AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > March > 24 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USNow, About Friday Night…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OK, the blog party is over…time to get back at it. Everyone please make sure to clean up after themselves so that the maid and janitor don’t bill me for overtime…Sara, as always, the brownies were great. But after eating a couple of them I had the strange urge to put on some Pink Floyd and contemplate the similarities between the solar system/galaxy make-up and atom/molecular structuring. Strange, huh? Five_Hole, awesome job with tunes selections and the requests were great too … Oh, and Smoothie, you can take the lampshade off your head now.
Now, there is this little matter regarding last Friday’s game. You remember that, don’t you…or did you erase its memory by way of mass consumption of adult beverages? If that’s the case, you may want to have another shot of Alka-Seltzer nearby ‘cuz believe me brothah… it wasn’t pretty!
Everything started out well enough…there was a goodly-sized crowd on hand, 18,562 was the official number and most were actually in attendance. The Thrashers played well early on against a Capital team still scrapping for its playoff life. Atlanta was being outshot, albeit not by an ungodly amount, through the first period and a half. The home team had taken a 1-0 deficit and turned it into a 3-1 lead thanks in part to a Tobias Enstrom slapper on the….POWER PLAY!!! …(sigh)…Anyway, Jimmy Slater then followed it up with two breakaway style goals…one of the shorthanded variety and both set up wonderfully by feeds from Eric Perrin.
The boys in blue left the ice for the second intermission to applause and cheers from the assembled masses. They were up by two and playing well…check that…very well. Kari had stopped 21 of 22 shots and looked sharp doing so. The crowd was into it…oh, they knew the team was in the twilight of an unmitigated disaster of a season, but for this night they were being treated to a well-played, exciting game. All was right with the world.
Until…
Once again, they just HAD to play the third period, didn’t they? For twenty minutes Washington appeared to be on a perpetual man advantage and seemed eligible to file for Homestead Exemption in the Thrashers’ zone. There was more rubber flying around Kari’s goal than at a Goodyear tire plant. With the amount of shots he faced in the third period alone, Lehtonen must have felt like a pedestrian crossing the street in downtown Detroit!
Indeed, Kari now knows what it’s like to be Dick Cheney’s guest on a hunting trip, (see, I can be fair and balanced).
To his credit, the Finnish keeper held his own for as long as he could, but Alexander The Great finally broke through 11:30 into the third. Then Nicklas Backstrom crumpled twine at the 16:00 mark… 32 seconds later, he gave the Caps the lead.
When it was all over, Washington had outshot the Thrashers 23-2 for the period, (most coming from close range)…45-18 for the game, beaten Atlanta 5-3 and had pulled to within a single point of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The masses of Blueland then watched as a team “moving in the right direction” skated off the ice…into the visitor’s locker room!
Now, this is normally the part of the program where I would go off into a rant laced with symbolic profanity and dipped in sarcasm. But, in all honesty, I think Kari Lehtonen’s reaction to Backstrom’s goal…the one which completed Washington’s come-from-behind effort… was the perfect display of the emotion all of us felt. It was he that was left out there to suffer the slings and arrows of the onslaught. Kari could have sued his defense for lack of support and his reaction said it all, as did his post-game response when he likened the way the team played in the third as “horse [excrement]”.
Moreover, honesty compels me to say that, from my vantage point, there really is no shock, no surprise, and no incredulity to what went down Friday night in Blueland. This is what we have come to expect this season from the Don Waddell designed, engineered, constructed, general managed and coached Atlanta Thrashers.
(sigh)…I think I’ll have that Alka-Seltzer myself.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Midfield
March 24, 2008 11:59 AM | Link to this
I just want to say one good thing about what happened against Washington: I’m not p** at Lehtonen anymore for the [long forgotten - but not by me] let-down in Boston. Although in this last game he let in a softie in the 1st, the way the team left him hang out dry out there in the 3rd was beyond brutal. I guess, benching Valabik did not guarantee preserving the lead after all, bone-heads behind the bench, eh?
By Russian
March 24, 2008 12:00 PM | Link to this
Point taken! I do not want to refresh my memory for Friday game. I already forgot that Losers. I am waiting for BIG CHANGE and next season.
By Maal
March 24, 2008 12:10 PM | Link to this
you didn’t use the shot chart :(
think KL’ll get the start thursday? or will he be grounded?
By Buzilla Baby Blues
March 24, 2008 12:18 PM | Link to this
When are we moving the team up to Hartford for me?
By Alan
March 24, 2008 12:20 PM | Link to this
After reading your blog, Rawhide, I’m tempted to go across the strip here to the liquor store and purchase something that might help me wash away those memories a second time.
By Bob
March 24, 2008 12:31 PM | Link to this
I don’t blame Lehtonen for that game, that was just a better team willing their way to a win over our pitiful defense.
I did like Valabik being physical, but it seemed like the Caps goaded him into that one bad penalty. I wonder if the Caps coach clued his guys in that they could get under Valabik’s skin (didn’t he coach against Valabik in the AHL playoffs?).
I urge everyone to to to http://firewaddell.googlepages.com and click on the mail to link on the bottom of the page to get in on the petition to the owners to replace Waddell and get us a new GM. Please, if you love our team and want success, we need everyone to sign up for the good of our club.
By truehockeyfan
March 24, 2008 12:40 PM | Link to this
we all like to blame dw, and he desrves blame,but, we all have seen how this team can play when they want to. this is what dw seen in these guys when he put them together. Lest we forget theis team went 11 and 4 when dw took over. I am sure he feels worse than anyone about the poor performance of this team. By the way BC is responsible for the defense and he seems to get a free pass from us. WHY?
By polskidawg
March 24, 2008 12:44 PM | Link to this
This is what we have come to expect this season from the Don Waddell designed, engineered, constructed, general managed and coached Atlanta Thrashers.
That pretty much sums it up.
I think we all know that DW thought using the Detroit model (smaller, skilled, fast, etc) would succeed in Atlanta. Unfortunately, he forget the most important element of that model - everything is predicated on the D.
Not just defensive play in your own zone, but the defense originates ALL of the offense. It starts the moment Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwell, Lebda or Chelios has the puck, whether that is in the Detroit end or not.
D to D passing, then to the C up the ice, then in the offensive zone and then back to the D for a point shot or a shot from the back side.
Sounds great doesn’t it?
Except it requires A) an actual, coached system, and B) D-men that have same game and the nerve to not be panicked each time they have the puck.
The Thrasher have one such player on D - Enstrom.
I prefer the San Jose model. A little bigger forwards, little bigger D, so puck possession is a goal - not one and done.
By Rawhide
March 24, 2008 12:50 PM | Link to this
Truehockeyfan - By the way BC is responsible for the defense and he seems to get a free pass from us. WHY? - Excellent point… If this is why the organ-I-zation did not move forward with naming him as head coach, then they made the right call and you are correct for pointing it out.
By ThrasherNY
March 24, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this
Bob: Thanks for the link to the petition.
truehockeyfan: Our d-men are awful with the exception of Enstrom. DW gets the credit for putting them together and thusly BC gets a pass because no one could coach this group to even mediocrity.
polskidawg: I like concept of bigger but I dont think we can switch to that model. We have to build from where we are and we are small-fast model. Since the blueline is in need of complete overhaul I can see us up-sizing there but we need to keep small fast forward model and just hope to play enough offense in a game that other teams have to adjust to our style.
By Tony C.
March 24, 2008 1:16 PM | Link to this
It’ about a real commitment to moving as a five-man unit skating.
We need backchecking from forwards, better point positioning in the O-zone from our d-men…and above all- PASSING!!!! I promise you it’s the most infuriating aspect of Le Thrash-sloppy “standard” passes, with flourishes of extreme creativity that go to….nobody in Thrasherblue…
Anyway, I’d like to see somebody with more than a passing familiarity with the “5 Unit” Old Soviet system-you know the one. Now, obviously we only have one guy (right now) who could play on the KLM line, buuuuuuut….we’ve got a lot of guys who can dangle a bit-what’s missing is the PASSING. Now, I like seeing opposing forwards stood up at the blueline (their blueline works nicely)-but our guys have shown an incredible ineptitude with this maneuver.
So, let’s work on puck possession and crisp passing.
Oh yeah, that system requires a dedication to proper positioning (well more like spacing but you get the drift)-again a challenge area.
All of the above challenge areas are normally corrected with practice and familiarity. Notice Dupuis’ done well since the trade, but he’s really come on the past week, now that he’s been with them for the better part of a month.
By Tony C.
March 24, 2008 1:24 PM | Link to this
Oh yeh. I forgot to say-the new coach…..anyway-We obviously are going to need a guy who plans towards his player’s strengths.
And boy it looks like he’ll have his hands full.
By Alan
March 24, 2008 1:30 PM | Link to this
Petition signed. Only because Bob posted it. Any one of those other “advocates” and it would have been swept under the carpet with the rest of the blithering b******.
Thanks for politely and articulately posting your grievances, Bob.
By Russian
March 24, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this
Last Friday I realized that Thrasher could not make a shot, because they were not able to move in offencive zone. They got stop on Center on Ice (middle Zone). We are losing our games to allow the other team move fast and stopable to MIDDLE Zone. About size, I like Toby, but every time when he is goign to corner I close my eyes and just pray: Please do not kill that Midget! :-) We need D-men at least 6’1” - 6’2”. Bring Valabik and working with him all summer. Make him as Good D-men. Look around and pick D-men Big and fast. Our Forward will be Fine if Don will make little change.
By NASCAR Dave
March 24, 2008 2:03 PM | Link to this
Petition signed. Only because Bob posted it. Any one of those other “advocates” and it would have been swept under the carpet with the rest of the blithering b.
Wah, Wah. Cry me a river. Quit being a baby dude. You sound like Letemin with your whining. At least you got a clue, though, and signed up.
Chuckles…
By polskidawg
March 24, 2008 2:05 PM | Link to this
ThrasherNY - I hear you. I guess I prefer the San Jose model as a long-term goal, knowing that a complete overhaul is not doable.
It seems that what is alluded to in Tony C’s is similar to the Detroit system (based largely on the Soviet system - crisp passing, easy shot) that would suit the current Thrasher size but I would offer the caveat that they don’t have the guys to do it.
Russian also makes an excellent point about our lack of physical D play. Let’s face it - Toby isn’t intimidating anyone.
No matter what system used, it seem apparent that massive turnover is needed to even consider a return to the playoffs. Playoffs!…
By Alan
March 24, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this
Quit being a baby dude.
Says the man crying on a newspaper blog, typically in all caps and bold letters. Blather about like that and expect to be called on it.
By NASCAR Dave
March 24, 2008 2:30 PM | Link to this
Alan - Don’t get mad at me, this is NOT MY FAULT! It’s the IDIOT WADDELL’S FAULT! Instead of coming on here a being a smart a$$ and trying to criticize everyone on here whose opinion differs from yours, you should use your energy to try and produce change, like getting Waddell replaced.
Clearly you have done that, by signing the petition. Good job! That is a step in the right direction.
But keep the smart a$$ one line responses to yourself. They are getting old, brother. Same with the grammar nazi crap.
By Derrick
March 24, 2008 2:32 PM | Link to this
Don Waddell and the Atlanta Spirit are the greatest thing to happen to us Caps fans and the Southeast Division since we drafted Ovech-KING.
Keep up the good work in destroying Atlanta hockey, boys! We’ll be glad to wipe our feet (skates?) on you while we take the division for years to come!
Maybe we don’t make the playoffs this year. But so what? Our future looks bright, with a talented core of Ovy, Green, Backstrom, and Semin, plus a top-notch farm system.
What do the TRASHers have to look forward to?
By Alan
March 24, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this
But keep the smart a$$ one line responses to yourself. They are getting old, brother. Same with the grammar nazi crap.
A smartass is what I am, dude. Believe it. How the hell else do you think I’ve made it through heartbreak after heartbreak with this team for almost a decade?
By truehockeyfan
March 24, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this
I am a hockey fan transplant from the detroit area. I remember when they were called the dead wings and going nowhere. They looked terrible, games not even close. This team has shown signs of how to play and win games, we do have to admit that. I believe that with all DW has had to endure,(like), 3 different owners, the Heatley mess and starting a season using more goalies in the first 10 games in the history of NHL.You can tell DW is competitive and wants to win more than anything, I just wish some of the players that DW believed in had half the desire He did. DW deserves 1 more year.This team has looked too good at times to blow the whole thing up and start over. We just need a few pieces to turn this team around.
By NASCAR Dave
March 24, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this
What do the TRASHers have to look forward to?
NOT SH!T.
NUFF SAID.
By The Other Bob
March 24, 2008 2:41 PM | Link to this
What do the Thrashers have to look forward to? - Gee, Derricka…maybe the fact that we don’t have to see your ugly a*******ed face at Philips….THAT’S something to look forward to.
By Derrick
March 24, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this
@The Other Bob: Yeah, you can look forward to that except when the Caps are in town. But what of your precious hockey team? BTW, thanks for calling it Philips and not Blueland. YECH!
@NASCAR Dave: Well said!
By Nikita
March 24, 2008 3:06 PM | Link to this
The Thrasher have one such player on D - Enstrom
Aw, to quote Lehtonen, horseshit. We have three serviceable D players. Havelid, Enstrom, and Klee. They are not perfect players — Havelid can be wonky, though he’s been carrying this team lately, Enstrom gets overwhelmed and sometimes makes rookie mistakes, and Klee is slow. All three of them bring it every damn night, no matter what half-a* effort is in front of them, how they are poorly deployed, or what idiot they may be required to compensate for, and they don’t deserve to be panned for making the best of a very bad situation.
Furthermore, even if Havelid (our statistically top D, for the record)and Klee (consistently saddled with the most dysfunctional players of the D) were deficient players, our problem is not exclusively about individual failures to play good D. It is about an aggregate of failures to play good D as a team.
Our forwards don’t play defensively. We have a zone strategy and it does not work. We have multiple D players who may not have the talent or mental ability to play with the big boys (Exelby and Stevie Mac rarely, if ever, read the play correctly) and we have at least one glaring morale problem (Zhit). We are also small, and not terribly effective in employing a clean, physical strategy.
The way we hang our D out to dry at times (I’m really sick of seeing the 2-on-1 or 3-on-1 Havelid sandwich) is just criminal — but the way some of the D plays is just as bad if not worse. But not those three.
Our D does suck. But it doesn’t suck because of any of those three.
By Buzilla Baby Blues
March 24, 2008 4:06 PM | Link to this
NASCAR Dave-
Where you a Hulkamanic as a kid? You seem like the type.
Anyway, I heard that the “vitamins” that Terry Hogan was pushing (along with exercising and saying your prayers) were loaded with lead. This would explain your one track thinking and repeating yourself at nausea.
I get it. You don’t like DW or the job he is doing. He is the Devil. Move on. Join the circle jerk with LAC and Sage of Gooland.
There isn’t a NASCAR blog on the AJC that you can debate which driver is the biggest knob?
Anyway, I am tired of reading your crap and wanted to let you know that I skip your section of the blog every time you write.
NUFF SAID
By NASCAR Dave
March 24, 2008 4:32 PM | Link to this
BBB - No, I wasn’t. I’m 40 years old. Too old for the Hulka-kids stuff. Sorry. And I watch “real” sports, like Hockey, NASCAR, and Football. Wrestling is for entertainment purposes only, kinda like watching a TRASHERS game.
By Sage of Bluesland
March 24, 2008 4:37 PM | Link to this
“…at nausea…”???
Umm, yeah…Let me guess: Public education?
(Yep, that’s what I thought).
Oh, and it’s MR. Sage of Bluesland to you…Pay attention.
By Buzilla Baby Blues
March 24, 2008 4:43 PM | Link to this
Excuse me Mr. Sage of Gooland
“Ad nauseam”
By Sage of Bluesland
March 24, 2008 4:53 PM | Link to this
“…This is what we have come to expect this season from the Don Waddell designed, engineered, constructed, general managed and coached Atlanta Thrashers.
(sigh)…I think I’ll have that Alka-Seltzer myself.”
Outstanding. Truer words were never written. It’s a shame it’s taken this long to see what some saw many years ago.
Get your Alka-Seltzer ready for next year, too—as I simply laugh at those who think with (in my best valley-girl—or Alan—impression) some really, really good moves this summer can compete for the Cup next year! That type of tripe you get reading the official message board and the lambchops at the NastyNest…
Some of you need to stop drinking the Kool-Aid and join the rest of us in this little place called “reality”.
I’m sure there will be more extenuating circumstances that aren’t our bumbling Donny’s doing—and he needs yet another year to right the ship…Starting to see a trend yet?
The figurative ‘wool’ has been pulled over how many eyes now?! It actually makes me laugh now…
By five_hole
March 24, 2008 4:55 PM | Link to this
Just signed the petition. Good work organizing this Bob (or are you Other Bob. I keep confusing the two of you).
By NASCAR Dave
March 24, 2008 4:55 PM | Link to this
Hey, maybe this guy is the answer to our problems…
By Nikita
March 24, 2008 5:01 PM | Link to this
So…back on the girlie considerations…PJ and Nix and everyone else.
The Thrash seem to have cancelled Sunday practice, but not told the rink, so I wasn’t able to gauge the trainability of anyone in a candid moment during practice.
But I did listen to and watch all of the recent games, which gave me plenty of time to get some idea of whether or not certain players would fit into my Heat on Ice (tm) campaign, in which we attempt to draw in guys through their girlfriends’ libidoes…it’s gonna be hard work.
So far I’ve got basically a handful of guys who can give good interviews and look smokin’ with the proper grooming. Those would be Hedberg, Kovalchuk, Thorburn (who looks crazy hot and likeable in interviews, but goofy on ice), Enstrom, and maybe Kiwi or Popovic or the Penguins (with a lot of grooming). Maybe Perrin with some aesthetic handling.
By NASCAR Dave
March 24, 2008 5:03 PM | Link to this
DW deserves 1 more year.This team has looked too good at times to blow the whole thing up and start over. We just need a few pieces to turn this team around.
LMAO!!! You must be a Nasty Nester too! Get with it, brother! You even admitted you are a transplant — those of us that have been here from the beginning know the problem, IT’S WADDELL!!!
Please, make your voices heard people! For the sake of our franchise!
By The Other Bob
March 24, 2008 5:03 PM | Link to this
No,…he’s the “original” Bob….
By Barack Obama
March 24, 2008 5:13 PM | Link to this
We need “change”…yes… change in the thinking, change in the philosophy, change in the mind-set, change in the directon, change in the way things get done……
Yes, people, we need CHANGE in the front office of the Atlanta Thrashers’ organization!
And we cannot wait until November for that change!
By Sage of Bluesland
March 24, 2008 5:46 PM | Link to this
“…DW deserves 1 more year.This team has looked too good at times to blow the whole thing up and start over. We just need a few pieces to turn this team around….”
See, it’s comments like this that make me laugh. Yeah, we need “a few pieces” alright.
As far as looking “good at times”, I would attribute that more to the “blind squirrel finding a nut” theory.
Then again, I wonder how many years a blind sheep would give Don Waddell to run this franchise completely into the ground???
Inquiring minds would like to know. I think some here believe he’s done a wonderful job and would like to give him a lifetime contract (which, I can assure you, nine years in “Waddell-terms” has felt like a lifetime).
Oh well…I never do wonder why we’re terrible…
By ranallo10
March 24, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this
Barack — Yes we can! All we have to do is vote, right? That vote allows us to…oh wait, someone other than us ultimately makes the decisions (much like elections)? So in the end I should probably say, “Yes we can (cough cough) wish (cough)!”
Next John Kerry is going to come around and tell us about his “plan”. Maybe GW will stop by and tell us how he’s going to improve the situation by employing more water-boys. I can see it now…
Nikita — Thorburn (who looks crazy hot and likeable in interviews, but goofy on ice).
He’s one greasy mamajama, I can’t believe he made your list. Is it the wet hair look, or the Adrian Brody nose that got you? He always looks like he just took a shower/finished a boxing match.
Buzilla — Word. As soon as I see anybody with a non-sport or the name of an herb in their user name, I skip the post entirely. It saves me about 5 minutes of my precious time and keeps my corneas healthy for the more poignant posts.
By ranallo10
March 24, 2008 6:22 PM | Link to this
Brendan — Did you realize that in 30GP your man-crush is -21 with 21 pts (4G) and 55PIM? That’s un-good.
By BuzzEng
March 24, 2008 8:09 PM | Link to this
blinkblink*
Friday? Friday!?!
Nope - doesn’t ring a bell.
By Nikita
March 24, 2008 10:53 PM | Link to this
ranallo, it’s strictly from hunger, I tell you.
Thorburn, though, is crazy buff, and giant pecs go a long way in terms of hockey hotness. Of course, he’s had a huge variety of hair missteps. But keep in mind that I’m looking for attractive men in a sport that employs Bobby Holik. Also keep in mind that to effectively promote men as hot, they should not have a gajillion children — that knocks out pretty much everybody in the NHL who isn’t 24 and handicaps the hotness of people like Moose. Add reasonable english proficiency to the list and we’re down to just those I listed. But, yes, the Adrien Brody nose (Armstrong also has it) is cute.
I’ll add Little, Perrin, and Slater on the notion that all of them could possibly be cute with good grooming. And hopefully Perrin gets new teeth sometime soon — he seems to be missing half his fronts at the moment.
As for Friday, I’m still not recovered from that third period. I feel like I’m in an abusive relationship with the team — but it’s ok, baby — you know they don’t mean it. Sometimes they treat me real good.
By ranallo10
March 24, 2008 11:05 PM | Link to this
“it was an accident, they slipped”
By Brendan
March 24, 2008 11:36 PM | Link to this
Well, the Bolts, like the Thrashers, are in an utter free fall. I haven’t peeked at Hossa’s numbers since becoming a Penguin, but perhaps his plus-minus is out of double-digits now?
When my man-crush first returned, Tampa went on a little “mini-streak.” But ever since the the playoff became out of reach, they’ve been tanking it ever since. (Good strategy!) I bet Stampkos hopes he goes to the Lightning, so that he can play with Lecavalier.
Thrasher fans must compare ourselves to Tampa Bay over the next three seasons. Both teams are near the bottom of the league and have been somewhat dismantled. (Since 2005-06, we’ve lost Hossa, Savard, Kaberle, and Bondra, maybe Holik and Hedberg, too, while Tampa has lost Vaclav Prospal, Brad Richards, Khabibulin, and there may be more losses forthcoming.)
Let’s see who climbs back to the top of the division first … Atlanta or Tampa? Right now, our GM is Don Waddell and theirs is Jay Feaster. The last time both Atlanta and Tampa were at the bottom of the league, it was 2001, and Atlanta won the draft lottery, selecting Kovalchuk. But it was Tampa that won the 2004 Stanley Cup.
By Nix
March 24, 2008 11:42 PM | Link to this
Hee! Thorburn is hot, ranallo. The photo of him in the winger doesn’t do him justice, but the couple of times I’ve seen him interviewed, I’ve noted that he’s got something going for him. Add to that the height (any guy who’s taller than me when I’m wearing heels gets bonus points), the buffness and his willingness to get physical on the ice, and you’ve got a hottie.
Nikita, my mother agrees with you on Perrin. She’s said all season that he’s got pretty eyes, but I think he needs some eyebrow shaping (yes, guys - that means plucking/waxing) and a decent haircut to accent them properly. Plus, he just seems like a nice guy, much in the way Moose does.
Give Army a couple of years to grow into his face and lose a little of the softness and his cuteness factor will grow exponentially. His sense of humor is already a big plus in his favor. Speaking of baby faces - I’m hoping that Kari will lose his at some point. Along with the bad haircut.
Christensen looks like he’s got definite potenial, but I’d need to watch him in an interview - the photos really aren’t very flattering. I’ve mentioned it before, but Toby needs some color. Plus, I’m wondering if the Atlanta pollen gets to him, b/c he always seems to have big circles under his eys (and mine are at least partially attributable to allergies). Ex’s attractiveness quotient rises based on how much hitting he does in a game, and whether or not he’s wearing a top hat.
I’d be curious to see what Valabik us like giving interviews, b/c his winger photo ain’t bad at all. Plus… 6’7”… Kiwi and Popovic are cute - again, I’m curious about their interviewing abilities. But, going on their winger photos… they’ve got definite potential.
Kovy’s a stud, so if they can work with getting him more fluent in English/more relaxed giving interviews, he’d be an even bigger draw. And I like Recchi and Moose, but they do come across as dedicated family men - not necessarily a huge turn on for the Heat on Ice (tm) demographic?
By Nikita
March 25, 2008 12:31 AM | Link to this
Ok, tweaking my earlier statements…
Those who give good interview (humor, eloquence) go straight to the front of the line. So all of the canadians are at an advantage. Everybody’s potential would go up exponentially if they’d just look into the camera while interviewing, but some are already relatively ready.
Perrin has a lot going against him (baby face, wonky teeth, lack of manscaping) in the hotness department, but for him is his personality, his on-ice proficiency, his toughness, his intelligence and perspective, and the underdog factor (seriously, what were the chances he’d be a good acquisition? who gets psyched about 32 year-old near-rookies?)
Word on the potential for Lehtonen and Armstrong…the material’s there, but it’s not quite up to par yet.
Christensen doesn’t appear to have any confidence, but he’s not bad looking.
Ex’s attractiveness quotient rises based on how much hitting he does in a game, and whether or not he’s wearing a top hat.
I hear you, sister. But for me it takes a LOT of hitting. And maybe a million dollars. His Blueland photo is pretty good, though, in a sort of psycho whaler kind of way.
Funny thing — I can find plenty of videos of Valabik fighting, but none of him speaking. Ditto Kiwi and Popovic.
And I can’t believe I forgot Recchi. He and Boulton have the same crazy scrappy thing going on. They’re not hot, per se, but they’re definitely interesting.
Finally, Stevie Mac. His winger makes him look like an extra on Cops , but he’s not bad looking. His interviews are good, too. But I doubt he’ll be here to be part of the strategy, given how he’s played. and it would probably be best if he’d refrain from kissing Jim Slater in public. Even when one of them has scored a goal — I’m not sure there’s a place yet for manly kissing in hockey.
By Jay
March 25, 2008 1:31 AM | Link to this
A little off topic: (but remembering a Thrasher we traded w/ Hossa)
I just read on TSN that Pascal Dupuis’ wife gave birth to a daughter on Monday morning. Congrats to the Dupuis family!
…back to your regularly scheduled blog…
By Rawhide
March 25, 2008 8:54 AM | Link to this
Jay - Thanks for that peice of information!
Congrats to the Dupuis family on the birth of their beautiful baby girl!
By Nix
March 25, 2008 10:01 AM | Link to this
Kissing? There’s no kissing in hockey! (with apologies to A League of Their Own)
I honestly don’t remember seeing any kissing between Slater and McCarthy. Please tell me you’re just talking about a quick, celebratory buss on the cheek. And if not, that it was part of some bet between the two.
By truth
March 25, 2008 10:32 AM | Link to this
Wow, RH. Your blog has officially gone down the crapper! Is this a hockey blog, or an Access Atlanta relationship blog? I’m confused. Please help!
By FormerIslesFan
March 25, 2008 10:34 AM | Link to this
Two things of note from me:
I signed the petition as well.
Spector just posted an article that pretty much repeats what Burnside said the other day. Why is it that the opinions regarding the state of this franchise are unanimous EXCEPT for the owners?? (Note: that is a rhetorical question not actually requiring a response).
By Rawhide
March 25, 2008 10:42 AM | Link to this
Truth - LOL! I guess one can only say, “Waddell must be fired” so often or cite stats which show the team rankin 30th in so many categories only so much….
Sometimes lightening the atmosphere is good.
As long as it’s kept Thrasher related…kinda…let’s just role with it.
FIF - Thanks for the link…very interesting, verrrrry interesting!
By Nikita
March 25, 2008 11:16 AM | Link to this
It was celebratory (Slater’s 2nd goal against the Caps), but it was a real kiss. Manly, lip-on-lip kissing. Perhaps we should use moments like that to widen the Heat on Ice (tm) demographic?
And truth, perhaps you enjoy misspelled, all-caps ranting about how much we suck. But I do not. Especially when it comes from people who can’t spell players’ names or get the vapors from grade-school-level cussing. And I’ve learned to scroll past the ranting — perhaps you should skip over our girlie speculations.
Re-watched the 2nd period of the Caps game last night (evidently)…it leads me to believe that Eric Perrin is god and he deserves the C. Or anyway, we need to clone him and let one of the posse of Perrins play on and lead every line. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the 3rd. Seriously, it was painful enough on the radio.
By stendec
March 25, 2008 11:23 AM | Link to this
I AM ALL FOR BRINGING BACK LETEMIN. The untalented Finn will make one helluva zambonie driver!
By Nikita
March 25, 2008 11:25 AM | Link to this
(P.S. I think the radio broadcast is actually better than the TV broadcast. Why is that?)
By stendec
March 25, 2008 11:27 AM | Link to this
Setting up to defend an NHL team? Tell a goon to take Ilya Kovalchuk off his game with constant shadowing and physical play. Keep him off scoresheet at all costs. That is all it takes to compltely tame Flushers. One arguable superstar with no ensemble cast. No way to build Stanley Cup contender. Goalies give up three to four goals per night. Pathetic offense fortunate to net one or two markers each game. Do the math. Equals ineptitude of a Hawkian proportions!
By Russian
March 25, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this
I am counting on Kari. He is a good goalie. I like to see him back to net with strong and good D-mens. He will be number one goalie on the NHL if he got support from team.
By Bobby Smith
March 25, 2008 12:18 PM | Link to this
“Keep up the good work in destroying Atlanta hockey, boys! We’ll be glad to wipe our feet (skates?) on you while we take the division for years to come!”……………
Last I checked the Crapitals weren’t going to make the playoffs either….
By ranallo10
March 25, 2008 12:21 PM | Link to this
Nikita — The radio is the lesser of two evils. You can either listen to Kamal’s conniptions, or you can listen to Elliot’s unending sunshine.
Perhaps why you like the radio broadcast is because at least Kamal makes the scoring sound exciting…where as Dellacamera is as boring as they come.
What’s funny is I don’t like either broadcast! But to be honest, it could be worse…watch a Tampa Bay home game sometime, you’ll see/hear what I mean.
By Nikita
March 25, 2008 12:34 PM | Link to this
Ugh. Yep, Tampa’s games look awful. So do the Rangers — which really irks me, as my favorite player of all time plays for them, and I’d like to enjoy the experience.
By Rawhide
March 25, 2008 1:00 PM | Link to this
FIF - About the Spector article you provided a link to…
Very interesting read, indeed. A couple of things stand out to me.
He indicates that the decline actually began during the playoff sweep last spring. That it exposed our glaring weekness in defensive depth. He then goes on to state that it was not adequately address during last off season and that is what doomed us this year.
True enough…but I have 2 questions about that then:
The other thing is this…If, as Spector writes, Waddell’s answer to the top center situation was Todd White, then what will his answer be THIS offseason?
Lastly, it appears more and more that DW is going to be given another year…JUMPINJESUSONAPOGOSTICK! I don’t even know where to go with that one.
He’s been given TWO summers to replace Mark Savard as the top center. he hasn’t.
He’s had 9 seasons to put together a team that has YET to win a playoff game.
The ONE constant in the 10 years this team has been in existence has been….hmmmmm…the GENERAL MANAGER!!!
The One move DW has made in the last year that has made the BIGGEST difference in the team has been to fire the only person that brought any measurable success in the team’s history, Bob Hartley!
He has 2-1/2 season to convince Hossa that the team was moving in the right direction…he bolted!
I tell ya…everyone else out there seems to get it, what is wrong with Levenson?
Augh…I wasn’t gonna do this today, but you just MADE me read that article!
sigh - anyway, give my best to LB….
By NASCAR Dave
March 25, 2008 1:28 PM | Link to this
Rawhide post at 1:00pm — EXCELLENT! Well said, brother! Why oh why can people NOT SEE THE OBVIOUS?
It only takes a minute of your time…
By polskidawg
March 25, 2008 6:41 PM | Link to this
JUMPINJESUSONAPOGOSTICK! - excellent use of a Dead Milkmen line.
Excellent in context and its demonstrative quality.
What’s next, a TMBG reference?
By Rawhide
March 25, 2008 6:47 PM | Link to this
polskidawg - Yes…Dead Milkmen, you got that…I am very impressed, indeed!
By joyaman
March 25, 2008 9:50 PM | Link to this
*REPLACE WADDELL PETITION NOW ONLINE *
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/replacewaddell/
75 signatures recorded in first day online
Send the link to fellow Thrashers fans - Need new GM before NHL Entry Draft
-joyaman
By PJ
March 25, 2008 10:58 PM | Link to this
Nikita, I tried, but I can’t let this rest - regarding your Thrasher Hot-o-meter - Perrin is in the same boat at Koslov, just scary. Klee??? Darlin’ you need to get over the Buzz Lightyear thing. He’s adorably clumsy, but not Hot. Don’t overlook Havelid, he has a nice smile as well as Army. Ex, should never smile, the serious look works for him. And finally, Ranallo10 - Thorburn is kinda Hot.
By Nikita
March 26, 2008 9:43 AM | Link to this
Er, wait. Gotta clarify something here — I’m pretty sure I never said Klee was hot. I simply pointed out that other people run a Facebook group called “don’t you wish your boyfriend was hot like Klee?” My appreciation for Klee is about his value as a player, a lockerroom presence, and a stand-in for an animated character. Oh, he has a nice smile, as well. I like Klee — I don’t think he’s hot.
Perrin is not in the same boat as Kozlov. Seriously, Kozlov looks likes one of the derelict corpses reposing in the morgue down at Grady. Perrin isn’t conventionally attractive, but he’s funny and self-effacing and motivated and a hard player. All of those things make him hotter than his general physical makeup.
I’m not sold on Havelid. For one thing, he fails the interview test.
By sick of bad hockey
March 29, 2008 9:58 PM | Link to this
The Hockey News ranked DW 28th out of the 30 GM’s in the league. Who do you think he paid to move up so much?