AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > August
August 2008
Hard Working Eric Perrin
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As we slide into Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of summer…the last holiday prior to the start of the NHL campaign…I would like to discuss one of the Thrashers hardest working players last season, Eric Perrin.
When we look back at the individual stats put up by last year’s Atlanta team, it’s difficult to find players who improved their numbers from the previous season. Slava Kozlov, Todd White, Marion Hossa, Ken Klee, Alexei Zhitnik… all had off years. One could say last season’s slump was team-wide.
Obviously, Ilya Kovalchuk was an exception… but so too was Perrin.
After signing a two year contract with the Thrashers as an unrestricted free agent last year, the 32-year old centerman accounted for 12 goals, 33 assists and finished the season with a -5 rating in 81 games. The season prior with Tampa Bay he tallied 13 goals with only 23 assists in 82 games and was -7.
OK, I didn’t say he greatly improved his numbers…just that he didn’t see them slide. Besides, if all the players listed above saw their numbers do the same as Perrin’s…slightly increase…rather than drop off, think of how differently last season would have played out.
He’s skated in but 167 total NHL games but has shown himself to be productive at every level he’s played at. Case in point… in two seasons with the Hershey Bears, he played in 151 games scoring 45 goals and 103 assists.
Perrin also proved to be a great asset to the team as an instrumental part of the penalty-killing unit. In fact, his eight shorthanded assists led the NHL, as did the 10 points earned while helping to kill off penalties.
The amount of hustle and effort Perrin put into each game last season impressed me. Especially when you consider the fact that he was asked to center Atlanta’s second line given the fact that he really is more of a fit as a third-liner.
Obviously, the continuation of Eric Perrin’s consistent play will be important to the team this coming season. Depending on the direction coach Anderson goes, he will again be looked upon to center a second or third line…possibly even move out to the left boards. Also, he’ll need to work well with a younger line-mate or two as the team will employ a number of first or second year players, based on the current roster.
Weekend Reading Assignments
Speaking of Eric Perrin, Ben Wright of atlantathrashers.com caught up with him recently and logged this fine Q&A piece.
Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com calls Arturs Kulda an emerging defensive force in Atlanta.
Looks like the Atlanta Thrashers are not the only one’s who’ll be looking to the young-uns to fill some gaps in the lineup.
Stu Barnes of the Stars has decided to call it a career after 16 seasons. He’ll join the coaching staff behind the Dallas bench.
Montreal’s general manager Bob Gainey believes that the possibility of Mats Sundin playing in a Canadiens jersey this season is looking less and less likely.
The San Jose Sharks have inked defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic to a contract extension. Combined with his current contract, the 21-year old will not be in a…pickle…contractually for five seasons.
And finally…if you’re going to try and outrun a police officer, it might be wise to put on pants that aren’t so baggy that you trip over them trying to flee. Just sayin’…
The Year Of The Mongoose
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve been quite busy over the last week or so with some of the activities my boys are involved in. Because of that, my time available to read and participate in the discussion portion of this forum has been greatly reduced. However, when I did have the opportunity to check in late Sunday night, it was quite a treat to read over the topics that you all were engaged in over the weekend. It was informative, entertaining and cordial. So, to Brendan, Sara, Ranallo10 (in AT), Alan, Glovesave29, Bob and all the rest of you…I just want to say thanks and well done. For me, it was just what the doctor ordered after a busy weekend with a full schedule.
Now, let me take this opportunity to revisit a subject that came up during the meeting that some fellow bloggers and I had with John Anderson earlier this summer. When I wrote of it afterward, one of the things I mentioned was his intention to employ a more aggressive type of defensive play. Instead of last seasons passive defensive plan…which allowed opposing players to cross the blueline virtually unchallenged… Anderson will look for his defenders to actually confront forwards who dare seek entrance into the Thrashers zone, harassing them with body and stick.
Coach Anderson referred to this more confrontational style of defense as “mongoosing” the opposition.
This came as welcome news to me after last season watching quite the opposite take place. Too many times the Thrashers blueline corps looked more like attendants at a turnpike tollbooth than NHL defenders. Worse, once “working” their way into the zone they were there long enough to file for Homestead exemption while Atlanta’s defense engaged in a brand of play that was dubbed Whack-a-Mole by, as you may recall, our own Sara.
She described the Whack-a-Mole defense as, ”a defensive strategy which involves chasing the puck, particularly around the boards of your own zone, and wildly swinging your stick in it’s general vicinity in the hopes that you might actually get lucky, make contact, and knock it out of your zone. Practiced heavily by the Atlanta Thrashers during the 2007-2008 season, of which the team’s final standing position of 28th out of 30 demonstrates the effectiveness…or lack thereof… of said defensive zone strategy”.
Indeed, last year’s defense allowed a league-worst 33.9 shots against per game and too many times Kari Lehtonen was called upon to turn away upwards of forty-some attempts at his goal.
Now the plan is that the buggers will actually have to pay a price at the tollbooth and their time in our zone will be greeted with an air of hostility rather than hospitality. Imagine that.
Also, Atlanta’s defenders will be looked upon to seek opportunities to step up on the other side of the blueline. To this measure, Tobias Enstrom showed a good ability to do this last season as he contributed 33 assists and 38 points in his initial season at the NHL level. The signing of Ron Hainsey fits nicely in this plan as well. Last year he accounted for 8 goals and 24 assists on a Blue Jacket team that could score but 2.32 goals per game, (only the Islanders faired worse in that category).
This more active defensive play should yield positive results for the Thrashers in the respect of SA/G. The question is, however, by how much? A fraction? A full shot per game? Could we dare dream that it could bring that stat down closer to 30 SA/G?
Of course, the shots taken per game statistic will need improvement as well. Last season’s 25.8 S/G was, like Atlanta’s woeful SA/G stat, worst in the NHL. But improved play from the back should prove instrumental in achieving this goal. Regardless, an 8-point gap in these two numbers simply has to be closed dramatically and the best place to start is in our own end… replacing Whack-a-Mole with the mongoose.
The responsibility will primarily fall upon the likes of Nic Havelid, Tobias Enstrom, Ron Hainsey, Garnet Exelby, Zach Bogosian and Ken Klee to make the new era of defensive play in Blueland a success during this upcoming season.
Call them Atlanta’s mongooses.
Or is that…mongeese?
In Other News
Allan Muir of SI.com predicts that the signing of Ron Hainsey will be seen as one of the sure-fire UFA busts this season.
Here’s a good piece on Thrasher’s first round draft pick Zach Bogosian by Tom Ferda of The Hockey News.
The Minnesota Wild and Marian Gaborik seem to be happy with the meeting that recently took place between the two parties and hope that a deal will be worked out soon.
Adam Proteau of ESPN.com ranks the NHL’s six divisions.
You’re sure to here the word “change” quite a bit from Denver this week. But, as Darren Eliot points out, it seems to be prevalent throughout the NHL as well.
Well, look here, will ya. Tom Van Riper of Forbes.com compiled a list of the worst American cities to be a sports fan…and Atlanta is NOT on it.
Oh wait…we DID make this list!
Perception And Reality
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Perception, some say, is reality. It’s so in life, politics, relationships, etc. If you’re successfully branded as “A”, then it matters little if you’re actually “B”. Sometimes the perceived reality is accepted by the masses simply because the same view comes from multiple outlets.
This is true when it comes to the Atlanta Thrashers. Most pundits and prognosticators have branded our local team as having the inside track to the #1 draft pick next summer. We have yet to start training camp, much less drop the puck on opening night…but the perception is out there that we are again heading for Lottery City.
Now, I for one do not share this common view. I think this team, as it sits now, is going to fair a little better than others are predicting…say, 82-86 points. Of course, I also understand that I’m in the minority opinion here.
But can this “perception” be played to our advantage? I think so and here is how.
According to nhlnumbers.com, there are a few teams that are currently at or above the salary cap. So, teams like Philadelphia, Washington, Calgary, Anaheim, Chicago, San Jose…and even Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Boston, the Rangers and New Jersey could be looking to shed some payroll. In doing so, they are more than likely going to be seeking prospects and/or draft picks along with lower-priced NHL players in return.
I would think that the GMs of those teams are going to be far more willing to make such deals with teams that they…perceive…will finish very low in the standing. That would give them a higher pick, possibly even the first pick, in next summer’s entry draft. Thus, they would be getting more in return for the player they were willing to part ways with.
Atlanta, along with Los Angeles and the Islanders, are among those with both considerable cap space and the perception that they’ll finish low in the standings.
Don Waddell and the Thrashers organ-I-zation are in a very good position to make a deal for one more quality forward or defender…or both… in return for future considerations.
So… even though Waddell indicates in this interview with Ben Wright that he would be “100% content” if camp opened with the current roster…I think there will be a move made to upgrade the team sometime over the next few weeks.
At least, that’s my perception.
Speaking Of Trades
TSN.com’s Scott Cullen discusses the trade value of certain NHL players. Included in his list…our own Ilya Kovalchuk.
Hanging Them Up A Tad Early
Stefan Legein has decided to call it a career. Yup, hanging up the skates and moving on to other things. What’s interesting about that? He’s only a nineteen-year old prospect for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Actually, make that…was.
And Lastly
Ever wonder what hockey would be like if played almost 2-1/2 miles above sea level…inside of a glacier no less? Well, Ben Wright over at the Blueland Blog found a story of just such a game that was played in Switzerland. I found the pictures in the photo gallery fascinating! Enjoy…and thanks Ben.
Where Does White Fit In Anderson’s System?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
To say that Todd White had a disappointing season with the Thrashers last year would be somewhat of an understatement. Then again, it would be tough to find many not wearing the number 17 on their backs that you couldn’t say that about. The question is, how much of that could be pinned on White himself and how much on the overall play of Atlanta’s offense and the offensive system the team incorporated.
Of course, some may say I’m being kind in even suggesting that there actually was an offensive “system” last season.
Regardless, White’s soft play did seem to attract its fair share of criticism. Numbers-wise, he accounted for 14 goals and 23 assists in 74 games. These aren’t too terribly far off of his offensive production with the Minnesota Wild in the two previous seasons. In 2006-07 he played in 77 games and compiled 13 goals and 44 points. The year before that, those numbers were 19 goals and 40 points in 61 games. However, last year’s -12 was a much lower rating than the +8 and -1 in his two seasons with the Wild.
Obviously, Don Waddell was hoping for more out of the 33-year old Kanata, Ontario native when he was brought in last summer to be the team’s #1 center. Something more along the lines of 20 or 25 goals along with 30 or 35 assists and a +12 or +19.
Don’t laugh…those were the numbers he was able to put up in 2001-02 and 2002-03 as a member of the Ottawa Senators, playing in 80 and 81 games those seasons.
Keeping thing in their proper perspective however, those Ottawa teams produced 243 and 263 goals. Comparatively, the Thrashers last year managed but 216.
Moving forward…where exactly does White fit in with the new offensive system that will be employed by coach Anderson?
Obviously, he isn’t a center for the grinder line given that one of the biggest knocks against him is that he isn’t physical enough. Indeed, when the game moves toward hard checks and aggressive play, White tends to pull a Casper…vanishing into thin air.
Top line? Well, that’s primarily why he was brought in here…but I’d have a hard time penciling him in there again. I feel that Erik Christensen will get a good look for that job. Also…if Bryan Little is consider by some as our future #1 centerman, then why lot let the future begin today?
Third line? I think Marty Reasoner is a good fit to replace Bobby Holik here.
That leaves us with the second line…which is probably the best place for White, IMHO.
So, let’s assume a lineup of Crusher as the #1 center, White is the #2 and Reasoner the #3. Where do you put Little…or Eric Perrin for that matter? Do these players wind up out on the wings?
OK, then the wingers on the top three lines would be Kovalchuk, Williams, Armstrong, Little, Perrin and Kozlov…mix and match them how you see fit. Larsen, Boulton, Slater and Thorburn should rotate around as your fourth line players. Left out in the cold are Brett Sterling and Colin Stuart…and keep in mind Stuart is a player John Anderson says will play a significant role for the team this season.
Clearly Anderson and Waddell have some roster decisions to make here.
But back to Todd White…while it is true that last season did not pan out exactly the way he would have liked, both in regards to his personal numbers and the team’s overall performance, this coming season does provide a new beginning. John Anderson’s O-fensive system could prove to be one he fits into better than the one he was operating in last.
Again…at least there will actually be a “system” for White to operate in. And that might be all the difference he needs.
Coaching Carousel Cycle Complete
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With Scott Gordon being named as the Islanders new head coach Wednesday afternoon, the latest turn-around cycle of NHL bench bosses… started last October 17 when Atlanta relieved Bob Hartley of his duties… was completed.
Since the opening of last season, no less than ten teams have made head coaching changes. A brief re-cap since that time:
Atlanta: Out, Bob Hartley… In, John Anderson
Washington: Out, Glen Hanlon…In, Bruce Boudreau
Ottawa: Out, Bryan Murray…In, Craig Hartsburg
Toronto: Out, Paul Maurice…In, Ron Wilson
Florida: Out, Jacques Martin*…In, Peter DeBoer
San Jose: Out, Ron Wilson…In, Todd McClellan
Colorado: Out, Joel Quenneville…In, Tony Granato
Tampa Bay: Out, John Tortorella…In, Barry Melrose
L.A. Kings: Out, Marc Crawford…In, Terry Murray
N.Y. Islanders: Out, Ted Nolan…In. Scott Gordon
*Martin will remain as general manager of the Panthers organ-I-zation.
Of those “IN”…Anderson, DeBoer, McClellan and Gordon are NHL head coaches for the first time. Boudreau was a first timer when he stepped behind the Caps bench last fall. Granato is beginning his second term as the Avs head coach. Murray, Melrose, Wilson and Hartsburg have such experience with other NHL teams.
John Anderson and Bruce Boudreau recently won the AHL’s Calder Cup. Anderson did so just last season with the Chicago Wolves, his fourth championship with that team. Boudreau accomplished the feat in 2006 with the Hershey Bears. When the Capitals moved Hanlon out at Thanksgiving, the team was D.R.T., (Dead…Right There). But Boudreau, a close friend of Anderson’s, guided that team to the Southeast Division crown.
Scott Gordon was named the AHL’s coach of the year last season while with the Providence Bruins. You’ll probably also remember him from his days as a player and assistant coach for the Atlanta Knights back in the mid-nineties.
Peter DeBoer lifted the J. Ross Robertson Cup last season as he coached the Kitchener Rangers to the OHL championship. He is a two-time coach of the year in that league and also led the Rangers to the Memorial Cup in 2003.
Todd McClellan, Tony Granato and Craig Hartsburg have the privilege of taking over playoff teams. San Jose’s second-round departure was a disappointment and Ottawa simply collapsed down the stretch before being swept away in the first round by Pittsburgh. Granato, of course, was behind the bench for the last several seasons in Colorado.
Anderson, Melrose, Gordon and Murray all take over lottery pick teams from last year.
Of those who were shown the door last season but failed to gain employment elsewhere, the names that stick out to me are Hartley, Tortorella, Quenneville and Maurice. Two, Hartley and Torts, are Stanley Cup winners and Quenneville has taken teams to nine playoff births in eleven seasons as a coach. Paul Maurice’s Toronto teams didn’t fair very well, but he has had postseason success in Carolina…taking them to the finals in 2002.
However, their being left out this time around is probably due to the willingness of NHL clubs to turn to new faces that were successful in other leagues…new coaches to handle the fresh crop of young stars that have entered into the league recently. Out with the old, pre-lockout style thinking…in with the new, I suppose.
I’ll also add that I am a bit surprised that Mike Sullivan lost out on a chance to take over a team during this coaching turnaround cycle.
But with the start of a new season comes the possibility that the coaching carousel will get started once again. Given that…who is on the hot seat starting off the season?
Andy Murray, who is entering into the third season as head coach of the Blues? After qualifying for postseason every year between 1980 and 2004, St. Louis hasn’t returned since.
Alain Vigneault in Vancouver? Missing the playoffs last season by three points was enough for them to change GMs. A bad start could cause Mike Gillis to seek a coach of his own choosing.
Craig MacTavish? After coming within a game of the Stanley Cup in 2006, the Oilers haven’t returned to post-season play, although last year they were only three points out like Vancouver. I’d be surprised if he was even on a warm seat right now.
Ken Hitchcock in Columbus? The coach that lead Dallas to the cup in ’99 is entering his third season with the CBJs…but last year saw improvements from the one prior when he took over in November of that year.
Regardless, the great coaching carousel has come full circle and is now at a stop…at least for now.
Trudging Through Augh-ust
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yesterday was August 10…exactly two months before the puck drops on a new season for the Atlanta Thrashers and we begin to watch the John Anderson era unfold in Thrasherville.
Between now and then we will deal with getting the kiddies re-acclimated to school life… enjoy some more of the heat and humidity that comes with summer… watch as the Braves finish their season, winning about as many games as the Thrashers had points last year…observe as the Falcons trudge their way through the preseason and first five real games, (BTW, I thought Matt Ryan looked pretty good Saturday night)…and probably even suffer through a Presidential debate or two…you know, ”Yes you did”…”No I didn’t”…Yes you did”…”No I didn’t”…whatev.
Of course, some of you no doubt have Saturday August 30th circled on your calendars as Mark Richt and his Georgia Bulldogs begin the campaign to justify their top ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll. You gotta know our own Junkyard Blawg-Dawg Bill King is just chompin’ to get this thing going!
Others are looking forward to the beginning of the Paul Johnson era at GA Tech on Thursday August 28 against Jacksonville State. He was able to direct the Midshipmen of the US Naval Academy to a 45-29 record in six seasons and was 2-2 in bowl games. Before that, Johnson guided the Eagles of Georgia Southern to 62 wins in 72 regular season games and won 2 Division I-AA championships.
Me? …Friday October 10, 2008 at 7:30pm. The rest is just filler in the gap between now and then. Sure, there will be training camp and pre-season games to be played before that. But opening night is special, when the slates are wiped clean for all 30 teams and the quests to crown a new champ begins anew.
But for now we have August, the dead month for NHL fans… or Augh-ust, as I call it. The Stanley Cup Finals were over with two months ago. The draft is done, the dust raised during the free agency frenzy has all but settled and Thrashers fans are left looking for some more moves to finally bring into shape the roster that will take to the ice this fall.
To that measure…allow me to offer up the following possibility for discussion.
Seeing that it’s entirely possible that the Florida Panthers could be looking to move Jay Bouwmeester… whom they recently signed to a one-year $4.875 million contract…what if Don Waddell were to nose into the possibility of bringing him here?
Of course there are questions about whether or not the Panthers would want to deal such a promising young defender to an intra-divisional foe. Even if they were so inclined…what would the asking price be? Exelby or Little with a high draft pick as well? That could be a bit pricey for someone with only a 1-year contract.
But if I’m in D-Dub’s position, I would at least be willing to entertain such a notion…if Florida were open to it as well…to see if the blueliner could be had for a “reasonable” price.
Last season, Bouwmeester played in all 82 games logging an amazing 27:28 average time on ice, (compare that to Tobias Enstrom who led the Thrashers with 24:28 TOI). He contributed 15 goals and 22 assists. Those 37 points would have tied him with Todd White for seventh best on last year’s Thrashers roster and the 15 goals equaled Bobby Holik’s total, which was the fourth highest for our team. Bouwmeester’s 22 helpers would have been the eighth best for Atlanta last season.
Jay Bouwmeester is also no stranger to coach John Anderson. During the lockout, he played in 18 games for the Chicago Wolves scoring 6 goals and 3 assists during that time.
Certainly, the Thrashers have cap room for the soon-to-be 25-year old who was the third overall pick in 2002…you know, just after Kari Lehtonen was chosen by the Thrashers. And just think of the defensive lines you could skate out there…Havelid-Enstrom…Hainsey-Bouwmeester…Bogosian-Valabik/Klee. I’d be comfy with that.
Regardless, I’m sure many would opine that it makes more sense to take that type of money and address the front lines…and you absolutely would have a point. But the flip side to that argument would be that… if the team truly is in the process of rebuilding…would it not be prudent to do so from the pipes forward? The goalie situation is solid…if they add to that a decent defensive corps, then that would allow John Anderson’s O-fense the time needed to come into shape.
In other words…rebuild in the opposite fashion than the original project.
Just a thought for discussion to help get us through Augh-ust.
Other Items For You
NHLPA Executive Director Paul Kelly will be meeting with all 30 NHL teams this fall looking to get some type of feel from the players regarding re-opening the CBA next year. Also, he is concerned of an “icy relationship” between the NHL and KHL if Alexander Radulov is allowed to play for Salavat Ufa seeing that he is currently under contract with the Nashville Predators.
Toronto’s Bryan McCabe has recently made overtures that he may be willing to waive the no movement clause of his contract.
The Great One reflects back on the day that changed the game 20 years ago.
Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News points out that enforcers are still a big part of today’s NHL.
The New York Islanders are still trying to work out who their next coach will be. However, it looks like they are down to three possibilities…one of them being Bob Hartley.
Nikulin Says “Nyet” To Thrashers?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
According to sports.ru, Russian defenseman Ilya Nikulin will be staying put in Russia. Now, for those of us who don’t speak Russian…I’ve taken the liberty of running it through freetranslation.com and have come up with this:
“The decision the Account in opposition between NHL and КХЛ has increased in favour of the Russian league. Defender Ilya Nikulin has decided to remain in ” Ак the Leopard ” for one season though it had a real offer from “Atlanta”. We, certainly, are glad - the good hockey player has remained at home. But here if to look at it on the other hand. Ilya had fine chances to play in Ilya Kovalchuka’s club. It could act in the best league of the world and receive invaluable experience. And if that would not turn out, having returned to Russia, Никулин all the same would not remain without work. But it has accepted the decision here such”.
Ummm…OK. I guess that’s why it’s “free”.
Here’s another attempt at it from one of our regular posters who seems to have a better grasp of the language.
Either way, if this report is to be believed…Nikulin won’t be in Atlanta this season. Don Waddell went down this road with Nikulin last summer and now here we are again.
My official position on this development is simply that I still hope the Russian player will indeed be a Thrasher soon. I think he could be a great asset to the blueline. But I’m not sitting around waiting for his arrival as if he’s the great savior of this team. If Nikulin does choose to remain in his homeland and complete the contract he currently is under, then more power to him.
One also has to take into consideration the situation the NHL and KHL are dealing with at this time when it comes to players currently under contracts with clubs in those leagues. I’m sure a lot of that has played a part here as well.
So, without Nikulin and barring any acquisitions by way of trade, the defensive corps of Havelid, Enstrom, Hainsey, Bogosian, Klee, XLB and Valabik will be the most likely to start the season.
Information Overload
Eric Boulton provides his first big assist of the season. He recently helped handout backpacks filled with school supplies at the Agape Community Center as well as present them with a check for $10,000 to support the center’s GOGIRLGO! Program from the Atlanta Thrashers Foundation.
Bryan Little is going to participate in a “Pros vs. Politicians” charity hockey game next week in Barrie, Ontario.
It was 20 years ago this weekend that “The Trade” went down sending Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings.
We’re are at the beginning of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games…but our neighbors to the north are already looking to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. Honestly…I can’t say I blame them.
Apparently, Mats Sundin needs to check his phone messages.
Scott Burnside writes about Ray Emery’s attempt to right his ship.
And finally…I’ve been told that there is a really good article here by Craig Custance regarding the five things he would change about the NHL. I’ve tried and I’ve tried to read it…but every time I view it, all I can see is the picture of Erin Andrews…nothing else. It must be some sort of an optical illusion.
Summers Will Simply Not Be The Same
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By now you’ve all heard about the passing of longtime Braves announcer Skip Caray. He had battled illness for some time now, but news of his death still came as quite a surprise to me nonetheless. He was 68-years of age. I hope you will forgive me for remembering him in this little hockey forum.
I first started listening to Caray in the summer of 1980 when my family moved to the Atlanta area. I was 15 at the time and my becoming a follower and fan of that team was just as much because of him and the way he delivered the play-by-play as it was the team. He had a way of making one feel like they were sitting in on a conversation more than simply listening to information about a game.
Throughout the years I listen to ball games with my buddies as we cruised about the town at night. I travel the southeast with my soon-to-be bride with his voice coming through the car speakers, (I always had a station list of those broadcasting the games). The Braves were terrible in the mid to late 80s…but Skip made it tolerable. Even through the Eddie Haas years.
When the divine Mrs. R and I wed and moved to Tampa, Florida, his presence remained as cable brought Braves baseball into our apartment. We returned to Atlanta in the summer of ’91…you remember that year, don’t you?
I rocked both of my boys to sleep in the early nineties while watching the team and listening to his broadcasts…late night diaper changes and feedings were accompanied by Skip and the gang if there was a game played from the left coast. Up until a couple years ago, I always laughed with my two tax-exemptions about how the Braves never missed post-season since they came around. Summertime always meant Braves baseball and Skip with Don, Joe, and Pete…whether I was grilling on the deck with the radio on, traveling to the in-laws down in Jacksonville, Florida or simply on the TV as we went about our evening activities.
Throughout the years, we listen as Skip called those plays that will forever remain with all Atlanta sports fans…from announcing the first ever World Series games played in Atlanta, Sid’s slide at the plate…to “Yes! Yes! Yes! The Atlanta Braves have given you a championship”!
In 2003 when TBS removed Skip and Pete from the TV broadcast booth in an attempt to bring in more non-Braves viewers, the outcry from fans was so great that the network capitulated and placed them both back.
When his father, Harry Caray, passed away…we mourned along with him. So many of us sent him well wishes. He remembered and mentioned those touching tributes last September when the Braves ended their 30-year run being nationally televised on TBS.
Caray was sometimes tough on the team, but he always told it like it was…at least in his eyes. He was a Braves fan, but he wasn’t a “homer” in my eyes. If the team stunk out the place… that would be what he said. If the opposing pitcher threw a dandy game to beat the Braves…he would acknowledge that and give him the proverbial tip-of-the hat. He was honest and real.
Skip’s son, Chip, said that one of the last things he got to say to his dad on Saturday was “I love you” as they spoke on the phone. “I hope and pray he’s not hurting anymore”, the younger Caray said. “I hope and pray he’s sitting on a barstool somewhere with his dad arguing about baseball, and his mom and his brother who he misses dearly. I hope he’s at peace”.
Indeed.
We’ll miss ya Skip. And now, I think I’ll go walk the dog…promising to patronize the sponsors.
In Hockey Related News
The Thrashers’ radio booth will be Odgers-less this season.
Earlier this summer, Kovy said, “Thanks…but no thanks” to the KHL. And everyone said…”Hallelujah”!
Terry Frei of ESPN.com ranks the NHL’s bench bosses.
Why would Scotty Bowman leave the Red Wing’s organ-I-zation to go to Chi-town? Brian Compton knows why.
Want to understand why a team would trade a promising youngster for an over-priced vet seemingly past his prime? Jim Kelley of SI.com explains.
And Finally
The winner of today’s ID-10-T Award…
A man from Jacksonville, Florida became outraged enough to call 911… twice… when a local Subway shop failed to put sauce on his sandwich. The first time was because of the improperly made sub…the second was to complain about the time it was taking for police to respond.
Tobias Enstrom: Super Swede
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Among the few bright spots last season was the surprisingly strong play of Tobias Enstrom. The native of Nordingra, Sweden didn’t even celebrate his 23rd birthday until a month into the season, but the Thrashers defender played as though he had been around this league for several years. Paired up with Nic Havelid, they were the most dependable D-line all year long.
Toby was a workhorse for Atlanta averaging 24:28 ATOI. Last March versus Minnesota he logged an amazing 33:39 time on the ice, helping his team to a 3-2 shootout win against the eventual Northwest Division champs. It seemed like all Don Waddell had to do was wind him up and let him go…the Energizer Bunny of the team he certainly was.
Enstrom also was of great help on the O-fensive side of the blueline as well. His 5 goals may not seem like a huge amount, but they were the most scored by any of the Thrashers defenders. However, his 33 assists tied Eric Perrin for second highest on the entire team…just two shy of Ilya Kovalchuk’s 35.
If the Thrashers look to have any measure of success this coming year, one of the reasons most certainly will be if Tobias Enstrom builds upon his rookie success. Personally, I would be surprised if anything other were to be the case for our Super Swede.
Other Items For Your Reading Pleasure
Chris Thorburn recently helped out at the C.H.O.A. “Rehab Summer Games” at Philips Arena. As Chris obviously knows, you can never go wrong helping out with children. Well done, Thorny!
If you were making plans to attend the January 10th Thrashers game against the Panthers down in Sunrise, Florida…please take note of the changed start time.
Steve Yzerman has a word of advice for Mats Sundin and Joe Sakic in regards to whether or not to hang up the skates. If you have any doubts about it whatsoever…don’t!
Jay Bouwmeester is obviously a “short-timer” in the Panthers organ-I-zation. But Allan Muir discusses the possibility that maybe Florida should package him up now. So…what do you think it might be worth to see the young Edmonton native who was selected right after Kari Lehtonen suited up in Thrasher blue?
It seems as though the Thrashers are not the only team in the league that will be looking to the young-uns to help out this year.
Last season, Atlanta had a miserable record in respect to back-to-back games. In a recent piece for HockeyBuzz.com, Kat Kealy discusses how such games affect teams.
And finally…the world’s oldest joke has been traced back to about 1900 B.C., (I think that might mean “Before Comicus-Maximus). Anyway, it’s nice to see that sophomoric potty jokes and crude comedic content were alive and well back in the day!
A Blueland Without Kovy?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
John Kincade of 680 The Fan…the home of your Atlanta Thrashers…recently opined that the Thrashers should just go ahead and trade Ilya Kovalchuk right now. Apparently the co-host of The Buck and Kincade show feels like the team is just going to get “Hossa-ed” by the Russian forward anyway, so why not deal him away now…get more bang for the buck while ya can. Don’t wait for the trade deadline two seasons from now…the value for him is at its peak now.
Now, this is not the first I’ve ever heard of just such a notion. In fact, I’ve even read one or two of you state much the same thing for much the same reason as Kincade does.
But, I just gotta be honest with you here…when I first took a gander at this story, my head started pounding and I think I felt a blood vessel burst in the back of my eyeball! I mean really…a Blueland with no Kovy???
And you thought the tickets reps had a tough job now?
Don’t get me wrong, my near stroke wasn’t because I think Kincade is off on some mindless rant. No, no, no…he knows a thing or two about hockey and the NHL mind you. Plus he even makes a logical, reasoned argument for just such a move. So, I have no beef with the man preaching this sermon. If nothing else, it makes for good discussion.
It’s just the thought of such a thing happening, the possibility that it could even be discussed seriously…well …just Gawd almighty! I think I’d rather consider having bamboo shoots run up under my nails…or having electrical wires leading from a car battery clipped to my…um…ears.
Or, worse still, sit through an entire sales pitch by a time-share salesman, (which is a practice I believe the Pentagon is considering replacing water boarding with).
Would it be a bold move, as John claims it’d be? Sure…sure it would. But would it be “bold” like Michael Dukakis puttin’ on that helmet and having pictures taken of himself riding around in that tank? I’m sure someone told him that was a brilliant idea at the time.
See, unlike Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk isn’t just an Atlanta Thrasher… he IS the Atlanta Thrashers right now. He is the man to build an O-fense around. One cannot give up and send him away simply because they’re afraid he might walk in two years. Besides, the players you’d get in return…are THEY going to make this team their own? Are THEY going to arrive in Atlanta all smiley-like and giggling ‘til they puke because they just left Montreal or Calgary or Minnesota or Colorado or New York or Boston to play for the Waddell/Spirit Group-led Thrashers?
Sha-RIGHT!
I promise you…those players, no matter how good they might be, are far more likely to “Hossa” our butts down the road than Kovy is.
Nope… I simply must disagree with Mr. Kincade on this one. Oh, I understand his logic…his reasons. I even agree with the past history he bases his opinion on. But I just think that the Thrashers simply must continue to make Kovalchuk their franchise player…not just in word but also in deed. Make him the captain this year, allow him the input to what the makeup of his line should be, pay him what needs to be paid, make whatever deal is needed to bring in the center and/or other talent that will compliment him and his play-making abilities. And as tough as that last task seems to have been lately, it’ll be a far more difficult to replace the player and talent that is Kovy. So, they simply must continue with that effort.
In short, do everything humanly possible to convince him that this is his team, this is his home and this is the best place for his future. But don’t give up without a fight and trade him away out of fear he might not sign.
There is a difference between rebuilding and starting over from scratch.
Now…where’s that freakin’ Tylenol?
Services »