AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January
January 2007
Big homestand continues
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Thrashers are halfway through their six-game homestand, one Bob Hartley said it was a must that the team banks some points before heading on the six-game road trip in February, most of which is out west.
So what’s your assessment of the team’s performance so far during this big homestand?
The good: They seem to have the power play fixed, at least it looked like it yesterday. Kovalchuk was moving around a little bit, and Kozlov was putting shots on net. Three power play goals is pretty impressive, and after the game Kozlov said the team was comfortable again during the power play. There were some great passes, and Metropolit made a great read on Brodeur for his goal, which was a big one.
The not-so-good: A couple early leads were squandered during this homestand. The Thrashers scored first in all three games, including the first three goals against the Islanders. But no lead is safe in this NHL, and it seems, especially not for the Thrashers. But give them credit for taking the Devils out of their game — when was the last time New Jersey had 40 shots? “We got caught up in their run and gun, which is not our style,” John Madden said in this morning’s Star Ledger. Also, something that might be of a slight concern — In January, the Thrashers only had two wins in regulation.
Looking forward: If you missed the Flyers and Islanders the first time around, they are the next two opponents. But the most interesting game is the final one of this homestand, on Tuesday against Buffalo. When I was up in Buffalo, a couple of the Sabres said they could see the Thrashers becoming a good rival. The Thrashers ended the Sabres winning streak to start the season, and got Buffalo got its payback right after Christmas.
But this is the first time this year the Sabres, the top team in the East, come to Philips, so it’ll be interesting to see the results on the Thrashers home ice. Plus there’s always the chance that the Sabres and Thrashers could see each other in the playoffs. But before all that, the team needs to take care of business against the Islanders and Flyers.
League news that impacts the Thrashers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
First some news from around the league, some of which impacts your hometown hockey team:
Big game for the Thrashers tonight against New Jersey. A (regulation) win and they’re back in second place in the Eastern Conference, plus we’ll see Andy Sutton for the first time since November. The quicker he shows he’s 100 percent, the more flexibility Waddell has in dealing with other teams as the trade deadline gets closer.
Sutton’s healthy, but is the power play?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After the loss to Philly, one where the power play continued to struggle, the talk around practice today was how to fix the special teams. The team worked a lot on the power play during the practice, and the penalty kill is about to get a major boost — Andy Sutton will be back for the New Jersey game. That should help a penalty kill that is currently ranked 26th in the league.
Hartley said that the two defensemen sitting will be Vitaly Vishnevski and Braydon Coburn, he also expects to sit down with GM Don Waddell pretty soon to talk about future plans of the defense, which is now eight deep. If everybody stays healthy this week, expect Coburn to be sent back to Chicago. He needs ice time, and with the current set-up, he’s not going to get it with the Thrashers.
As for the power play, obviously it needs to be fixed — especially the 5-on-3. The team watched tape of the Philly game, and talked about staying a little more patient on the power play. As Marian Hossa said, sometimes it seems like they’re pressing to score in the first 10 seconds of the power play, instead of wearing down the opponent’s PK and getting a better opportunity.
Lineup changes after the break
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Thrashers return to action tonight for the first time in nearly a week, and coach Hartley is doing a little tinkering for the post-All-Star break run. With the return of Steve McCarthy, one of his defensemen needed to be scratched, and tonight anyways, that defenseman is Braydon Coburn.
Coburn poses a unique challenge for Hartley. He has the tools to become a really good defenseman, but obviously he’s still developing. So how do you develop a guy, but put the best players on the ice for a playoff run? For now, Hartley said there’s value in Coburn taking some time and watching the game from the press box.
“To look at the game from another angle, another aspect, can really help a young defenseman like Braydon,” Hartley said this morning. But for how long? And it doesn’t get any clearer as Andy Sutton gets closer to his return, which will be sooner rather than later.
Hartley continued his juggling of the center on the Hossa/Kozlov line. Jim Slater will return to that spot tonight against the Islanders, replacing Niko Kapanen, who will skate with Scott Mellanby and Jon Sim. Slater has three goals this season, while Kapanen has four.
Also — Eklund has weighed in on the blog post debating whether bloggers should get NHL credentials. There’s some interesting debate there if you haven’t scrolled through all the comments.
Back to work in Duluth
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After a few days off for the All-Star break, the team returned to practice today. Some Zamboni issues meant the Thrashers couldn’t practice on their normal ice, but despite the hiccups, coach Bob Hartley seemed pleased with the effort. The practice featured the return of Andy Sutton to team practice, although he had a giant red jersey on, so hitting him was off-limits.
Steve McCarthy practiced at full speed, and will be play on Friday against the Islanders. How much, is still up in the air, but he said he’s ready for a full load.
Kari Lehtonen and Marian Hossa were both given the afternoon off, since they were busy all week in Dallas. Now starts a huge stretch of home games, with a possible 12 points on the line. How many points do you think the Thrashers need in these next six home games for it to be a successful home stand?
Debating access to NHL bloggers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today wasn’t quite as packed with events as the other couple here in Dallas, I actually had a few minutes to hit the hotel workout room and try to burn a couple calories from the media meals.
The afternoon was spent meeting with the pro hockey writers association, where there was an interesting debate about Internet-only bloggers and accessibility in hockey. I know a few of you run your own Thrashers or hockey blogs — so what do you think? Should bloggers, who have no media-affiliation, have full-media access to NHL games? Eklund, who runs hockeybuzz.com, presented the view of the bloggers, but I’m curious what y’all think. Should Internet-only bloggers get NHL credentials?
YoungStars and league news
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Another busy day here in Dallas. It started with a media event with the YoungStars competitors. We had breakfast with the players, so I shared some scrambled eggs and bacon at a table with Kari Lehtonen and Jussi Jokinen. The two told stories about playing against each other in Finland. Jokinen said he’s only scored once on Lehtonen and he’s been playing against him since he was 14 or 15. Kari, answered with, ‘yeah, but he’s got like 50 assists.’
Speaking of Lehtonen, Darren Eliot named him the future of goaltending in his “Skill by skill” article on cnnsi.com, in an article that breaks down the best goaltenders in the league. I know Bob Hartley repeatedly says that he has the best young goaltender in the league.
You might not be able to tell tonight though. The YoungStars game is 4-on-4 and there probably won’t be much defense. Kari basically said he’s hoping he doesn’t embarrass himself. That opinion was also expressed by Peter Budaj who will start in goal for the Western Conference YoungStars.
Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the media in an afternoon press conference. Here were some highlights:
Lastly, it looks like Marian Hossa will skate on a line with Buffalo’s Daniel Briere and….. you guessed it, Dany Heatley. The three skated together during practice last night, so I’m guessing that’s who we’ll see Hossa paired with on Wednesday night. Should be interesting.
Observations from Dallas
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sorry about the late blog today, it’s been a busy day in Dallas trying to attend all the All-Star festivities. I flew out of Atlanta this morning on the same flight as Marian Hossa and Kari Lehtonen, which was interesting because I was curious to see how much recognition there was from the people at the airport.
Basically there was none. The two players representing the Thrashers were able to travel in anonymity - Kari’s name was even called over the loudspeaker when he was getting his seat assignment, and even then I’m not sure anyone recognized him. It’d be a little different, I imagine, traveling with Chipper Jones or Michael Vick, but if the Thrashers make a run in the playoffs, it might be harder for Lehtonen and Hossa to get around without shaking a few hands and signing some autographs.
We spent most of the afternoon here interviewing the different All-Stars - it’s obvious a lot of attention will be paid to Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, and for good reason. The two were the only active players to get their own press conference. But a big crowd of media surrounded Hossa when the rest of the players were brought out to talk.
It was interesting chatting with Dany Heatley. He said he still follows Atlanta pretty closely and misses playing with a lot of the guys. But obviously things are working out for him in Ottawa.
All right, I have to head to practice and make sure everybody gets through it okay. It’ll be interesting to see who Hossa skates with from the Eastern Conference.
Observations from Dallas
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sorry about the late blog today, it’s been a busy day in Dallas trying to attend all the All-Star festivities. I flew out of Atlanta this morning on the same flight as Marian Hossa and Kari Lehtonen, which was interesting because I was curious to see how much recognition there was from the people at the airport.
Basically there was none. The two players representing the Thrashers were able to travel in anonymity - Kari’s name was even called over the loudspeaker when he was getting his seat assignment, and even then I’m not sure anyone recognized him. It’d be a little different, I imagine, traveling with Chipper Jones or Michael Vick, but if the Thrashers make a run in the playoffs, it might be harder for Lehtonen and Hossa to get around without shaking a few hands and signing some autographs.
We spent most of the afternoon here interviewing the different All-Stars - it’s obvious a lot of attention will be paid to Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, and for good reason. The two were the only active players to get their own press conference. But a big crowd of media surrounded Hossa when the rest of the players were brought out to talk.
It was interesting chatting with Dany Heatley. He said he still follows Atlanta pretty closely and misses playing with a lot of the guys. But obviously things are working out for him in Ottawa.
All right, I have to head to practice and make sure everybody gets through it okay. It’ll be interesting to see who Hossa skates with from the Eastern Conference.
Going down swinging
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I chatted with Bob Hartley after this morning’s practice about his in-game strategy while down three goals last night against Montreal. If you look at the minutes of guys like J.P. Vigier and Brad Larson, each played about five minutes less than in the win over the Kings on Tuesday.
We saw Slater centering the Hossa/Kozlov line for part of the third period (Kapanen was back there during practice today) and some double-shifting of guys like Kovalchuk and Hossa. The result was a franchise record 45 shots on goal, although Cristobal Huet stopped 44 of them.
Here’s what Hartley had to say about the strategy:
“Whenever I’m down in a game, I’ll go down swining, I never get caught looking. I’ll never sit in my office after and say I should have done this or should have done that. We have to act before the fact, after the fact it would be so easy to coach.”
With the loss, Saturday afternoon’s game in New York becomes a little bigger. The team doesn’t want to head into the break on a two-game losing streak. It’s much easier to enjoy a vacation if you head into it winners of three of the last four games, versus a team on a two-game slide.
Last home game before break
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tonight’s game against Montreal is the final home game before the All-Star break, and more than one player on the team said it’s important for them to leave the home fans with a strong game. They face a struggling Montreal team, although its one that has beaten the Thrashers the two times they’ve faced them this season.
The Canadiens have lost three straight, and were shut out in the last two. Plus coach Guy Carbonneau is shuffling lines like crazy — Pat Hickey’s story in The Gazette said that the coach has used at least 30 line combinations in the last two weeks. Forward Sergei Samsonov was a healthy scratch for the Vancouver game, a 4-0 loss on Tuesday.
So perhaps the Thrashers are facing Montreal at the right time, although the Canadiens are desperate to win at least one game before the break.
Lehtonen is in goal again tonight. Eric Boulton and Steve McCarthy will be the scratches for tonight’s game.
Riding the Metro
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Glen Metropolit continued to solidify himself on Ilya Kovalchuk’s line with a two-point game against the Kings last night. The goal and assist gives him five points (three goals, two assists) over the last five games, and 13 points in his last 15 games.
Bob Hartley said he chatted with Metro before the game to let him know his recent strong play on that line wasn’t going unnoticed. He’s still making the adjustment from center, where he’s spent most of his hockey career to playing at right wing but the production suggests that it’s getting a little easier for the Toronto native.
Jon Sim, who was playing with Kovalchuk before moving to a line with Jim Slater and Scott Mellanby, is making the adjustment from right wing to left wing. Sim usually plays the right side, but said he’s enjoyed playing on the left side with Slater and Mellanby and hopes this line provides the team some energy.
“We have four pretty good lines, so I’m happy to be on one of them,” Sim said. “The thing about our line now is Slates and I are pretty quick guys, if we get the puck in deep, our speed can take over and Mel can kind of sit in the weeds and read off us. That’s what we’ve been talking about on the bench.”
A little payback for the Kings?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The last time the Thrashers played the Kings, Los Angeles beat them 8-6, starting the team on a losing streak that all but eliminated them from playoff contention. After losing to the Kings, the Thrashers lost six more, and even the late-season rally couldn’t get the Thrashers in the playoffs.
So it’s no surprise that Greg de Vries was saying he had some payback on his mind for tonight’s game against the Kings. The Kings enter the game on a four-game losing streak, but in today’s NHL, those losing streaks are pretty typical, so the Thrashers can’t take anything for granted.
Kari Lehtonen will be in goal tonight, and it looks like Bob Hartley will be keeping the same lines as the Carolina game. It was a win, so no sense in changing things too much.
Fans will get a live look at Michael Cammalleri, who a lot of you are hoping the Thrashers try to get. It may be wishful thinking, because I can’t imagine the rebuilding Kings looking to trade a 25-year-old center, who has 40 points so far this season.
Thrashers getting healthy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was back to practice in Duluth today for the Thrashers, for the first time in nearly two weeks. It was a nice MLK holiday crowd on hand, and the players responded with lots of autographs on their way to the lockerroom as well as in the parking lot. Bobby Holik and a few others were spotted chatting with fans and signing autographs long after practice was over.
If the team was in a good mood, maybe it wasn’t just because they were happy to be home. They’re also getting healthy at the right time. Defenseman Braydon Coburn was on the ice, with a face shield protecting his a still-swollen face from his fight on Friday night. But he will play against Los Angeles on Tuesday, which means it’s back to Chicago for Mark Popovic.
Steve McCarthy saw a lot of time at practice and said afterwards that he felt pretty good. He’s been out two weeks with a shoulder injury, and hopes to return soon. He was still skating without contact, so it’ll still be a few days, barring any setbacks.
Andy Sutton, out with an ankle injury, is skating on his own as his recovery continues. Niclas Havelid has been logging some serious minutes for the defense (30:35 against Carolina) so perhaps some relief is on the way for the blueliners.
Hossa and Lehtonen headed to Dallas
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How about a little good Thrashers news? Marian Hossa will represent the Thrashers in the All-Star game next Wednesday as a reserve, and goalie Kari Lehtonen will be playing the NHL’s YoungStars game the day before. Both said it’s an honor to recognized at that level. It’s Hossa’s fourth time on the All-Star team, his last coming in 2004. It’s his first as a member of the Thrashers.
The team cancelled its morning skate at the arena this morning, but met as a team. You have to wonder how much a factor fatigue will be this point in the road trip. The Thrashers flew out of Atlanta immediately after the overtime loss to Phoenix over a week ago, and haven’t been back since. But this game is a big one, and it should be another playoff-like atmosphere tonight in Carolina.
Thrashers activate Mellanby; Rangers claim Krog
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Thrashers activated captain Scott Mellanby and he’ll return to the lineup tonight against New Jersey. He’ll likely skate on a line with Jim Slater and Jon Sim.
The odd man out was forward Jason Krog, who was placed on waivers and claimed by the New York Rangers, according to the Thrashers. After the morning skate Krog told me that his goal is to stay in the NHL, but wasn’t against going to Chicago and the AHL because he enjoyed playing in the Thrashers organization. But the Rangers ended that debate. Krog has a goal and three assists this season, and was a healthy scratch last game against Montreal.
The biggest impact of Mellanby’s return will likely be on the power play, where he gives the Thrashers a strong presence in front of the net. The power play has struggled so it’s a nice boost for the special teams, although Mellanby pointed out that they weren’t exactly tearing it up on the power play when he was healthy.
Kari Lehtonen is in goal tonight, in case you were wondering if Hartley might start Johan Hedberg in the first of back-to-back games.
A few of you have been calling for more ice time for Glen Metropolit. Well he’s back on the No. 1 line with Kovalchuk and Rucchin. He joked that he keeps bouncing between the outhouse and penthouse. Tonight it’s the penthouse for Metro.
Thrashers not panicking
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re here in New Jersey, where the team had a lively morning practice at Montclair State University. By all accounts it was a good practice, a hoarse Bob Hartley seemed pretty happy with his team’s effort afterwards. There were few signs that his was a team in the midst of a four-game losing streak, and a team blowing late leads.
“We’re not happy about it,” Marian Hossa said after practice. “Everybody is aware of it - we’re playing well for two periods, but there’s always something in the third period.”
But it was an upbeat group. I didn’t sense any panic, and Slava Kozlov said there wasn’t any.
“No, no, no,” he said. “I don’t think so. We just need to win our next couple games, and our confidence will get back and we’ll go from there.”
New Jersey poses a challenge, anytime you’re facing Martin Brodeur, goals don’t come easy. And the Devils are 14-4-3 at home. But they did lose to a 15-win St. Louis team (which is actually 7-2-1 in its last 10), so maybe this will be the game to get things back on track.
Looking for answers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today is a travel day for the Thrashers. After the loss to Montreal, coach Bob Hartley cancelled today’s practice which was pretty early this morning at the Bell Centre in Montreal. So I’m en route to New Jersey, where we’re going to try and figure out how concerned fans should be about the losing streak. Is it just a rough patch? Or are some troubling trends revealing flaws in this team?
Thrashers fine with All-Star starting snub
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There won’t be any Thrashers starting in the All-Star game, but it was a pretty understanding group in the Thrashers dressing room this morning. Marian Hossa, who probably deserved a spot more than anybody (he is the league leader in goals), just shook it off saying it’s a fun game, nothing he’s too worried about it. Ilya Kovalchuk’s first words when I asked him about it were, “I don’t care.” The league will announce the complete All-Star game rosters on Saturday.
I guess if you get too wrapped up in fan voting, you can’t focus on important things, like beating Montreal. The Canadiens seem to be completely recovered from the flu bug that’s been bothering the team for nearly a week. It was a full and pretty upbeat dressing room this morning on the Montreal side. Evidently the day off yesterday helped, so we’ll see which team can break its losing streak.
Scott Mellanby skated again with the team, with contact. He looked good out there and Hartley said he’s close to returning. Hartley wouldn’t say if his captain was going to play against New Jersey, but from the looks of it, we’ll see Mellanby back in the lineup sometime this weekend.
What I’m reading:
Kozlov back for Montreal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just got back from practice at the Bell Centre in Montreal - - it’s quite different covering a hockey practice in Montreal than in Atlanta. There was a ton of media, and Bob Hartley did two post-practice interviews - the first and longer of the two was in French. I guess I’ll be taking French classes this summer to see if I can pick up more of what he’s saying, the only words I understood were Kovalchuk and Lehtonen. This kind of stuff doesn’t go on in Duluth.
But more important than all that is the fact that Slava Kozlov returned to the team today. He practiced and afterwards he said he was feeling fine after taking a shot to the head on Friday against the Coyotes. Kozlov missed Saturday’s loss to Washington but will likely play against Montreal.
Hartley is changing Kozlov’s line a little bit and he confirmed that Niko Kapanen will center the Hossa/Kozlov line, saying he’s hoping somebody steps in and really earns that spot. We’ll see if Kapanen is the answer.
The Habs are hurting right now, with a serious case of a gastro-intestinal virus going around the lockerroom, according to the Montreal Gazette, about half of the Canadiens are recovering from the bug that induces vomiting, diarrhea and exhaustion. Excuse me while I go wash my hands. It’s so bad they cancelled practice today. Maybe the Thrashers are catching them at the right time, since they seem to be reeling a bit right now.
I’ll try to jump back into this blog and add some links, there’s some interesting reading out there. But first I’d better file my story for the morning paper.
Kozlov out, Waddell back
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just a quick blog update from Washington D.C. — obviously if you’re watching, Slava Kozlov is out. He didn’t make the trip with the team, but coach Bob Hartley said he didn’t suffer a concussion after getting knocked in the head against the Coyotes.
“He’s fine,” Hartley said. “He’s good.”
General manager Don Waddell, who just returned from Sweden, said he’d try to get an update on Kozlov’s status and return as soon as he gets in touch with the trainers and doctors.
Speaking of Waddell, he shot down the Eric Brewer rumors that have been circulating (“I squashed that before I want to Europe, and I squash it when I get back,” he said) and said the team isn’t close to making any deals right now.
Hedberg in goal tonight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bob Hartley must have heard the fans calling for Johan Hedberg, because he’s getting the start in goal tonight against the Coyotes. Hedberg hasn’t played since a 6-0 loss to the Islanders on Dec. 16th.
The move makes sense - the Thrashers are playing back-to-back games, and are about to start a tough road trip that includes Washington, Montreal, New Jersey and Carolina. Plus, as Hartley pointed out this morning, Hedberg may be a little more familiar with a Western Conference team after playing for Dallas last year.
Hedberg said he was ready to go.
“[The Coyotes] have a lot of talent in that lineup… they got a big win last night, we have to be prepared to play a solid game and take it to them,” he said.
Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky has been juggling a pair of hot goalies and spent a large portion of his morning talk with reporters chatting about his goalie situation. Curtis Joseph is starting tonight for the Coyotes. CuJo has two consecutive shutouts, while Mikael Tellqvist had 30 saves in the Coyotes win over Washington on Monday.
It didn’t seem like Gretzky minded a potential goalie controversy brewing out west.
“Listen, it’s not a controversy in a lot of ways, but maybe in some ways it is,” he said. “They both want to play every night. That’s okay, I would expect them both to want to play every night.”
Between Hedberg getting his first start in a while, and CuJo going for a third consecutive shutout, it should be an interesting game.
What I’m reading:
Mellanby: Facing ‘Great One’ no big
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A lot to discuss after today’s practice in Duluth, so let’s jump right in. On the injury front, Bob Hartley confirmed that both Garnet Exelby and Steve Rucchin will play on Friday against the Coyotes. Scott Mellanby skated with the team, but was limited to no-contact drills.
For Exelby, it’s a long time coming. He’s been out since November with mono, an experience he said was miserable. For one, most of his friends in Atlanta are on the team, which made life pretty lonely when he first got sick.
“I couldn’t go anywhere near the team, it’s kind of like quarantine lockdown on my house for a little bit,” he said. “It was a little boring to say the least.”
But he said his conditioning is getting to the point where he’s ready for game action, and looks forward to upping the intensity during games.
As for Mellanby, he’s still not putting a timetable on his return. He called the practice today “so-so” but said he’s made serious strides in the last four or five days.
There was a nice turnout from fans as well as media in Duluth. Maybe it’s the fact that Wayne Gretzky is coming to town, his first appearance in Philips Arena with the Coyotes. Gretzky’s arrival got me wondering if players get nervous playing in front of “The Great One.” It’d be like shooting jumpers in front of Michael Jordan, or trying to complete passes with Joe Montana looking on. I’d be thinking about it all game.
Mellanby assured me that it won’t be on the minds of any Thrashers.
“When you’re a young kid and you play against him, that’s one thing, but he’s coaching now,” Mellanby said. “He’s trying to win a game; you can’t be concerned about what he’s doing. He’s not going to take the puck down to the other end of the rink and score like he used to be able to. He’s good but not that good.”
Ilya Kovalchuk said it’s always fun to play in front of the former greats. He regretted never getting the chance to play against Gretzky, but enjoyed meeting him at an All-Star game.
In her Thrashers blog, Brittany Morgenstern started a nice discussion debating the use of Kari Lehtonen in back-to-back games. She said she thinks it’s time to “Set the Moose loose.” So we checked with Johan Hedberg this morning, to make sure he wasn’t getting too frustrated watching Lehtonen play all these games. If you’re wondering, he’s doing just fine.
“At times I get frustrated, but at the same time I know the situation I’m in. You just try to make the most of it,” he said. “You just have to stay on top of everything, sooner or later you’re going to get a chance to play.”
Here’s what else I’m reading from around hockey:
• It’s going to be Canada versus Russia in the World Junior Championships gold-medal game on Friday. Sweden and the U.S. will play for the bronze.
• David Vest of the The Arizona Republic reports that Mike Ricci left the Coyotes to consider retirement. Ricci is one game away from playing in his 1,100th regular-season NHL game - although it seems even more than that.
• Vest also reported that the Coyotes traded Mike Cromrie to the Senators for the rights to Russian forward Alexei Kaigorodov. The move creates some salary cap space for the Coyotes, who Vest reports will likely make at least one more deal.
• SI’s Allan Muir says it may be time for the NHL to rethink the shootout format and follow the lead of the IIHF.
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.
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