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Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > November > 22 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USThrashers have no identity
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So who are the real Thrashers? To keep your head from exploding while trying to figure it out, nobody knows.
They skated in purgatory through Halloween to become Great Pumpkins at 2-7-2. Then, out of nowhere, their demons were exorcised. They tied a franchise record for consecutive victories at five. After that, they had spirited efforts against NHL toughies Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but they lost both times before Saturday night’s game at Philips Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a so-so bunch.
The Thrashers still lost 2-0. They’ve dropped three straight, and this was the worst. You can’t score if you don’t shoot, and the Thrashers had a ridiculous 15 shots on goal to the Blue Jackets’ 31.
All of that means, what?
Center Erik Christensen thought and thought at his locker, before saying, “I think we’re sort of chasing an identity.”
Translated: The Thrashers have no identity. Not good, because all significant teams have an identity. When Martin Brodeur is healthy in goal, the New Jersey Devils project themselves as a steel wall on defense. The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals are whatever their stars (Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, respectively) want them to be on offense at that moment.
Oh, and the Detroit Red Wings are just the NHL’s Big Red Machine.
The Thrashers? Well, they do wear those red sweaters for games against Southeast Division foes. It’s a start, I guess. Added Christensen, in his first full season with the Thrashers after two with the tradition-rich Penguins, “Pittsburgh is a team that comes into any building expecting to win. They know what they’re all about. They know themselves. They know what they’re capable of. As a result, they execute game in and game out. That’s what we’re trying to develop here.”
It’s an ugly work in progress. The only playoff appearance for the nine-year-old Thrashers came in 2007, and they were swept out of the first round by the New York Rangers. Now you have the ups and downs of the current Thrashers, who began the evening allowing more power-play goals than anybody. In essence, they have so many little problems that they have evolved into a big one — inconsistency.
More often than not, the Thrashers hustle, so that isn’t an issue. Said defenseman Ron Hainsey, “There were really only two games where there was a poor effort — Philadelphia and the New Jersey. There were four games where we had a tie game in the last five minutes, but we weren’t able to get any of those games to overtime. That’s really the big story for us, as far as where we’re at now, as opposed to being in a playoff spot.”
No, the big story for the 7-10-2 Thrashers is that, if they’re trying as hard as they can on most nights (which they are) and they’re still losing more often than not (which they are), they are talent-challenged.
Thus John Anderson’s response to our question on that identity thing (or lack thereof) involving his Thrashers. “We’re dealt a hand here a little bit,” said Anderson, the first-year Thrashers coach, delivering his way of saying his team is “talent-challenged.” Before coming to Atlanta, he had an impressive 11-year run with the offensively potent Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. Added Anderson, “We can’t just say, ‘OK, this is what I want us to be.’ You look [at the Thrashers’ roster], and that’s not what it is. You have to adjust a little bit, and that’s what we’re doing.”
For better or worse.
Permalink | Comments (20) | Post your comment | Categories: Thrashers/NHL
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By Sage of Bluesland
November 22, 2008 11:09 PM | Link to this
For things to change for the better, the organization must get rid of the one constant to this pitifulness:
Fire Don Waddell.
Please. I don’t know how many of his “Five-Year Plans” or his “building through the draft!” that I can stomach.
Of course, I stopped subsidizing the incompetence long ago. More are doing the same, thank goodness.
By Sage of Bluesland
November 22, 2008 11:17 PM | Link to this
Why on earth does Don Waddell still have a job with the Atlanta Thrashers, the team he has run into the ground for near a decade now???
Don’t ever wonder why we are what we are…
By R. Stroz
November 22, 2008 11:41 PM | Link to this
FIRE WADDELL
Hockey will not have a chance in Atlanta until the owners bring in a real GM. Waddell has built nine years of “no identity.” It’s time to fire the anti-architect.
By BG33Brown
November 23, 2008 12:01 AM | Link to this
Terrance, I don’t argue with what your saying (for the most part). I think we had a ton of shots blocked tonight against a team that pushed us around physically.
However, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you write an article about hockey-EVER. So either take the weekend off (b/c neither Tech or UGA is playing), or write at least 4 articles/year. IF NOT…YOUR CREDIBILITY IS ZERO. You mine as well write about Curling.
By Jack
November 23, 2008 1:15 AM | Link to this
This is a Frankenstein team put together with cast offs of other teams. Please explain what some of these pieces do. Boulton plays on average 6 and half minutes what is he doing in those six minutes that the Thrashers should sit another player with the ability to score. He is bad on defense and has zero offensive upside. No one in the NHL fears Boulton as an enforcer and even if they did he never takes one for the team. Slater and Thornburn could form another scoring line with help from Perrin or Sterling if Boulton is not taking up a spot on a offensively anemic team. After three years where is Kovys center he keeps asking but one never seems to materialize. Is it possible that a cast of third and fourth line players can replace a true center that can play offense defense and help control the neutral zone. While this much improved defense is only blocking one more shot on goal per game this year than last and they are still the fourth worst in the NHL. I find myself torn on one hand I want this team to win on the other I know that if it falls apart now and a new front office staff can be found with a new GM the Thrashers have a chance of keeping Kovy and still rebuild. If however the Thrashers play another season of bad hockey Kovy is gone and a lot of fans with him.
By Ross
November 23, 2008 7:50 AM | Link to this
Hockey needs an identity. It had one, and forfeited it when they dropped the two-line pass and the North American style of hard-checking and tight defense - “not enough goals” - bah.
-drl
By B. Thenet
November 23, 2008 8:12 AM | Link to this
You bring up an interesting point.
Many of the Thrashers problems are of the Top on Down variety. We are a cash strapped organization owned by a group of men who don’t seem to have the kind of finances needed to own or properly run a sports organization.
We have a General Manager who is average at best when it comes to analyzing NHL talent. He has his good days: Hainsey, Enstrom, Kozlov, and he has his bad days: Schneider, Christensen, Zhitnik.
When you have this kind of situation economically around a franchise, you cannot suffer mediocrity. The Thrashers need to have a great GM in order to become a winning team.
Right now, I think John Anderson brings the best hope of an identity that I have seen in recent times. We are going to be a team geared to be aggressive offensively, and he plays a team oriented game that can allow the Thrashers to absorb the inevitable loss of Ilya Kovalchuk to free agency. He needs more on the consistency level from his charges, but at the same time when you are at a talent deficit like the Thrashers are it is hard to bring your A game every night. This team simply isn’t talented enough to win a game on an off night, or if a more talented team puts forth a decent enough effort.
Hopefully the owners can help Anderson get some more players that fit his needs, by getting a new GM who is better at assessing on ice talent and getting that talent to Atlanta via trade, free agency, waiver wire, or draft.
By brian
November 23, 2008 9:03 AM | Link to this
There is just a toughness element missing and they need 1 skilled player to play with Kovy. I say trade a goalie to the sens for Speza, then find a thug so people will fear playng when he is on the ice. So close yet so far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By fred
November 23, 2008 1:46 PM | Link to this
the thrashers will always stink as long as waddel is the general manger
By Bugman
November 23, 2008 2:28 PM | Link to this
No identity? Are you nuts? Of course The Thrashers have an identity: Don Waddell. Instant losing streak fix for opponenets; underachievers, malcontents and disenchanteds. All great adjectives to discribe the Don Waddell scripted franchises over the last 9 years. I could go on and on about the ridiculous shortcomings of the Thrashers but it all boils down to one thing: Don Waddell. Until he’s gone the Atlanta Thrashers will always be the next game that slumping opponents look forward to.
Want to watch quality hockey in Atlanta? Go check out the Gwinnett Gladiators.
By Blueland Warrior
November 23, 2008 3:10 PM | Link to this
We need to trade Lehtonen and Christensen for a top line RW scorer…
By Scottbravesfan
November 23, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this
I agree Don Waddell just hasn’t put together a talented roster. The team works hard and hustles but that only gets you so far. Also Ilya Kovalchuk has been non existent so far this year. I guess he’s already waiting for his bus ticket out of town.
The Thrashers will never turn things around as long as Waddell is in control.
By Ward
November 23, 2008 6:19 PM | Link to this
Check the standings..they are very blunt!The team doesn’t score enough, are not big,and need to make a trade with the goalie in injured reserve for a scorer. Ward
By richbrave
November 23, 2008 11:08 PM | Link to this
And no soul.
By Brendan
November 24, 2008 12:18 AM | Link to this
Not to be argumentative or difficult, Terence Moore, but … to me … the Thrashers do have an identity.
Yeah, what’s that? (Everyone leans in to hear.)
They’re the perpetual EXPANSION team. That’s, almost without exception, been their identity. Much of that stems from lackluster ownership, from Day One. Ted Turner didn’t seem to put his heart and soul into the hockey product. By the time AOL-Time-Warner entered the picture, we knew it wasn’t exactly getting better. Finally, there was a glimmer of hope with David McDavid. But his finances weren’t all they were cracked up to be, or … that he was unwilling to put up personal assets as collateral against city bonds to secure the teams. I uhh, kinda … sorta don’t blame him on that one.
So? What next? Yes, the “too many chefs spoil the soup” Atlanta Spirit show up to be the next owners. While these guys may be successful in life in other ventures, they are not particularly successful in sports ownership. Their failures can be summed up in a single word. “Procrastination.”
That’s right, Terence Moore, these guys will be late to their own funerals.
Where to begin? Why not, at the beginning? The Hawks, Thrashes and Philips Arena are put up for sale. McDavid beats them to it. But, in the end, the AS, LLC had more money, once they pooled it all together. But then, just like Bart Simpson, Milhouse Van Houten, and Martin Prince, they found that their pooled money, to purchase a rare comic book, bought more than what they bargained for. (Who has control and possession of this rare and precious comic book?, for example.)
To say they didn’t agree on the Joe Johnson trade is a bit of a understatement. It led to the attempted ousting of Steve Belkin. Then these Spirit Boys wrote in the stupidest clause in history of mankind, that Belkin had the right to buy them out AT COST if they failed to meet a deadline to contest an appraisal of the Hawks, Thrashers and Philips Arena. Well, PROCRASTINATION led to them missing the deadline to file. They’ve been procrastinating ever since!
Procrastination led to the two Joshes not being locked up in the Summer of 2007, from the Hawks side. And failure to lock up Marc Savard, Frank Kaberle, and Marian Hossa with contracts hurt the Thrashers on the hockey side. But really, PROCRASTINATION … is an embarrassment to the very word itself when it comes to waiting on firing a GM. Billy Knight would STILL be the GM of the Hawks, if he hadn’t resigned over having his request to fire Coach Woodson repeatedly denied. And on the hockey side of things … Waddell doesn’t preside over a winning Administration.
Terence Moore, if you think George W. Bush was in office too long. Ya ain’t nothing yet, vis-a-vis Don Waddell, who’ll be here through the 2010 season. Quite possibly, all the way to the conclusion of the 2011 season. Look, the facts are … the team missed the playoffs seven out of eight (7/8) seasons, never tasted the 2nd round of the playoffs, and only had two campaigns over .500. Want more?
Okay, it also had seven (7) “Top 10” picks with which to build the franchise (Stefan, Heatley, Kovalchuk, Lehtonen, Coburn, Valabik, and an 8th overall pick in 2005 that it traded twice to acquire Chad Denny and Ondrej Pavelec, and just recently, selected Defenseman Zach Bogosian, 3rd overall. The franchise has never won a playoff game, and is still considered, in many circles, to be an expansion team, despite it being a decade into its existence.
In conclusion, the Thrashers identity is that of an EXPANSION TEAM. While it might be a bit cruel to call them a “minor league” team, with a minor league GM, a minor league Head Coach, and minor league owners, there are too many times when that seems … well … apt. And if it weren’t bad enough, even the fans still scream for their MINOR LEAGUE team, the Atlanta Knights, during the National Anthem.
By Scottbravesfan
November 24, 2008 3:50 AM | Link to this
I agree the team doesn’t have an identity and quite frankly isn’t very talented. They try hard but that’ s just not enough in the NHL.
Also Ilya Kovalchuk has been a non factor all year.
By Lew318
November 24, 2008 8:59 AM | Link to this
This is a great article and says volumes. After nine years here is a team looking for an identity. As a season ticket holder I would say they already have developed an identity as a bunch of professionals(not a team) that won’t/can’t give 60 minutes effort, lacks the deisre to do what it takes to win and hasn’t been given a fair chance of talent from management to win. We seem to show up to play, without any excitment, commitment or confidence to win. Every yearb we are rebuilding!!!
By Nikita
November 24, 2008 9:53 AM | Link to this
I’m sorry, but I don’t believe the team is talent-challenged at all. Lazy, occasionally. Mentally-challenged, often. Sloppy, frequently. But there are plenty of people in that lineup who are perfectly capable of playing a decent game, and Saturday they did not do it.
By Russ
November 24, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this
Terence, unfortunately the Thrashers identity is a bumbling GM that hasn’t been able to put a competitive team together in nine years and an ownership group that thinks that is good enough.
By Nikita
November 24, 2008 2:33 PM | Link to this
Yes, the team needs an identity. Or rather, the team needs an identity other than Kovalchuk + Lehtonen + some other guys. Particularly since it is adapting to a comprehensive system similar to the one played by Buffalo and Detroit, rather than the zone system of Hartley where certain people contributed and others just supported them.
I disagree, however, that the team is talent-challenged. Right now the team has the aforementioned, plus half a dozen established players who have throughout their careers put in a reasonable number of points. If they’re failing to do that here, it’s probably not for a lack of talent. We also have a large number of very young players who appear to have talent, but need developing. With those two elements, we should have a base of talent which is sufficient to win some games and get the system down such that we can identify and secure the small number of top-dollar assets to make the team highly competitive as the season wears on.