Bryan Little was awarded the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy on Sunday before the Thrashers' final game of the season, and Little called it "a huge honor."
Snyder, a former Thrashers player, was killed in an automobile accident in 2003. The award is given annually to the player “who best embodies perseverance, dedication and hard work without reward or recognition so that his teammates might succeed.”
“I didn’t know Dan, I only have heard about him, how good of a guy he was and what he meant to the hockey team,” Little said. “You hear nothing but good things about him. It’s one of those things where I wish I could have met him and had a chance to know him.”
Snyder's mother, LuAnn, and brother, Jake, presented Little with the award.
Little, the seventh recipient of the award, met Snyder’s family in October 2009 when the team visited the Dan Snyder Memorial Arena opened in his hometown of Elmira, Ontario.
“That was amazing,” Little said. “Seeing that ovation we had there and the support their family has. They are all such great people and it was great to get a chance to meet them. That was a great experience for everyone that got to be there.”
Andrew Ladd won the team MVP Award and Chris Thorburn received the Players' Player Award.
Klingberg debuts
It's been quite a year for Carl Klingberg. The forward made his NHL debut on Sunday after beginning the hockey season in the Swedish Elite League and then moving to AHL Chicago last month.
Klingberg, a second-round pick (34th overall) for the Thrashers in 2009, was recalled from the AHL on Saturday because of a knee injury to Eric Boulton.
“It’s a dream coming true,” Klingberg said. “I was in Chicago and didn’t play so much because they had their team the whole season and didn’t want to ruin that. It was absolutely a surprise, but it was a positive surprise, and I’m really excited right now.”
Klingberg had one goal in eight games with the Wolves. He becomes the fifth Thrasher to make his NHL debut this season, joining Alexander Burmistrov, Patrice Cormier, Paul Postma and Andrey Zubarev.
As with the others, Klingberg got thrown into the action. He began the game playing left wing on a line with Rob Schremp and Chris Thorburn.
"It's a good chance to see the young boy play," coach Craig Ramsay said. "He's full of life and energy. … I don't know him but we might as well find out what he's all about. The only way to do it is to get him going."
Boulton was injured on Friday night against Carolina. He tested the knee at practice on Saturday but ultimately was scratched as a precaution.
“He just didn’t feel quite right [Saturday],” Ramsay said.
The Thrashers also played without forward Rob Schremp, who was a late scratch with concussion-like symptoms. Defenseman Tobias Enstrom (shoulder) and forward Radek Dvorak (concussion-like symptoms) also missed the game.
Ownership update
Thrashers president Don Waddell addressed the media following the game about the team's future. The franchise is for sale and the possibility that it could be relocated, perhaps by next season.
Waddell said the organization is doing everything it can to to remain in Atlanta.
“We’ve had lots of people inquire,” Waddell said. “We’ve had a couple groups go to the next step and looking at the [financial] numbers. Nothing is close at all. This is a long process. When our current ownership group went through this it took almost a year to finalize.”
Thrashers 27th in attendance
The Thrashers had an announced attendance of 16,086 for the season finale with a vocal Pittsburgh contingent. The Thrashers ended the season with a total attendance of 537, 579. The average of 13,112 was 27th in the NHL.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
