The State of the Thrasherville Union address
The Speaker of the House gavels open the State of the Thrasherville Union address. The assembled representatives take their seats as Rawhide makes his way to the microphone.
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, dignitaries and everyone tuning in throughout the Thrasherville blogosphere…
The Atlanta Thrashers are well into the latter half of their eleventh season of play in the NHL. Last summer saw great change in the front office, coaching staff and roster…all of which led to an overall sense of hope from the fans as they entered into the current campaign last fall. And while there have been some stumbles along the way, this team has managed to maintain a playoff position in the standings for the better part of the first half of the season.
It is with that in mind, that I am proud to proclaim that state of the Thrasherville union is strong.
applause erupts from the assembled masses in the chamber
Together, the new GM and coach have made a New Beginning. But we have only just begun.
There clearly lays before us certain challenges and hurdles that remain in place for this organization to overcome. The team’s play of late has been stagnant, going just 4-8-4 in their last 16 games and winning just one time in regulation during this month of January. So as you can see, there is much work that needs to be done.
Of primary concern is our department of defense. Though they have performed admirably at times, they are allowing an alarming 34.4 shots on goal and allowing an far too many goals… 3.14 per game. In the last eight outing, no less than 35 goals have been allowed. That number rises to 37 if you count the gimmick shootout goal proved to teams winning in that manner.
This level of performance simply must not stand and must be addressed immediately.
Offensively, they are producing goals at a rate of 2.90 per game. That’s down somewhat from last falls numbers, but under the circumstances is still in the acceptable range. The same can be said of the 30.5 shots taken per game.
a smattering of polite, if not obligatory, applause
Health care has become a paramount concern at this time, specifically speaking the health of certain key players that have kept them out of the lineup of late. Once the likes of Evander Kane, Jim Slater and most recently Toby Enstrom and Andrew Ladd are able to return to active duty, it surely will go a long way to curing the ills of this squad right now.
But it’s clear that this team is in dire need of a collective shot in the arm. One that comes in the form a significant new deal which brings in a player or two that can help this team the second they set foot off the plane at Hartsfield/Jackson Airport.
And so, I call upon the office of general manager to move forward with negotiation with other NHL teams to see about procuring that which is necessary to remedy the lagging defensive indicators and help boost the GNP, (Goal Notching Production).
thunderous applause erupts from the assembled masses in the chamber
And I also call upon the ownership group to allocate funding so that the office of GM can do his job accordingly. Certainly there is room not only in the league-imposed salary cap budget mandates, but also the in-house budget that you’ve instructed the organization to operate under. This would-be funding is not just an investment needed for short-term gains, but for the overall health and prosperity for all of Thrasherville.
And the time to act is now!
applause once more erupts along with a few shouts of approval
While we are on the subject of the current collection of individuals that make up the Thrashers ownership group…
a member abruptly rises from his seat and shouts…”THEY LIE”!
the speaker gavels the chamber back to order
Please, please…let us maintain order and conduct ourselves with an air of civility. Yes, it is true that the ownership group have proven themselves to be less than truthful with the citizens of Thrasherville. And while all but a misguided few now see them in the less than honorable light that they now stand in, we must understand that they still control the purse strings of this organization. Until that changes, it is they that must understand that certain investments must be made if the team is to continue…with all due respect to Mr. Levenson…”moving in the right direction”.
But let my pleas for calm and rational debate not be mistaken as false praise. For if there is one thing we have learned over the last half-dozen or so years, it’s that the ownership group is not the answer to the problem. The current ownership group IS the problem.
leaping to their feet, the gathered throng explodes in thunderous applause and bellows out multiple shouts of approval
Lastly…but certainly not least…I want to address the citizens of Thrasherville. You have worked hard to show you support and undying loyalty to this team. You have shown up at games and spill your emotions out on a continuous basis. And you have endured many, many hardships and heartaches along the way.
The path over the last few seasons has not necessarily been littered with a multitude of success and we are still feeling the affects of some of the decisions brought forward by the previous general managerial administration. These are decisions that drove many away in anger and disgust.
Be we…the citizens of Thrasherville today…cannot escape history. We of this city’s hockey fan base and its current administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. The trial through which we pass will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation of hockey fans.
Will future generations look back upon us and ask why we failed to show up and represent our team, our franchise and our city well? Or will they look back at this time and see that we helped forge a unique bond with this team and together pulled one another through?
If we choose the latter, then when our children take their children to Thrashers games, they’ll be sharing with them the experience of the greatest professional sport on this planet. And then they will speak of us with pride, saying that we met the test and preserved for them their day in the sacred flame of NHL hockey in this fair city.
Thank you.
By: Bill Tiller – AJC.com Thrashers Fan Blog
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222 comments Add your comment
Smoothie
January 25th, 2011
3:35 pm
Yeah, I was totally bummed when Skinner went at #7 because that meant we’d have to play against him for the next 10-15 years. Of course, Burmy will continue to get better and hopefully will evolve into the dynamic, 2-way shutdown C we need for the next decade plus.
Sage of Bluesland
January 25th, 2011
4:10 pm
“State of the Thrashers just went straight into the toilet of Sage’s house with Enstrom out for possibly a month…..”
Do you even hear yourself sometimes?
If THAT is the margin of our “excellence”, then we’re in bigger trouble than even I previously imagined…
Unbelievable. Let the excuses begin!
(and yet there is NO excuse for continuing to subsidize the incompetence…or the tired old excuses…)
Smoothie
January 25th, 2011
4:14 pm
You make no sense Sage, tell me how losing Enstrom isn’t a severe blow. He’s our most consistent and perhaps best player overall.
Oh wait, why am I asking you a question? You never answer any of them, you just keep repeating yourself…at least it saves you from some extra typing, wouldn’t want to tire out your pwetty wittle fingers!
Red Light
January 25th, 2011
4:16 pm
From C-Viv’s practice line report, this could be one of the ugliest top lines in recent memory: Modin-Peverley-Bergfors
Sharon
January 25th, 2011
4:17 pm
Did anyone else receive their free Bogosian jerseys yet (from the Feb 13th ticket promo)? Ummm, it looks as though both of my jerseys are misprinted (and one of them is also stained). Instead of the logo sitting on the chest, it sits more on the stomach, so it’s probably a good 3 inches lower than it’s supposed to be and very noticeable. Did your jerseys arrive with the same misprint?
Well, they were free. Thanks, Thrashers.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
4:23 pm
Okay Rawhide, i thought that your ownership group have been trying to sell the team for last 6 years, and i forgot that atlanta thrashers have lost millions already, rawhide you should have gave up 6 years ago,
Smoothie
January 25th, 2011
4:28 pm
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/darren_eliot/01/24/return.of.NHL.interference.obstruction/index.html?xid=twitter_share
Darren Eliot is bang on with his article and interference and obstruction are ruining the speed of the game again. I’ve noticed that the refs are not calling the games very tightly anymore — occasionally you’ll have a penalty fest, but it’s rarer and rarer — and whatever the emphasis was after the lockout is getting lost again. Too many teams are getting away with not only a trapping gameplan, but subtle interference, hand-checking and bumping. It’s bad enough we have to endure so many 1-goal games where teams are slogging it out in the NZ, but the lack of interference calls at the blueline is really starting to get out of hand again. I bet if you compared the total number of stick infraction calls and interference calls with last year, the number would be down by at least 10-15%.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
4:29 pm
Atlanta should just dump salary to the minimum and get ready to sell the team
Dandylions
January 25th, 2011
4:39 pm
Greg=TOOL
Rawhide
January 25th, 2011
4:39 pm
Greg – What you don’t seem to get, my friend, is that selling a team does not mean moving at team. I really don’t know how to put this in another fashion…but while it is true we have quite the sucky ownership group here, there is no way the NHL is going to abandon a market like Atlanta for one like Winnipeg. Sorry dude…it ain’t happening.
But like I said, come on back next year, when we still haven’ moved to Winnipeg, and let’s discuss it some more.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
4:44 pm
Hey rawhide have you heard no one wants the team in atlanta for the main reason all it does is lose money and has no fans and ASG is either gonna sell to winnipeg or quebec, and i will be back next year
Rawhide
January 25th, 2011
4:45 pm
Greg – Just can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it seeing you back here next year.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
4:49 pm
Thank you we’ll talk about the falcons or hawks …..but probably the Winnipeg jets
Winnipeg Jets flew out of town...
January 25th, 2011
5:05 pm
What on earth would make someone who lives in Winnipeg think that Hockey would leave Atlanta? Bad Ownership? Look at Tampa last year. No Ownership? Look at the Coyotes. Last time I checked both teams were going to Winnipeg, Hamilton, Quebec City, etc etc etc.
If the NHL will take ownership of Phoenix in order to keep the Yotes there what makes you think Atlanta is losing another team? The team cannot be moved as per the NHL and the contract that the current ownership-idiots signed. Sure anyone could buy the team but the minute they moved the team would be disavowed by the NHL.
We feel for you, having lost a team and all, but after losing the Flames WE ARE NOT LOSING THE THRASHERS.
You want more teams? Support EXPANSION.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
5:13 pm
im gonna say one last thing and then im gonna leave for good. Atlanta im guessing is a great city, and its a good market but its not a hockey market. non of those sunbelt cities are a hockey market, thats why they keep losing money. NHL could work in Atlanta could work if they some how got crosby but thats not gonna happen.
Iron League 13
January 25th, 2011
5:17 pm
Greg, one of these days you may have to relocate (like other Northerners / Canadians) to a location such as Atlanta, Phoenix, Miami, or whatever (an NHL market that’s the climatic antithesis of a traditional hockey town) . Maybe it’s for work related reasons, or your arthritis flares up all the time in the winter, whatever…you have to move. Oh, but lucky you, you’ve got a local NHL team to go see now with some other ex-pats and northern hockey nuts. Not so bad, EH?
Iron League 13
January 25th, 2011
5:21 pm
Anyway, you’re right in a traditional sense, Greg. But I gotta tell ya, most NHL towns aren’t.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
5:25 pm
The reason nhl works in those places is because they have star players that stand out from the rest, while in nashville, florida, phoenix, and atlanta, they are good teams, but no one stands out to draw in non hockey fans
Iron League 13
January 25th, 2011
5:26 pm
Most NHL towns aren’t traditional that is.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
5:29 pm
Because of stand out players
R. Stroz
January 25th, 2011
5:29 pm
Greg – I know it’s never a good idea to feed those that are perceived as trolls however, why do you think so many former Atlanta/Calgary Flames players live in Atlanta?
I’ll name a few as I see in the Section adjacent to where they sit, Willi Plett, Eric Vail, Tim Eccelstone, and Dan Bouchard.
The issue this team has isn’t the city, it’s an ownership group that openly admitted they never wanted the team. The same ownership group which has kept payroll at the league minimum for years.
Tell me why the Jets left Winnepeg? Although I have never been to Winnepeg, or know anyone who lives there, my understanding is the Jets fan base grew tired of an ownership group that was unwilling to commit to a payroll to field a consistently competitive team. Furthermore, I also heard, via second hand information, that the Jets management sucked. So please enlighten me to the facts as to why the Jets left Winnepeg. Are you old enough to remember? At what age did you attend, or did you attend Jets games?
I’m not trying to be a smart @$$, merely trying to engage in a well written discourse.
Iron League 13
January 25th, 2011
5:31 pm
Ha Ha Ha!!! Bullcrap, Greg, it’s WINNING!!! WINNING!!!! EVEN IN PITTSBURGH PRE-CROSBY THEY HAD THE SAME TROUBLE!!! Greg, few NHL markets can weather mediocrity, FEW!!! I betcha under half could. In fact, IMO only 1/3 of NHL markets are even traditional, go bitch about Long Island and the rest of the Atlantic Division. Hell truth be told if you got rid of that division all those transplants would be filling Philips. Lot’s you don’t get about it down here.
Iron League 13
January 25th, 2011
5:32 pm
Explain to me how we carried 2 minor league franchises in the ATL area SUCCESSFULLY. And don’t get smart about not having the Knights, they’re gone so we could have the Thrashers and Philips.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
5:36 pm
Winnipeg’s big issue was management and the fact that the canadian dollar was like 1/4 the worth of the american dollar, so the canadian teams were making about a quarter of most American teams. but now the canadian team are making most of the revenue in the nhl, and the canadian dollar is on par with the american dollar. i was 16 when i saw the jets play detroit
Iron League 13
January 25th, 2011
5:39 pm
I don’t get the superstars fill seats crap. Hossa, Kovy, Heatley, those ain’t too shabby are they? Guess what…didn’t work.
Again, I’ve been to plenty of Knights games here that outsold Thrashers games, PLENTY. Why? They won a lot.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
5:39 pm
ATLANTA IS A FAN AMERICA”S FAVOURITE PASS TIME BASEBALL, AND FOOTBALL HOCKEY ISN’T BIG THERE LOOK AT THE ATTENDANCES AND HOW MUCH MONEY THEY LOST OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS
Greg
January 25th, 2011
5:40 pm
hossa kovy and heatley, prove that hockey doesn’t work in atlanta
Greg
January 25th, 2011
5:42 pm
look at edmonton they lose just about every game and still almost have a sell out every game
Cornbread
January 25th, 2011
5:42 pm
And God Bless the United State of Thrasherville…
And Rawhide too.
Iron League 13
January 25th, 2011
5:42 pm
Winning hockey means bigger crowds and bigger returns. You lose infinity.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
5:44 pm
How bout phoenix last year they were one of the best teams in the league and still the worst in attendance
Tony C
January 25th, 2011
5:44 pm
Shoulder pads DEFINITELY have a big something to do with it=but I think there’s an even simpler answer to combating concussion/neuro injuries in regards to equipment: USE THE FREAKIN CHIN-STRAP!
Honestly, how many guys can you name that actually wear their chin-strap correctly? I honestly can’t think of one. Mebbe Savard after he came back this season, but I bet everyone on this blog (and I like to think we’re a knowledgeable group) is hard-pressed to find just ONE player who wears his helmet in the manner to afford maximum protection. You see guys scrambling to get their helmet out of their eyes or off their necks after pretty much every big hit/goalmouth scrum/significant contact. Obviously your helmet protects your brain best when it’s actually on your head, not your face or your neck. Even that new “anti-concussion” helmet Messier is peddling won’t do a lick of good if it’s not worn properly.
I realize there’s a lot of pride and machismo at play here, and you don’t want to have guys singled out, so make it a requirement to wear your helmet properly. Sure there’ll be much gnashing of teeth and bemoaning the “wussification” of the sport, but I don’t think we want our players being reduced to the drool-cup corps that you see from the NFL’s retirees.
Smoothie-you’d really deal Oduya for Kaberle?
I think we can all agree this team needs some smelling salts-I don’t know that we want to get rid of any regular starters that aren’t named Bergfors or Stewart (who isn’t going to get you any sort of return anyway). Big problem with trades this season is that we have no 1st-round pick this year. To get anyone of quality we’d have to gut the farm again. I sincerely hope Duds isn’t forced to do that.
I’d like to see us bring Postma up for a look-see as far as filling Enstrom’s slot. He[Postma] really impressed me from the limited action I’ve seen him in. Failing that, I’d like to see us bring up Kulda.
Pair him [Kulda] with with Byfuglien at even-strength and just tell him to stay close to the blueline, because Byfuglien’s going to try and play wing if if the game’s on the line (this habit is getting more and more annoying-yes it’s cool to have a guy who can come thundering up from the back end, but if everybody defers shooting duties to Byfuglien it really cancels out whatever benefit he brings as a 4th forward/rover). I also think we should try Hainsey on the 1st PP unit in Toby’s spot. That’d (potentially) relieve Byfuglien from skating the puck up-an area that showed tremendous challenge not just for Buff, but the team in general is gaining the O-zone without Entstrom.
Iron League 13
January 25th, 2011
5:45 pm
Ok, smartypants, superstars and so what? SHOW ME A TRULY GOOD SEASON IN THRASHERS HISTORY (ie, a real run). Can you do that for me? Again, look at Long Island in the 80’s and look at em now…how’s that Tavares kid working for attendance there?
Iron League 13
January 25th, 2011
5:48 pm
Can you say maybe they screwed the pooch over the years and it’s gonna take a bit more time? I think it is, but again, there’s another town that did fine with an IHL franchise fo a good bit.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
5:50 pm
Your just proving my point that hockey doesnt work in atlanta, and tavares just give him time he’ll become a star player
Winnipeg Jets flew out of town...
January 25th, 2011
5:50 pm
If you knew the history of Atlanta good sir you would see that the Braves and Falcons both lost incredible amounts of money for 30+ years. Those teams are still here. Atlanta can support hockey but when you have owners publicly slam fans and Season Ticket Holders it makes it hard to sell seats.
Again, good sir, we indeed feel for you – it took a whole generation before we got hockey back.
Support EXPANSION and you’ll have your team back. We waited 30 years.
Atlanta has a history of inept owners with their sports teams. Once good ownership was in place all teams here have built a fan base. With all of the BS we deal with in Atlanta from people in town who troll on here and others from out of town, such as yourself, good sir, we still have a more solid fan base than other teams who have had the same exact problems with ownership that we have.
Spend some time doing proper research on something before you claim to be an expert, especially when its on an area you have never visited.
R. Stroz
January 25th, 2011
5:52 pm
Winnipeg’s big issue was management
Exactly, the Thrashers have been saddled with the only GM that gives Mike Milbury a run for his money as the most ineffective managers in NHL history.
If you couple poor managemnt with garbage owners, what do the fans have to look forward to? Atlanta’s a big city, thee are plenty of options for the entertainment dollar, unlike lets say Edmonton.
By the way, did you attend any Jets games, and how old were if and when you did so? Based on your writing style, you appear to be rather young.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
5:53 pm
Buddy im not an expert, i never said i was, but i dont think that the current ownership group is gonna wait 30+ years for a fan base to grow, considering theyve been trying to sell for the last 6 year
Iron League 13
January 25th, 2011
5:53 pm
See American’s HATE SCANDALS. So go Wiki the debacle that was PHX over the last I dunno 5-7 years. That kills most markets in this country for a good while IMO. Again we’re not forgiving like Italian Serie A fans stateside I can assure you (wiki that too).
Greg
January 25th, 2011
6:02 pm
Don’t worry Atlanta, the Thrashers will be gone by next season. Thats a fact !
Iron League 13
January 25th, 2011
6:03 pm
Again I think you’re missing my point, which is EVEN ATLANTIC DIVISION TEAMS MUST WIN!!! The only exceptions, IMO, would be NYR and Philly I doubt NJ can’t have 5 years like this one either. Again Pitts post-Lemieux/pre-Crosby was very unhealthy.
Anyways, my point is that you’re forgetting most markets aren’t traditional, yet you still go for the glaringly obvious struggling sunbelt teams. We’re the NHL equivalent of a Jamaican Bobsled team or something (shrugs). Maybe you should mess with the Isles too? Makes sense to me and more likely you’d get them too.
R. Stroz
January 25th, 2011
6:04 pm
On another point, I’ve never seen the Canadian dollar below 65 cents against the U.S. dollar over a 40 year period. Don’t embellish, it takes away from your credibility.
Greg
January 25th, 2011
6:09 pm
Hey R. Stroz what are you like a grade 4 english teacher, what do i need credibility for, this is a comments section of a blog, stop acting like your some important voice of reason
R. Stroz
January 25th, 2011
6:13 pm
Greg – Did you attend any Jets games, and how old were you if and when you did so?
Greg
January 25th, 2011
6:17 pm
I was 16 when i saw my first game. Now im going to leave my igloo and go play some hockey
R. Stroz
January 25th, 2011
6:21 pm
Greg – Lets try one more time. When did you attend your FIRST WINNEPEG JETS game and how old were you when you did so?
Real Cloutier
January 25th, 2011
6:23 pm
The Winnipeg Jets never won more than 43 games in a season.
The Winnipeg Jets had 5 winning seasons out of 17 and never won their division (a streak that still lives on today 12 seasons later).
And, apparently the Loonie did not go too far for Jets fans either (average attendance by year last 7 seasons)
89-90 13,106
90-91 12,931
91-92 12,931
92-93 13,550
93-94 13,297
94-95 13,013
95-96 11,316
The Jets highest average attendance for any single season was 1985-86 with 13,694 per game. Apparently, the building held at least 15,568 fans, because that’s the avg. number that showed up for 1992-93 playoffs, which means the Winnipeg Arena, like many of those here in the States, played to roughly 87 percent of capacity during the regular season.
They don’t play for the AVCO Cup anymore Greg and by the way, your Winnipeg Blue Bombers haven’t won the Grey Cup in 20 years.
Tony C
January 25th, 2011
6:26 pm
kinda jealous about that Greg. Have fun.
the Chief
January 25th, 2011
6:55 pm
Jesus Crist Greg, you should just stop and go get a life
Big Daddy C
January 25th, 2011
6:59 pm
Smoothie, I think what Sage is saying is that it’s sad that we dont have players that can step in and take Enstroms spot while he is out.Playoff contending teams still roll on when they lose a top player because they can fill the spot with a quality player. Thrashers have a track record of taking a dump when one of our top producing players go out.
I am not taking any sides here, just my thoughts.
I do hope someone will buy the thrashers that will dump money into the team and finally we can have a real team.