AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 02
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Thanks for the memories
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just walked into my hotel room after 10 hours of travel. United pulled a real beauty this morning in Ottawa, downsizing its aircraft, leaving about 20 people overbooked. Incredibly, I was not one of them, but the delays were many: confusion over boarding followed a lengthy mechanical delay. Then I missed my connection in Chicago, so now I’m here in Minneapolis.
Today is my last day on the Thrashers’ beat. So for my final blog, I thought I’d reflect upon the 10 biggest stories/things I would remember most about my time covering the Thrashers and the NHL. Except for the team’s inaugural season, I’ve assisted in our coverage in some way since the 2000-01 season, taking over the beat in September 2003. A few weeks later, Dany Heatley’s car crash that resulted in the death of teammate Dan Snyder followed. Talk about a baptism by fire… .
(10) Covering my first game in Montreal, November 2002. It was goalie Byron Dafoe’s first game as a Thrasher. The team was hoping he would be its savior. Instead, it was the beginning of an ill-fated tenure and Curt Fraser was fired about a month later. The atmosphere in Montreal is like nothing else. Every time I hear U2’s “It’s a Beautiful Day” it reminds me of the pregame video that they played at the Bell Centre then. The local fans booed Habs defenseman Patrice Brisebois every time he touched the puck, eventually causing him to breakdown and resulted in his leaving town. And the press food there is something of lore, from the “chien chaud” (hot dogs) to the Joe Louis, light fluffy pastries.
(9) Visiting the hometown of Thrashers’ coach Bob Hartley less than one month after he was hired. It was at that point that I realized what an epic story his life was. This tiny little rivertown with a factory where time seemed to stand still had produced a man of uncommon energy and talents –- and he continued to embrace it and it him.
(8) A series about the one-year anniversary of the death of Dan Snyder. (I could do an entire top 10 just on that subject.) I met the Snyders in their home and listened to them talk about what life had been like in the year following the death of their son and brother. In interviewing many others -– from Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Snyder’s brain surgeon, to equipment manager Joey Guilmet, to rock star Gord Downie, to Snyder’s former teammate Brad Tapper –- I began to realize the depth of how Snyder’s death had been felt.
(7) Going to Rimouski, Quebec, to write about this phenom Sidney Crosby during the lockout. A result of flying to Portland, Maine –- some 500 miles away -– to keep costs down, I picked up a speeding ticket about a mile or two before the end of I-95 in Maine. Provincial Route 222 in Quebec was a nightmare with signs “Attention! Les Animaux!” But the atmosphere at Le Colisee de Rimouski and witnessing how the locals reacted to the celebrity in their midst made it worth it.
(6) The day last season the Thrashers were eliminated from the playoffs. The whole last few weeks were thrilling with the way they kept winning while one loss would have finished them. Bobby Holik scored 10 seconds into the game against Washington, the second to last of the season -– seemingly a sure sign that they would win. But in one of worst performances I can remember, Mike Dunham was pulled after allowing two goals on five shots. He had to go back in to start the second period after Michael Garnett hurt his groin. Looking like a fish out of water, Dunham gave three third-period goals in a 6-4 loss that ended the most disappointing season yet.
(5) The start of 2003-04 season. Chris Tamer -– among the most unlikely of players -– scored late in the season opener to defeat Columbus 2-1. The next day the Thrashers went to Elmira, Ontario, for the funeral of Dan Snyder. The day after that, they went to Washington and won again. In the face of tragedy of despite all expectations to the contrary — they would not lose in regulation for the first eight games of the season in the face.
(4) The cancellation of the 2004-05 season. The league is still trying to recover from it. It was a day that no one thought would ever come.
(3) The day Dany Heatley was traded. With his legal charges resolved, it was shocking when he asked out of town.
(2) Going to Russia to write about hockey there during the lockout. I visited Kazan, Moscow and Voskresensk. It was an eye-opening visit and gave me some of the most colorful things I had ever seen to write about.
(1) The call that came at 3:52 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2004, from Thrashers director of media relations Tom Hughes, informing me that two players, Dany Heatley and Dan Snyder, were involved in a car crash. At the time, all that was known was that Snyder had undergone brain surgery and was in a coma. He would die six days later — that phone call coming late on a Sunday night; another I will never forget.
It’s been fun.
