AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > April > 16 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USLehtonen’s Thrashers’ best hope
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Even if the Thrashers lose tonight, Bob Hartley made the right choice. When an organization works forever just to breathe the playoffs’ heady air, it can be hard to grasp that there’s life beyond this one postseason. But there is, and Kari Lehtonen will be a large part, maybe the largest part, of that life. Kari Lehtonen will be the goalie for this franchise long after this coach is gone.
During the first intermission of the Thrashers’ last regular-season game, their general manager called Lehtonen “a great young goaltender” and dismissed the notion that, for the playoffs, Hartley might choose Johan Hedberg instead. “It’s 100 percent [Lehtonen],” Don Waddell said. “No doubt about it.”
Come Game 2 of Round 1, Hedberg was the starter. Lehtonen hadn’t distinguished himself in Game 1 beyond dyeing his hair blue and then bleaching it blond. He let in four goals, the fourth being particularly soft. Still, his misplay wasn’t nearly as bad as Patrick Roy’s clanger in Game 4 of the 2001 Stanley Cup finals, and Colorado’s coach, one Bob Hartley, didn’t see fit to sit the great Roy for Game 5. And Roy, it must be noted, was 35; Lehtonen is 23.
Just as the Thrashers have waited forever to play a postseason series, they’ve waited just as long for a goaltender of Lehtonen’s class. (Indeed, the chief reason they hadn’t made the playoffs until Season No. 7 was because they kept looking for a Lehtonen and finding Damian Rhodes, Norm Maracle and Byron Dafoe.) As Hartley said Monday, “The sky’s the limit for this guy. With his talent, he can steal games.”
Tonight Lehtonen will seek to win, if not outright steal, the biggest game in Thrashers history. It’s the role he was drafted and nurtured to play. “I always want to be the guy to make a difference,” he said, and he’s capable.
Hartley is trying to win games in the here and now, which is what coaches do. (If they don’t, coaches get fired.) His explanation for benching Lehtonen: “We’re not going to sit there and watch the parade go by us.” But there will no Cup-winning parades this year or in the next 10 years if Lehtonen isn’t allowed to develop into a bona fide Playoff Goalie. Hedberg, who’s 33 and who played well enough in a Game 2 loss, is the backup for a reason: He’s simply not as gifted as Lehtonen. Few guys are.
To lose, perhaps even to get swept, in Round 1 would be disappointing. To damage a 23-year-old’s psyche because he had a shaky playoff debut would be the height of organizational folly. Wouldn’t Lehtonen have felt rotten if he’d gotten to play only Game 1? “Not if we win the Stanley Cup,” he said. “I always put the team first. But of course you’re not satisfied if you’re not playing.”
He admitted Monday he’d been “very down because of the decision” to start Hedberg in Game 2. After a rough couple of days, Lehtonen did “some thinking by myself at my place.” He steeled himself and practiced hard. And now? “The old Kari’s back.”
The one thing Lehtonen isn’t is old. There have been sudden goaltending successes in Stanley Cup annals — Ken Dryden in 1971, Roy in 1986, Cam Ward last year — and it’s not inconceivable that a sharp Lehtonen could yet turn this series. And if he doesn’t and the Rangers close this out in routine fashion, there will be other seasons and other series.
He’s playing tonight because he gives this team its best chance to win. The same will be true next year, and the year after, and the year after that. Even as Kari Lehtonen seeks to prop up the Thrashers’ present, he remains a pillar of their future.
Permalink | Comments (48) | Post your comment | Categories: Mark Bradley, Thrashers / NHL
Comments
By Rawhide
April 16, 2007 9:13 PM | Link to this
Mark, even though I would have stayed with Moose, this is a good peice,…choc-full-o-historical references to goalies of playoffs-past and everything!
It’s been said MANY times over the past day or so, so I’m just repeating the obvious here. Regardless who stands ‘tween the pipes, if we give up 38, 39 shots again it may just be a moot point.
The Thrasher’s D HAS to tighten up and the team in general HAS to excercise better puck responsibility,…better passing, not trying to go it alone,….pucks to the net, especially during PPs.
Going to Dah-GAH-den down 2-love is not the optimal of cercumstances, but that is where we are.
Of course, Carolina fans were saying the same about their situation with Montreal a year ago this time.
IT ISN’T OVER ‘TILL WE SAY IT’S OVER
By ghg
April 16, 2007 9:30 PM | Link to this
Well said……these team will not quit. That said, game 3 is a MUST.
By Brad
April 16, 2007 9:49 PM | Link to this
I think Hartley has made the right decisions for the right reasons to this point. It was right to start Hedberg as it gave Lehtonen a game to think about Game 1 and watch up close how different the playoffs are from the bench in Game 2.
This was no different than benching Kovlachuck in the game preceding the Canes game a week ago…4 minutes into Canes game Kovy showed he got the message with a goal.
I think it was a good decision and Lehtonen will respond with a great game tomorrow night. Kovy looked much better after his goal in game 2 which may get him on track. They have a solid record in MSG and could just as easily return to ATL 2 - 2 in the series as they could getting swept in NY.
They should focus on playing their usual style and not be physical to the point of detracting from the rest of their game. Go Thrashers.
Thanks Mark for the article.
By Thrasher Dave
April 16, 2007 10:03 PM | Link to this
Good article — I hope it’s seen in the paper on Tuesday though, I like my sports writers to know the date of a game (see line one).
By BlueLand Billy
April 16, 2007 10:17 PM | Link to this
Thrasher Dave: It will be in tomorrow’s paper. Most of the stories you have been seeing in the evenings on AJC.com appear in the next morning’s edition.
Great article Mark and here’s to seeing everyone back in BlueLand on Friday night. Hope my voice is back by then. Thursday and Saturday were rough on the vocal cords.
By thrashersfan
April 16, 2007 10:36 PM | Link to this
I am stunned! Absolutely stunned that Hartley made this move…even if it works out. I have completely given up trying to figure this man out. I’m not saying it’s the wrong decision, but my God, is there anyone on this blog that was calling for, or even imagining Moose not getting this start??
After the outstanding game he had Sat night, what sane man wouldn’t give him the next start? Well, maybe that’s the point. Maybe, Hartley isn’t sane.
This move will likely work and Bob will look like a genius! Seriously, it will work, but I wouldn’t have dreamed of making this move.
Have at it Bob, but I will never understand you. I’ll root for you, I’ll support the team, and I’ll go to every playoff game and scream my heart out, but I’ll never understand you Bob.
Go Thrashers! Beat NY!!!!
By ZAvalanche
April 16, 2007 10:39 PM | Link to this
Really like the article Mark. I don’t know if you have been reading any of the posts (rather doubt it, you do have a job to do) but so many people, including myself, have been shaking their heads at the decision. So far the changes have taken on the feeling of a roller coaster. I liked the Hedberg switch. If it were not for the fluke, who knows what happens, but hey, we make our own luck.
As much as i tend to not agree some of BH’s moves, he is the coach and sees the facts differently and more vividly. IMO his job is on the line. One poster made the point of saying that he made this most recent change to validate that he was performing the will of the management: give the young career guy the time, even if he falls on his face. The thrasher in me right now wants to very badly, the Thrasher fan in me next year wants Kari to have experience under his belt. Hell, I want both of those. Can it be that way? Yes. Like Rawhide reiterated, D has to help the guy out. I don’t care if you are Brodeur, Roy, Sawchuk or whoever, nobody has a great chance when the shot differential is so lopsided. Havelid and Zhitnik SHOULD be the stars of the D, yet all i remember is #28 falling on the ice resulting in a Rangers chance (Hedberg stoned him though…).
Kari is a trooper and shows a lot of the spunk that the young Roy showed: brash, cocky and confident. I think he will show up with that mentality of being the team pack mule, problem is is, everybody on the team needs that attitude too. 3-1 Thrashers in game 3.
By Bob
April 16, 2007 10:47 PM | Link to this
Not starting Hedberg in Game 3 and then getting Kari back in for Game 4 is mind boggling.
“The old Kari’s back.”
Would that be the pre-Blueland mohawk Kari?
He’s playing tonight because he gives this team its best chance to win. The same will be true next year, and the year after, and the year after that.
Ok, git er done.
By stendec
April 16, 2007 11:55 PM | Link to this
Fine. Dandy. Fabulous. Moose gave up a goal on a one in a million bounce off the boards. He then surrendered a power play goal. How is it that Sori Letemin DESERVES to start? Somebody PLEASE keep KL from daydreaming at Madison Square Garden. A shutout would be nice. It would lead to a never-ending playoff game considering Thrasher scoreless offense.
By Matthew At The SLC
April 17, 2007 12:25 AM | Link to this
Mark, were you even at the game on Saturday? Did you even see it? You say that The Moose played “well enough” in a loss. Dude, are you freaking RETARDED? The Moose was standing on his head the whole game. He gave up one goal. The other was Philips Arena’s fault. He gave up one stinking goal in 37 shots! And you say he only played “well enough?” And regardless about the other goal, he played outstanding in what should have been a win.
I ask again… are you freaking RETARDED? How about this Mark, why don’t you stop writing about hockey, a sport you could never hope to comprehend and go back to doing what you do best: kissing Bobby Cox’s @$$. The Moose did everything he could to win that game. His offense and his defense let him down. Andy Sutton should be sent to Chicago (our minor league team) for his puck handling in our zone and the neutral zone. Our players were more intent in hitting Sean Avery than actually putting shots on goal and crashing the net. They were 0 for 5 on the freaking power play!
And The Moose only played “well enough? Dude, you may not be freaking retarded (I still maintain you are), but you are hockey stupid and a dumb@$$ HOSER! Yeah, Mark Bradley, Hedberg only played “well enough” in the loss. And Bobby Cox hasn’t screwed up at least 3 for sure World Series wins because he isn’t incompetent in October.
By BGKAHUNA88
April 17, 2007 12:54 AM | Link to this
I AGREE MATTHEW… as a rangers fan i will give hedberg his props…. HE WAS A BEAST. he and only he kept the thrashers in game 2. OUTSTANDING GOALKEEPING!
By Brendan
April 17, 2007 1:32 AM | Link to this
Hartley’s covering himself. He’ll be able to say, “I did give Kari another chance.” If he doesn’t start Lehtonen again, and the Thrashers lose, it might cost him his job. As it is, he’ll be second-guessed ‘til the cows come home.
Bob Hartley is an enigma. But if it works, it’s hard to
By Scott
April 17, 2007 4:33 AM | Link to this
Hedberg will probably be back for game 4 since it’s a back to back game situation Tuesday and wednesday night.
By ZAvalanche
April 17, 2007 7:59 AM | Link to this
So I’m looking at the recaps of the games yesterday and I was blown away to see our pals from Tampa up in the series over N.J. Now, nobody can legitimately say that the Lightning are the superior team to the Devils, especially not in net. 32 -24 shots for Tampa Bay, not a huge margin, but still, the more rubber you put on the better your chances. Brodeur was quoted as saying, “They threw pucks at the net hoping something was going to happen.” Well what do you know?….. As our ranger friends have paointedly said, they are the superiorly skilled club (to which i disagree). All we have to do is out work them. I have other thoughts on Brodeur: guy played something like 80 games this season! Is he tired, maybe a bit slower than he used to be? 80 games! Wow! Sorry, looks like 78, but still. Sure hope he doesn’t get hurt, they would have to pull up somebody from the minors to find a keeper who has played more than 4 games in 7 months. That is crazy. Anyhow, Buffalo is surely hoping the Lightning win, that would be money in the bank for them.
Kari will post a great game i think, though still wouldn’t have changed out Moose. Up to the top line and the D……..
By Brian
April 17, 2007 9:47 AM | Link to this
Mark - like the references but I think the Roy stuff is a totally different set of circumstances with a totally different team, one that already has their names on the Cup.
As for this team, I was surprised that they put Moose in G2 so nothing surprises me now. Maybe we win and this was the spark that gets Kari focused? Who knows…
By Robert
April 17, 2007 10:06 AM | Link to this
I sometimes wonder if these writters for the AJC really watch and understand the games they write about…Example, Steve Hummers articals from this past Sundays paper.
By Ilya k
April 17, 2007 10:13 AM | Link to this
Matthew at SLC……wow I just love reading some of these blogs…I am sure Matthew has much more knowledge/experience than Hartley when It comes to selecting starting goalies for playoff games. Think of all the great goalies Matthew has coached two to three hours everyday of his life…remember Matthews endless hours coaching behind the bench with Roy.
FOLKS keep in mind that for every minute we have seen Kari/Moose between the pipes Hartley has seen 5x that.
By Hockeynumb
April 17, 2007 10:16 AM | Link to this
I don’t get it. Hedberg played a very strong game 2. He deserves to be in goal for game 3.
If Kari lets us down Bob Hartley may be on a very short leash here in Atlanta because this is the series tonight.
By Bob
April 17, 2007 10:17 AM | Link to this
Bradley hasn’t been to a game all year, these guys don’t know hockey (which is obvious from the article he wrote above).
Anyone that would write this tripe, obviously did not even watch our first two playoff games: He’s playing tonight because he gives this team its best chance to win.
Sure, because he played so much better in Game 1 than Moose did in Game 2.
And you wonder why the northern fans scoff at us down here, if I went to New York’s paper and read stuff that is so clearly wrong, I’d laugh at them too.
By Ilya k
April 17, 2007 10:21 AM | Link to this
Hartley has HIS NAME on the cup.
One thing we have going for us is that Hartley has never had a team lose in the first round of the playoffs in all his years of coaching.
By wristshot
April 17, 2007 10:23 AM | Link to this
Hedberg, who’s 33 and who played well enough in a Game 2 loss, is the backup for a reason: He’s simply not as gifted as Lehtonen. Few guys are.
Huh?? Moose would have stolen that game for us if our sorry powerplay unit could get on the board. Kari needs to learn from Hedberg after that goaltending gem. Rebound control! It looked like Moose had super glue on his pads. It’s time for Kari’s “gifts” to start showing themselves tonight…
By Ilya k
April 17, 2007 10:35 AM | Link to this
to all the nit wits…….Kari is in goal because he has the greater potential. The Thrashers need a goalie that gets so hot he just becomes a wall for about 100 to 120 minutes and then they are right back in it with a hot hot goalie.
By stendec
April 17, 2007 10:40 AM | Link to this
Hi Illya K. True. Unfortunately, Hartley had never been at the helm of a first round playoff team headquartered in Atlanta until this season. Does it violate the religion of Thrasher gunners to shoot the puck? Seems so. So what if only one or two of a dozen shots wind up in net! A shot not taken will never result in a goal. I would rather see a dozen haphazard power play shots than three dozen pinpoint passes! There are no points for pretty passing. As the Calgary Flames!
By caveman22
April 17, 2007 11:44 AM | Link to this
Mark Bradley Really enjoyed this article. As everybody knows a coach is only as smart as how well his players play.
Moose was a good, but Kari is the future and I think the Thrashers need to live or die with him at this point.
They’ve made the goalie switch and both games were losses, so at this point in time I say “ride her till she bucks ya”.
GO THRASHERS!!!!!!!
By Ilya k
April 17, 2007 11:56 AM | Link to this
Hey stendec….shoot more..that is always the question. pros..Gretzky say’s you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. cons…the goalie equipment is still to big. Big goalies with big equipment make it tuff to score these days. Notice all the cross ice passes with the one timer shots. That’s about the only way to beat these mamoths in the net.
By Rawhide
April 17, 2007 12:32 PM | Link to this
OK,…I have gained clearance from Mrs. Rawhide.
I don’t care where,…..somebody name the place.
CM, BRIAN, AV, ANYONE ELSE….??
By Matthew At The SLC
April 17, 2007 12:59 PM | Link to this
To the idiot posing as Ilya Kovalchuk…
Dude, gain some reading comprehension skills. Did I write that I disagree with the coach’s move? Did I write that The Moose should start game 3?
No… I didn’t. The whole point of my rant was to expose Bradley for the hockey idiot he is, and the fact that he probably didn’t even watch the game on Saturday, because The Moose single handidly kept us in that game, especially when the defense kept letting him down by turning over the puck in our zone and neutral zone.
I have all the faith in the world in Hartley, and I will continue to do so even if they get swept.
Dude… how about you learn how to read before you go and criticize. I’m sure you can find a lot to criticize me about, but second-guessing Hartley is not one of them.
By Don
April 17, 2007 1:15 PM | Link to this
Thrashers have no chance — regardless of goaltender. Rangers just too solid a team and most of our key players lack playoff experience.
By Ilya k
April 17, 2007 1:37 PM | Link to this
Hey Matthew, I am not posing as Kovalchuk. It’s Ilya Kozlav brother of Slava. Be careful when you assume. ok I was a bit of a smart as* with your post. Is it really necessary to abuse someone (Bradley) just because he may not have extensive hockey experience. He gets paid to write and in this town when anyone writes about hockey I am happy. In 1982 their was not one ice rink in the state of GA. Hockey needs all the press it can get in this town.
By Brian
April 17, 2007 1:44 PM | Link to this
Don - you’ve got to be kidding me. Kozlov, Zhitnik, Belanger, Holik, Mellanby & De Vries have all been to the Cup Finals. Hossa, Tkachuk & Dupuis have been to the conference finals. Other than Lehts, Kovy & Havelid, who are the key players that are lacking playoff experience?
By Brian
April 17, 2007 1:46 PM | Link to this
Rawhide - It’s looking like Taco Mac at Lindbergh, see CC’s blog…
By caveman22
April 17, 2007 1:50 PM | Link to this
rawhide time for what?? watching the game somewhere?? I’m all in for that.
where?
By Matthew At The SLC
April 17, 2007 2:06 PM | Link to this
Whomever you are… you’re right, of course. But sports is a passionate business. And I’m sorry, but for anyone to discount the effort that The Moose gave on Saturday, well that deserves a dressing down. Especially when that someone has no idea what the heck he’s talking about. The Moose deserves better.
By Randy
April 17, 2007 2:15 PM | Link to this
I agree Hartley is making the right choice. But you can have hall-of-fame goaltenders back there. If the forwards don’t try to score and stop worrying about decapitating every ranger out there — especially avery, we have no shot. Time to earn you pay top liners!
By Brian
April 17, 2007 2:23 PM | Link to this
caveman22 - Taco Mac in Buckhead at Lindbergh Center (on Piedmont near Marta station). Show up, eat drink & cheer, it’s so easy that, oh never mind…
By Robert
April 17, 2007 2:24 PM | Link to this
Just a little something I think people should think about. It seems that people here are so quick to judge the talent of someone else. These NHL players are true athletes. They put their lively hood and HEALTH on the line each night to entertain the “fans” in the stands. I dare say that most people would not dream of letting a 6 foot 6 245 lbs man, slam them into the boards, or stand in front of a 95 mph slap shot and try to block it. People here have been very quick to judge Andy Sutton. If these people would look at ALL of the stats, they would be see that Sutton really had a good season. In fact his numbers averaged out over a full 82 games, are better than Nicolas Havalid and very comparable to Greg De Vries, placing him in the top three of the Thrashers defense (not to mention he finished plus 6…for all you moaners and groaners I hear in the stands). All I’m saying is before you speak you should study ALL aspects of the game.
Anyway I have the up most respect for every Hockey player out there for what they bring and try to bring to the fans. I just wish certain fans could show respect to the player and to surrounding fans…(not to mention respect for theirself).
By Brian
April 17, 2007 2:30 PM | Link to this
Robert - since you posted your whiny crybaby entry on two blogs, I will post my reply over here as well.
Spare me the sentiment that the players put their lively hood and HEALTH on the line each night to entertain the “fans” Perhaps you should look up the average salary of an NHL player while also looking up the average price to attend an NHL game before you ask us for your sympathy. If Sutton is balking at not receiving $4 million a year and is already planning on going to free agency, you can fully expect me to boo him all the way to the Greyhound station when he leaves town.
By Rawhide
April 17, 2007 2:35 PM | Link to this
Like I said CAVEMAN - leave the club at home….
By Ilya k
April 17, 2007 3:19 PM | Link to this
Robert…good point. I actually play with some of the retired guys and it takes a heavyyyyy toll on their bodies. As for the salaries well keep in mind the average NHLer plays 4 seasons. If you take their total career (hockey) earnings and compare that to someone that can work from 25 til say 65 it is not as much as it seems like. They also have to deal with the end of their careers at about 35 which is when most peoples careers a just beggining to hit high gear. I really admire the Chelios’s and Mellanby’s for making it to 40. I play one our of no-check and I hurt the next day. I don’t know how they do it. Also, you have to sit in the front row for one game to appriciate the speed down their. They do not have time to think at that level. It is just read and react.
By Brian
April 17, 2007 3:49 PM | Link to this
Ilya K - I am amazed, who said that NHL players are not allowed to work other jobs once their playing careers are over? So if they play 4 years at $1 million per, then go get a job making $50-100 thousand per, do you think they are not ahead?
Let’s say they are one of the ones that make it to 35 “which is when most peoples careers a just beggining to hit high gear”. If they’ve been in the league that long they are above average which means they are making more than $1 million per year. Multiply that by 10-15 years. So the rest of us are 35 and we are just beginning to hit high gear and they are 35 and made enough to retire for life without having to worry about hitting high gear.
I am as big of a fan of the game than anyone here, but don’t expect sympathy for someone who can’t handle getting booed when they are bringing in that amount of $$.
By Jennifer
April 17, 2007 4:12 PM | Link to this
Mark, nice to see the paper has a number of writers chiming in on the playoffs. I hope some of you stay interested enough to occasionally engage in the discussion in the seasons to come as well.
I appreciate your analysis and willingness to consider the future. Caring about that is also the difference between the job of the coach, and the GM. It will be interesting to see whose job this decision has a bigger impact on.
By Jason
April 17, 2007 5:59 PM | Link to this
I believe Hedberg will be put in if Lehtonen lets in two goals tonight. Everyone don’t forget that Lehtonen was swept out of the playoffs in the Calder Cup vs. Philly two seasons ago during the lockout. He looked shaky throughout that series. He is a great goalie when there is no pressure on him. I feel Hartley should stay with the hot goalie in Hedberg, the team seemed to rally around him as well…will shall see in an hour
By Bob
April 17, 2007 8:02 PM | Link to this
So, uh, Bradley, you starting to get the picture? Lehtonen Lehts in a softie 31 seconds into the game energizing the whole crowd, the Rangers, and putting our guys on their heels before they can even start the game.
We’re then scrambling everywhere, and Kari lets in two more while woefully out of position. How he didn’t pull Lehtonen after the 2nd one is further mind boggling. I assume he’ll start Hedberg to begin the 2nd period, or mabye not since the game and series is now over, might as well get Kari the experience.
See ya, Bob. Nice knowing you, but you deserve the door for this brain dead decision not to start Moose again tonight.
By chad
April 17, 2007 8:13 PM | Link to this
Mark I think you are a clown!! Lehtonen(let them in )is young and Hartley was trying to protect Lehtonen and the Thrashers. I can understand your mindset, being you don’t know hockey, and you do think you know baseball. GO BACK TO YOUR 1 OUT OF 14 BRAVES.
By AC
April 17, 2007 9:47 PM | Link to this
Hey Mark, you better stick to football or baseball, because you don’t know jack about hockey. I think this clearly shows Lehtonen is not the future stud everyone makes him out to be. He can’t hold Lundquist’s jock. It kills me to write that but after watching him let seven get by tonight it’s obvious. Hartley’s decision not to start Hedberg flew in the face of logic. Tonight’s performance was an abortion.
By Lee
April 17, 2007 10:10 PM | Link to this
Mark, you are an idiot. I didn’t need to watch tonight’s game to confirm that. Your analysis of Hartley’s dealing with Roy was enough. The article read like a research paper by a college freshman, not an op-ed of an informed hockey analyst. Better to keep your mouth shut and let people assume you’re an idiot than to open it and erase all doubt.
By Me
April 17, 2007 11:03 PM | Link to this
I agree that Lehtonen should be playing, however your analogy is flawed. Roy was a proven playoff goal tender when the incident you cited occurred, at this point Lehtonen is not.
By Matthew At The SLC
April 17, 2007 11:36 PM | Link to this
Umm… AC and the rest of the insane hockey posse…
Patrick Roy wasn’t PATRICK ROY in his first playoff series ever.
And here’s a better analogy: Lundqvist, the Rangers goalie who is playing awesome right now, was swept in his first playoff series ever (you know, last year) when he played poorly. So stop freaking out. Kari is like 21 years old. He is our goalie of the future, and if you don’t know that, then YOU don’t know hockey.
But here’s something I said I wouldn’t do: Bob was wrong. He should have stuck with The Moose.