If Thrashers keep winning, they can overcome damage
Hello, Atlanta. I'm Dustin Byfuglien. Please come watch me and my team. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
I look at the Atlanta Thrashers and I think, “Japan.”
Hang with me for a minute. Back in school days, I had an issue of Playboy magazine. (It was a mistake. I think it was stuck between the Time and the National Geographic at the newsstand and accidentally ended up in my possession.)
Anyway, this issue of Playboy had an interview with Akio Morita, the co-founder of Sony, who said when he first came to the United States he was astounded that the term, “Made in Japan” had such a negative connotation. So he vowed to change that. Then in 1979, Sony came out with the “Walkman” and of course we all bowed in unison. Before long, we were lampooning anything that read, “Made by GE.”
Now, when I say, “Thrashers,” what comes to mind? Is it that wonder of a team that has won eight of its last nine games, or the past horrors of a franchise that never has won a playoff game? Is it Dustin Byfuglien or Alexei Zhitnik? Andrew Ladd or Johan Garpenlov? Ondrej Pavelec or Damian Rhodes? Rick Dudley or Don Waddell?
Deep wounds don’t scab over quickly. The empty seats in Philips Arena are evidence of that. But for what it’s worth, something pretty amazing is going on with this franchise.
Players have taken to Craig Ramsay's attack-first philosophy.
The Thrashers aren’t as revolutionary as the Walkman. But they do make you slap your forehead a little.
A team that lacks a pure goal scorer entered Wednesday ranked first in power play efficiency and sixth in goals scored. They skate. They attack. They take few penalties. They forecheck and backcheck, and do it all for relatively paltry checks, the byproduct of the league’s most anemic payroll (thank you, Atlanta Spirit).
“I think even we’re a little surprised,” Eric Boulton said.
“I’ve talked to a couple of my buddies on other teams after games and they’ll say, ‘You guys were all over us tonight — we didn’t have time to move,’” said Jim Slater, one of only two holdovers (with Boulton) from the franchise’s lone playoff team in 2006-07. “When you hear that from the other team, it means something.”
This recent stretch of nine games, during which the Thrashers have outscored opponents 30-11, might be the best in franchise history. Even Craig Ramsay, the first-year coach, admits he’s surprised how quickly every player has bought in.
Maybe the Thrashers should put him in charge of marketing. They rank 28th in attendance at an announced 11,789 per game, which has fueled rumors of the franchise moving (likely unfounded).
“It’s just like coaching a team,” Ramsay said. “You can’t just make all of those changes in the short term. Our job is to put the best product out there and eventually people will like what they see. There were 6,000 people in Tampa when I went there. Then we won a Stanley Cup when there were probably 25,000 squeezed into that building and another 20,000 outside on the deck. It takes time.”
The problem is trying to recover from so much damage. The newness of an NHL franchise drew fans in the first couple of seasons. The playoff season led to several sellouts and an average of over 16,000 per game. But so many losses, missteps in the draft and free agency and ownership’s seeming ambivalence to do anything about it turned off the old fans and prevented turning on new ones.
Soon, they were off the radar.
Byfuglien, the team’s emerging star, saw this in Chicago. The Blackhawks had so infuriated their fan base that they were being outdrawn by the city’s minor-league team.
“It’s kind of like here,” he said. “It wasn’t the easiest thing to get up and go play in your own barn. It’s like you’re on the road all the time. Sometimes you come in and there’s a lot of the other team’s fans, like in Chicago you’d get more Detroit [fans]. But the change was unreal. We went from 11,000 fans to 21,000 fans. Packed houses all the time.
“It’s definitely hard to come back here [off the road] sometimes. In warm-ups you’re there and you see only a handful of people. But we can’t let that affect how we’re going to play.”
Boulton said he believes fans will return, adding, “The building gets rockin’ when the town’s excited about our club.”
Keep winning and it will happen again. But some damage can’t be overcome quickly.
– By Jeff Schultz
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108 comments Add your comment
BG33Brown
December 9th, 2010
8:10 am
thanks again jeff. Since the ASG isn’t going to market us, we need your help. And everyfan of this team needs to bring a friend to some games. Spread the word. As I said earlier this week. I believe this team has a legit chance to go to the second round. Ramsey and Dudley are a move dynamic duo that batman and robin!
TM
December 9th, 2010
9:10 am
We used to go to about ten games a season, but I was laid off earlier this year and I no longer have the excess income to buy tickets for me and my family. I imagine that the economy plays somewhat of a role in fans not showing up this season as well.
Jimbo
December 9th, 2010
9:13 am
Jeff- an excellent story. My first inclination was to go over to Rawhide’s blog and express amazement that you actually do know a little about hockey and our history. You obviously do even though you have craftily hidden it in past posts. I have been a season ticket holder since day one and have had season tix in Boston and Detroit and have watched some pretty good hockey over the years. This group of players is really fun to watch. They are speedy and athletic and they play as a TEAM. They back one another up and I have never seen a goalie hotter that Pavelec right now. The guy is absolutely unbelievable. Good post and let’s hope that the team keeps winning so that the rest of the AJC staff gets on the bandwagon. Thanks again.
Billsen
December 9th, 2010
9:33 am
For what it is worth, I get very tired of the “attendance will pick up after football season” – as if your football plays more than one game a week. I fail to see how you can’t go to a game on a Tuesday because your college team has a game at noon on Saturday.
jarvis
December 9th, 2010
9:49 am
Billen, you fail to see how their are limited resrouces of time and money?
If you go to a game on Saturday, the crap you weren’t doing while at the game needs to be done on let’s say…Tuesday night. The cash spent on attending the game on Saturday priced you out of being able to buy let’s say… a hockey game on Tuesday.
It’s called “opporunity cost”. It’s pretty much the basic pricinple that rules economics.
There are limited resources (time and money in this case) and you can’t use them on one thing without sacrificing their use on another thing.
jarvis
December 9th, 2010
9:50 am
there not their…I type faster than I think.
Sandman053
December 9th, 2010
9:54 am
lol @ Jarvis…I type too fast sometimes too. It is amazing to me that all the Atlanta teams (well the pro ones) are playing good ball(er..uh..puck). I’m looking forward to hitting Phillips this month or next for some hockey!
The Red Panty Pirate
December 9th, 2010
10:04 am
Jeff “No Hidden Agenda” Schultz…..Yeah, right! Already heard that one. Got another?
1) Last year, Schultz rips the Thrash and ASG at least once a month, even more often after the Kovy trade.
2) Last year, Schultz and Bradley tag team on Atlanta Fans for their failure to show up to Philips to pay high $$$ ticket prices to watch the very teams Schultz and Bradley constantly ragged on and encouraged fans to avoid.
3) Last year, Schultz proclaims that the Kovalchuk trade was a dud for us because Lou Lamoriello “almost never makes a mistake”…Throughout the remainder of the season and through the summer Schultz refuses to admit that LOU GOT HIS POCKET PICKED by Waddell/Dudley in a rental trade that has effectively put the whammy on a previously well-respected NJ Devils franchise and was in fact the beginning of the turnaround for this Atlanta franchise..
4) Last year, the ASG infuriates Schultz by some unknown action or inaction (maybe he had to actually PAY for the seats to the one Thrashers game he went to last year instead of getting comped), so Schultz goes off on the ASG in print.
5) Last year, Schultz seeks out the NHL Commish (Gary Bettman) and baits him with questions designed to get him thinking that the only viable alternative for the Atlanta franchise — ineptly run by the ASG, of course — is to move them out of Atlanta.
6) This year, Schultz gets on the Thrashers bandwagon in early December, acting like he was the first one there years ago…..LOL
Personally, I believe the cover-up is always worse than the crime. Last year, Schultz clearly had an agenda against the ASG/Thrashers, which was evident to anyone who followed his columns. This year, he still denies it.
My respect for Jeff “No Hidden Agenda” Schultz would rise 3-fold if he simply admitted what happened last year to cause him to seek out the Commish and promote the idea that the franchise needed to leave Atlanta. How can someone who actively tried to KILL this Atlanta franchise just last season now act like he did nothing, and instead acts like he’s been a constant supporter of the ASG/Thrashers all along?
Don’t be fooled again….Schultz had it in for the ASG/Thrashers last year. And until I see in in print that whatever occurred last year between Schultz and the ASG has been smoothed over, I for one will not believe it. He will always be Mr. Hidden Agenda to me……And he should be to all of you too.
Telfo
December 9th, 2010
10:19 am
for the people talking about not being able to afford tickets. they do excellent ticket deals frequently where you can get great seats for $10 or less. the problem is usually only the hardcore fans only know about them. follow @ATLthrashers on twitter or check the facebook page
I will be attending the game tomorrow, I have always wanted to become a STH but usually cant afford it. I get to at least 10 games a year though and have pretty much every year
Telfo
December 9th, 2010
10:22 am
and the people STILL talking about Waddell confuse, he doesnt make hockey decisions anymore. he is as irrelevant as Rich McKay. you dont here people still talking about him though.
Dudley handled the Kovalchuk trade and that has been aces, not to mention the 1st round pick we got from that is what turned into all the Chicago players.
Bergfors has outscored Kovalchuk since that trade and we also got a bunch of other players from it.
things are really looking up for the long term on the ice, now just need to fix the issues off the ice
Claude
December 9th, 2010
10:26 am
It’s great to see the Thrashers playing so well. Winning, as they say, is the best promotion. But they’ve got a long way to go to reach a viable fan base. These official attendance numbers are pure fiction. I was at the game Monday and there were maybe 4,000-5,000 people there, but somehow the attendance was reported as over 10,000. We should go back to the old days when teams had to report an actual turnstile count, not just make up a number.
Christy
December 9th, 2010
10:29 am
scottbravesfan – spot on.
Jeff Schultz
December 9th, 2010
10:33 am
NHL fan — Thanks. If I had the money, I’d save team personally. NHL fans deserve better than this ownership.
Thomas Magnum
December 9th, 2010
10:33 am
Fan since pretty much day one (went to the 2nd game the team ever played in Phillips). I’ve been with the team through all of the bad and not much good. I could not be more excited about what is going on right now with the Thrashers. Everyone needs to get their butts down to Phillips and support this team. They work hard every night and are fighting for every point. They have earned your support Atlanta!
Jeff Schultz
December 9th, 2010
10:34 am
Telfo — Thanks. That’s fair to say, 1 or 2 years of winning should lure people back.
Jeff Schultz
December 9th, 2010
10:35 am
In a semi-related story … Yeah, that was me. I destroyed hockey. Dude: You’re a moron. Oh wait, I’m supposed to be nice. Dang! I always forget that.
Jeff Schultz
December 9th, 2010
10:36 am
BG33Brown — Thanks.
Jeff Schultz
December 9th, 2010
10:37 am
Jimbo — People who know me know I’ve followed hockey since I was a kid and covered this franchise from the day one was awarded by the league. Not just making stuff up. But sometimes people read criticism as “he’s out to get us.” There’s no agenda here. Thanks.
Jeff Schultz
December 9th, 2010
10:39 am
The red panty pirate — Yeah, I’ve been critical of ASG. I’m certainly not hiding from that. How does that give me an agenda? They’ve deserved criticism.
Jeff Schultz
December 9th, 2010
10:40 am
Telfo: Waddell=McKay. Good call there.
Concern
December 9th, 2010
10:40 am
Jeff
Can you explain this mess to !
Just heard Daly on XM NHL tonight @ 6
merculf
December 9th, 2010
10:47 am
I bought tix for a Christmas present for the family. We go to a couple of games a year when we can. We see a few Gladiator’s games as well. Hockey in ATL can work with a winning product.
Hillbilly Deluxe
December 9th, 2010
11:14 am
What happened in the past can’t be changed. Only the present and the future matter with the Thrashers. They appear to be headed in the right direction.
Flames Fan
December 9th, 2010
11:29 am
Jeff: RIGHT on the Money!! The “made in Japan” problems for Atlanta hockey fans date back to the Flames lackluster playoff performance. Atlanta has had a NHL team for 19 years; between the Flames and the Thrashers, there have been two playoff game wins (games, not series). This sorry record has to compete with great weather, the Falcons, Braves, Hawks, GA Football, Tech Football, Tech and UGA basketball, a WNBA team, the Masters, SEC Championship, Chick-fil-a Bowl, and a pro soccer team. Sorry, but the NHL’s PAST poor W-L record in Atlanta could not compete with other options and teams with better performances on the field and court. When the Thrashers made the playoffs in 2007-2008, average gate was 15,831 or roughly 91% capacity. The home playoff games (only two in history) were packed and loud. Atlanta has too many options for sports fans to support poorly run and lousy teams. I have been a Thrashers season ticket holder for 8 years and frankly, I fully understand why the team has lost support; poorly run, poorly marketed, and crappy performance. Winning 8 of 9 games does not make up for 19 years of crappy NHL team performance in Atlanta, but it is a start. A deep playoff run is needed to reignite the fan base – if that happens, the fans WILL come back. Real hockey fans can see the POSITIVE CHANGES – better GM, better coach, players working hard, good young talent, and good goaltending. If the Thrash keep winning, attendance will increase significantly in January and February. See you all Friday night!
Tony B
December 9th, 2010
11:37 am
Always value your opinion, and really enjoy your perspective on the Thrashers. Nice article, fair and balanced. You said many of the very same things DW said last week on air in refuting the Thrashers to Canada rumors. He admitted to mistakes, of not putting a product on the ice worthy of blind support, and that those mistakes are being corrected and that this new direction deserves the fans supports. He is correct, as are you.
For all the faults of the ASG, and there are many, they have made some very solid decisions over the past 6 months concerning the Thrashers. To their credit, they cleared out all of the coaches, kicked DW upstairs to a position for which he is better suited, hired a real hockey GM with a stellar track record for finding talent, and let him hire not one but two quality coaches. Very similar plan of attack Arther Blank employed after the disastrous 2007 season. And we all see how that worked out for the Falcons, starting the very next year.
Arther Blank once said, I do not own the Falcons. You do. I am but a steward, and there will be other stewards in the future. But ultimately, the team belongs to its fans. So if you are angry at DW or the ASG for past issues, put them aside and give this new direction a chance. Remember, at one time, many hated Ted Turner as an owner of the Braves. Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. Owners come and go, but teams and their fans last generations.
Go support this team. I do. Its a fun night out, and its addictive. I promise, you will not be sorry you did.
Thanks again Jeff, always a good read.
Go ATLANTA Thrashers.
Flames Fan - Friday at Phillips
December 9th, 2010
11:42 am
As a season ticket holders, we would love to have some company on Friday night. Come early and take the kids to skate at Centennial Olympic Park. Thrashers have great ticket deals this Friday:
http://thrashers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=64079&navid=DL|ATL|home
GO THRASHERS – let’s show the hockey world we can support an improving and hard working team.
The Red Panty Pirate
December 9th, 2010
11:47 am
It’s one thing to “be critical” of the ASG…..Every blogger here has been at one time or another. It’s quite another thing to put negative column after negative column in print about the Thrashers TEAM. Why on Earth would a casual fan even consider attending a Thrashers game after reading one of your Thrashers tirades last year (eg, “Thrashers blow it with Kovalchuk, as with everything else”)? Right, they wouldn’t. Especially when they’re reading from you and Bradley about how few fans were even bothering to attend Hawks and Thrashers games last year.
It’s also another thing to see absolutely NOTHING positive in the Kovalchuk trade (for the Thrashers anyway) from the point it was announced he would be traded until today. Anyone OBJECTIVELY viewing the situation would’ve come to the conclusion — at some point — that it was quite possibly the best trade in franchise history and probably saved this franchise from a Kovalchuk noose around its neck that it never would’ve recovered from.
Also, seeking out Bettman with the specific focus of a dysfunctional ownership group and how it may be shortening the tenure of the franchise in Atlanta is going out of your way to print more bad press about the franchise. Granted, Bettman is a man and can speak for himself….But why stoke the fire? What was the objective? Surely you didn’t expect praise after praise from him about the ownership situation, did you? Why not let him operate in the background — as is his prerogative — instead of creating a “Commish vs the ASG” spread for the Sports Page? How does that encourage fans to show up and support the franchise?
This team needed print support last year during its “March To The Playoffs”. It’s too easy to have just said that “they won’t make it”. They needed hometown print support encouraging fans to get out and attend games. They didn’t get it here. And the last thing a struggling franchise needs is the hometown press trying to run them out of town.
In fact, this is the first “positive” piece on the Thrashers in the AJC from someone other than Chris Viv in at least the last year. Of course it’s still filled with “ifs and buts” aplenty, along with the typical rehashing of the franchise’s failures over the years and a mention of the relocation rumors.
What’s wrong with giving a little credit to the ASG/Waddell/Dudley/Ramsay and the players for this INTERNAL franchise turnaround? Was it necessary to publicly go to Bettman after all? They brought in the right guy – Dudley – and promoted the other guy out of the picture. Dudley brought in the right coaching staff and mix of players. Surely the ASG had to approve these moves. They didn’t need Bettman looking over their shoulders.
If the blame starts at the top, then the credit does too. I’m far from being in love with the ASG…..But I’ve read enough criticism of them from you in the past year, that it’s certainly suspect that you can’t seem to praise them in print too, even in a positive piece about the Thrashers. Until I see that with my own eyes, I remain a skeptic and a believer that they somehow wronged you (in your mind)…..And that created a hidden agenda against the ASG.
Dr. Warren
December 9th, 2010
11:48 am
Jeff–How about this for an article idea: if the Thrashers do come through, we will probably see all four ATL teams in the playoffs this year. Braves have already been there, Falcons about to clinch, Hawks a likely 4 – 6 seed.
Don Waddell
December 9th, 2010
11:55 am
Me, me, me!!! I am the one who has created this success!!! It’s nobody, but me!!!
Yelling Knights is Fine
December 9th, 2010
11:59 am
Gwinnett Fred – let the “KNIGHTS” thing go. One of the beautiful things about this great country is fans have the right to yell Knights if they want to. Their purpose is to show passion for the sport of hockey – they are not attempting to show disrespect to the good-old USA or the Vets who have protected their right to free speech. Asking ownership to make them stop is a form of censorship – that is what Commies do – is that what you want? Let it go and enjoy the game and your freedom.
Jeff Schultz
December 9th, 2010
12:02 pm
Tony B — Thanks for the comments.
Jeff Schultz
December 9th, 2010
12:05 pm
The Red Pantie … So you don’t believe asking the commissioner of a league about whether the franchise is functioning to his satisfaction is relevant? You haven’t been around very much. Commissioners generally will come to owners’ defense. The fact that Gary Bettman would say anything negative is far more than just relevant. Also understand this: When Gary said what he said to me, he was speaking to fan base and owners. That’s how it works. He knew what he was doing.
Silent Employee
December 9th, 2010
12:11 pm
I guess i must say i’m on shock that Jeff Schultz is finally writing an article that’s positive for the Thrashers. All of us here with the team knew what we were getting when the team hired the GM/Coach and then added players from the Blackhawks. This is the most complete team that Atlanta has to offer, hands down. Not one single superstar but every player working as a team to contribute to the overall goal. It’s something to take your kid to, your family to, your company to … if you want a teambuilding event, come check out the Thrashers. I’ve been selling the team for years, and this breaks my heart to see such a great team and the lack of fan support. Don’t take that wrong … my regulars are coming out to almost every game and they are referring people left and right but it is up to the media to get this out there. People believe what they read and hear (sad to say), so we rely heavily on positive articles like this to get people out. Keep it up JS!
Also, our ticket prices are by far the best they have ever been for games, starting in the 200 level and higher. A family of four can easily come out, do the unlimited popcorn/soda deal for only $48 (for all four people) to ANY game. There is NO EXCUSE Atlanta for not showing support to these guys. This is something special …
Whatcha Been Smokin Red Panty
December 9th, 2010
12:17 pm
Red Panty Pirate: Are you kidding me. On what planet do you give ASG and Waddell pass. Track record of incompetence. If ASG had any balls they would have booted Waddell period…not just upstairs…a long time ago, at that. And leave Jeff alone. The commish needs to know just how bad ASG is perceived, even by their own fans and STH’s. If it were up to Bettman and David Stern they’d just assume the ASG disappear. Maybe that’s what Jeff is hoping for. Maybe that is what we are all hoping for. ASG blows!
The Real Thrash
December 9th, 2010
12:22 pm
You must be joking. For years fans have been saying they don’t go to games because of the management or the team isn’t winning. Well we are winning now and look at the attendance.
Monday’s game vs Preds was 54.1% full (10K).
vs Caps 60% full
vs Isls 54.3% full\
vs Det 83% full (how many were wearing red jerseys?)
vs Mot 70% full
vs Bos 65% full
This in the midst of a winning streak!
See a pattern here? Atlanta fans don’t care about hockey winning or not. They just like
to moan and blog.
jaf
December 9th, 2010
12:29 pm
Bruce
it does not surprise us that you wear red panties
Jimbo
December 9th, 2010
1:07 pm
The series of posts here have, by and large, been a pretty good read and a pretty accurate history of the Thrash incompetence and tendency on the part of the AJC to hammer harder than perhaps necessary. Reality is 1. that we have a pretty good team now that is worthy of all of our support- patrons and the press. 2. Fans have never tully supported hockey until the end of the football season and 3. We can’t relive or recreate the past, LET’S MOVE AND SUPPORT THESE YOUNG GUYS WHO ARE GIVING US A WORTHWHILE EFFORT EVERY NIGHT.
Dallas Thrasher FAN
December 9th, 2010
2:25 pm
FRED, if you don’t like “Knights”, you REALLY don’t need to come to the Amaerican Airlines Center where we shout out “Stars” twice during the Anthem.
Further, as a fan of the now defunct Knights, (Season Tickets etc). I like it as a link to the past. They did win the Turner Cup. What a great time that was.
Oh and BUFF when you come to Dallas on the 22nd of Jan, I will be there with my family , all wearing our Thrashers Gear Proudly.
Sage of Bluesland
December 9th, 2010
2:27 pm
I think we’ve finally identified the name one Don Waddell posts under (i.e. “Red Panty Idiot”).
I can assure you of one thing, Don, I will NOT spend another dollar on this product until you are severed from the organization. Period.
I absolutely refuse to subsidize your continued incompetence at ANY level of the organization. A group which continues to employ you tells me everything I need to know about their level of commitment.
As someone so astutely pointed out: a successful 10-game streak does not unconditionally wipe away the bitter stench of a 10-YEAR run of sheer, intelligence-insulting, incompetence.
Only when that lisping, bumbling idiot of a GM is back in the Port-a-Potty business (from whence he came) or with another organization will I even consider coming back…
The Sham
December 9th, 2010
2:56 pm
@ ATL Thrasher fan in Rome – kudos for you to staying with the team. But don’t knock the bandwagoners bc with out us, that arena never will fill up during the good times or the bad. I get accosted for my blind faith for the Dawgs, by others who demand excellence before they put their money done. I’m beginning to think they are right.
It’s that sense of fickleness (word?) that keeps franchises honest and focused on putting a good product out on the field (ice in this case).
So my caution is not to be too high brow about your loyalty and welcome some of us newbies when we show up. Bc that my friend is the beauty of sports. The comradery (a little something for the Russian players on the team) of the city and the state!
And @ Schutlze – and you said you don’t work for the Thrashers… could have fooled me.
Thanks!
The Sham
December 9th, 2010
2:58 pm
err… done = down… Schutlze = Schultz
geeze, my spelling teacher would be embarassed!
LLOYD CHRISTMAS
December 9th, 2010
3:12 pm
Get ready for your Winnipeg Thrashers!
Richard Thacker
December 9th, 2010
3:23 pm
Great article. I attend 25-30 games a year. Lately I have been buying tickets for friends and friends of friends to get people in the seats. Keep winning and the fans will return. There are a ton of hockey fans in this town who hold allegiance to other teams and who in turn will pledge their support to the Thrashers as Amanda has (see previous posts)
Agree with Gwinett Fred; In addition to being extremely disrespectful to our National Anthem the yelling of the word ” Knights ” is bad luck. And in hockey EVERYTHING is almost based on some sort of superstition. I never participate in that stupid ritual.
Nate
December 9th, 2010
3:57 pm
Sage – you have something in common with red panty…you’re both idiots. The players and coaches don’t deserve the treatment you and other “fans” like you are giving them. They have zero control over the decisions the GM and #$#@$#ship make. Waddell is a completely blundering #$$^^%$^. I agree. But the players deserve support whether Waddell is still employed by ASG or not.
If the fans like you keep punishing the players for ASG/Waddell sins, the Canadians and their media will get their wish. This team will be moved to the great white north. I for one will not go down without a fight. F#@$ Canadian bias!!!
Nate
December 9th, 2010
4:04 pm
By the way, I will be there Friday to give the middle finger to Waddell, Levenson, and the rest of the morons in the front office. And also to cheer these players and coaching staff for the some of the best, if not the best, hockey I’ve seen in my eleven years as a Thrashers fan.
rob
December 9th, 2010
4:21 pm
Shultz,
Now that you are telling everyone about how good the current team is…..how about a little more help from the AJC by giving them some of the limelight you say they so richly deserve? Some front page time just might help get some attention to those fickle fans we need to come out and support the team. I know you don’t own the AJC or anything, but as one of the sports writers you have to have a little pull huh? How about an in depth article with Ramsey, Buff, Ladd, and Pavs? I agree we need more support so let’s put some faces with the team other than the Octotards and Dumbwad?
Sink
December 9th, 2010
5:59 pm
I’m sorry, but no one should be called a “FAN” if they will not support the TEAM!!
I don’t see ASG or Waddell on the ice.
that is all.
Brendan
December 9th, 2010
6:17 pm
I want to personally thank Jeff Schultz for doing more hockey blogs. The Thrashers need more talk in this town. They’re having a wonderful season, thus far. They’re probably on pace for a playoff berth, if this continues.
Jeff Schultz
December 9th, 2010
8:51 pm
Dr. Warren — Actually wrote a blog on the possibility of all teams making the playoffs a couple of weeks ago. Here’s the link: http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2010/11/29/can-falcons-thrashers-and-hawks-all-make-playoffs/
Jeff Schultz
December 9th, 2010
8:54 pm
Rob — Well, today’s column was on Page 1. But I have zero pull. Honestly. But I’m sure as season goes on and certainly as football winds down, it becomes less crowded out front. Thanks.