC. What a perfect match made in heaven!!! I guess that Sage will be the top… but who nows. LAC seems almost as passive aggressive as his new boyfriend.
Flames
January 24th, 2011
8:41 am
I will be there Wednesday night… We have to turn this ship around and put her in the wind. I haven’t given up on this team. I will go down with this ship if I have too. I have already witnessed the Flames leave town. I will be damned if I will sit at my house and not support this team and watch another leave. I am just as frustrated as the next guy. I hear everybody talking about how we can all go to the Gladiators games. Well, the Gladiators don’t play the Penguins or Canadians the last time I checked.
R. Stroz
January 24th, 2011
8:47 am
Flames – Hearing anything thing that would shed a ray of hope despite an ownership group determined to destroy the franchise?
Larry E
January 24th, 2011
9:07 am
Yeah we have injurys,but the guys just plain gave up last night. There was no heart shown. I am a loyal fan but this crap is hard to watch. The dump and chase is bull.You actually have to have someone chasing when you dump. Kane is the only one with any real speed. If you notice, the Bolts had no trouble skating into and around our zone.
Trixie (Rawhide's Secretary)
January 24th, 2011
9:11 am
Mr. Flagstaff - I fixed the italics issue for you in your post last night. You really should review my “Text Enhancements” class found on my blog page. You may find it quite useful.
Joe Friday
January 24th, 2011
9:17 am
Well, at least yesterday’s game broke the Groundhog Day syndrome . . .
You know what’s really pathetic? After watching the Bears try to impersonate an NFL football club, I watched that game on replay, all 7 Tampa goals.
Couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Mid-season implosion seems to be in full force, that’s the real long term Groundhog Day syndrome with this group. Whoever keeps guessing that they built the arena on a Indian burial ground may be onto something.
Sara, nice to meet you, these owners due surely stink, of that you are spot on. Stroz, your sign was a hit in the clubs, lots of thumbs up and I think I got it on camera once as well. I don’t know what the solution is here, folks, but prayer always helps, let’s try that . . .
Fan from Carolina
January 24th, 2011
9:23 am
Cornbread, good posts overall. The injury bug finally came home to roost. Forget this one. Let’s face it, there really was no offense left to face the Lightning line-up. Other than Malone, no one was missing from Tampa’s impressive forward lines. I will disagreee about the statement on their depth. Moore, Thompson would look pretty good in Thrasher uniforms right now. I wish Boulton didn’t do that ‘chicken’ thing. He looked pretty foolish. Actually embarassing. I know he was frustrated but why would any Lightning player fight him in a blowout game? They don’t even have an enforcer on their club, just agitators like Downie, maybe Moore. I wish Groundhog day did happen. The point would have been nice. The Thrashers will bounce back on home ice against the Caps provided some players return from inury, otherwise it might be tough.
Cornbread
January 24th, 2011
9:25 am
I’m hoping Ramsay skates the boys today. No day off if one was scheduled. Yeah they could use the rest but the Wednesday game just got a whole lot more important. Rest and heal during the All-Star break.
I’m reminded of the many Old Time Hockey stories after a team’s particularly bad game. One minor league coach made his team stay in their wet gear, pack up their gear, and listen to his lecture on the two hour bus ride home. When they got back to their home rink after midnight, he skated them for another hour. Practice was held again the next morning at 10AM.
I can’t imagine NHL millionaires in this day being forced to endure that kind of message. Last night was just one of those games that happens when a team is as banged up as the Thrashers are. But, a practice day on a scheduled day off would set the right tone as well. A sense of urgency needs to be sent to the team. I hope to read about the Thrashers practice later today.
Joe McGrath
January 24th, 2011
10:22 am
Brendan, I’m actually starting to feel bad for Waddell. I think he had a “father complex” with this team from day one and wanted what was best, but his hands have been tied. I can see him now sitting on the GM side of the ownership’s desk, looking down at the red lines marked through his proposals and then saying “your kidding, right?” And then walking our and thinking “Eff, ‘em, I’ll do what I can with what I’ve got.” And then as the door closes, ASG winks at each other with a “Ha, we’ve got us a sucker who’ll do what we ask.” I think DW is a man of his words. He said he wanted a play off spot in four years, and dind’t get it, so his pride kept him going as long as he had the job. ANd he had kept the job because he was the perfect enabler. I any other ownership ran this franchise, DW would have been gone by mid-decade. But it’s ASG. Just saying, DW lied/misled us too, but I really think he had hope–he probably still does.
Hockey Biltong
January 24th, 2011
10:34 am
So what if hockey left Atlanta? I think events leading up to that possibility include fans rejecting the concept of supporting hockey by attending games. Ownership losing integrity and direction.
And then what are we left with?
I do enjoy the games. The highs have been very high, the lows, pathetically low.
I can do very little about the surreal situation we find the ASG in.
But I can and will pay to go and see the Thrashers take the ice. If they go, I would be incredibly morose. My wife and I are not happy with what we hear and read about the ownership, but we enjoy the hell out of a good match and the camaraderie of the folks on the blog and around us at the arena…
So in defense of hockey staying in Atlanta, I and my betrothed will go as much as possible to enjoy this crap shoot we are in…..
ThrashDawg
January 24th, 2011
10:35 am
“Brendan–I think 1,300 in the stands would have the desired effect of getting the NHL to step in and do something about this abomination. That is precisely what I want.”
SOB you may have already outlined what you were hoping for with your boycott before, but I must have missed it. I tend to overlook your posts in order to keep my sanity. I aplaud you for at least stating your objective. I just happen to disagree because I do not believe that fewer people in the stands will do anything other than giving these clowns an excuse to petition the league to sell to an owner that will move the franchise. I DO NOT want that to happen and feel the best way to prevent this is to put more fans in the seats and allow these idiots to do what they planned all along and sell the team to somebody that will keep them in Atlanta. We have a difference of opinion, but at least I understand your thinking as to the results you seek.
Joe Friday
January 24th, 2011
10:39 am
“I think DW is a man of his words.”
I think Waddell is a good man. The way he handled the Snyder death was first class. He also never threw Heatley under the bus for the way he stabbed the organ-I-zation in the back, class act in handling that as well.
But these revelations from Friday showed that he did misrepresent the facts to the fans, I guess that’s his job. There’s an old adage about GMs, “don’t listen to what they say, watch what they do” and that’s true. But I think he’s a good man, still, but an awful GM (which is proven by what Dudley has been able to do under the same crappy ownership and same crappy financial constraints).
Flames
January 24th, 2011
11:04 am
R. Stroz- I was hearing that they were trying to make a trade last week. I haven’t heard anything else about it. I’m not sure about the particulars, except that it was with a Canadian Team.
Cornbread
January 24th, 2011
11:26 am
FFC – I think the Thrashers have more scoring depth than the Bolts at this point and more overall talent as a whole. The stat sheet also indicates that. I do like what Coach Boucher has gotten out of most of them with their system though. That they are capable of implementing it as well as they have is a credit to the team. But, at the same time, that they rely so heavily on clogging up the neutral zone tells me where they are weakest. Keep guys out of their own zone and go on the counter attack with your two big weapons.
Ugly hockey but it’s smart and affective use of the tools they have. A lot of teams with less depth or talent play that way. Look at Florida. Just think what they could do if they had two big guns.
Brendan
January 24th, 2011
11:36 am
Joe Friday, I totally support your 10:39AM post. Don Waddell, believe it or not, is WELL LIKED in ‘hockey circles.’ When you meet him, he’ll win you over. He’ll talk to you. He’ll discuss teams matters with you in something resembling depth. You’ll walk away … wanting to buy season tickets, convinced that all is suddenly well. That’s what all good snakeoil salesman do. Or they wouldn’t be snakeoil salesmen for very long. Someone ELSE, in the NHL, would have given Waddell another chance, if he’d simply walked away from this club. But he couldn’t, because of the reasons outline by Joe McGrath. Segue.
Joe McGrath, I definitely think you’re right about the “Father Complex” with this team. Especially, as it related to Kari Lehtonen. He tried and tried and tried to keep him, until … in the end … it was just too many letdowns and injuries. When Waddell announced the Coburn for Zhitnik trade, I honestly thought, “that man’s gonna barf. He’s almost green.” He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. And I have NO DOUBT … that he DIDN’T WANT to make that trade. But he had to, or there probably wouldn’t have been any playoffs in 2007. Waddell KNEW it was “short term gain, longterm loss,” but at the same time … he HAD TO KNOW … that the status of the team wasn’t the fault of the Abominable Snowman, the Easter Bunny, or the Sugarplum Fairy. If a ‘move of desperation’ were needed … it was because the team had been mismanaged. By him. We can talk about Budgets all day long. But give Red Light an $11 million budget, even in today’s NHL, and GUARANTEES that he won’t be fired for the lottery draft finishes that would surely ensue, he’d have built a better team that Waddell did. Well, that’s my opinion, anyway. Don Waddell, like William Hung, thinks himself to be a GOOD GM. William Hung is tone deaf. And that he thinks himself a quality singer, is laughable.
In General, folks, this is the team we’ve got. We’ve got to love it for what it is. How I wished it had been given an HONEST AND FAIR CHANCE to succeed. But that falls on the NHL offices to ensure that proper ownership is installed for its 30 markets, especially those in non-traditional markets. The NHL did not do its due diligence when it came to putting expansion teams in Columbus and Atlanta. Those markets needed to win, and straight away, to get off to that good start.
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
11:36 am
“except that it was with a Canadian Team”
You would have to think Dudley’s been burning up the phone lines to places like Ottawa, Calgary and perhaps Toronto, but no way they let Versteeg go. Feaster will play cat and mouse till the deadline and will make his old rival sweat it out. I reckon a deal with Ottawa could be in the offing…wish they would can their coach and GM already! The type of player we could really use if not a top 6 guy is someone like either Milan Michalek or even Jarkko Ruutu. We need more sandpaper, but at the same time we need big, ornery guys who have good enough hands to score 8-10 goals in 30 games.
BlueThrash
January 24th, 2011
11:37 am
At least the crowd on Saturday night was good. I think the Thrash should advertise a bit more about their pricing – I have been attending regularly (former STH) since the first game played at Philips and was pleasantly surprised to walk up to the window on Saturday and get lower bowl at the we-attack-twice end for only $70 (I think those same seats were $92 if you used the Rawhide code..so I got a good deal by waiting). Anyway, people didn’t seem to care or really know about the ASG stuff….before the anthem I hollared “Atlanta Spirit Sux” and nobody got it I guess because all night long I waited for a sign or a chant or something. At least I got to yell “hey Avery, you suck” for the rest of the night, so I was satisfied. BTW, Paul Devorski is a freaking disgrace and has been since the mid-90s…almost the level of suckage of Dan O’Halloran or good old Bruce Hood (POS). Now let’s go beat the Crapitals…..woohoo
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
11:41 am
the Thrashers have more scoring depth than the Bolts at this point and more overall talent as a whole. The stat sheet also indicates that. I do like what Coach Boucher has gotten out of most of them with their system though
Despite the lack of 10+ goal-scorers, it is pretty obvious to the naked eye that the likes of Sean Bergenheim, Dana Tyrell, Nate Thompson, Dominic Moore (WBF and I stated all along he was a guy we should have gone after) and Adam Hall even are better than Boulton, Thorburn, Slater, Burmy, Modin, Stapleton and the like. Dawes and Antro on their best days are better players, but not with these line mates. Our bottom six has sucked (compared to November) utterly for the last 15-16 games. Without. A. Doubt.
Brendan
January 24th, 2011
11:47 am
Is it true … that Bruce Levenson is now suing Gary Bettman for not realizing how incompetent the Spirit group was when they acquired the Thrashers? And that, ultimately, it’s Bettman’s fault the team has floundered in Atlanta, depreciating in value. And that Levenson seeks to collect $50 million worth of the team’s depreciation for League’s failed oversight of the franchise.
Kidding. That was kidding. It just sounds like something he’d do. When Bruce Levenson dies, he’ll sue God for not blocking the Devil’s intervention in his life. He seeks reclamation of his immortal soul, falsely confiscated in the Locker down below.
Brendan
January 24th, 2011
11:51 am
I don’t want to alarm anyone, but Bruce just got a “bad taco” at lunch today. It’s not sittin’ right. He’s just filed suit against that little Mexican dog that says, “Yo Quiero Taco Bell.” The Canine Community is rightly outraged. And P.E.T.A. has given them their full support. Film at 11.
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
11:56 am
From Elliote Friedmann’s 30 Thoughts on cbc.ca:
“There is a feeling around the league that Ales Hemsky (who has concussion issues) and Dustin Penner are available for the right price. Of course, the Oilers need what everyone needs – centremen and defencemen.
A healthy Hemsky gets you more than Penner, but there is no doubt Penner’s play on a bad Oilers team over the past two years has changed a lot of the negative perceptions about him.”
Perhaps the rumors of our interest in Vandermeer also include an offer involving Penner or Hemsky? What would y’all give for either of those players? If EDM wants a C, do you dangle Little or Pevs to get a scoring winger that can help now? Obviously Bogosian would probably be an attractive option for a team like the Oilers who need young D-men.
Joe McGrath
January 24th, 2011
11:57 am
Joe, Bren, agreed. We know DW is probably good at heart, but didn’t make good personnel decisions. Personally, if I’m in a postition to where someone tells produce an inferior product because of budget, I’d quit. DW didn’t, he just kept on going. He could have left ATL and gotten a job with USA Hockey because he is HIGHLY regarded in hockey circles. He could be in Colo. Springs working Olympics stuff.
Smoothie, I agree. We are fast becoming wimpy. I thought Cormier was going to open up a can yesterday, but he didn’t. If you are losing like that, well I’m sorry, but that’s when could have used some Old Time Hockey, kind of a “yeah, we’ll see you around.” Our guys just disappeared. Ben “Stiffler” Eager would at least sucker punched someone. I’d like to have seen Bogo take a poke at Stamkos, just to, well, you know, get some grit into what should be a heated division rivalry. The fans come to see the Atlanta Thrashers, the toughest team in the national league, not this bunch of…..
Joe Friday
January 24th, 2011
12:02 pm
“If you are losing like that, well I’m sorry, but that’s when could have used some Old Time Hockey”
Yep, it’s the reason I kept watching the DVR of the game, even though it was out of hand, i thought “surely they’ll stand up for themselves here”. Nope.
Given the revelations of Friday, I’ll give Dudley a pass now for fiddling while Rome has been burning, but I’m afraid the time for a move has come and gone . . .
Red Light
January 24th, 2011
12:04 pm
LOL Brendan!
Tampa Bay, not only has more role-player talent than the Thrashers, they also have much more top talent (St. Louis, Lecavalier, Stamkos, Downie, Malone and Hedman to name a few). The line of Hall, Thompson and Tyrell has been magnificent despite what the stat sheets indicate (specifically plus/minus). That team has definitely benefited from the overtime/shoot-out, 11 wins and 5 losses, but 19 wins in 34 regulation games isn’t too bad either. Thrashers are 9-9 in the extra session, and that gives them a 14-19 record in regulation.
The reason the Thrashers don’t look better in the standings comes down to two words: Tampa Bay! Even Darren Eliot caught that one as the Thrashers finished minus 9 in standings points vs the Lightning in the six head to head meetings this season and were outscored 25 to 11.
Scott
January 24th, 2011
12:13 pm
Ran in to rawhide Saturday night before the game and thanked him for running Eager out of town (and T. White before that). We had a brief conversation and he asked who’s next, I said “Sadly, probably Mason” we both like him and both thought he was a good acquisition, but we both lack any confidence when he’s in goal – imagine how his teammates feel.
I’d add to the list Bogosian and Oduya. I feel bad for Bogo, he just obviously lacks confidence out there. I worry he will be like Coburn and mature / blossom elsewhere. I think he needs a move in order to reach his potential, I don’t think it will happen here – hopefully we can get someone good in exchange.
Oduya has always seemed like he didn’t want to be here give him his wish and get someone who does. Could get us over this slump and keep us in the playoffs.
Red Light
January 24th, 2011
12:15 pm
Please lets not get too caught up in the “injury” talk. The Thrashers are in the middle of the pack in man-game lost due to injury and suspension this season. As near as I can calculate, the Thrashers have lost 107 man-games to injury or suspension this season, which is certainly no comparison to their opponent Saturday night (Rangers currently with 171), nor the Avs 225+, Isles 270+ and the Devils 250+.
Heck, Nashville has lost 169 games, have only played 20 games at home of their first 48, have used 29 skaters and 3 goalies and still have 60 points.
So, while injuries have been a problem lately, all the injury talk here only points to one thing, and that is lack of organizational depth, long a problem with this hockey club. Dudley has done a good job with the 23-man roster but still has a ton of work to do — no fault of his own — to stock the AHL and ECHL rosters with players that hopefully one day can step into the NHL line-up as needed due to injury.
Kane (8 games) is a key component missing, no question, and Ladd and Enstrom cannot afford to miss further time, but outside of Cormier’s 24 games, Slater’s 13 and Pav’s 8 games, no other key player has missed significant time except for Modin (17) and for many here that was more blessing than curse.
All that said and the recent poor play, the Thrashers are still in 8th, and likely will be heading into the All-Star Break, barring two Carolina wins and an Atlanta loss to Washington on Wednesday. That’s actually a nice accomplishment (for now) that shouldn’t be overlooked taking into consideration the new players, new coaches, new systems, etc. Had they not gone on that long successful streak of fine play, I am sure some of us would have been very happy with 55 points in 51 games.
Yeah, there are a ton of problems that aren’t going away, but this team is still capable of playing some decent hockey. They are not going to win the division, they are not going to host an opening-round playoff series but they are capable of finishing in the Top-8 of the Eastern Conference. That might count for a lot with some bloggers here, but it’s a damn sight better than sitting around wondering where the team’s top players are going to be dealt at the deadline, isn’t it?
Just saying…
World Be Free
January 24th, 2011
12:18 pm
Some good posts here today.
Truth be told, I had a great time Saturday night until the last 5 minutes of regulations. The Thrashers were playing physical and going to the net. Rammer just needs to teach this team to hold a league, which was not an issue Sunday. Great meeting Scott Pearson, one of my favorite former Sabres of the early 90’s.
As for Sunday, all it did was confirm for Dudley what he has to do. As for the current team, get healthy and go out and get a left winger who can play on the 3rd line.
biscuit
January 24th, 2011
12:47 pm
Sigh, Our Thrashers of Hope. (Double Entendre intended)
Alan R.
January 24th, 2011
1:03 pm
Via Twitter:
EKaneATL9 Evander Kane
Great way to start the week with a good bag skate. Ready to get back!
54 minutes ago
Sounds like the boys had fun this morning. Hope they respond to it.
World Be Free
January 24th, 2011
1:05 pm
Red Light-teams like Nashville has the organziational depth to withstand losing man-games. I totally agree with the work Dudley has completed to shore up this team’s poor organization depth by signing guys like Modin, Meyer and Dawes. The poor player development is the fault of the first 10 years in business, not the man running the show today. We simply cannot afford to have our key players ont he sidelines. There were virtually no injuries during our surge up the standings earlier this season.
Dwayne
January 24th, 2011
1:12 pm
It’s not the amount of lost man games for the thrashers, it’s WHO.
Brendan
January 24th, 2011
1:14 pm
Wow, I can’t even believe the run of bad luck Bruce Levenson is having today. It seems his shoes were untied and he tripped and fell, cracking his knee cap. He’s suing the Teamsters Union for having commissioned a project that included cement. Per his Complaint, “Had there not been concrete present, the soft Georgia red clay would have merely stained my pants.” Still, he’s seeking damages for the dry cleaning costs of those pants, in a move that insults the word, “chutzpah.” Film at 11.
Tom Lysiak
January 24th, 2011
1:17 pm
ASG = Atlanta Suing Group
ThrashDawg
January 24th, 2011
1:24 pm
Maybe a better idea would be to not support the Hawks if you want to hit the ASG where it hurts. There is an idea SOB, go to the Hawks blog and give them hell.
R. Stroz
January 24th, 2011
1:48 pm
Bruce Levenson – You and your cohorts have been caught speaking out of both sides of your collective mouths again.
DEAL WITH IT. SMARTASS.
Associated Press Reporting
January 24th, 2011
1:59 pm
Bruce Levenson has filed suit against an AJC blogger. In the lawsuit, Mr. Levenson claims he is not a smart a$$, but instead a dumb a$$.
News at 11:00
Red Light
January 24th, 2011
1:59 pm
Dwayne: That’s just the point.
Rangers lost 4 key forwards a significant amount of time and just lost Dubinsky last week (Gaborik, Prospal, Drury, Callahan)
Colorado (Chris Stewart, TJ Galiardi, Craig Anderson, Kyle Cumiskey, Kyle Quincy, Milan Hejduk, Adam Foote and Peter Mueller)
Nashville (David Legwand, Martin Erat, Lombardi, Cal O’Reilly, Pekka Rinne, Steve Sullivan and Ryan Suter)
Alan R.
January 24th, 2011
2:13 pm
Associate Press – I think we can all agree that Mr. Levenson is an ass. Smart, dumb, fat or flat — it does not matter.
BlueThrash
January 24th, 2011
2:17 pm
“Maybe a better idea would be to not support the Hawks if you want to hit the ASG where it hurts.”
Serious question – do people who follow the Thrash actually care about the Hawks? Seriously? I went to a Hawks game once last season – they aren’t allowed to check or apparently even touch one another for that matter…WTF is up with that? I know they play in the same arena, but talk about worlds apart. I would rather have a foot fungus and watch paint dry before I ever attend another Hawks game. Oh, and the folks there were just about as rude as the people who regularly attend Falcons games. Nope, give me Thrashers and Braves (and their fans) and I am happy.
Thrashers27
January 24th, 2011
2:23 pm
Eklund saying Enstrom is on the block…Whaaaaa??? I don’t believe it.
Cornbread
January 24th, 2011
2:40 pm
Smoothie – There is not a better fourth line in the NHL than Boulton Slater Thorburn. It was pretty clear with the naked eye that in December they were one of the best lines for the Thrashers all season. That they were playing third-line-like minutes is a testament to how good they are. They hit, block shots, win face-offs, don’t turn the puck over, take it away, cycle, fight, score, and don’t get scored on. They do all the little things right. What more could you ask of them?
Too bad Slater has not played a single game in the month of January. (Move Cormier down to center them and Dawes up in Kanes place.) I’ll take Thorburn any day over the guys you mentioned. Hell, throw Slater in there too. Both of them are equally as good or better in third and fourth line roles.
The third line has been a weak link for the Thrashers all season but that does not mean the individual pieces are weak. Remember, Dudley wants his third line to be more scorers than checkers and the second line to be heavy checkers and scorers. Individually, Antro fills that role nicely so do Modin and Burmistrov but it has not been a good match as a whole. Still, they have equal or better numbers than Tampa’s bottom 6.
In net the Thrashers are better and on D they are better and deeper. When Zach Bogosian has been by far the worst D-man, you know you are pretty good on D. Comparing Dawes, Stapleton, and Cormier to Tampa’s bottom 6 is not a fair comparison. They are call-ups. That they have performed well in that role is further organizational depth.
Top 6 guys Lecavalier, Gagne, and Downie have all been out of the line-up but so have Kane, Little, and Bergfors who all are playing as well or better. Ladd, Stewart, and Peverly have had even better production.
Tampa takes advantage of their top 6. They have to. The Thrashers don’t have a world class sniper and leading scorer in the NHL to bank assists off of. They have to take advantage of their depth and they have from the top 6 on down to the goalies. It’s time they get everyone healthy and back in the line-up again and go on the run that they are very capable of putting together. But like I said earlier, come play-off time, I’ll take the Thrashers game over the Bolts.
Brendan
January 24th, 2011
2:49 pm
*Breaking News!* *Breaking News!* Thus far, Southwest Airlines has not returned any calls, but it has been learned that Bruce Levenson was recently hassled on a Southwest Airlines flight by a passenger who migrated from Coach. Bruce placed the airlines under suit. Per Bruce’s Complaint, the affiant writes, “The problem is that curtain. That’s no security. What’s needed, is a locking door.” Film at 11.
Joe Friday
January 24th, 2011
3:11 pm
Brendan on the roll, but should we worry? Levenson might sue us first for not all joining the Pom Pom squad for all these years . . .
Nice to see that Ramsay was channeling Herb Brooks today, anyone there? I bet he made Torchetti run it . . .
BlueThrash
January 24th, 2011
3:13 pm
“Enstrom is on the block”
Please God NOOOOOOOOOOOOO…… to paraphrase the great David Letterman (when he was funny), “we look like a monkey screwing a football”
Cornbread
January 24th, 2011
3:16 pm
RL – I don’t think there is a lot of blame being placed on the injury bug. But, last night’s game was definitely a result of it paired with the back to backer. I think the Thrashers have played well considering who has been out in January – Kane, Slater, Modin – and who has taken their place. That is depth. Still, I believe it is one of the reasons they could not get over the hump in those tight games or play a complete game. An all rookie line of Cormier Burmi Machacek against Philadelphia and Dallas? Come on. That hurt.
BUT, when you lose your top D-man and top forward at the same time, you get an ugly result like last night.
Alan R.
January 24th, 2011
3:25 pm
Please God NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Consider the source: Eklund.
‘Nuff said.
Would you take Wall St. futures advise from Mr Levenson? That’s up the same alley.
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
3:37 pm
“Smoothie – There is not a better fourth line in the NHL than Boulton Slater Thorburn. It was pretty clear with the naked eye that in December they were one of the best lines for the Thrashers all season.”
I think there’s pretty good agreement around these parts that the Greek gods line is one of the best, if not the best, energy lines in the NHL. But they are stuck at 20 or so ES goals and have like 1 in the last 16 games — and that was Thorburn’s tip-in in the FLA comeback. I’m not so sure there any better than top 5, which is still pretty good, when they are forced to play 12 & 13 mins / game.
Your point about the 3rd line is the most salient one. We can ill-afford having the likes of Boulton, Burmistrov and Cormier playing 3rd line minutes. Without Slater, our depth distribution breaksdown. But this team was showing cracks before Slater went out with a concussion, but you seem reluctant to admit that. I’d say your on the very optimistic side of things were as I’m more pragmatic. That’s fine, we’re going to disagree on some things. But no way would I expect us to win more than 1 game in a playoff series against the Bolts. Pavs would have to steal us one at home. I hate Tampa as much as the next guy, but it’s time to give them their due. They are flat out better than us.
Also, if our defense is so much better, being on pace for 267 goals against isn’t looking all that good now is it? That’s hardly what I call “pretty good”. Our 3rd pairing is “pretty good”, our top line can be excellent against the right teams (Buff is too cavalier against top-flight players like Stamkos, Crosby etc) and the 2nd pairing is pretty much a disaster regardless of who’s fault it is. And that is especially true on the PK as Sopes/Oduya give up the majority of our PPGA. I don’t know why Buff isn’t out there clearing the crease on the PK.
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
3:44 pm
Man, talk about a lot of typos!!
BTW, my 20 goals includes 5 from Modin when he was playing with Boults and Slater. Pretty much the only time I want Modin on the ice. And NO PK FOR FREDDY MO!! I have no idea why Rammer thinks he’s still capable of killing penalties, if he ever was to begin with.
Trixie (Rawhide's Secretary)
January 24th, 2011
3:49 pm
Tonight at 9:00 pm, Mr. Rawhide will be addressing the State of the Thrasherville Union.
Thank you. That is all.
Associated Press Reporting
January 24th, 2011
3:51 pm
The ASG, after hiring two law firms to represent them, have filed a lawsuit against themselves. After the lawsuit is settled, the ASG intends on suing the losing law firm for damages.
Brendan
January 24th, 2011
3:51 pm
Joe Friday, just remember one (1) thing about Bruce Levenson. It’s ALWAYS someone ELSE’s fault. Yours. Mine. The Tooth Fairy’s. Bettman’s. The Refs. The City of Atlanta. The Mayor! The sun was in his eyes. He thought he’d written that check LAST week. Belkin’s! My Gawd. It has to be the meddling Steve Belkin’s fault. And now, Joe Johnson’s locked up on one of the most ridiculous, ham-stringing contracts ever written. In the fine print, it reads: “This contract GUARANTEES the Hawks will never reach the Conference Finals.” But, both parties signed it. I’ll have to consult FIF for a ruling, but I think that makes the “mediocrity” binding..
litz
January 24th, 2011
3:58 pm
Southwest Airlines only HAS coach class, therefore there is no curtain to sue …
As for yesterday … if the prior two games’ shootout losses were like Groundhog Day … then yesterday was like standing outside the White House, looking up at the alien spaceship, as the green light came out its bottom.
any word on Slater’s concussion? We need him, Enstrom, Kane, and Ladd back badly … when I saw both Enstron and Ladd were going up to the pressbox yesterday, all I could do was groan and prepare for the slaughter-to-come.
Brendan
January 24th, 2011
3:59 pm
After the AS, LLC sues the losing firm for damages, they plan on making multiple appeals. Film at 11.
Brendan
January 24th, 2011
4:01 pm
Litz, that’s what makes Bruce’s lawsuit so baseless and frivolous.
Joe Friday, remember, when it comes to Bruce Levenson, everything is always someone ELSE’s fault. Yours. Mine. The economy. The refs bad calls. The sun was in his eyes. He thought he wrote a check, LAST week.
Associated Press Reporting
January 24th, 2011
4:16 pm
The ASG has filed a lawsuit against Thrash for damaging the reputation of the Thrashers franchise when he procured the zamboni and was subsequently thrown in jail. In court papers, the ASG has asserted that Thrash’s actions devalued the franchise by five billion dollars.
When interviewed concerning this matter, Thrash called the lawsuit frivolous and referred to the ASG as a bunch of worthless vultures.
LAC
January 24th, 2011
4:26 pm
Great post Brenden, Guess bruce will try to sue his neighorhood association for not removing the recent snow ! Or the state when he gets behind one painting the yellow lines and crosses the stripe and gets yellow on his car…
Sorry stan drulia,You must be levenson in drag, So funny !
Joe Friday
January 24th, 2011
4:37 pm
If Levenson owned the Bears, he’d be filing against Cutler, Martz, the refs, and me (for booing them all through the TV yesterday).
Will you guys please stop reading Eklund? Think about it this way, when’s the last time anyone, much less Eklund, called any trade right? The best you get is a guy like Bob McKenzie may catch wind of the trade about an hour before it hits the wires, none of these GMs is letting it out to anyone, much less a random blogger or some Eklund character what he’s up to and who’s on the block.
I can’t wait for 9pm, that’s a State of the Union I’ll tune in for . . .
Fan from Carolina
January 24th, 2011
4:38 pm
Smoothie, you are right. Cornbread is a solid optimistic Thrashers fan ( I love his attitude) but it is time to face reality after 6 losses to the Lightning this year. I just don’t see Atlanta being a better playoff team than Tampa Bay all of a sudden. Lecavalier, St Louis, Gagne, Roloson, Kubina all solid playoff veterans.
Fan from Carolina
January 24th, 2011
4:40 pm
I even fogot D Moore who was unreal last year in the playoffs.
Stan Drulia
January 24th, 2011
4:47 pm
Nope LAC…. I’m just a Thrashers fan. A real fan. I regulary “subsidize the incompetancy” that is our franchise and will continue to do so until I die. You are not a fan and neither is SOB. I assume you simply have a really boring job that requires you to troll a message board that discusses something you don’t really care about… therfore you talk smack for lack of anything better to do.
I repeat…. I AM A THRASHERS FAN.
Sage of Bluesland
January 24th, 2011
4:48 pm
I think Cornbread is Don Waddell….The optimism is cute and all–but it starts to transcend reality after awhile…
Looking forward to Rawhide’s State of the Union address!
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
4:51 pm
FFC – indeed, only way Tampa will fade a bit is if their aging defense wears down a bit in the 2nd half. But they’ve got 11 more games in a row at home into deep February so they need not worry about fatigue from travel (how in the hell does this happen by the way…playing favorites with Stevie Y and Stevie Stamkos in Tampa??). But they are very experienced and play their system almost flawlessly. They will have slip-ups but looks like they are built for a deep run. If I were Bruce Boudreau, I’d be a bit worried about losing one of the top 3 seeds this season.
Associated Press Reporting
January 24th, 2011
5:03 pm
Reports are surfacing that Thrash has given the ASG the bird.
Eileen
January 24th, 2011
5:18 pm
What is a bag skate per EKane? I have not heard that before.
Tom
January 24th, 2011
5:20 pm
Did the Thrashers season ticket holders get the email promising to explain everything today?
Yeah, I know, ASG was caught flatfooted by the ASG filing a lawsuit against their attorneys so they did not have time to inform the ASG to do damage control with the fans.
But, if you look at this from 30,000 feet, you could not try to sabotage the team and it’s relationship with it’s fans any more if you tried. Oh wait, maybe you could by trading one the teams most loyal players who is heading to the All Star game…
Tom
January 24th, 2011
5:23 pm
Another question, will anyone from ASG attend the Casino Night this year? It might be worth getting a ticket to have some quality time with these guys. Find out what makes the Spirit Group tick…
Sage of Bluesland
January 24th, 2011
5:28 pm
I find it simply amazing that we witness ‘other’ teams rise and fall–yet we remain mired in the muck of pathetic.
Even as an expansion team, we used to do very well against the Lightning–likely the only team we seemed to consistently beat (at least early on).
Then, after a number of years, they become very good–winning the ultimate prize. They unravel to the point of being terrible…have a couple of lottery picks…but here they are AGAIN, starting on the ascent again…
Unreal.
I guess that’s where drafting and development makes a difference? I guess that’s where committed ownership makes a difference? It never ceases to amaze me, how far behind we truly are….
(but then I think of Don Waddell and his countless failed promises…and I wonder no longer why we are in the position we always are: on the outside looking in….with nothing but the excuse-makers still trying to defend the indefensible….Stan Sheepia proudly proclaims he is a “Thrashers fan!”….Uh-huh–my definition of ‘fandom’ is completely different, I guess….I actually want–no, make that demand–a committment to excellence….oh well, different strokes for different sheep…)
Tom Lysiak
January 24th, 2011
5:34 pm
What a shock. Now the SOB thinks Cornbread is Waddell. How many posters who aren’t an SOB sheep have been identified that way? I know a year or so ago he announced that he thought he had found another ASG employee or insider – ME. As I told him then, he couldn’t find his rear end with his own two hands, much less accurately “find” an insider here. Speaking of transcending reality…..
Eileen
January 24th, 2011
5:37 pm
The answer to my queston -which is the one I suspected- is on an NHL website. Thanks anyway. I hope it worked.
Cornbread
January 24th, 2011
5:40 pm
I am optimistic Smoothie. Because during the month of January I have seen them play great hockey against some very good teams even though they have been without key players. I believe they played better than their record indicates. That even includes the losses against Toronto, Philadelphia, and Dallas. Last night not so much.They played great up to the end of December when they hit a wall due to exhaustion.
Are they missing a couple of pieces? Sure. A couple of Veteran forwards would be nice but the depth and skill are in place.
As far as the D goes. Not one of the Bolts D men are on the plus side of things. The Thrashers have 4. (As an old D-man I like the plus.) They also have Tobias Enstrom who is a better D-man than all of them. Former Thrasher Clark is not an equal QB on the PP. Buff is changing the way the position and game are played. Who they got? Hedman is a stud and I’ve always liked Kubina and Jones as a number 6. But Hainsey is a better number 6 and Sopel is a classic shut down guy. That he has so many goals against on the PK is because he plays so many minutes. Oduya is a good two way guy and puck mover. I’ll take him over fellow Sweede Ohlund at this point. Bogosian a work in progress further behind the same age Hedman but ahead of 26 year old Lundin at this point of his career. Overall, a much more interesting and lethal defensive group than what the Bolts have.
I have my theories why both teams have given up huge amounts of goals. One has to do with skill both with styles of play. And that is why I think the Bolts may end up like the Caps come play-off time. No they are not a run and gun team but better defensive teams – most playoff teams – will shut their top two lines down and break their trap. When you play in Tampa’s zone you can beat them and beat them bad. The Thrashers did play in their zone on 3 occasions this year. Unfortunately they didn’t get the goals they needed. Sometimes they just don’t go in. Ask Big Buff who in the month of January has an obscene 49 SHOTS! yet only 1 goal and 0 assists. Any other questions why they aren’t getting over that hump right now?
A27
January 24th, 2011
6:04 pm
Sage… why do you attack people on here? You were making a good point and then you go and start insulting people… I mean really? What do you care if people pay to go to games and support the team. Does it really bother you that bad that some one differs with your opinion? I dont always agree with everyone on here but I dont berate them and before you say that posters attack you on here, you started it. I have been following this blog the past 6 years and all I saw was you spouting of about Wadell,Sheep,etc. I mean give it up. Life is to short. I love hockey, but I also remeber it is only a game and entertanment. Sigh………………. GO THRASH
Cornbread
January 24th, 2011
6:20 pm
I know Rawhide can attest to who I am. And I guess that is all that really matters. His blog and all.
That said, most years people would confuse me as SOB. Well, maybe I wouldn’t go that far.
I still see a lot of great things with this team. I like their game. They have played it all year and are only getting better at it. Throw out last night’s game. It is not indicative of the way they’ve played all year. The players know it and so do the coaches. Hell even the Tampa players and coaches know it.
At the beginning of the season I expected them to be at this point in their play and rank. Yeah it sucks that they didn’t capitalize off of earlier success. As Ramsay says, “playing well is good, winning is better.” But the key is that they are “playing well.” They have the tools to play well and win. I think a lot of the less optimistic fail to see that. I understand that a few bad scores can cause some to question that but I am looking a little deeper than just the final outcome.
Rest, health, practice and maybe a little help from a Vet or two will help them down the line. But, the biggest reason I’m an optimist regarding this team is their February schedule. Play like they did last night or fail to win and yeah you’ll see me turn into SOB.
Brendan
January 24th, 2011
6:40 pm
Bruce Levenson has struck yet again. He has apparently filed a “defamation of character” suit against HIMSELF. The lawyers plan to appeal, and counter-sue. Also, for defamation. Film at 11. Unless that’s being covered in the State of the Union address.
May I recommend “Smartfood” Popcorn as the official AJC snack food of the 2011 State of the Union address? Don’t kid yourself that it’s healthy for you. You should eat it for the taste. Don’t forget a cold brew. “Here we go!” (Copyright, Budweiser Brewing Co, 2010, 2011)
**Trixie** Be sure to remind Mr. Rawhide that the term “Hepacluster” is copyright protected at the U.S. Library of Congress by poster “Brendan.” And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.
I don’t want to steal any thunder here … but I hope the names Peter Mannino and Chris Mason are part of the State of the Union address, as well as the topic of GOALTENDING, in General. Drew MacIntyre?? Curtis Joseph retired, right? Hasek, too.
Brendan
January 24th, 2011
6:42 pm
“Heptacluster,” even. There’ a “T” in Heptacluster.
Red Light
January 24th, 2011
7:03 pm
Cornbread:
The plus/minus is one of the most useless stats in the game. If you’re 10 points ahead of another team in the standings, what does it matter if you have bad games when some of your players are getting scored upon. In games where the outcome is in question is the best way of using that stat. Go look at what certain players do in games that are decided by two goals or less and I think you’ll see exactly what I mean.
Looking forward to the State of the Disunion Address. Go get ‘em Bill!
LAC
January 24th, 2011
7:36 pm
Sorry stanley drulia…. I own five railroad companies in the East and Midwest. 18 Locomotives,
233 freight cars, employ 124 people and make a VERY VERY VERY Good living !
Were YOU at the First ever Flames game ? Atlanta 1 Buffalo 1.
Know who scored the first Flames ever goal ? Where did the Flames And Thrashers win their very first game ?
You ever play hockey at Iceland in Marietta off 285 ? Ever get to play against Willi Plett and other NHL players ?
Ever go to Philadelphia to cheer the Flames on and get covered with beer when we WON 4-1 ?
Answer to all NO. You can do what YOU want stanley, be the little man you are and attack those like Sage who don’t speak with forked tounge and know who you are talking about before making a complete FOOL of yourself. I’m better off than you any day of the YEAR, little people like yourself
just make me laugh. Open your eyes for once in your life !
Cornbread
January 24th, 2011
7:38 pm
RL – I don’t agree that it is a useless stat. A tell-all? No. But it still has merit when comparing players over time. Especially when comparing two teams that have very similar GFs and GAs like Tampa and Atlanta. Fact is, Atlanta has had better 5 on 5 numbers all year and better +/- with their D. Granted those numbers have gotten a lot closer in the past two weeks but it gets to my point that Atlanta has a deeper and better D. Also to my point that Tampa does everything it can to clog up the neutral zone because play in their own end is their weakest link. Get the puck past them in deep, make their big and slow D turn, beat them to it, cycle it and you can beat them.
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
7:40 pm
Cornbread – I realize you feel strongly about your POV, but how can you come on here and tell us the team is playing well when they are failing to play 60 mins, or anywhere close to it, in most games, maintain zone time because the forecheck is breaking down prematurely due to a lack of commitment, recognize that wings are overplaying the points thus exacerbating the inability to establish and maintain the cycle and thus zone time, and lastly they are failing to correct issues they have with zone entries on the PP which is costing them valuable zone time when they get what is becoming an increasingly rare man-advantage (on account of playing tentative). I know injuries, youth and scheduling have challenged them, but now that teams have figure us out, we are not getting as many scoring chances and when we do, we’re only scoring at a mediocre 8% conversion rate.
So until Ramsay figures out some new wrinkles or line combos that can actually produce goals and chances, we are going to continue to struggle in my opinion at least until certain key players (ahem, Kane and Slater) are near 100%. But despite your positive POV and deep knowledge of the game, your comments echo as either pollyannish or even a bit disingenuous. But obviously, without knowing you personally, I can’t say if that is an accurate assessment or not. Anyway, I hope you’re more right than certain negative posters on this blog. I’d gladly admit that I was being a wee bit harsh in my analysis, but considering how history seems to be repeating itself, I’m sure ou can understand the more “balanced” POV.
Cornbread
January 24th, 2011
7:40 pm
LAC – Buy the team.
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
7:52 pm
Don’t forget to pay all of your RR equipment taxes in a timely fashion! But since you’re so wildly successful, I’m sure you’ll have no problem yelling at your accountants and / or tax advisors if and when something slips.
litz
January 24th, 2011
7:55 pm
Tom, re: “Another question, will anyone from ASG attend the Casino Night this year? It might be worth getting a ticket to have some quality time with these guys. Find out what makes the Spirit Group tick…”
If you ask nicely, I’m sure someone would loan you some brass knuckles, a katana, or other “implement of persuasion” … or maybe do it Sharky’s Machine style in the Peachtree Plaza?
LAC – what railroads? (I’m a conductor w/the Blue Ridge Scenic RR)
Cornbread
January 24th, 2011
7:56 pm
I disagree completely with your analysis Smoothie and have stated many times the reasons why I continue to see something different in this team and their play. That hardly makes me a Pollyanna or disingenuous. I find that suggestion a bit offensive.
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
7:59 pm
Oh and I agree with Red Light that plus/minus can be very misleading or even misreprentative of a team’s capability or level relative to the rest of the league. While the Thrashers have been fairly good at ES all year, which is the best indicator of a team’s success over the L.T., the Thrashers haven’t been as good as Tampa in winning games they should win when leading. That tells me, outside of the occasional stinker 1 out of every 10 games or so, the Bolts are better at playing their system and earning points. And its not just because they have Stamkos and St Louis. They’re certainly important but we’ve seen how bad Tampa can be even with a high-scoring SL and Vinny.
Smoothie
January 24th, 2011
8:10 pm
Cornbread – Well, I apologize if you find my analysis offensive but the analysis is sound, IMO. Whether or not my prediction of falling short of the playoffs as a result of these issues — which you apparently choose to ignore, or are you just rejecting my analysis because I think its a bit overly optimistic? — remains to be seen. While I agree with you that it’s not all doom and gloom, I just don’t understand how you can be so adamant when the results have been so erratic, and lately downright awful at times, since mid to late December. I wasn’t trying to insult you as Lord knows I wish I was a more positive thinking person, but I’m not. There’s nothing wrong with that. Its simply an observation as compared to someone like me and I apologize if I offended you…was not my intention. Usually, when I’m aiming to insult someone here, its pretty clear whom I’m targeting. I respect your POV greatly, but I don’t get the feeling you respect mine in light of your earlier post taking objection to my arguments. No biggie but I thought your queston asking if there was anything else you could answer was a bit condescending in its tone.
World Be Free
January 24th, 2011
8:25 pm
You guys haven’t learned to ignore SOB yet? He’s a wiesel.
Totally off subject-Jay Cutler being called out by Deion Sanders-are you kidding me Deion?
Deion avoided contact and/or tackling his entire career. I am not saying Cutler is right, but…..
Stan Drulia
January 24th, 2011
11:53 pm
Haaha…damn, I guess I called you all wrong LAC! Seems pretty odd that someone who is clearly a powerful business man spends time bashing a sports team on a local newspaper’s message board but hey, to each his own. I am simply a working stiff. I own no locomotives or people. I go to work everyday and make a pretty middle class living. I guess the difference between you and I is that I get a great deal of pleasure following the Thrashers. Sure, they make me insane on a pretty regular basis, but overall they add a ton of fun to my life. I love going to games and plan to support the team until the bitter end.
Good luck with your VERY, VERY, VERY good living and all that… while I am definitely not a rich train mogul like yourself I am a very happy guy with a wonderful wife and 2 year old daughter and another on the way… and one of the things I look forward to more than anything is taking my soon-to-be-here daughter to her first Thrasher’s game. Maybe we will take the TRAIN. Marta, that is.
R. Stroz
January 27th, 2011
4:12 am
LAST!
Rawhide
January 30th, 2011
8:18 am
R. Stroz – Nope.