Thrashers’ new coach needs Rolaids relief

When the closed-circuit cameras found new Thrashers coach John Anderson during pre-game introductions Friday night, he was straight-faced, and a little red-faced.

“About 10 Rolaids and I was OK,” Anderson explained afterward. “I made it to the starting face-off.”

For a guy who had coached 1,022 games in the minors and played in 814 games in the NHL for Toronto, Quebec and Harford, coaching his first game in the NHL was a different deal. A very big deal.

After the Thrashers won his debut 7-4 over Washington, in the quiet of the hallway past the Thrashers locker room, his mother Colleen Anderson put it in perspective for him.

“This is the most exciting day of his whole life,” said Colleen, who’d made the trip down from Toronto and joined 19 other family members at the game. “Except one thing, his dad is not with us anymore. He passed away. I guess your heart is always there. You know he’s watching up above.”

That’s what she told John as she leaned in to whisper in his ear. Joe Anderson passed away 15 years ago. He was the one who passed on his love for hockey to his son.

“It’s been a long journey and a wonderful one,” Colleen said. “He’s so enthusiastic about the game of hockey, since he was four years old. The biggest thrill he said was when he was only about a year old and his dad was playing hockey, and he put him up on his shoulders and skated him around the rink after the game.”

Anderson had to hang on for his thrill ride Friday.

He clutched a legal pad for dear life as the game came down to the final six minutes in the third period. One of his former minor-leaguers, Chicago Wolves’ Bryan Little, beat Brent Johnson for the game-winner. And Colby Armstrong poured in another within 30 seconds.

By then, Anderson could break out into a little pacing behind the bench, stopping only to stare intently up at the scoreboard clock. When Todd White scored a power play goal with 3:53 left, Anderson could sneak in a smile.

The Thrashers had rolled up seven goals on the defending Southeastern Division champions.

“You could tell after we won how excited he was,” Little said. “He’s the kind of coach that makes you want to play for him, and play hard for him. He got just as excited as a player out there and that’s what’s special about him.”

The Thrashers scored as many goals in the first period Friday as they had in their first two games last year as Bob Hartley was phased out after an 0-6 start. Friday felt like the start of something special for Anderson.

And the parts he’ll remember most?

“The crowd noise,” he said. “I was surprised how loud it was. It wasn’t easy. No lead is safe. No win will come easy.”