AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > December > 06 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USAnderson rips team, demands more effort
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here is the main news of today, John Anderson saying he’s mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, or words to that effect.
Johan Hedberg is in net tonight. Erik Christensen did not practice but is here. The word on him, day to day with that right shoulder with the arm that keeps popping out of joint. It was a problem at the end of the season and has been an issue this season, too, and he has tried to play through it. One wonders with an injury that has been around so long what the prognosis is for getting it to an acceptable level, and what that acceptable level is. “We don’t want to put him in a situation where he’s worried about his shoulder,” Anderson said. Better news with Mathieu Schneider — “He should be ready for next week” — and Kari Lehtonen — “We’re actually a little excited about it. It’s getting better than we anticipated.” Still no date set for Lehtonen’s return. Anderson said he wants to be very sure Lehtonen is ready, not just pain-free but also fit enough that he can play without risking further injury.
So, the lineup tonight is pretty straightforward: All the healthy forwards and defensemen are playing. Let’s see if they play hard enough to: A) Win, and B) Satisfy their coach.
Comments
By Thrashy Thrashy
December 6, 2008 3:54 PM | Link to this
I don’t know that the Thrashers have enough sandpaper on the team. Army, Thorby, Boults, Boris, and XLB are all capable, if not proficient, of providing some grit, but they are certainly oddities on an otherwise Charmin-soft club (no offense to Todd White…he’s been much better this season).
By Sage of Bluesland
December 6, 2008 4:44 PM | Link to this
Coach Sunshine’s ‘ripping’ would be more properly directed at the sole architect of this roster, that bumbling and blustering idiot Don Waddell.
After all, folks, you simply cannot make chicken salad out of chicken Waddell…
By Thrashy Thrashy
December 6, 2008 5:06 PM | Link to this
Isn’t a sage supposed to be someone who is wise?
It ain’t wise for a coach to rip his GM to shreds in the press.
I simply cannot continue subsidizing the Waddell-like incompetence of the Sage of Bluesland. Therefore, I will ignore his comments.
By Alan
December 6, 2008 6:10 PM | Link to this
Thrashy - He is a “Sage” of “Bluesland” … maybe he should go back to St. Louis?
I like to see that the coach has fire and passion. I hope he’s true to his word, too, that personnel changes will take place if attitude changes do not. I have no reason to trust he is not, so we’ll see how that goes.
By Hossa is a B***!
December 6, 2008 6:40 PM | Link to this
Did someone rip Don Waddlesworth a new a*****?
GO BLUE!!!
By Barry
December 6, 2008 6:47 PM | Link to this
I understand completely where Anderson’s coming from. We’ve been seeing lack lustre efforts year after year and Thrashers never seem to grow into a consistent competing hockey team. I’m sure Anderson and coaching staff has been working hard trying to turn this team and franchise around and playing a certain way. I would be p** too if the players go out there and don’t execute and don’t try to do what Anderson tries to instill in them and get them to do.
By Atlanta Spirit Weekend Drinking Club
December 6, 2008 6:50 PM | Link to this
Trade Kovy … FOR HEATLEY!!!
And use Kovy’s contract to wipe Donny’s a*!!!
By My Dixie Wrecked
December 6, 2008 6:53 PM | Link to this
It’s simple: to win like winners, you have to PLAY like winners!
WHY DOES WADDELL STILL HAVE A JOB???!!!
By Philips Arena Zamboni Driver
December 6, 2008 6:59 PM | Link to this
Is Tom Glavine still eligible? The LA Kings may have been onto something! AS is still FIRED for letting Savard slip away!
By Sage of Blueland
December 6, 2008 7:07 PM | Link to this
Why are the little Bwuelanders still subsidizing this team’s failure???!!! You should be like me and support a REAL man’s team: The Atlanta Dream!!! GO (LIGHT) BLUE!!!
By stendec
December 6, 2008 7:14 PM | Link to this
Another goal in the first minute? Way to go Moose Lehtonen! You untalented son of a b+tch!
By Nico Kapanen
December 6, 2008 7:21 PM | Link to this
They’re not saying Moose, they’re saying BOOOOOOO!!!
By I. C. Wiener
December 6, 2008 7:22 PM | Link to this
That division championship feels like a lifetime ago…
By stendec
December 6, 2008 8:01 PM | Link to this
Does Thrasher Coach John Anderson see the gutless quitters for what they really are?
Read on:
“The truth is, some teams are playing harder than us. If we’re going to lose and we go down playing real hard, I have no problem with that. But not like I saw in the last couple of games. That’s not hard enough for me. I don’t want us to be an easy team to play. If we’re going to be the doormat, be an ugly doormat. Make sure there’s some dirt on that doormat. I don’t want to see us just get walked all over every night. That’s not going to happen. We’re going to change it if we have to. We’re going to change personnel, whatever. But we’re not going to be an easy mark anymore. If we’re going to be last place in the league, we’ve got to be tough to play against. I want to see some sandpaper out there. I don’t want us just to be standing out there while guys like [Ottawa’s Jason] Spezza and [Dany] Heatley and [Daniel] Alfredsson make monkeys (as in pucks?) of us out there. We’re done with that. We better show some grit tonight. If they’re going to beat us, they’re going to beat us in the alley a little bit.”
Good lip service coach. Still only 1-1 after a period.
And what is this bulls+it about rushing that son of a b+tch What’s-His-Name back?
By LAC
December 6, 2008 8:14 PM | Link to this
Right Sage, 100% correct.
These little punks alan & trashey must be in a dream world where in their small minds waddell is the greatest thing since sliced bread…
waddell is 100% to blame for this mess and he needs to be FIRED ASAP.
Maybe alan wouldbe GM… but that would be worse than waddell….
Keep it up Sage YOU are correct !
By stendec
December 6, 2008 8:21 PM | Link to this
My God! Ilya Kovalchuk put one in. Now 2-1. Thanks for slipping out of scoring slump. Please add a few more! Got reprieve Moosie. Make most of it!
By stendec
December 6, 2008 8:31 PM | Link to this
Islander penalty called. Foeget it! Guys in blue score. Now 3-1! Keep pressure on.
By stendec's doctor
December 6, 2008 8:43 PM | Link to this
stendec, it’s time for your meds!
By Tom
December 6, 2008 9:11 PM | Link to this
The one thing about the Thrashers that I am thankful for is Sandy Sutton is no longer on the team.
That was some amazingly bad hockey by him on the penalty kill failing to clear the puck, breaking his stick, slashing and crosschecking, and then screening the goalie.
All in 20 seconds.
Thank you God for having the Islanders take Andy Sutton from our hands and not allowing Don Waddell to sign him again.
By Steely Dan
December 6, 2008 9:46 PM | Link to this
StenDICK, Moose let’s in an early PP goal then proceeds to shut the Isles down the remaining 59 minutes! He stopped 28 of 29 to help get the Thrashers a win.
But you call him an “untalented son of a b+tch”?
StenDICK, again you show that you are an ignorant, classless a$$ that knows nothing about this sport.
By stendec
December 6, 2008 9:49 PM | Link to this
Five goals. Fantastic! Fighting attitude. Superb. Goaltending over final 59 minutes. Priceless! Thanks Thrashers. Way to get off losing snide! Kudos on points Ilya Kovalchuk. Wonderful to post win. Even against Isles!
By Steely Dan
December 6, 2008 9:54 PM | Link to this
There, that’s better stenDICK. Way to “class-up”!
By dhj_1962
December 6, 2008 9:59 PM | Link to this
do not need your cheering booger eating stendick. you suck worse than all the thrashers combined.
By Mike Knobler
December 7, 2008 12:42 AM | Link to this
It started snowing during the game, but the Thrashers charter took off OK and is set to arrive a little after 1:30 a.m. They’ve got a well-deserved day off on Sunday.
My trip back to my hotel was more eventful. My cab turned left onto the road of my hotel and kept turning left in a skid. We stopped with a thud when the front fender bumped into a telephone pole. I’m fine. So is the cab driver.
Big win for the Thrashers, one they really needed. More on Monday. Stay warm, wherever you are.
By Jason
December 7, 2008 12:54 AM | Link to this
Mike, is the budget crunch so bad at the AJC that you can’t stay at the Marriott across the parking lot from Nassau?
By Brendan
December 7, 2008 12:58 AM | Link to this
Do we have 55 games left on the schedule … against the Islanders? If so, playoffs here we come! Oh well.
Hey, I can’t wait to check out On the Fly tonight. I’m sure if it’s Dave Reid or Craig Button … they’ll harp on their favorite Thrashers topic. Namely, that it takes five (5) goals for Atlanta to get a win. And that the Thrashers aren’t going to win many games if that’s the offensive threshhold they must meet on a nightly basis. Oh yeah, we won with five goals tonight. They’ll see that as a negative thing, however.
God Bless the New York Islanders. Ya know, I don’t even see a way out of this for them. I’d say the Isles could build through the draft, but … ya know. They’d trade a lottery draft pick to go collect “throw away” 2nd or 3rd round picks. Harsh, you say? Well, that’s what they did LAST year. I wouldn’t put it past them to try more of the same this year. Here’s an idea for Waddell. Offer Charles Wang and Garth Snow their choice of (1) our 2nd round pick this year AND our 3rd round pick next year … or (2) our 3rd round pick this year AND our 2nd round pick next year, for their lottery draft selection.
You’re laughing. That’s what Toronto offered them last year … and they took it. While I hardly want to surrender a second round pick, especially when it could be #31, #32, #33, #34, I’d surely pass that up for two cracks at franchise players in the Top five. Oh okay, the Islanders still got to pick at #7, which they declined to do, by making yet ANOTHER trade, to fall back to #9. If Atlanta could somehow manage to obtain a pick behind the Islanders, they honestly could try this move on the Islanders. I bet they’d go for it TWICE. Say the Isles win the lottery draft and the Thrashers get #3 again. We agree to swap draft positions for our “throw away” 2nd and 3rd picks to go get Tavares. Would you make the Islanders this offer?
By Brendan
December 7, 2008 1:12 AM | Link to this
Mike Knobler, glad to hear you’re okay. When I’m in a New York City cab, I like to pretend that it’s all just happening on TV, and that I’d never attempt to make such moves in my car. It helps me to forget that my very life is seriously in jeopardy. That little notice that Borat is an officially licensed driver in the State of New York is hardly of any comfort to me.
By Jim
December 7, 2008 8:41 AM | Link to this
We keep getting these little rays of sunshine iike last night’s 5 goals on 17 shots and the cast remains the same. We’ll keep rearranging the deck chairs on this Titanic and until DW is out of the picture and we add “real grit” to the Charmin Softees, we will slowly continue our sink to the bottom. Too bad for hustlers like Little, Enstrom, Hainsey and Army.
By Sage of Bluesland
December 7, 2008 11:22 AM | Link to this
It’s like in baseball, where even the worst teams win practically a third of their games…and the best teams lose a third of their games (it’s what you do with that final third makes the difference).
We’ve got some serious makin’ up to do if we’re going to duplicate the 07-08 Flyers success…You certainly remember that Waddell stated we were 20 points ahead of that team prior to their resurgence as our 07-08 season ended in the sewer.
OK, now in all seriousness, who of the regulars here is RELATED to Don Waddell? That is the only explanation for some of the continued excuses which makes any sense…
But why the ownership doesn’t do the right thing mystifies me even more. It’s very sad.
By ranallo10 (in AT)
December 7, 2008 11:30 AM | Link to this
But why the ownership doesn’t do the right thing mystifies me even more. It’s very sad.
A few of us have trying to point that out to you for a LONG while now…
By Sage of Bluesland
December 7, 2008 1:47 PM | Link to this
Don’t change now, Ranallo—you’re excuse making for Donny was legendary…
(Where’s your buddy GaVaSheep these days?)
By sisu
December 7, 2008 4:54 PM | Link to this
Great win, the team showed up for 60 minutes! Kovy’s goal was a great move:)
Nothing like watching “the traffic cone” Sutton show why we do not miss him here.
Now, if we can get the same effort again next game.
By Sausage of Maroonland
December 7, 2008 10:43 PM | Link to this
I hear Barry Melrose is available…
Suckers.
By MB
December 7, 2008 11:10 PM | Link to this
Brendan, don’t forget about Victor Hedman.
Imagine having Hainsey, Enstrom, Bogosian, Oystrick, Hedman, and one of Kulda, Lewis, Denny, Nikulin, Zubarev, or Valabik as the Thrashers’ (relatively affordable) defense for years to come.
By Mike Knobler
December 8, 2008 1:13 AM | Link to this
Jason Great question. I booked the cheapest flights and some super-cheap hotels in an effort to get to cover as many games as possible. Newspapers all over are cutting back on their travel budgets, especially when it comes to covering hockey. The LA Times doesn’t travel with the Kings or Ducks. The New York Times doesn’t staff many Islanders and Devils home games and goes to only a few of the Rangers’ road games. So far, we’re committed to staffing the Thrashers with only four exceptions, and if me staying at a perfectly acceptable Hilton Garden Inn instead of a Marriott helps us get more Thrashers coverage I’m willing to do it. I also save company money by flying in the day of the game much of the time. It does cost me some sleep.
By Tom
December 8, 2008 12:29 PM | Link to this
Mike
This is a dumb question, but the Thrashers fly on a charter to and from games. I know that having the press on the plane would crimp their style a little, but the benefit of taking you on the road with them should help sell tickets.
So why do they not take you on the road with them? The old paradigm is such that the paper was rich and they could get their own way around, but obviously this is not the case. To open up a seat for you would make your job easier, give better access to the team, help sell more tickets, and provide the fans a better understanding of the team.
The alternative next year will most likely be that there is not coverage of the team on the road if the economics of the AJC do not change.