AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > June > 11
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Anderson Watch Officially On
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If Don Waddell and the Spirit Group, LLC, (or ASG or ASLLC or whatever the heck some of you are calling them now), were waiting for John Anderson to wrap things up with the Chicago Wolves before making a move… well, that time has arrived.
Tuesday night, the Chicago Wolves won the Calder Cup by defeating Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 5-2 to win the series in six games. Jason Krog turned the hat trick and threw in an assist for good measure while Nathan Oystrick and Brett Sterling each netted one in the win. Joel Kwiatkowski had three helpers and Jesse Schultz, Bryan Little and Arturs Kulda all chipped in with assists of their own. Opie stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced.
So, the coach that openly expressed a desire for the job, (with the blessing of the Wolves GM and owners), the day after Bob Hartley was fired…238 days ago…very well may get his chance to interview for it in the days to come.
Thrashers fans have been waiting a while for this decision as well. Since Hartley’s dismissal, we’ve watched as the Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs have fired and replaced head coaches. Florida, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Ottawa…and now Los Angeles… still are seeking new head coaches. However, if rumors are to be believed, the Bolts will soon hire Barry Melrose, San Jose seems to be interested in Tortorella and the Senators have their eye on a couple of candidates including Hartley.
But none of the above mentioned teams have gone…or will go… as long as Atlanta has between firing and hiring coaches. And wouldn’t it be ironic if Bob Hartley were to gain employment as a head coach before the team that fired him found his replacement?
This year’s AHL championship is the fourth won by Chicago with Anderson behind the bench and he has pretty much proven all he can at that level. So, what better time for him to step away from the team and take on the new challenge of coaching an NHL franchise. Especially one that has so many players in its employ that he is so familiar with?
If indeed Anderson is the choice and the team has simply been waiting him out…then let’s get him in, get things started and get going. There is much work to be done and the days are getting fewer.
The Rawhide Jinx
As you might recall, I indicated that I pre-wrote a blog congratulating the Detroit Red Wings during the third period of Stanley Cup Finals game five. As you will also recall, the Penguins then tied the game late in the third and eventually won it in three overtime periods causing me to re-write the entire darned thing!
Sara, Alan and Wings Fan in GA have since forgiven me for slapping the jinx on their team. At least I …think…they have.
Anyway, I think I can now take a small, tiny, minuscule amount of credit for last night’s win for the Wolves as I began to prepare a piece that discussed their “loss” in Tuesday’s game six. I started to type it out after their opposition erased a 2-0 deficit to tie the game. I figured…if the Wolves did lose, then Chicago’s “pucker factor” had to be increasing exponentially and I wanted to get a jump on things and get it in the can.
Alas, the Rawhide jinx worked against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the Wolves prevailed.
Hmmmm…how else can I use this ability? Maybe a blog about how the Divine Mrs. R is giving me a necktie and would NEVER think of getting me lower level full season tickets as a Father’s Day present???
Information Overload Portion Of The Blog
Vancouver forward Trevor Linden will be announcing his retirement after 18 seasons in the NHL.
Ron Wilson and the Maple Leafs made it official on Tuesday, as the former Sharks’ coach became the 20th coach in Toronto since they last won the Stanley Cup in 1967. Wonder why they rushed into this? I mean, people have only been talking about this deal for a week!
Darren Eliot, a former net minder himself, chimes in on the goalie equipment discussion.
