AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > March > 25 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USLike fine whine
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
First off, let’s set the record straight:
This is whining: Why do they have to play the music so loud at the areeenaaaa? Why is a soda eight dollars? I hate it when you sit next to some guy who doesn’t know anything about hockey and he just wants the team to score goals!
OK, that’s whining.
This is a critical hockey fan taking an honest look at his favorite team: Gosh, we sure got our asses whipped the past two games. Even though I still feel we have a good shot at making the playoffs, this definitely isn’t the way I want to go into the postseason. I don’t want to back in simply because other teams couldn’t catch us. I don’t want to fall back on beating crummy teams just to scrape up enough points to make it.
OK, that’s a fair and critical look.
Understand the difference. Now, I realize some folks chimed in with some comments the other day that read like “Chicken Little.” The franchise isn’t in ruins, by any stretch, a playoff berth is still very much in our own hands. But I’m not going to blame any Thrashers fans whose hands are trembling right now. They’re the ones who were paying attention last season, when we missed by two points. TWO POINTS. And if you blanketly think that CAN’T happen this year, then you haven’t been paying any attention to the past 10 days or so, because the teams behind us are storming the gates like rabid dogs. There is plenty of play in these standings with 6-7 games left.
And forgive me if I prefer to see the Thrashers take care of their own business without saying, “Well, Toronto plays Montreal twice, and the Rangers play the Islanders twice.” …. I mean, a week ago we were watching at our team play like a contender. Now we’re sitting here saying, “Well, we’ll beat Florida and Washington, so it doesn’t really matter what we do against the other teams.”
Funk that, my friends. It matters. It matters how you represent yourself at this stage in the season, it matters how you go into the playoffs. Teams that sit on a big points lead and piss away the last two weeks of the season are dead meat against a team that’s been scratching people’s eyes out just trying to get in.
After the San Jose game, we said, “Well, it’s just one bad game.” Now after the Pittsburgh game, we’re saying, “Well, it was just an unlucky bounce.” What will say Wednesday night if this team can’t produce more than one goal?
This is a streaky team. It has nine streaks of at least four consecutive wins or losses this season … and I sure don’t want to see this two-game losing streak turn into a five-game losing streak. Not with only six to play. On the flip side, the team had only three four-game stretches where it went W-L-W-L … In other words, we either win a lot or we lose a lot.
Ironically, a lot of these overtime and shootout wins that we’re so proud of could very well come back to haunt us, because our regulation-win total could come into play in a tiebreaker, if it comes down to that. Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?
OK. Lest people start asking to see my Official Thrashers Fan Membership Card, let’s turn the mood to the positive. This team has been resilient. This team has veteran leadership. This team has everything it needs to run the table if it wants to.
So let’s stop calculating the math of the LEAST that can happen and start counting by twos again and make the MOST of this run.
(Stepping off soapbox.)
Let’s leave on lighter note … all those “Slap Shot” references the other day made me remember something, and I’m not sure if I mentioned it before or not …. but a few weeks ago, I was watching the original “Miracle on Ice” movie, the one with Karl Mauldin as Herb Brooks. … and I’m watching it, and suddenly I go, “Hey, that’s Dave ‘Killer’ Carlson out there!’ … and sure enough, the same guy from “Slap Shot” is playing Les Auge in “Miracle on Ice.” … I was closely watching the practice scenes and the exhibition game scenes for any mention of “Waddell” but there was none. The story that he was the ‘last’ player cut from the ‘80 team is something of an exageration, I think. Not on his part, probably, but just you know how stories evolve over time. …
OK, people, positive thinking. The Thrashers are good enough. They’re smart enough. And doggone it, people like them.
Comments
By Rawhide
March 25, 2007 9:38 PM | Link to this
Moving forward on some positives here:
With their loss to the Penguins today, Boston is eliminated mathmatically from being able to finish higher in the standings then the Thrashers. That brings the total number of teams to 3 in that category. Once that number gets to 7, were in.
Florida is a loss or Thrasher win away from joining that category,….
With six games left for both the Thrashers and TB, we are in the driver’s seat. We win all 6, there is nothing they can do about it. Win 4 and TB has to go 5-1. I still like our chances.
I’m so glad I planned aead and got good seats for that last game of the season vs. the Boltz. Looks like it’s gonna be a doozie to say the least.
Keeping with our movie themes of late, we need one for our upcoming game in south Florida. My suggestion: SCARFACE.
I’ll be the first to say it…..Hey Panthers, “Say hello to my little friend”!!!
By Ryan
March 25, 2007 10:51 PM | Link to this
Bravo ICE MAN Bravo! A cognitive approach is always appreciated. I’m keeping the faith……faith…faith!
By Brendan
March 25, 2007 11:14 PM | Link to this
All you need is “faith” right now. As fans, we’re gonna be tested. Emotionally, as well as financially. And I can tell you this, you never know what’s going to happen in the future. So, if this is a year where the Thrashers get in and go DEEP, enjoy the ride. In 2004, the Bolts won the Cup. In 2006, they squeaked in as the #8 seed. They were one and done. Last year, the ‘Canes won the Cup. This year, they’ll be fortunate to squeak in. Last year, the Oilers won the Western Conference. This year, they’re eliminated from the postseason. And potentially, they have lost Ryan Smythe, too. Calgary was a finalist in 2004. In 2006, they were bumped from the 1st round. You never know what next season will bring. So, live in the moment. Enjoy it. And hope your budget can bend, but not break as the rounds of playoffs hopefully pile up.
By stendec
March 25, 2007 11:19 PM | Link to this
I, too, like the Thrashers. I am proud to cheer them (and the Braves) on! Those are the only two professional teams in Atlanta. But if daydreaming Sori Letemin screws up like he did in Pittsburgh his butt would be on the bench. PERIOD! Either Moose or a rookie from the Charleston Chiefs would be between the pipes! I am still steamed over that bizarre lapse of consciousness. By the way, someone wake the young guns up. No goals per game does not cut it! The playoffs are for the Thrashers to charge into or bow out of! Squa Tront. Peace.
By Thrashy Thrashy
March 25, 2007 11:23 PM | Link to this
Great job, Ice Man. You articulated this predicament very well. The Thrashers will find a way to make it, but the odds of them doing a lot of damage in the postseason are slim. They’re a streaky team, which means they could get sweep someone or get swept. Because of the D, the latter is very possible.
By rockdr99
March 26, 2007 1:38 AM | Link to this
Way to go ICE MAN — All of our pontificating won’t have any effect on what goes on, on the ice — So, if we call ourselves Thrashers fans, we look at the positive side and hope for the best — I personally have enjoyed the drama of the wins over the Rangers and Buffalo and agonized over our showing against San Jose and felt terrible for Kari and the fluke goal —
Does anyone remember the many games where Kari saved our butt — How can anyone call him letemin? — Hey, stendec, I guess you are perfect on your job, or is your name really slimd*ck —
I go to every game and I am painfully aware of what we are or what we are not — But, I’ve seen enough flukes in sports, that I believe this team will hold off the Bolts to win the Division and then we’ll see some truly exciting hockey —
Then I want to see what the total loser LAC has to say —-
GO THRASHERS ——-
By Kujo
March 26, 2007 4:23 AM | Link to this
I’ve said it before. Doom and destruction are not on the horizon. The team we’re playing in the first round is almost certainly TB.
The most important game left in the regular season is the season closer. We’ll get our points here and there in the meantime, and likely end up winning the division, no less. But none of it matters. TB is the team to beat and the last game of the regular season sets the stage. if you want to cringe, do it then. FORGET last season.
Thrashers players, fans, and skeptics alike had better be ready for the fury in the rink in the first round of these playoffs.
By LAC
March 26, 2007 6:17 AM | Link to this
Come on ROCKdr99, Total LOSER….. No Chance, I make TOO MUCH MONEY… but forget that.
First off, Phila/Wash/Boston are now our Friends…
So, lets take a look see…
These teams listed are either out for sure OR are in for sure and can assist with wins against teams around us.
Florida… TB H/A, Car H/A, Atl.
Washington… TB/Atl.
Boston… Atl/Mtl.
Phila… Car/NYR/Tor/NYI.
Pitt… Tor/NYR.
Ottawa… Mtl/NYI
Buffalo… NYI H/A.
NYR… Tor/Mtl H/A/NYI/Pitt.
Atlanta… Torn/Car/TB.
Some teams, like NYI are faultering.
4 points and we are OUT, which would be three games, of the six we have remaining.
NYI/Car/Torn have ONE game in hand on us…. Everyone else is even in games played.
TB plays home with Fl tuesday night.
So… NYI & Mtl have 84 pts.
NYI has the TOUGHEST games remaining.
Buff/Ott/NYR/NJ H/A.
I would consider them out, also Zednik is out.
Montreal has next toughest.
Then NYR.
4 wins and we are in.
Should beat Torn, which would about do them in, Boston which is playing really BAD right now and Washington which is also playing poorly.
If… If Florida can beat TB in their TWO games and Carolina at least once, Our chances are good. But they have to beat them.
We need to beat Carolina or TB to assure our chances.
Also…TB has given up 7 goals in games the past two saturdays… So… What does that say ?
The bottom line is this folks…
These three games THIS WEEK… are The Most Critical, win them and we will be in, what position remains to be seen…
But… If we continue to score, like these past two games… Well What do you guys think ?
I just go back to those Philadelphia games,we got only ONE point, and we should have at least split, which would have us at 92 pts now and IN.
But any loss this week and we are in BIG trouble.
I just feel if we play like the past two games… well then it would be over.
Scoring is the issue here, we have to score and make the PP work. But it now has to include help from other teams If not will we go 6-0… doubtful and winning the division IS teh Key.
By rj
March 26, 2007 8:13 AM | Link to this
Getting booted out of the playoffs would be the best thing that could happen for the fans. Next year we would have a new coach and most of the unproductive older players would be gone.
By Bob
March 26, 2007 8:33 AM | Link to this
rj, missing the playoffs would be a killer for this club. Clipper syndrome will fully set in. The casual fan will turn their back on the club. It’ll be back to 8,000 a night at Philips this year.
We will win the division. It will come down to the final game vs. Tampa, and it’ll be a heck of a game.
This lineup is too good not win at least 4 of the games. They did not play that badly against the Pens, they play that same game 6 more times, we’re in.
Only concern I have right now is Hossa. He has disappeared, is he hurt?
By Rawhide
March 26, 2007 8:36 AM | Link to this
Yes, RJ, that’s a brilliant idea.
Let’s NOT make the playoffs and then fire a coach who, every year he has been with us, has led the team to a better record the the previous year, this year included.
Then, we can start from scratch and wait another 2-3 years before we have a chance to go to the playoffs again.
BRILLIANT!!
By where's Steve MC?
March 26, 2007 9:00 AM | Link to this
Where’s Steve MC? Does he not deserve a shot?
By where's Steve MC?
March 26, 2007 9:04 AM | Link to this
where’s Steve MC? Seriously…
By Brendan
March 26, 2007 11:55 AM | Link to this
I just peeked at the poll on the AJC Thrashers site. I CANNOT EVEN BELIEVE you guys are voting for Tampa Bay as the team you most fear as a 1st round opponent.
We’re goona beat ‘em in SIX. They’re OVERRATED. They have problems in goal. Overpaying Richards exacerbated the problem of correcting their netminding situation. This is not 2004. The Tampa Bay Lightning are a GOOD TEAM, but they’re not a Cup contender anymore. The Bolts have proven they belong in the playoffs. It’s now Atlanta’s time to SHOW they belong in the dance, too. This is our chance to show the whole league WE ARE FOR REAL.
By rockdr99
March 26, 2007 12:34 PM | Link to this
Way to go, LAC, you can write an objective article — By the way, having money is no guarantee of having class —
By Rawhide
March 26, 2007 12:35 PM | Link to this
Brendan,….winning the division, I believe we would draw the rangers in the first round as I think they are gonna wind up in the 6 spot…..TB 7th.
My prediction of Toronto in the 8th looks a little shakey right now….
One thing that roupbles me is how all these teams sitting in th 6 - 10 spots are going to play each other. If there are a bunch of OT games, then everyone will be gaining points.
This is why I feel it is incumbent to win the division.
So, regardless of who the teams are down there,…I’m rooting for the Thrashers and anyone playing TB and Carolina.
By Matt H
March 26, 2007 1:26 PM | Link to this
I think I would be most afraid of going up against Cam Ward, maybe Henrik Lundqvist in the first round. Though Tampa Bay has shown the ability in the past to forecheck us right out of the damn building.
I didn’t have the chance to see the Pitt game, and I watched the first two periods of the San Jose game, and I just had to comment…
For those who haven’t really seen it before, that’s what a team who’s playing for the Stanley Cup looks like, the Sharks on Thursday. I mean really playing for the Cup, the team you put money on. They looked awesome- dominant, confident, gritty, skilled, lucky. Everything.
That being said, the playoffs are unpredictable, and the Sharks could be out in the first round.
I am sad that Simmer’s out. As soon as I saw him drop the gloves I thought “Oh s**, please don’t get hurt.” Give that man a helmet-cage and get him back out there. We need him.
By caveman22
March 26, 2007 1:40 PM | Link to this
why do you guys even respond to dumbass comments like firing Hartley or missing the playoffs to get rid of the “dead” weight players. These are obviously the comments coming from fans of other teams. Or just some jerkwad who can’t get attention any other way. While I no longer have the money to attend home games like i used to, I try to catch every game I can on TV. In doing so I’ve listened to absolutely ignorant comments about the Thrashers from all sorts of people that were at the same place and you gotta figure it’s the same type of people making these comments. Just ignore them and talk about important stuff like whether or not Hossa’s recent lack of scoring is a problem or just a buy product of having some of our newer acquisitions making plays instead. Will Kari be the answer in the playoffs or will Moose step in on a hot streak and hold down the net. You know, relevant stuff like that and let the ignorant go blog where all ignorant people blog. On Terence Moore’s page. Terence Moore SUX !!
By buckster
March 26, 2007 1:54 PM | Link to this
GO RED WINGS!!!
By Bob
March 26, 2007 2:07 PM | Link to this
There you go, even a caveman gets it!
I really am concerned with Hoss. It seems like he hasn’t been the same since he took that knee in the Habs? game. I don’t know his point production stats lately, but he’s just not the same player.
Is it a case of disappearing in crunch time (which was his rap in Ottawa)? I think not, but it’s worrisome. I prefer to think he’s playing through injury and will be back to form soon with all these days off.
By Rawhide
March 26, 2007 2:19 PM | Link to this
Aw, caveman,…….but busting ignoramouses in the chops is FUN!!
BOB - I love those caveman commercials…. I love how it pokes fun at all the special interest groups who live on being “offended” by any and everything!!
The best part, is that thos nambie-pambie S.I.G.s are too stupid to understand they are the one’s getting made fun of…..
Anyway,…big week coming up in Blueland,…first, gotta root for those Panthers to come up big vs. the Boltz tomorrow,…then the very next day watch the Thrashers beat up on those same Panthers.
We have 3 “softies” on the gambit, (FLA, BOS, and WASH),….these are teams on the outside and falling fast so we HAVE to beat them…..that HAS to be 6 points right there…….(Did Boston look pathetic yesterday in Pittsburgh or what)???
Win those and take our chances with the likes of Toronto, Carolina and Tamba Bay…..gotta love this time of year if your a hockey fan!!!
By caveman22
March 26, 2007 2:24 PM | Link to this
Thanks Bob, you know after learning to walk erect and build fire, I like to indulge myself with a little HOCKEYTIME. Just a little more info, the type of person making these comments is the same as the guy who sat next to me at the bar looking thru the sports page standing trying to find the Habs. He asked me if they were NHL or a minor league team cuz he couldn’t find’em and I wasn’t gonna help cuz he was bad mouthin’ my Thrashers!! What a smuck !!!! * Terence Moore SUX*
By Ice Man
March 26, 2007 4:06 PM | Link to this
You guys can keep calling Washington a soft gimme … but I’m pretty sure four of our games have gone to overtime this season. They play us tight and the points we have against them this season have not come easy.
By Rawhide
March 26, 2007 4:15 PM | Link to this
True Ice man,…but given the cercumstances,….them being out of it and us in the thick of it,…..one HAS to consider that a must win. I mean,…if we can’t beat a team with a losing record when we are, at that point, a win or so away from assuring ourselves a spot in the BIG DANCE, well,….I just call that a must win.
By five_hole
March 26, 2007 4:18 PM | Link to this
Caveman22, you rock. FYI, it’s not ‘smuck’. It’s ‘schmuck’. Trust me.
The guy looking for the Habs in the sports page are the same guys who are going to have the premium seats in the playoffs and ask the guy next to them “what’s icing?”. These are also the guys for whom the announcer has to tell them when we’re on the POWER PLAY! (Does that annoy anyone else, or just me)?
Agreed re: Hossa, and we’re not that deep at forward to be able to have an inefective one. Maybe if Hartley would swap Tkachuk w/ Bellanger, it might jump start him?
With regards to whom we fear playing in the 1st round, I remember a similar question asked of goaltenders; “Which shooter do you fear the most?”. Some said Jagr, some said Hull or whomever. I liked Pasi Nurmanen’s answer. He said “No one”. And that’s why I was a Pasi fan.
By caveman22
March 26, 2007 5:53 PM | Link to this
FIVE-HOLE — thanks for the info. I was eaten lunch and had “smuckers” on the brain from my BPJ sandwich. So to make amends I will now go to a TB blog and give them the “inside” news that their coach and an “unnamed” goalie were caught in a compromising position in the training room and the team is mulling a firing and a trade cuz that sh ain’t right!!**
By caveman22
March 26, 2007 5:56 PM | Link to this
dangitt I forgot
TERENCE MOORE SUX !!!!!!!!
there now I feel better
By Tony C.
March 27, 2007 3:31 AM | Link to this
Yeah Pasi was the shizz…I understand he runs a team in Finland now…is that right??
Anybody know? It’d be cool if “Cartman” was on hand for a playoff game
LET’S GO BLUE !!!
By Brian
March 27, 2007 9:59 AM | Link to this
Ice Man - yeah, 4 of our games against the Caps went to OT. But we won 2 and got a point in the other 2. Then we beat them 3 more times in regulation. If we played a team 7 times so far this year, beat them 5 times and got a point in the other 2, now is not the time to have a loss against them.
By Jameson
March 28, 2007 3:00 AM | Link to this
Brendan, the reason I fear facing Tampa in the first round is very simple. Name one team out of the current top 8 that have owned the Thrashers more, especially this year…
By thrashermanfromtoccoa
March 28, 2007 12:27 PM | Link to this
piece of cake…thrashers take cup!!@!
By Brendan
March 28, 2007 6:12 PM | Link to this
Jameson, the Tampa Bay team you see now, that just lost to Florida and Ottawa, is the one we’d likely see in the playoffs. And I, for one, RELISH THE THOUGHT. I can’t imagine a more ideal situation than playing a banged up Bolts team, with deficiencies in net.
Tampa Bay is who I hope Atlanta draws.
By stendec
March 28, 2007 11:23 PM | Link to this
Will someone wake Sori Letemin up? Tell him to wait until after the season to start daydreaming. His mind was in La-La Land on the first goal he allowed. The netminder appeared unsteady throughout the game but went brain dead in the shootout when he allowed two pitiful scores. Such lapses cannot be tolerated. I vote his game-losing effort against the Pens as the softest of the regular season. Should we expect more IF the Thrashers reach the playoffs? Okay defenders, justify him!