blueland outsider

So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish

2009-09-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

After ten months and ~125 posts, the outsider is going on hiatus. The Falconer has asked me to join the team he's assembled over at Birdwatchers Anonymous, and posting will continue there. Expect such outsider mainstays as "Open Letters", "LoLThrash", and the newly-minted "Four Reasons" format. And hopefully some things that you may actually want to read. Also joining are the fantabulous Timmyf and the equally stupendous EvilMilkShake. Won't you join us?

Wait. I guess that would make us the BWA-Team, and Falconer would be Hannibal.

Do I want to be Face or BA Baracus? BA drove the van... and was Mr. T.... But Face was Face... AND Lt. Starbuck. Wow.

Wrap your head around that one...

A Quick Favor...

2009-09-10T13:22:00.002-04:00

Anybody have an extra ticket for Monday night's prospect game in Duluth against Nashville? If so, give me a shout, and I can find it a home. Spread the joys of preseason hockey.

Four Reasons for Concern In Blueland

2009-09-02T13:31:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, the outsider gave you Four Reasons The Thrashers Will Do Better This Year. Today, the other side of the coin: Four Reasons for Concern in Blueland. If you're a Thrasher fan, none of these are particularly startling revelations. In fact, some of these have become mantras of sorts for the Blueland faithful.

Four Reasons for Concern In Blueland

Chemistry. We've been down this road before, folks. Remember last year? Jason Williams was supposed to be a talented scorer that was going to center Ilya Kovalchuk to a third round playoff run. Mathieu Schneider was supposed to be not just a mentor to Zach Bogosian, but a quarterback to lead our power play out of sub-mediocrity. Erik Christensen was supposed to anchor our secondary scoring with his little dipsy-do abilities. How many of those guys even came close to fulfilling those expectations (other than Schneider's mentoring of Bogo)?

The Ilya Kovalchuk Three Ring Circus and Big Top. Every arena (but Atlanta's) will have a media mob, frothing at the mouth to disrupt the Thrashers dressing room in any way they can with trade speculation, contract questions, and general stupidity. I don't know if you've noticed, but the rest of the NHL has decided that Atlanta doesn't deserve Ilya Kovalchuk, and would love to see him in any other sweater as soon as fricken possible. If our boys can manage to tune out all of the rampant idiocy, they'll be ok; but, man, those dancing elephants in Montreal can be very distracting...

33 Shots Per Game. That's how many shots against the Thrashers averaged in the 08-09 campaign. -4.6 shots per game. That's the shot differential (per game) for last year's Thrashers (League average? Zero, strangely enough). Of course, these numbers aren't such a worry if you have a solid cut-and-dry number one goalie behind you to... oh wait...

Weasels, Ponies, and Moose, Oh My. The Thrashers goalie carousel continued it's roundabouts last year as Kari Lehtonen was felled by injuries, what, three times? Neither Ondrej Pavelec nor Johan Hedberg could provide consistent relief. Remember that dark night in December when the Bruins lit 'em up for 4 goals in about the first period? Something has to change if the Thrashers are to have any hope of a playoff run. If Atlanta fails in net again this year, it won't be for lack of trying. Check out the list of names invited to camp: Hedberg, Lehtonen, Drew Macintyre, Peter Mannino, Pavelec, and now Manny Legace. Let me say it again: Manny Legace. Some how, some way, one of those FIVE gentlemen must have enough goalkeeping ability to keep the Thrashers in any given game. Right?

Anybody?

Enough pessimism for today. If you'd like to check out some other stuff I've contributed lately, check out these links:

Illegal Curve

Puck Daddy

Four Reasons the Thrashers Will Do Better This Year

2009-09-01T11:19:00.007-04:00

This being the first preseason for the blueland outsider, I wanted to do some kind of season preview. So, in little bite size chunks, I give you four reasons why I think the Thrashers will be much improved this year. As a bonus, I've included my suggested lines for the upcoming season. So... don't sweat it Coach Johnny, I took care of it for ya, and I won't tell anyone. My man. Tomorrow, we'll have Four Reasons for Concern. I know, limiting it to four is going to be tough, but I'm up to the challenge.

Four Reasons the Thrashers Will Do Better This Year

Addition By Addition. The Thrashers actually went out and picked up not one, but two “name” players this summer. Nik Antropov is a big man not afraid of going into the kitchen to get himself a snack. Whomever he's lined up with (and my preferred lines are at the end of this post) will benefit from this fact. Imagine this, if you will: A Bogo-Kovy-Little-Pevs-Antro power play unit. Or, Kovalchuk on the left, Peverley on the right, and Antropov and his big ole butt planted directly in front of Varlamov or Fleury or anybody, with Antro burying a rebound from his comrade's howitzer of a slap shot. Kubina is a top-four d-man, to be sure, but even the fact that his outlet passes are better than Garnet Exelby's, plants this deal in the upgrade column. Kubina also brings an offensive sensibility that Exelby just didn't have, and solidifies (as well as legitimizes) the Thrashers top four defensemen.

Addition By Subtraction. Jason Williams. Erik Christensen. Eric Perrin. Nic Havelid. All non-believers, all gone. Williams moved on to Columbus, had some on-ice success, but is now with his 4th club in 3 years. Christensen... well, I don't wanna pile on. Eric Perrin was extremely unhappy last year. The only anti-Havelid statement I'll make is this: fantastic player, not the right kind of player for HC Johnny A's system. You could see he wasn't the player he had been – pretty easy to cover up in a conservative system, not so much when you're mongoosing your opponent to death. In a big-picture sense, the ajc.com article from yesterday seems to confirm what I thought: not everyone was buying the kind of burgers John Anderson was selling. Once again, not to pick on X too much (love ya, baby), Kubina is an upgrade at an historically weak spot for the Thrashers.

Let the Kids Play. A full season of Bogo and Tobes has me very excited. Call me crazy, but I have a hunch that this will become the Thrashers top d-pairing by the end of this year. After a rough start to their partnership last year, they began to coalesce into a pretty tough pair. Having seen a full year of what Brian Little can do, I can easily picture him being a point-per-game player. Tim Stapleton is a big unknown, but just might have the type of game that could earn him some ice time in a complimentary system and a Thrasher lineup that has some space. Anssi Salmella. Nathan Oystrick. Boris Valabik. They're all too young to know they're not supposed to win.

The Last 26 Games. February 15, 2009 thru April 11, 2009. 16-9-1. The leadership of Ilya Kovalchuk. 8 short-handed goals. A 9-4 home record. The comeback shootout victory over the Rangers. Kari's 50 saves against Washington. A whole bunch of very quiet Sabre fans shuffling out of Phillips. No one wants to see the Thrashers succeed more than I do, and even my homerism can't conceal the fact that Atlanta played some incredibly solid hockey last year. If they play this whole year as they played the last third of last year, we WILL see extra hockey in Atlanta this April.

The Offical blueland outsider Line Combos!
(note: I didn't forget Evander Kane. My personal feeling is that he might need just one more year in juniors to bulk up before he can be effective in Atlanta. Sure, he might be able to make the team out of camp, but I just don't see him on the top two lines, and I think it would be a disservice to him to play on the third or fourth lines. I may change my mind between now and opening night, but... I doubt it.)

Kovalchuk – Peverley – Antropov
Swap the Dispenser & Antro as needed.

Kozlov – White – Little
The Kahlua line won't be as strong this year, but will still have some kick.

Stewart/Crabb/Sterling – Reasoner – Armstrong
Imma call this The Business Line. As in, it's Business Time, call the Business Line. And this Business Line brings the Party.

Thorburn – Slater – Boulton
The Return of the Greek Gods.

Hainsey – Kubina
Bogosian – Enstrom
Valabik/Salmella/Oystrick

Please allow me to leave you with this nugget of wisdom for you to marinate on:

Being a Thrasher fan – it's kind of like being punk rock in a hick town.

Fandom Redefined.

2009-08-28T12:16:00.015-04:00

Jumping right back into the fray, as it were.

The other day, a link from Greg Wyshynski’s Twitter feed caught my eye:

New Puck Daddy: The revenge of the best, worst NHL fan base rankings http://bit.ly/19iVDj
10:07 AM Aug 26th from twitterfeed

So I click, and I find some obviously suspect research. If you’re here, you’ve read enough about it already, and I’ll spare you the warming-over (btw, if you haven’t seen the response by Jibblescribbits, you owe it to yourself to take a gander. How that much awesome came forth that quickly, I’ll never know. That’s probably why he’s Jibblescribbits, and I’m the Blueland Outsider. So… there you go.). I will also avoid linking directly to the story. This dude has gotten flamed more than a Whopper since the PD article, and I don’t really want to see that happen to anybody.

Anyway, I wondered what would make a fanbase good? Obviously, home attendance has a lot to do with it. Even here in Atlanta, those games against the Wings and Pens and Rags and other big-draw teams that pull the transplants out of the woodwork like so many pillbugs and grubs from a rotting stump don’t do much to bump our otherwise dismal attendance at Phillips. So there you have criteria one: average attendance against arena max capacity.

Criteria two is a little trickier. Yes, internet fandom is an ingrained fact of life at this point in time, and must be taken VERY seriously. If someone feels strongly enough about something to start a blog and regularly update it (even if the resulting posts may never be The Brothers Karamazov), they must be a passionate fan, right? But what to do about message boards? In my conversing with the guy that spawned this whole controversy, he made the point that message boards wouldn’t be the most accurate way to determine fan activity due to the creation of multiple accounts, other fans cross-posting, etc. Okay, so message boards are out, but to rely on a Google search in the middle of August to determine NHL fan activity? Little bit of a copout, my friend.

So here’s what I did. I hit SBnation – a very well-known, reputable & reliable source of hockey fandom – and I copied the blogroll from each teams’ page. The reasoning here is, if you have a respectable blog, a bigger blog would naturally link to it. I then removed the following:

Any blog from a news outlet, mainstream (sorry, Rawhide) or marginal (i.e. Creative Loafing, or other regional equivalent).
Any “official” team blogs (sorry, Ben).
Any blogs that haven’t been updated this summer (last post = June 1 or later).
Any blogs that covered more than one sport.
Any links that were solely message boards (see above justification).
Any blogs that were just drawings of Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin (I’d like to think we have some semblance of taste here at the Outsider.).

I took the total number of blogs for each team, multiplied that by four (just to make the numbers look pretty), averaged it with the attendance number I mentioned above, and voila, little better fan rankings. I did manage to avoid commentary on every team, realizing that it may make sound... well... like a pompous homer. If you want that, all you have to do is look at just about any other post I've made.

I make no claims to this being a perfect system, only a refinement to what’s been thrown out there, so without further ado…

These are the total scores. Some surprises:

- Players may not want to go to Edmonton, but the fans show up, have a good time, and then post marginally coherent stories on the internet the next day. Good times.

- Toronto fans show up, but most likely live less than fifty miles from the arena, so they can share their Leaf-related exploits face-to-face. Thusly, not as many Leaf blogs readily available.

- Montreal fans are too busy trying to catch their players in compromising positions and lighting things on fire to bother with blogging.

- Ottawa's average attendance dropped .7% from last year - upon hearing this, Danny Heatley expressed a desire to play in a "real hockey town." Just not Edmonton.

- Columbus fans can't show up OR blog... and I even counted Portzline, cause he doesn't really blog about hockey - just some sport he makes up in his head that happens to resemble hockey.

- Atlanta? Well, when it comes to online presence, we're pretty respectable. Up in the top third, according to my research. Attendance? Well, we're working on that.

- Florida swears their blogs will show up soon - right after their kids come down and program that fricken' VCR.

- The Islanders fans are probably pretty jazzed to be near the top of something that doesn't say "Draft Order".

Just for giggles, here are the separate listings for web presence and attendance percentage:

So that's the story, folks. More research than you'll find elsewhere, less than you need for an actual scientific study. Join us next week as we try to decipher the ages-old mystery of the Wings fan: Is obnoxiousness directly proportionate to their distance from Detroit?

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

2009-08-24T18:14:00.003-04:00

“He is eager for the season to commence,” said Jay Grossman, Kovalachuk’s agent. “He said he has had the best offseason workout program that he’s ever had. He’s the captain and he wants to lead.”

From ajc.com

Just play already.

Thrashers Flashback

2009-07-31T14:04:00.001-04:00

Retail is not for those with a weak constitution.

I may be back soon.

Like I'm Supposed to Be Excited She's Wearing a Friggin Backpack?

2009-07-15T17:22:00.005-04:00

The outsider will be (and has been) taking a break. As lucrative as this hockey blogging is(n't), the responsibilities of my IRL job come calling, and I must head to a trade show.

Yea, baby. Nashvegas. And a tenuous connection to a post title.

Ah yes, the ins and outs of trying to get people to buy frivolous unnecessary items when disposable income is harder to find than Ovechkin on the backcheck. I figure it's a good time to go. We still have a little of that contact high from camp, and you all have the schedule to play with, so I don't think you'll be needing my particular brand of snark for a couple of days. I'll return soon with all sorts of bloggity goodness.

Prospect Interview: John Albert

2009-07-13T12:16:00.001-04:00

First, a bit of honesty:

As we Thrasher bloggers gathered rinkside at the IceForum to be led for Media Availability, I was a little concerned. I had done research, but was it enough? This was the first time I had ever interviewed someone on any level, and then I planned to throw the results up on the internet for the world to see. Fortunately, it didn't end up a total trainwreck, and a lot of the credit needs to go to John Albert. He was engaging and easy to talk to. Once we got into a little bit of a rhythm, I began to remember some of the things I had read in my research, and quickly discarded some of the, um, lesser questions I had hastily scribbled at the last minute (unfortunately, that means we are deprived of learning Mr. Albert's favorite sandwich topping; my apologies).

To really get an idea of John as a player, you really don't have to go any further than this quote from Thrashers Director of Scouting Dan Marr:

Johnny is an old fashioned hockey player. He has that knack for being in the right place at the right time. He knows what the situation calls for and he makes the plays. If it is the type of game where it is about speed and skill, if it is a game where you have to fight one-on-one battles to get through--he will grit it out. He's a little back of throw back--a natural--his hockey instincts are very natural.

John may not be a big guy (5'11", 180lbs), but he has good legs and soft hands. He talked about being a play-maker, and you can see it in his game. He's a bright kid with an even brighter hockey future ahead of him. I really look forward to seeing John more at camp and (hopefully) in a Thrashers sweater.

You went to college versus going the junior hockey route; can you talk a little bit about that decision?

I think education is a very important part of life right now. With the economy, it's always good to get a degree. School is the number one priority for me and my family - it was a big thing for us that I get an education. I've been a life-long Ohio State Buckeye at heart, so it was a great opportunity for me to go to a school that I love.

What do you think that you're getting out of going to school, other than the education? There's talk about players coming out of college having a different hockey mindset going in the game, rather than having spent their whole lives just playing in juniors. Is there a difference in the way that you view the game now?

Not necessarily. I think that, obviously, every high level you play at, whether it's OHL or college, there's great competition, so I think either is going to get you prepared for the NHL. The best thing about going to college is obviously the education, and that was the biggest thing to me. I think we have a great strength coach there at Ohio State, and getting stronger is a big part of playing in the NHL.

You were a sophomore this past year. I read a lot about how your coach wanted a little more out of you and a couple of other guys on the team. What did you learn from that as far as being a leader, as far motivating guys, kind of at a young age, but still having to step into a leadership role?

Yea, I'm very young myself, and having to be a leader on the team as a sophomore was a hard thing for me to kind of first grasp. When I got in there my sophomore year, they told me they wanted me to be one of the leaders on the team. We didn't have very many upperclassmen, so being a leader on the team taught me to keep my composure, be confident all the times, have a good attitude in the locker room, because the younger guys reflect off of that. If I come in with a bad attitude, they all come in like, “Well, if he has a bad attitude..” Having a positive attitude is the best thing, and encouraging guys to do better, even if it's not such a good play, just telling them, “Well get 'em next time.” I learned a lot of leadership skills that hopefully I can take into my junior year.

You guys definitely improved this year over last year. What was that due to? Was it everybody just stepping up?

Yea, we played as a team. That was the most important thing: we didn't have any individuals on the team. Everyone got along well; you play with your linemates, and you have good chemistry throughout all four lines. We did have a good attitude the whole year, we tried to stay as even-keel as possible. We had some rough games, but we bounced back the next weekend. We had a lot of come-from-behind victories which helped our team out towards the end of the year. It gave us confidence that when we are down, we know we can come back.

Some of the bloggers were talking, and it was mentioned that another blogger talked to Dan Marr, one of the scouts for Atlanta, and Dan's eyes lit up when your name was mentioned. Do you feel any kind of expectation for this year, or is there a bar that you feel you need to reach?

I think I just have to try my hardest, give my best effort, work hard, and I think they'll appreciate that. That's why we're here; we here to show them how hard we could work and the skills we have. If I work hard, I think they'll appreciate that.

OSU isn't necessarily a “hockey school.” You guys were playing a barn that wasn't always all that full at home. Can you talk a little bit about how that affects you as a player?

If you think about it, I think we averaged about 4,000-5,000 fans a game [4,181 to be exact]. Our building holds 17,000, so [the crowd] looks small to us, and it looks small to other teams, but relatively, around the league, I think we're up there with smaller barn teams. If we had a smaller barn, we'd fill it pretty good. Playing a big barn like that, it's kind of a disadvantage, but our fans were great this year. They were really good for us. We played really good at home, and we had a very good home record [13-5-2], so I think they appreciate that. When you play good, you'll have fans in the crowd. We just went out there every night, and tried to play the best we could and the fans came for us.

You saw a lot more work on the power play, especially at the point. Was that a coach that pushed you there, or was that something that you wanted to do?

It was kind of both. Being on the power play is an honor, and I really don't care where I play on the power play as long as I can help the team out. The coach decided to put me there, he just told me to shoot the puck, he said I had some good vision, so I tried to dish the puck to an open player. Even if I'm playing on the half wall in front of the net I'm going to try my hardest and do whatever I can for the team.

What part of your game do you want to work the most on? What do you think you need to improve on?

I think defense. I had a pretty strong defensive year last year, I was up there [+12], and it was a big improvement from my freshman year. I think my freshman year was -3, or something like that. I was a big improvement for me, but I still need to work on it. I'm getting better knowing what I need to do down there. Obviously, good defense turns into good offense.

I read that the player you'd like to play with the most is Sidney Crosby?

Yea... I think he's probably the best player in the NHL. He has great vision, very smart on the ice, it would just be an honor to play with him. I think he'd teach you a lot out there.

Is that who you style your game after?

No, not necessarily. I just think he's a really good player.

How do you see yourself, then? What are some names you'd throw out there to compare yourself to?

I don't know... I'm small, so Martin St. Louis. I'm a small guy, I'm quick, I try and score as many goals as I can, even though I'm a playmaker.

What is your favorite team?

Um, Atlanta.

Good job. In my blog, I talk about some other things sometimes, like music. Are there any bands that you listen to to get you amped up and ready to play?

No, not necessarily. I'm not that kind of guy. I think I'm ready for every game. If I do listen to music, it's always country. I don't listen to anything but country.

Cool. Well, you'll find a lot of that down here.

Yea, I'm a big country fan.

...and that's where our interview was awkwardly concluded by my meek statement of, “Um... I think I'm done.”

Um, I think I'm done.

Prospect Camp

2009-07-11T21:23:00.003-04:00

Very exciting time this afternoon at the Ice Forum in Duluth. The Chronicle/Outsider confab before interview time was enjoyable, as always. The official Outsider interviewee was John Albert, picked by Atlanta in the 6th round of the 2007 entry draft and currently with the Ohio State University. A HUGE thanks to John for putting up with a rookie interviewer. Hopefully, we'll have a transcript up by Monday. Also, big thanks to the Thrashers organization (Ben Wright, et al) for putting this thing together, and to the other Thrashers bloggers, it was good to put names with faces.

Meanwhile, please head to Thrashing About for our "media scrum" with Evander Kane. Truly a team effort. Big up, Thrasher bloggers.

Hudler is the New Kiwi

2009-07-10T12:25:00.014-04:00

But first, some things I've been a little remiss with:

- Thanks to Rawhide for the mention on Wednesday. Cross-promotion, grassroots, yes.

- I will be attending the prospect camp media availability on Saturday; I'd ask for questions, but both Laura and teh Chronicle staff are much more on the ball than I. If you DO have questions not posted elsewhere, feel free to leave them in the comments, or I may have to resort to queries of:

"So... you play... hockey...

...how's that working out for ya?"

Trust me, it won't be pretty.

Now on to new business:

We just got done with that whole Kiwi/KHL nastiness, and now we have another intercontinental mess on our hands. From Dreger @ TSN:

Jiri Hudler remains property of the Detroit Red Wings and therefore the recent contract he signed in the KHL is being contested.

The National Hockey League has approached both the IIHF and KHL, seeking their intervention.

According to the NHL, Hudler is contractually obligated to the Red Wings for next season.

Hudler, a restricted free agent filed for salary arbitration, which in the eyes of the league is acknowledgment of his intent to play in the NHL next year.

Now, there has been some confusion of late as to the exact nature of the relationship between the NHL, the KHL and the IIHF (as illustrated by a somewhat unplesant commenter in Rawhide's corner of the world). Let's try to clear it up. As noted by our boy Andre, the, the NHL IS NOT a member of the IIHF. But as noted by Mr. Dreger, the KHL IS a member of the IIHF, and any player wishing to join the KHL would need an IIHF International Transfer Card (ITC). Hudler's case normally wouldn't be a problem: he saw a greater opportunity for ice time over there (not to mention more tax-free dollars), and he went for it. However, Hudler had already set in motion the process of salary arbitration: a very arduous and time-consuming undertaking. The NHL apparently to this to mean Hudler was going to play over year this coming season - after all, if a player is going to subject himself to arbitration, why not make it worth it?

Hudler signed his Dynamo Moscow contract Thursday, July 8th. The player-elected arbitration request deadline was Sunday, July 5th. Unless Dyanamo Moscow swooped in last minute with a contract all ready to sign (some Kiwi Karma, perhaps?), it looks like Hudler has been burning the candle at both ends - something that (I'm guessing) won't sit very well with GM Ken Holland and head coach Mike Babcock. But (unlike the Radulov situation) it looks like the NHL may have some recourse. Alex Radulov was under contract with the Nashville Preadtors when he "defected" for the KHL. A quick Google search turned up another player who took off to the KHL, and the IIHL (in its infinite quest for justice) ADMONISHED the KHL, but declined to levy sanctions. This was back in November of 2008, just after Radulov "defected." In May 2009 , the IIHF set forth its International Transfer Regulations, which outline possible discipline for a "poached" player still under contract:

1.3 The disciplinary measures which can be applied by the IIHF Disciplinary Committee include, but are not limited to:
Caution
Censure
Fine
Suspension for international and/or national games/competitions
1.4 When a player plays without a valid transfer card the following shall apply:
- The IIHF General Secretary shall sanction the new Member National Association of the player with a fine of CHF 5000.- and request the Member National Association to advise the club that the player has to stop playing until provided with an ITC.

- Should the player continue to play without an ITC, the matter will be submitted to the IIHF Disciplinary Committee. The following sanctions shall be applied by the IIHF Disciplinary Committee:
Member National Association: Fine of minimum CHF 5’000.- and up to CHF 150’000.- (maximum) per game the player played without ITC since the IIHF General Secretary’s intervention.
Club: Ban on international transfers (during international transfer period) of minimum 3 months and up to 24 months (maximum).
Player: Suspension form IIHF Competitions for minimum 1 year and up to 3 years (maximum).

But is a player in arbitration considered to be under contract? The IIHF defines under contract thusly:

1 Definition of “Player Contract”
A player under contract is a player who has concluded a written contract with an ice hockey club (signed by the player and the club) according to which he is compensated for taking part in matches or training sessions or both. Contracts concluded between clubs and players must be of a specific duration.
2 Termination of Player Contracts
2.1 A player contract may be terminated (a) upon expiry of the term of the contract, (b) by mutual agreement, or (c) where there is a just cause.
2.2 Any contract provisions for early termination are considered to be mutually agreed upon.
2.3 Any other termination shall be considered as a breach of contract.

According to my reading of the CBA, a player electing arbitration has to accept the award given by the arbitrator (as part of crappy teams being able to hang on to their prospects a little longer). Wouldn't that mean Hudler is still under contract to the Wings?

I don't know, I'm asking.

The Kovy Wars

2009-07-08T14:05:00.003-04:00

Let me just go ahead and add Rory Boylens to the list of Good Hockey People.

After writing and article entitled "Thrashers shouldn't put Kovalchuk ahead of the team"*, and the ensuing rebuttal from the Chronicle Staff, Rory drops himself directly in the line of fire by engaging a full 2/3rds of the Thrashers' fan base** in the comment section.

Good work, Rory.

*Which is well written, but based on a flawed premise.
**We got jokes.

The Kiwi Wars

2009-07-08T11:20:00.006-04:00

From RussiaToday.com (via Kukla's):

Canadian Joel Kwiatkowski has agreed to join the Atlanta Thrashers next season despite having already signed a two-year deal to play for SKA St Petersburg.
Read more

This is the first such precedent after the International Ice Hockey Federation introduced its new rules concerning player transfers. The move was dubbed “a non-aggression to Northern America pact” as it banned clubs in Europe from signing North American players on contract. In return, the NHL promised not to poach European players under contract.

The KHL says that breaks a gentleman’s agreement between the two leagues.

The funniest part of the article (other than the inevitable jabs at the Thrashers not being an NHL team; har har, get back to yer Zubaz an' Natty Light, fellas), is this little ditty at the end:

This episode is feared to spark a tit-for-tat response from KHL clubs, and will see them snap-up NHL stars, even if they've signed deals to play in North America.

Okay, first of all, over Joel Kwiatkowski? Look, I'm as much of a Kiwi fan as the next guy, but we're not talking Alex Ovechkin here; we're not even talking Alex Radulov. There are other guys that could fill the role here in Atlanta languishing on the FA market.

Secondly, with 7 D, we're almost solid for this year (at least as far as body count goes). If I'm a coach/GM looking to introduce some competition for jobs, bringing back guys like Kiwi doesn't really make a ton of sense. Unless I'm stocking the Chicago pond for injury backup - then having a solid defenseman that is familiar with the system would be a bonus.

But not enough of a bonus to pick a fight with the KHL.

Hm.

EDIT, 5:44PM -

From Dimitri Chesnokov:

Re Kwiatkowski; the player may have misrepresented his status to the Thrashers, because he acted without an agent, according to sources.

Whoops.

Miscellany

2009-07-06T17:19:00.000-04:00

Just some quick-hit blathering hockey thoughts on an all-too-hot Georgia afternoon:

I Love Stan Fischler. Seriously, you should really check out his Twitter feed. Some examples:

- Don't know all the details on Al Kovalev's failure to please the Habs. But he still has the goods. I'd take him for the right price.

- Here's an interesting candidate for comeback g.m. of the year. How about my buddy, Don Waddell. He's en route to securing Ilya Kovalchuk.

- Why the fuss over Dan (sic) Brashear (to the Rangers? All's fair in love and war and we all know the NHL is a war game on ice.

- I LOVE when John Tortorella tells his Rangers that they should appreciate the comfortable manner in which they're treated. Torts gets it!

It doesn't really hurt that this is how I hear it in my head:

Speaking of Kovy: Andy Strickland reports negotiations have begun.

Self-Promotionblog: I made the papers. Sorta.

Pronger to Flyers? Yea, this'll end well. They're gonna be more watched than the series finale of LOST.

Yes, I have been waiting to use that one. No, it may not have been worth it.

Grudge Match Outside the Aud! A Sabres fan named Vance takes Scott Burnside to task on some crap he wrote. Not that I have anything against Burnsie, just a fun read. Hey, someone should give ye olde internete smackdown to someone in Columbus. Maybe someone who's name rhymes with Aaron Portzline. Oh, wait.

It's just too friggin hot.

Free Agent Madness: Attack of the '08 Leafs

2009-07-03T17:42:00.006-04:00

Welcome to the newest Outsider Feature: Free Agent Madness. It'll run as long as it keeps me entertained. Then, most likely, it'll be back to shiny, jingly things like key rings & pocket change - but for now, enjoy & comment.

Hey I'm nothing if not committed – even if it's just to seeing a joke through to the bitter end.

Figured it was a good time to go over the moves made so far.

The Big Trade: Kubina & Stapleton for Exelby & Stuart – I don't exactly have much to add to all of the analysis that has been tossed around, except for this: Stapleton could be a pleasant surprise for the Thrashers. Thanks to the ultra-obsessive TML fanbase (and I mean that in the nicest way possible) (Seriously.), we actually have some info on Stapleton floating around out there:

Undrafted thru college, but played at the University of Minnesota-Duluth on scolarship.
Signed with Portland Pirates (AHL) in '05
Played in Finland for Jokerit Helsinki (SM-Liiga) from 2006-2008, pacing a point per game.
Signed w/ Toronto for 08-09 season (one year, one way), and kept up a pace of over a point per game for the Marlies.

Seems the knock on Stapleton is his size and lack of a physical dimension to his game. “Perimeter Player” was a phrase that kept popping up in my reading. But still, a point per game in the AHL is pretty respectable hockey. What if Stapleton had a little more freedom to use his strong skating and his ability to be creative in open spaces? Is Stapleton the new Peverley? Or is he just a solid depth guy, bound for Chicago? Keep in mind too that we only have his rights; who knows if WadDudley plans on signing him?

Oh, and Kubina? Big D-man who was too € for Brian Burke. Oh, and about $2 million too expensive. I think everyone else has got plenty on Big PK, so I'll spare you my ramblings.

The Big Signing: Nik Antropov – Honestly, I'm OK with this deal. He's a top six guy at $4 million/year for 4 years. A little higher than, say, Boston might pay for a guy like that, but that's what you get when your ownership takes it's collective hand off the wheel. And lets your team run off the road, across the median, through the opposing lanes, over the sidewalk, through the yard and into the living room of some sweet old lady's house. Antro doesn't have to be a superstar, he just has to be pretty good.

(EDIT: As I type this, the Falconer over at BWA drops his Antro-knowledge on us.)

Chris Thorburn Re-signs: So... what would you say..... you DO here?

But ya know what? I like yer face, so we'll give you a raise! C'mere ya big lug!

Player I Will Miss, If only for the Pure Joy of Yelling “Matzoh Ball!” - Joe Motzko. I still hold out hope that the lack of a qualifying offer is a negotiating tactic, and young Joseph isn't a sacrifice to the WadDudley. For certainly a player of his stature could... command...

A slim hope it is.

Love you, Motz.

OK, clearly we're done for right now – after all, I do have one more title to make use of; gotta save some for later.

Have a safe & happy holiday weekend, everyone.

An Open Letter to Dany Heatley

2009-07-02T12:12:00.005-04:00

Dear Dany,

Guess what I did today? I got up, brushed my teeth, put on semi-respectable clothes and dragged my sorry butt to a job I don't always like.

For a LOT less than $8,000,000 a year.

Joke.

Your friend,
-Aaron @ the Outsider

PS - Good job on that whole "writing your name" thing. TOTALLY worth $4,000,000

EDIT: Please see Down Goes Brown for his thoughts on Heatley.

Free Agent Madness: The Phantom Armstrong Trade

2009-07-01T14:00:00.009-04:00

I'm not gonna post anything until the dust settles.

~~COLBY DON'T GO!!!1!!!!1!!!~~

@kausatoday - Have it confirmed that there is NO CHANCE the Thrashers will part with Colby Armstrong in any trade. He is considered an essential piece.

False alarm.

Go about your business.

Free Agent Madness: Return of the Forwards

2009-06-30T13:41:00.003-04:00

Name: Brian Gionta
Current Team: New Jersey
Current Salary: $4 million
Why: 89 points in 05/06. Stunning. But only averaging about 50/year since. Still, good pace for a second liner (Kozzy/Kane-White-G) , and could be a first liner in a pinch (Kovy-Pevs-G). Gionta's not a big dude, though. Speaking of big dudes....

Name: Nik Antropov
Current Team: New York
Current Salary: $2.15 million
Why: Is a big dude. Is capable of showing up big. Why not? Often doesn't show up big. But, Atlanta might be the place for him to get his head focused right, and I can't think of anyone better than Kovy for him to... wait, he wants HOW MUCH?

Name: Maxim Afinogenov
Current Team: Buffalo
Current Salary: $3.3 million
Why: I don't know why, but Max's name keeps popping into my head. Played 48 games last year, both due to injury (groin) and to increased press box time. Decent size, has a record of producing, and is looking forward to a fresh start somewhere other than Buffalo. Could be a sleeper.

Name: Marion Hossa
Current Team: Detroit
Current Salary: $7.45 million
Why: ...someone should really put the cap back on those Sharpies....

EDIT: I'd just like to say very quickly that I heartily endorse the idea of an offer sheet to that nice young man Phil Kessel. Though he may not be particularly photogenic (think the Hulk at an Olan Mills studio: "Okay, say cheeeeese!" "Graaaaaaaaggggghhhhhhnnnnnnnd."), he has proven himself to be a fantastic winger. He & Bryan Little will enjoy playing Call of Duty and making bunkbeds so they'll have more room for activities & stuff.

Free Agent Madness: The Defense Strikes Back

2009-06-29T14:10:00.004-04:00

Name: Mattias Ohlund
Current Team: Vancouver
Current Salary: $3.5 million
Why: While everyone is worried about where the Wonder Twins will land, maybe we can sign Ohlund under the radar. A short term deal at a reasonable price would make him a fantastic signing. Hopefully J-Bow hits the market, and everyone balks at “Old Man” Ohlund.

Name: John Oduya
Current Team: New Jersey
Current Salary: $600,000
Why: Johnny D's due for a raise, and would fit in very well, age-wise. This might mean a longer-term deal, and it remains to be seen if the ASG will pony up on that front. Rumors were floating that Sweet Lou had already signed Oduya to the tune of $3 mil/year – if we can get him for $4 mil/year, I'd call that success. Wait, why are you laughing?

EDIT: Sweet Lou does it again.

Name: Greg Zanon
Current Team: Nashville
Current Salary: $725,000
Why: This one comes courtesy Mr Mirtle. Zanon's a name that sticks out only for its ability to sound like a second-tier comic book villain (try it, “ZANNON!”). Turns out Greggers is a solid d-man. And he looks scary.

Name: Rob Scuderi
Current Team: Pittsburgh
Current Salary: $713,000
Why: Those Pens fans are too freaking happy.

Draft Weekend Wrapup

2009-06-29T12:12:00.003-04:00

Wow. Fantastic time this Friday; everyone @ TJ's did a stellar job pulling this off. A timeline of events for the Outsider:

- Graciously welcomed by Bill Tiller.
- Sat down at a table with Tim & Tom, later learned of a "Six Degrees"-type connection involving a former bandmate, Ole Miss, and geese. Random.
- Saw Grumpy Brian Burke on big screen. Laughed.
- Watched Waddell take podium, reference draft party that wasn't us, and pick Evander Kane. Cheered.
- Rob (the Wings fan) showed up.
- Met up with the Chronicle staff. Long lost family reunion ensued.
- Watched as reports of huge robbery came across the wire. Hope Mrs. Sasquatch likes Philly.
- Saw Grumpy Brian Burke. Laughed again.
- Rob (the Wings fan) won tickets to a future Thrashers game. Protested loudly to no avail. Made my own Grumpy Brian Burke face until Rob said "What? You'll probably be going with me."
- Ate, drank, made merry.
- Ran in fear as politics surfaced.
- Met Dan Bouchard & grandson. Wonderful human being.
- Bid my fairwells, and returned to Outsider Farms to retire for the night.

A wonderful evening. I'm behind the curve on the picks' stats and what have you; may I recommend the ever-vigilant the Falconer for your further reading? Oh yea, seems Marian Hossa's rights may be dealt sometime soon. What? No reason, just sayin.

Weekend Update

2009-06-25T15:14:00.004-04:00

Before things get too nutty on a Friday afternoon in Atlanta, and you have to make a hasty decision as to where you should spend your oh-so-precious Friday evening, may I recommend TJ's in Alpharetta? There will be a room full of hockey-mad Georgia residents, one dollar drafts, and some sort of viewing device with which we will monitor the actions of our beloved Atlanta Thrashers Hockey Club and possibly find out if our new associate GM will be heretofore referred to as Studley or just #(%*&^#*@)!!!!!! (i.e. more of the same)

Slated to appear:
- blueland outsider
- The Blueland Chronicle Staff (possibly minus an anthropomorphic rodent correspondent)
- Rawhide of the AJC

There will be food, fun, prizes, gratuitous references to mid-90's popular culture, and maybe I'll break out a Springsteen face or two. Who knows.

But I know who WON'T be there; and not because he doesn't like us, or he thinks any of us smell funny (I hope), but because he's the Thrashoblogosphere's Official Representative at the NHL Draft: the Falconer from Birdwatchers Anonymous. Whatever your plans, make sure to check in with him. He's s-m-r-t about this whole pucky-shoot business.

Free Agent Madness: Petr Sykora

2009-06-24T11:54:00.008-04:00

Free Agent Madness
Petr Sykora

Word has come through that while in his native Cezch Republic, Sykora has wondered aloud whether or not he should return to the Pens, or find another NHL team. Let's take a look a Pety's file, shall we?

The Good
- Pretty solid on the power play, career-wise.
- .74 PPG since he entered the league - another solid stat.
- Potted 15 PPGs in 76 games last year.
- Probably still capable of a 50 point season, which would be on par for a 2nd line RW (the likeliest place for him in Atlanta).
- Seemed to play his best with Geno Malkin, which bodes well for playing with guys like White & Pevs (smart, puck distributing centers).
- Has two cup rings.

The Bad
- Only played 7 games in the playoffs.
- Injuries seemed to be a constant last year (Respiratory infection, goin, foot, etc.).
- Frank D. at PensBurgh seems to think Sykora's been a little slumpy this year.
- Cap hit of $2.5 mil over the last two years with the Pens seems to be a bit more than what we're looking to spend for a top-six forward (I literally had to choke down bile as I typed that sentence).
- Might send some folks into booze-fueled depression to see him leave Pittsburgh.

Outsider Verdict
As hockey players go, Petr Sykora would be a solid pickup for any team. age is a-creepin up on him, but he's still got plenty left in the tank. At the right cap number Sykora is gold. But the combination of the ASGs unwillingness to spend and Atlanta not being (shall we say) very attractive to FAs who are used to any high degree of success should keep Blueland free of the Petr Fevr for the time being.

Thoughts?

Another Moment of Silence

2009-06-20T11:50:00.004-04:00

For Colby Armstrong/Diane Lane jokes.

Today some lucky young woman secures a place at the side of a strong, handsome and rugged hockey player....

Yes, ladies & gentlemen, Colby Armstrong gets married today.

Chris Thorburn as well has "sealed the deal" (as the kids say) last night in the fine state of Michigan. No suitably embarrassing picture of Thor could be found, so text will have to suffice.

God bless the new Mr. & Mrs. Armstrong and the new Mr. & Mrs. Thorburn. Best wishes to both couples.

A Moment of Silence

2009-06-19T12:19:00.003-04:00

Georgia Theatre
18??-2009

I've been there. I've played there. I've seen friends, neighbors and assorted others walk across the stage. Here's to a long life, and life-long memories.

Scouting Report: Rick Dudley

2009-06-18T21:34:00.001-04:00

Craig Custance brought the knowledge at 1:52pm, via Twitter that the Thrashers had hired Chicago Blackhawks Assistant GM Rick Dudley to be Associate GM under DW.

(EDIT: the Blackhawks didn't make the announcement until 3:51pm. If that mins a-whata think it mins [horribly placed Inigo Montoya reference], then I'm very happy.)

Am I reading too much into the creative wordplay there? According to Kevin Allen,

Waddell has been looking to add another strong voice to his staff, and Dudley was lured to Atlanta by the challenge of an expanded role in the Thrashers’ organization.

Dudley has previously been a GM in Tampa Bay and Florida. He has always indicated that he enjoyed the personnel decisions much more than he enjoyed the contact negotiations side of management.

Hm.

Let's look at Dudley's GMing rap sheet:

2006-2009 - Asst GM, Chicago Blackhawks
2004-2006 - Hockey Ops Consultant, Chicago Blackhawks
2002-2004 - GM, Florida Panthers
1999-2002 - GM, Tampa Bay Lightning

This is what we know about Rick Dudley:

- He likes trading the #1 pick. A bunch.
- He basically assembled what was to become the 2004 Stanley Cup winning Tampa Bay Lightning (a speedy, high-scoring team that was defensively responsible).
- He likes building fast young teams full of "soft Euros and Russians."
- He doesn't like Mike Keenan.
- He was a big part of the Blackhawks' current success - or, at least he's had 4 years to soak up that Dale Tallon goodness.
- Lookie here - Donnie's been a fan for a while:

"'Anyone who knows Rick Dudley knows that the day he took over [June 8], the Lightning became a better franchise,' says Thrashers general manager Don Waddell."

Hmmm.

He understands franchises that are rebuilding on a budget (see Panthers, Florida and Lightning, Tampa Bay), but he also has had insight into the Blackhawks recent draft plan, which probably doesn't include many high picks, but does include sitting next to/near/in the same room as Greatest Hockey Mind in the Universe™ Scotty Bowman. No no no... it doesn't matter that it was only a year - just to touch Scotty is a Vulcan mind-meld download of the secrets of the Hockey Universe. Like a 10,000-volt charge.

Why do you think Scotty always looks constipated?

Okay, I'm declaring myself unfit for anymore writing.

You're welcome.

It's Funny 'Cause It's True

2009-06-15T14:12:00.003-04:00

Go read the Wings Eulogy over at Puck Daddy. It's written by Sam, one of the guys from Outsider Fave Second City Hockey. I just had to pass along this little nugget:

Sure, you'll hear calls that a Cup would have been good for a moribund city quickly descending into hell, though no Wings fan actually lives in the Detroit Metro area.

FOUND 'EM!

Her Majesty

2009-06-13T10:48:00.005-04:00

Epic.

Clutch.

Massive.

Grizzled.

Game 7 was worth everything.

Big time show of maturity by Sid for not going in after the Franzen hit - he'd have done more harm than good, and he knew it.

Maxime Talbot. Garrioch is writing furiously about rumors of Talbot to the Sens for Heatley, straight up.

Marc-Andre Fleury is a man. Settled down, didn't allow anyone to shake him as he shook the "Flower wilts in big games" label. Didn't let himself drift out of position for no reason...

Whoops.

Check out Danny B. in the waning seconds:

All business.
To borrow a phrase.

But it wasn't fun & games for everybody.

Sad Slovak.

Say what you will about Hossa. I understand the reasons on both sides. He wanted a shortcut. He's an athlete in his money-making years; he's got the right to pick & chose.

But, like we say on the farm, you can't get corn from flaxseed.

Reap what you sow, in seety-tawk.

But the best news: Sid & Malk got their hardware, SSgt. Bill Guerin got his last chance, Wings fans can yap about more conspiracies, and Pens fans can yap about the coming dynasty. All business is settled, and the field is wider than it was this time last year. Let's set some goals. I wanna see this, in some measure, in Phillips at the end of next year:

Right boys?

Uh-oh.

Commence LoLCup.

The Lesser of Two Evils

2009-06-12T10:46:00.009-04:00

Let's Go Pens.

The Wait Is Over!!!! Let The Party Begin!!!

2009-06-08T14:10:00.007-04:00

Yes, folks - the joyous news has been received:

Marty "The Party" Reasoner is a Thrasher for two more years.

Add this to the recent signing of Anssi Salmela (who, thanks to Razor @ teh Chronicle shall be heretofore known as "Peanut"), and the Thrashers are in the midst of their best offseason in recent memory.

Quiet, you cynics - that's supposed to sound like optimism.

Be sure to come visit me while I house-sit for nhLOL. You bring the keg, and I'll sit in a parking lot, picking my nose until George Clinton shows up.

"You're majoring in a 5000 year-old dead language?"
"Uh... yeah."
"Out. Get out of my room."

Sorry. Back to business.

All that remains is to sign Army, Slates, Thor, Kari, Boris....

...oh yea, and some other Russian dude.

Remember folks, optimism.

EDIT: From the venerable Craig Custance, Guru of Puck @ The Sporting News, terms on the Reasoner deal are 2 years at $2.3 million total. A decent raise and a modicum of security for our Mr. Reasoner.

Please Do This For Me... For Us...

2009-05-14T16:16:00.003-04:00

This is Mark Bradley of the ajc (neé, the AJC).

Mark has asked a very profound & important question:

To all Atlantans: If the Thrashers left town -- and I don't think they will -- would you miss them? Email me at mbradley@ajc.com. Thanks.

Please take time out of your busy schedule to drop Mr. Bradley a note concerning this question. Regardless of your thoughts on Mr. Bradley (a pretty decent writer) in particular or the ajc (not fit to slop the hawgs here on Outsider Farms) in general, any kind of groudswell grassroots response can only help out our Thrashers. So, all 30 of us... let's get to... ground... swelling...

Oh, And One More Thing...

2009-05-12T15:42:00.001-04:00

THIS MAN STILL NEEDS A CONTRACT.

DO IT.

Okay, I've Made You Wait Long Enough...

2009-05-12T15:20:00.008-04:00

...here's my take on the whole "Thrashers-to-Ontario" thing.

Will never happen.

Why?

Well, here's a big ole list of other people's research & opinions:

-Falconer @ BWA: Thrashers tied to arena deal, and, oh yea, you can't buy something nobody owns.
- Craig Custance @ SN: Seconded! And, oh yea, fans like winners.
- Mortimer & Co.@ the Chronicle: A fantastic angle to consider - Press? Responsibility? Nahhhhh!
- Vivlamore @ the ajc: Donnie says "Nu-uuuuh! We got dibsies and wrote it down!"
- Phil Foley @ the Examiner: A great list of reasons that just about boil down to "It's the economy, stupid."

Now, here's just a little bit of my own research.

I did some digging, (not much digging - I didn't want to strain myself) and looked at the populations of the two cities in question. (These numbers come from Wikipedia, so we can assume they're reasonably accurate.)

	City Proper	Metro Area
Hamilton, ON	504,559	692,911
Atlanta, GA	519,145	5,376,285

So, let me get this straight: you want to take a franchise out of a metro area of over FIVE MILLION PEOPLE and move it to a metro area that is almost EIGHT TIMES SMALLER?

Tell me again how that makes sense.

Granted, the Hamilton population is much more hockey-mad. Granted, with Toronto & Buffalo you would have 6 all-but-guaranteed sellouts. Granted, the rivalries would be intense.

But a difference of 4.5 million people?

That's a lot of Tim Horton's & bagged milk, folks.

Let's be honest here: as teh Chronicle pointed out, journalism ain't what it used to be. What sells papers? Headlines - or rather, peoples reaction to headlines. What red-blooded Canadian isn't gonna snap up a paper that loudly trumpets the possibility of one more Canadian NHL franchise (e.g. one more chance to fail in the playoffs)? Oh, in case you weren't aware, this is CANADA'S game after all - they just let us borrow it from time to time. Just like we let them borrow three quarters of the league's revenue. Like it or not, them's the facts. The NHL has a lot of money and potential gain tied up in American markets. And let's be clear here: I'm not blaming your average-everyday working-joe Canadian for being excited enough to buy said paper with said headline. That's his thing - he's Canadian. What's life without at lease a little civic pride? What I am doing is blaming journalists who don't fact-check, don't cite sources, and don't bother to hold enough integrity to not write a story without at least some shred of factual basis. And I'm also blaming these billionaire fanboys that play on the sensibilities of your average hockey fan to get the great new toy they've had their eye on. But, back on point...

Yes, if you're running a "simply numbers" game, it makes sense to move the Coyotes to Hamilton. I mean, you're talking about a city with NO hockey history whatsoever. But Atlanta does. Know what it also has? A population that is equal in size and greater in economic stability than Detroit. Oh yeah, and a huge Yankee-transplant population. What does that mean? A lot of potential hockey fans. Once someone with some actual assets figures out what a potential moneymaker this franchise could be and puts a quality product out on the ice (or at the very least, some quality marketing behind what's already there; have you seen that 10th Anniversary logo? I'm too ashamed to even post it here.) Atlanta will be a hockey town. Again.

So... a franchise in Atlanta is a bad idea why?

Oh yea. Forgot.

One more thing: this whole MakeItSeven.ca thing smacks louder of populist opportunism than one of Don Cherry's magnificently calamitous suits. To all those red-blooded Canadian citizens, make sure Jimmy B. leaves the money on the dresser on his way out.

HEY oh!!!

EDIT: Think I'm off my chump with this theory? Well, Lyle "Spector" Richardson hit this idea four days ago.

In Other News:

- In honor of tonights' game 6, we give you this: Christensen fails again, Selanne barely keeps head attached.

- I heart Adrian Dater. Why? Here, and here, for starters. You almost don't know what to do with all this honesty coming from a journalist. Sort of the Atlanta Spirit with hockey. (See what I did there? Full circle, baby.)

- Mike Modano decides for one more year. That sound you heard was... wait, you didn't hear anything. Mike Modano hasn't made any post-season noise for years.

- Have I mentioned Down Goes Brown lately? If you aren't reading this blog, you need to be.

Why Why Why

2009-05-12T11:55:00.005-04:00

...is no one really talking about this?

Call me crazy, but I think this storyline is just as intriguing as the Ovie/Crosby/Malkin/Semin hype machine.

It's time for the Outsider to throw it's considerable weight & influence behind another team for this postseason. It's time to champion a cause. It's time for over-wrought melodrama. It's time to shine some light on a deserving subject.

It's time to

IIHF Tourney Info

2009-04-25T12:38:00.008-04:00

USA just got by Latvia 4-2. Esche was the best we could do? Yikes.

Here's the schedule.

One down, two to go.

More info - http://www.iihf.com/

Go USA.

Go Kovy.

Miscellany

2009-04-24T16:40:00.004-04:00

Just so you don't loose respect for me 'cause I jumped the shark by using the same bit two days in a row, here's some rambling crap dredged from the recesses of my brain.

Who I'd Be If I Had Any Actual Hockey Knowledge: Down Goes Brown. To read him is to love him.

From The "Why Don't You Give Me A Nice Papercut & Pour Lemon Juice On It" Dept:

Ouch.

GMwatch '09:
John Manasso over at the Atlanta Business Chronicle (or, the ABC as the hipsters in L5P call it) has an interesting thought of John Risebrough and the Atlanta GM job. He makes fantastic points about Risebrough's success in MIN, and his ability to work with limited resources. This got me thinking about other possibilities:

Warning: what follows is pure speculation and may or may not have anything at all to do with acutal hockey knowledge.
You've been warned.

Risebrough: The question raised by Manasso is a vaild one: Who is responsible for the Wild's defense-first strategy, Risebrough or recently-deposed head coach Jacques Lemaire? If the trap begins & ends with Risebrough, he's an awful fit for HC Johnny A's system. But if the system came completely from Lemaire, well... that's a different story. It would be intruiging to see what John could bring to the table.

Bob Gainey: Gainey = Habs = Epic Mortal Fail, so thanks, but no thanks on this one.

Doug Wilson: This would be exciting. Douggie has a rep for building great regular season teams that don't quite get the job done come playoff time. With a group as young and hungry as the one here in Atlanta plus any key "hockey people" (i.e. scouts, management types) Doug might bring with him, it might be an explosive combination (In case you couldn't tell: yes, I am assuming Ole San Jose Doug gets the ax very shortly; what can I say? I'm a risk-taker).

And, of course, there's always...

Don Waddell

Hm. Wonder which one it'll be.

From The Grass Is Greener Dept:
Erik Christensen is averaging ~12min of ice time, and has 2 points to show for it. Jason Williams is averaging ~14min of ice time, and has 1 point to show for it. Oh, and his team just got swept out of the playoffs. Hm.

Hey. You with the "At least they were in the playoffs" crap. Shut it.

Useless Top 5 List:
It's back. With a vengance.

Top 5 Windows-Down, Ready For Summer Songs
5) Happy Day Mama - Better Than Ezra
4) D'yer Mak'er - Led Zeppelin
3) American Girl - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
2) Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) - Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band
1) September Gurls - Big Star

Bonus Hazy Summer Night Makeout Track: Girl From Ipanema by Getz/Gilberto/Gilberto narrowly edges Dusty Springfield's Son of a Preacher Man.

Yea, that'll all change by tomorrow.

Have a good weekend.

An Open Letter to the City of Columbus

2009-04-24T10:18:00.004-04:00

Dear Columbus,

Saved you a seat.

Your friend,
Aaron @ blueland outsider

An Open Letter to Brooks Orpik

2009-04-23T16:17:00.003-04:00

Dear Brooks Orpik,

Dude, you're making it very hard for me to continue hating the Penguins.

Stop it. Stop it right now.

The reasons for hating the Pens are numerous and egregious.

Reason #1:

Okay, okay, you're right... that's too easy. I promise, I won't bring him up anymore...

But, c'mon, he's just such a.....

I know. I'll behave. Sorry.

Reason #2:

Tyler Freaking Kennedy

Seriously, he looks like one of the kids I routinely kick out of my store for playing obnoxiously loud (and incredibly awful) Metallica covers. And how can you really take seriously anyone who wears a shirt like this:

Mm-hm. Yup. Moving on.

Reason #3:

Matt Cooke

Why Matt? WHY MATT? Um, for starters:

Oh, and there's always:

And... well... I really didn't want to bring this up, but....

He eats babies.

I know, I know... a pretty shocking & heavy allegation, but see for yourself:

Matt Cooke, basting a baby.

Matt Cooke, upon being told eating a baby is a Game Misconduct.

I didn't think it'd come to that. I'm sorry you had to hear it this way, Brooks.

And really, there are so many other reasons why hating the Pens is just so gosh-darn easy. But for the sake of time I'm gonna skip to the only reason why I like the Pens:

That's right, baby... you.

I knew there was something special when I first saw The Shift.

And then, the Greatest. Shop. Ever.

C'mon, dude... it's freaking hilarious.

But what really locked me in was this past Sunday's game against the Flyers. You took that high stick to the face, and before anyone knew what was going on, you were back out on the bench, ready to go. As a matter of fact, you were so fast, no pictures survive of the alleged "event," so we present an artists rendering:

Note manly unnecessary stitches.

This brings me to my suggestion: you should pull a Geno, and defect to Atlanta. Srsly, it's like a whole other country down here, Pittsburgh wouldn't even know where to find you. Why are you looking at me like that? Here are some reasons why this is good idea:

1) Instant Fame
With that manly studliness that you posses, you would be a household name here in the footbawl-lovin' south. I can hear it now: "Wooo-eeee, boy! I cain't tell whut thay whus doin with that thar rubber thingy, but boyhowdy that Oar-pick shore can lay um out! I ain't never goin back to no footbawl game!"*

*ED NOTE: We here at the Outsider love the south, and do not wish to offend. We're merely using this horribly outdated stereotype for comedic effect. Thanks for your understanding. That shirt looks great on you, by the way.

2) Colby's Already Here.
He can save you a seat at lunch and a locker next to his. Oh, and I think he was looking for someone to double with him and Diane Lane.

3) I Will Buy You a Beer Whenever You Like
No kidding, all you have to do is call me up. Just give your phone to the bartender/waiter, and BAM. Free beer. Bud, Guinness, even the old Pottsville Pisswater. But watch those carbs, buddy...

4) Playing With Ilya Kovalchuk, King of Russia
See, people don't know it yet, but Kovy will go down as the greatest Russian leader since Czar Nicolas II. Not only is he a scoring machine, but he's also:

magic...

great at scoring Hawks' tickets, and...

...um, ignore this one. I'm sure there's a very good and rational explanation. For a leather kilt...

Besides, would you rather play for a captain that fights like this...

...or like this?

Sorry, sorry, I said I wouldn't mention him... sorry.

Anyway, take some time to think it over. We don't need answer now, you've got important things to do. Just take some time, consider all the facts, make a rational decision. But I have a feeling....

....next round. Is on me.

Your friend,
Aaron @ blueland outsider

Good Job, B's.

2009-04-23T11:03:00.000-04:00

Just For Giggles

2009-04-22T18:00:00.002-04:00

I'm Back.

2009-04-20T17:14:00.002-04:00

Took a little time off, took a drive, fell into a cave.

Was it just me, or did the Pens look completely flat yesterday? But there were a couple of Flyers penalties that looked a little suspect.

Anyway, when I get my footing, more open letters to hockey players unlikely to respond, most likely some more LoLs, and much more of.... whatever.

I gots ideas.

This Is Not Good, In A VERY Bad Kind of Way

2009-04-10T17:29:00.003-04:00

Catching up on my reading, I caught this little gem from the FourthPeriod.com:

March 29, 2009 | 11:22am ET
Reasoner looking for new contract
TheFourthPeriod.com

Veteran forward Marty Reasoner told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he wants to stay with the Thrashers. However, as much as Reasoner wants a new deal with the Thrashers, GM Don Waddell hasn't opened discussions yet. "We'll see how things go," Reasoner said. "Who knows, maybe we'll wait [until becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1] and see if there's anybody else interested." Reasoner, 32, is making $1 million this season and could see his salary slightly increase.

I just.... I can't.... wuh... fignasdlaksuewrfsdg....... asdlfksaf;uajrwetgfa

glwgergla

sdgp[

I'll be back as soon as I stop foaming at the mouth.

Everything You Need to Know About Last Night's Game

2009-04-10T10:23:00.006-04:00

Angry Russian, indeed.

Gameday Panthers & Miscellany

2009-04-09T15:55:00.011-04:00

Yea, I'm back. Jury duty is worse than I ever could've expected. Disrupts your life in every possible way. I'd rather not talk about it. Still slowly reintroducing myself into the world.

Thrash tonight. We got the Panthers. Their entire season evidently hangs on this one game. The Thrashers (through years of practice) have developed a keen knack for dashing playoff hopes - we got this one in the bag.

All trendy detached irony aside, I'm extremely excited for next season. The Toby-Bogo pairing is probably the best young D pair in the league. The emergence of the Chicago Pipeline, the miracle that is Rich Peverley, and the wonder that is Ilya Kovalchuk all point toward (at the very least) better things next year. Add some potential FA signings, and we may just have a playoff contender.

Some points to consider:
- The best UFA option not named Hossa (to my eyes) would be Mike Cammalleri. Bruce Boudreau once said that Cammalleri is "the smartest player I’ve had the good fortune to coach. He sees the ice well. He can take a one-timer better than any player I’ve seen. He reads plays like Gretzky and Lemieux.” If Cams looks for the upper-range of his assumed asking price the Flames may have to watch him walk - a situation now somewhat eased by the aquisition of Ollie Jokinen. C'mon, tell me a power play unit that could include both Kovy (shoots right) and Cammalleri (shoots left) doesn't make you salivate. Kovy's more than willing to pass, as we've seen all year, so this duo would be pretty exciting to watch. Some concerns: Chemistry, for one. How would he fit in this dressing room, and more importantly, on the ice with Kovy. Then there's salary. Word on the street is a range of $5-8 mil for Cams, and we'd likely be paying the upper end of such a range. Would the ASG assent to something like that? What do you think?

- As a side note, imagine this headline: Maxim Afinogenov Reinvigorates Career in Atlanta. I could see that happening.

Recipe of the Week. Next time you're out at Cracker Barrel (Craker Barrel? You brought her! Ba dum bum. Thanks, Derek.), ask the waitress for an extra plate of biscuits and a little bottle of that blueberry syrup. Drop those in a to-go container, and that's half a meal right there, brother.

Betty Crocker I ain't.

A Display of Manliness That Just May End Your Will To Live. Please pay a visit to the brethren over at the Chronicle. It seems these mythological Kovy commercials do exist. And they are cooler than anything you'll ever do. That's why he is the Ruler of These Parts.

Colby Armstrong is My Second Favorite Player. I thought that deserved a bullet point.

Jeremy Heilpern is smarter than everyone. If the Thrashers don't hire this guy, I'll be... fricken... suprised. (We'll have to put in the liner notes, "during this joke, he points to the back"...)

Boston Gets the Classic. On Frozen Blog with the big-time artists' conception. I'm still holding out for Pens/Flyers in Happy Valley. I can combine a trip home with some hockey madness. But at this point, I'm not so sure I'd have a team to root for.

What's This? Yup, call me Roger Swain, cause I got me a Victory Garden.

Tomatoes, green beans, basil, chives, and sundry other green leafys. Just doin my part to support the cause.

A year-end retrospective may be in the works. Let's see how I feel about that idea tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, anyone else going to the practice?

Peath out.

Go Thrashers.

I Fought the Law (The Law Won)

2009-03-30T23:35:00.000-04:00

Juror #447 will be returned to you shortly.

Thank you.

What I Learned Last Night

2009-03-27T11:09:00.003-04:00

- Todd White, CPA = $$ in the Bank

- It occurs to me that Kovy may not have read my letter. Watching angry Kovy in the time-out box was no fun...
- Angry Sean, however, was very entertaining.
- After a game, I find I can sing very much like that fellow from Kings of Leon.
- Marty Reasoner. Give the man anything he desires.
- I hate Ranger fans.
- Did we have the rookie officiating crew last night? Our no goal looked pretty good to me, and their no goal took way too long to disallow.

Gameday Rangers: An Open Letter to Ilya Kovalchuk

2009-03-26T11:22:00.007-04:00

Dear Ilya,

Hey dude! Can't wait to see you guys tonight; I actually got really good tickets this time, instead of that icebox up in the 300s I usually sit in. Well, not that it would take much to get better tickets, someone's always giving away something some where....

But don't think about that.

Anyway, in case you weren't sure who you were playing tonight, it's the New York *expletive* Rangers. Yea, that team with the $20mil "top line" that's averaging 50 points each. Yea, I know, right? Total.... whatever that Russian word was. They're in and out of the playoffs depending on what time it is, and on whether or not King Henrik has had his Wheaties. I mean, c'mon.. they had to go and bring back Torts, for pete's sake...

But also on the FYI tip... I don't know if you noticed, but they got Sean back. Yeah, the America's Top Model reject from the playoffs. But hey, that whole "Avery Rule" thing was kinda amusing, just cause it's Marty, right?

No? Okay, moving on.

My point here is this:

See, that's the Angry Kovy. You know where angry Kovy sits? In the time out box. Yes. Shame. You know who we want to see more of? Good-Lord-Where'd-That-Come-From Kovy:

And that's the thing, that Kovy there is... no offense here... a teensy bit more productive than angry Kovy. But, hey, in the moment, I like Angry Kovy just as much as I like Boults and Thor, and even Oyster-man lately. But just cause it feels good, well, that doesn't quite make it right. Y'know, Ryan Kennedy over at the Hockey News actually had some pretty good advice. He wrote that after you & that caveman Ian White mixed it up a little. But if Crosby can get away with throwing an occasional trantrum like the straight-laced 9th grade honor student who just can't take the pressure (or the bullying) anymore, why can't you?

But I digress. Before you let Mr. Avery get under your skin again, may I make a sugestion? Here's what he looks like to you:

Yea, it'd be real is to give in to the Dark Side and wipe that smirk off his face. But two things: 1) that'd probably get you at least 2 minutes of shame, and 2) ewwwww, you don't know where that face has been. But here's what Seany-boy looks like to the rest of us:

Yup. A great big tool. This joker is a headset mic away from being a Backstreet Boy. And just cause I'm in a little 'shoppin kinda mood:

Srsly, this guy is more worried about matching belts & shoes that anything else. So when you see this:

Just think:

Ooo ooo ooo.... and then.... and then.... and then you could check him real hard into the boards, and say something like "Blue shirts are so last year" in that bad motha Russian accent and skate away and score, like, a bazillion hat tricks. That would be SO awesome.

Anyway, do good tonight, congrats on the new baby, and anytime you need to hug it out, I'm here.

Your friend,
Aaron @ Blueland Outsider

Other business:

- Pens fans, someone please explain to me what use Matt Cooke is to your team. Other than, you know, hitting people really hard in slightly dirty ways. Cause he can't hit the broad side of a barn.

(Any mentions of Patrik Stefan will be ignored. We have Don Waddell. You have Ray Shero. We get, like, 10,000 mulligans when it come to draft choices.)

- As if this post didn't have enough pictures. Here's a warning to all the refs out there:

Get that whistle ready. He'll say things, & you'll cry.

Buncha pansies.

Go Thrashers.
Rangers suck.

Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? Thrashers Lose.

2009-03-25T12:33:00.004-04:00

Okay, someone needs to set up a big circle of Dmen and goalies. Have 'em all do trust falls until they get weepy & huggy. Make some popcorn and some kind of chocolate something, spread pillows out on the floor, and they can play Mystery Date in their PJs until they're BFFs. Someone needs to do something, because all that teammateness I yakked on and on about yesterday went straight down the crapper that is the Bell Centre.

Kari, Kari Kari. If it takes him this long to shake the bad game against Detroit, he's not ready. Metro's goal should not have happened. Not at all, not ever. Five goals on 14 shots? Yes, lets toss that first Tanguay goal, that kinda wasn't his fault. Four goals on 13 shots doesn't sound much better.

Vomit.

For a much better, much more statistically comprehensive rant, see the lovely Laura and her post. I'm just much too emotional....

I Been Thinking...And It Hurts

2009-03-24T17:51:00.003-04:00

You can thank the good Mr. Timmy F over at Thrashing About for this next batch of lukewarm drivel. He did this great post about one-goal games the Thrashers have been involved in this year. He's got a chart. I can't even begin to fathom how one goes about making a chart, so I'm going to look at his data and add to it.

Me, thinking about making a chart.

I can tell you the exact date that I knew this season was a wash. October 25, 2008. The Thrashers were playing the Bruins at Boston Garden (TD Bankwhaaa? Never heard of it.). I was spackling the big chunk o wall I had just replaced in my music room (leaky roof, shoddy patch job, more leaky, more patchy, a little head-bashing & finally got it right). I had the Kamalian on my nifty Grundig crank radio (Srsly, get one. It could Save. Your. Life. Or you could just play with the crank-thing until you get tired of it; and, look! Fashion colors!). Covered in spackle dust, I listened as our Thrashers blew 2 leads, and frittered away 12:38 of the third period without even being able to mutser a tying goal to claim a pity point. The B's still hadn't figured out what kind of powerhouse team they could become, and we hadn't yet seen the depth to which we could fall. The sky was the limit. Until that horn sounded, and we left Boston with no points. Then, The Decline of Thrasher Civilization.

Yup. That just happened.

They skated to a 19-31-5 record until the West Coast swing that netted them an improbable (at the time) 3-2-1 record, and some serious confidence. What happened? Well, on 1/16/09, Jason Williams was traded to Columbus. I'm not saying that Williams was a bad person, never met him, have no clue what he's like. But let's play What If. What if I really like a certain kind of music. Like country, maybe - just picking a random genre out of thin air. What if, in the locker room before a game, somebody (who I otherwise would have no issue with) decides to play some crap like "Russian Privjet" - again, out of thin air. That doesn't put me in the calm zen-like state needed for me to be able to bang some bodies into the boards. Thusly, my play may, just may, be affected. And then, what if I'm hearing he's griping about his lack of power play time? Once more, out of thin air....
The record after the Williams trade? 6-7-0. With 4 of those losses being by 1 goal margins. Then Matthieu Schnieder went to Montreal. 3-2-1. Then Havelid to Jersey. Christensen to Anaheim. 7-3-0. You will not find a bigger Havelid or Schnieder fan than me: both seasoned vets, both assets to their new teams. But I noticed that they may not have been as keyed into the system as some of the other players, whatever "system" we were running at the time. Three players traded, and the record improves. I want to reiterate - these are probably solid, upstanding human beings. But at the same time, they're all human beings. They all affect the ebb & flow of a dressing room.

Look at Kovy. His stats soared after being given the 'C' (as chronicled on this very blog). A conicidence? Well, let throw this theory out at you: Kovy comes in this year, expecting to be named captain, and rightfuly so; I thought it was a foregone conclusion. But here comes HC Johnny A. He's just been named HC, as a matter of fact. He's bad, he's nationwide. He's gotta see how this team works. He's thinking, "Let's hold on just a second on the whole 'C' thing... let's see who steps up." Hence, four 'A's & no 'C'. If I'm Kovy, I might be thinking, "Whoa, new HC is not a Kovy fan." Maybe not in those words, and maybe not conciously at all, but I start to grip my stick a little tighter, second-guess myself before I shoot, etc & etc.

I don't know if luck is the right word. Maybe chemistry might be a better term. But yes, Timmy F, I do believe in this hockey team.

Now, back to the rehashed crap I usually pass along.

*sigh* Okay.... Seems that.... Scott Hartnell may be... *swallows bile* an alright dude. Fartsmell. That'll get you to click the link.

Kevin Allen details the wealth of talent available in this years' draft. What he doesn't tell you is how easy it would be to completely derail their careers due to improper development.

Habs tonight.

Go Thrashers.

Miscellany & Post 100!

2009-03-23T13:06:00.006-04:00

Abel to Yzerman gives us the skinny on negotiations between Hossa & the Wings (if that doesn't sound like a mid-80's pop/rock group, I don't know what does). He's got a couple of quotes.

“To be able to stay as a Red Wing, I am prepared to take less money, but a fair deal, so both sides are happy. That’s what I’m looking for. I know if I go somewhere else, I could have more, but I’m willing to take less to stay here. Hopefully things work out.”
“I could be somewhere else, you know, but I came here because I like everything and I want to be a part of it,” Hossa said. “And that’s why I want to still be a Red Wing and stay here.”

Translation: "I really like it here, and would be happy to stay, as long as you pay me what I think I'm worth." Quotes could be out of context, etc, but I think in a little over 3 months we will be saying to Ken Holland

Worst. Shop. Ever.

Scott Cullen @ TSN ranks the top 100 rookies in the league. Who's the only 18 year old on the list? I'm looking at you, Big Zach!

Some joke from Toronto takes Chipper Jones to task, and calls Atlanta "just about the worst major city in America, where no one lives downtown except the homeless". I'd be offended, but the guy writes for a Toronto paper. Who's ever gonna hear about it?

Big up to the Lovely Ladies of Puckhuffers for mentioning the Outsider. It really is an honor to be endorsed by another blog, espcially when you spend a good portion of your time trying to find ways to 'shop the face of their teams' captain onto barnyard animals & small children (note to self...). An even bigger honor? We got mention right after Brooks Orpik. Here at the outsider, there's nothing we love more than some free candy.

Best. Shop. Ever.

Mike Knobler has some statistical hope for us pollyanna-isn't-it-a-glorious-sunshiny-day hopeful types. I'd be completely thrilled if we ruined Montreal's centennial "OMGZ look at us, w'ere teh awsum!" season. What's the French word for "fail"? And hey, a 9 game win streak isn't so hard. Is it?

This is post 100. Didn't think I'd make it his far. Being as it's a Thrasher blog, I give you Jean-Claude Van Damme. Dancing.

Yes.

Gameday Wings

2009-03-20T17:10:00.001-04:00

Can I tell you something? I hate the Red Wings. Have for a long, long time. I would lug my Dreamcast up to my buddy Rob's place, and we'd drink Strongbow and have it out until the wee hours. I was the Rangers (whom, ironically, I also now despise), and Rob was the Wings. Nothing would piss me off more than to see Stephane Quintal botch the reception of an Adam Graves pass, and next thing I know, there goes Federov trucking it down the ice... ah... jeeze.. LKASJFKASHFUIWANC!!!1! aaaaand he flips it right past Richter. Garbage. This sucks, I'm going home. Huh? We have HOW many bottles of Strongbow left? Crap. Fine, one more game. Then I'd make Rob pay with a steady string of Nedved - Fleury one timers. Eat THAT, Osbad... Yeah, we had the two-line pass & offsides off... didn't everybody?

Trip down memory lane notwithstanding, I really dislike Red Wing fans. The minute you mention that you're a hockey fan, out comes this stream of babble that inevitably includes "11 Cups, baby!"; "Scotty Bowman"; "11 Cups!"; "Dynasty"; "Stevie Y"; "Who else has 11 Cups? Yea, the Habs don't count..."; "The Joe" and/or "Hockeytown"; and the not-so-subtle insinuation that fans of sunbelt teams aren't really fans of hockey. Classy.

Anyway, Kovy sounds pumped. Me too.

AO can be a classless punk. But we knew that.

Elliotte Friedman of the CBC talks about Crosby's groin punching and general clownery. He says it's an improvement. Like Jarome Iginla. Mm-hm. Cause I love it when Jarome violates the third-man-in rule, uses another man's crotchial area as a speed bag, and then proceeds to cry because another guy looked at him funny.

Go Thrashers.

Wings suck.

Miscellany

2009-03-19T12:52:00.000-04:00

Sureality In amongst the gmail this morning, I found something just a little surreal:

If Brian Burke has taught us anything, it's that REAL NHL HCs/GMs don't post on Twitter. But for just a split second, my pre-coffee brain went "Tortawhaaa?"

Personal Milestone Watch I believe this is post #98 for the ol Outsider. Upon post number 100, expect a heartwarming ceremony where I cut the cords off of the computer, and skate around the ice with it raised high above my head. Or, where one of my co-workers looks at me and goes "Um, are we to expect any work from you today?" And then coffee.

They're Back Bogo, Ron & Kovy were all on the ice in Duluth this morning - leading me to believe all three will go tomorrow against the Wings.

From The "Let's Get A Better Start" Dept Sucks that we can't just toss the whole first half of this season; we'd have a playoff spot.

NHL Records: Second-Half of Season (Through March 18)
TEAM	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS	PTS %
New Jersey Devils	29	22	7	0	44	.759
Detroit Red Wings	30	18	8	4	40	.667
St. Louis Blues	29	16	7	6	38	.655
Pittsburgh Penguins	31	18	9	4	40	.645
Vancouver Canucks	28	16	8	4	36	.643
Columbus Blue Jackets	30	18	10	2	38	.633
Ottawa Senators	28	15	9	4	34	.607
Washington Capitals	31	17	11	3	37	.597
San Jose Sharks	28	14	9	5	33	.589
Calgary Flames	29	16	11	2	34	.586
Florida Panthers	29	15	10	4	34	.586
Nashville Predators	30	16	11	3	35	.583
Boston Bruins	30	15	10	5	35	.583
Edmonton Oilers	28	13	9	6	32	.571
Philadelphia Flyers	28	15	12	1	31	.554
Atlanta Thrashers	30	16	13	1	33	.550
Toronto Maple Leafs	30	13	10	7	33	.550
Carolina Hurricanes	31	16	13	2	34	.548
Minnesota Wild	29	13	11	5	31	.534
Dallas Stars	30	15	13	2	32	.533
Chicago Blackhawks	28	13	12	3	29	.518
New York Rangers	30	13	12	5	31	.517
Buffalo Sabres	29	13	13	3	29	.500
Los Angeles Kings	28	12	12	4	28	.500
New York Islanders	29	12	13	4	28	.483
Tampa Bay Lightning	29	11	13	5	27	.466
Montreal Canadiens	29	11	15	3	25	.431
Anaheim Ducks	29	12	16	1	25	.431
Phoenix Coyotes	29	10	18	1	21	.362
Colorado Avalanche	30	10	19	1	21	.350

From Pierre LeBrun, over at the WWL.

O Kiptin, My Kiptin Do yourself a favor and check out the interview with Ilya. (Via the Chronicle, via Mirtle, via Japer's Rink/Tuvan Hillbilly, from Sport Express) Some favorite quotes:

"Crosby is Crosby and Kovalchuk is Kovalchuk. He got penalized, I made a goal and I was showing him 'Look, I made a goal'. That was all."

"You can't be an amoeba when you play hockey -- you have to be an emotional player."

"Krikunov says a lot of things. In Quebec he said that the Canadian National Team was guzzling through the entire championship. People talk about those things they are most familiar with."

That is why I'll take Kovy over Sid (or anyone else) any day of the week.

I mean, honestly. Who throws a shoe?

2009-03-18T10:42:00.006-04:00

So, last night, as I was falling asleep, I was forming in my head the post I was going to do this morning about how the Pens (and other teams) get away with so much crap against the Thrashers. It was going to be epic, guys... srsly... from Ruutu to Vetch to Cooke. But Rawhide Bill beat me to it.

On second thought, it is my blog.... so let's just add a little to Mr. Bill's thoughts.

Take a look at this little ditty from the Caps game on Monday (lower left, first two seconds):

Whadddaya know... Ovechkin. Leaving his feet. Hmm. Oh yea, and the Thrash/Pens game, 11.20.08. I seem to remember Kris Letang boarding Todd White, causing the Todd to head to the locker room for a considerable amount of time.

Speaking of video, check out the video at the Puck Daddy post about last night's Bogo hit.

Lots of Pens fans are calling this a clean hit. Lets take a look at another extremely hard, but clean, hit on a Thrasher.

Awww, look at Boris spreading a little Christmas cheer. I think he may be getting Chris Neil some kind of funk record or something, right? Lots. Of funk. Do you see the difference? Neil led with his shoulder, Cooke led with his knee. Even from the FSN/Pitt angle, this inarguable. Cooke knows better than that. At least, you'd think a 10 year NHL vet would know better than that.
Oh yea, just for Rawhide, video of last year's Ruutu hit:

Good lord, I need a mood booster. LoL time!

Whaddaya know... Marty IS a party...

2009-03-13T11:39:00.007-04:00

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I do not gamble. I prefer my money in my wallet. For all of your hockey prognosticative needs, may I direct you to one Mortimer Peacock, Chronicle scribe & scary good future teller.

Mike Knobler has bonus features up from his Levenson interview. I believe I've officially changed my stance on Levenson. What I read in this and the original article tells me he's a guy who knows how to run a business, and is learning how to run a hockey team. Understanding that this whole interview thing is probably the brainchild of some PR person, there is still a tremendous amount of contrition and owning up to mistakes here; it takes some stones to go to a major print publication and say "hey, I screwed with stuff, found out that wasn't a good idea, and now we're trying to fix things." From the first article:

"I think you’ll see most teams be fiscally prudent because of the uncertainties of the economy. Just as we have done in past years, including right before this season, if there are opportunities that we think justify us increasing our spending, we’ll do that."

I read: this season is an anomaly as far as payroll is concerned. The ASG wanted to build a contending club, and then the realities of the Belkin situation caught up with them. In hindsight, I'd be in a pretty bad mood if I were in a similar situation; maybe even a bad enough mood to call a contentious STH a not-nice name. But hey, that's me. I'm a jerk like that. From the second article.

What kind of hockey team do you want the Thrashers to be? Do you want it to be a 2-0 team or the kind of team it was trying to be at the start of the year, when it was a little more open?
“I want them to win. That’s what I want. It’s the coaching staff’s job and the GM’s job to match the talent to the style of play. That’s another interesting mistake we may have made in the early days. Coming out of the lockout the rules were changed. It was going to be faster. It was going to be higher scoring. My thing was, let’s be the fastest highest-scoring team. It sounded good on paper. That’s not necessarily the right recipe for success.”

Either Brucie's copping to being the sous chef that spoiled the main course, or he drew the short straw in the fall-on-the-grenade lottery. Either way, I give him props. It doesn't take much of an active imagination to conceive of Levenson issuing orders to assemble a team he'd like watch, while Donnie's thinking "Are you kidding me??" Not to mention the absurdity of trying to build a team like that with Bob Hartley at the helm. Next year, the cap comes down, we lock Kovy up with a nice long deal, trade someone for someone else.... all is well in Blueland. Hey, we may even decide we want to keep Waddell around.

That sounded convincing, right?

Other Items of Note

They see me LoLin, they hatin....

John Anderson's comments on Kovy (AP Wire, via Yahoo Sports)

“We don’t want to say too much right now because we don’t know for sure,” Atlanta coach John Anderson said. “He’s day to day as we speak right now. He had a little problem yesterday and I didn’t practice him. He said he was OK to go today and obviously he wasn’t, but I’ve got to give him credit for trying.”

Scott Cullen over at TSN.com has a pretty comprehensive list of potential UFAs. Add that to your Armchair GM arsenal. (Hey Scotty, Re: Who has $12mil for two top-line players? Hmmm... lemme think about that...)

What?!?!?! A Canadiocentric media outlet reporting "Kovalchuk LIKES Atlanta"!?!?!? You made that up. (Thanks Wayne for hitting me up on that link).

Gameday, Oilers

2009-03-12T15:49:00.002-04:00

Tonight in Edmonton
First off, the Oilers' website totaly curb-stomps ours for preview value. Instead of just the obligatory wire preview you get that + game notes + stat comparison + head-to-head stats... Thrasher web guys, the house tours and Blue Crew segments are nice and all, but this is a value-added service with low overhead - ya dig?

It might get chippy tonight with the Oil clamoring to hold on to a playoff spot. Good showing on the Oilers message board. That comic book thingy had me 'til panel 4.

Kovy Since the 'C'
20G - 15A - 35P, +4

I'll predict a 3pt night, 2G - 1A, Thrash roll 4-2 in regs. Oilers drop to tenth, and Molson flies off the shelves in Northern Alberta in record amounts as Oiler fans drown their sorrows.

Go Thrashers.

This Post Has No Title, Just Words and A Tune

2009-03-11T16:44:00.001-04:00

Let's get this out of the way: if you can't find at least one song to love on Fulfillingness' First Finale, then you have no soul, and should probably have that looked at by some sort of specialist.

The Thrashers officially have a streak. This is very exciting.

John Manasso over at the Atlanta Business Chronicle is joining the chorus of voices chanting "Winning sells tickets," and illustrates the point finely with the Buffalo Sabers. He also shares the little tidbit that (according to American City Business Journals), the Thrashers have appreciated by 6% - thus proving the old adage "You can always make money, even if you suck".

If you haven't yet, go check out the interview with Bryan Little on the team site. Bry-Bry speaks very highly of Outsider-aproved activities like Call of Duty and playing guitar. And have you seen the vid of Lits with goal-calls by the Kamalian himself? Super rad.

But did they know the song is about heroin?

For this next item, I traveled down quite a rabbit hole, but the comedy gold at the end of this rainbow is worth it. Check out one of Bruce Garrioch's March 9th blog post regarding Ron Wilson, fearless leader of the hapless Leafs. the post in and of itself is quite funny. But it's the comments that made me almost wet myself. I like watching Ontario/Toronto flame wars. The only thing missing is one of them dropping the "Jane, you ignorant slut" bomb. Priceless. (Glove tap to Down Goes Brown, he of the "Brian Burke" Twitter account. Aces in my book.)

One of the best lines in recent memory, courtesy Mike Babcock (Via Kukla's).

Gameday Avs

2009-03-10T16:14:00.003-04:00

A 9pm game between two teams "playing for respect" - code for "there is absolutely no reason to care about this game at all." Budaj's in net, whom we lit up for 4 on 26 shots last time. This should be fun.

Over at Puck Daddy, there's linkage to a list of the top 10 undrafted players. Greg points out that Lou Lamoriello has had a hand in a couple of those - will Salmela's name be on a list like that one day? We can only hope.

Just weighing in on the anniversary patch: seriously, are there any other ways to turn this franchise into a peewee team? Serve orange slices between periods? The ASG has discovered yet another way to devalue this franchise: self-destructive marketing.

Over at BMR today? Just.... wow.

Some LOLs. Just for laughs.

When Did We Get a Hockey Team?

2009-03-09T14:00:00.002-04:00

Friday Night's Game. Habs taking liberties; PIMs for everybody!; Habs watch playoff seeding (and maybe even hopes) fade; O'Byrne's a joke; X gets 10 for allegedly being a Francophobe. Oh yea, and a shutout for Kari.

Sunday's Game. Bry-Bry (again) with the leadoff tally; jobbing by CalGARY; Toby with a MONSTER shot; more jobbing by CalGARY; Kovy being Kovy; even more jobbing by CalGARY; and Bry-Bry (again) with the final word. Oh yea, and a Greek God goal thrown in for good measure.

Obligatory Stupid Question: Where was this team in October? With all of the different guys that have been moved from the team, I wonder how the chemestry has been affected. Did we dump some malcontents? Did we move some bodies that didn't jive with the of the team, not from any mental issues, but simply years of habit? At this point, you could ask these questions without having to name names, and I'd really like to know.

The Finer Points. Team play. That's the buzzword. Only Boris was a minus this weekend, and only Bogosian was over +1 (+2). There wasn't on line that led, or one line that let everybody down.

"Live together, die alone."

Um, thanks, Jack.

The cycles in both weekend games looked tighter & crisper, but the boys didn't back down from a physical game, either. I've had the recurring thought that we need a little more grit, but watching both games put that to bed. Friday night's backcheck looked a little sloppy at times. But when the average age of your defense is 24, that's gonna happen. Then came Sunday, and all fears were assuaged. Add the recently arrived Mr. Salmela, and we might just have a defense. Then again, that's what we said at the beginning of the year, too. But I choose hope.

Kovy Since the 'C'

Gms	G	A	Pts	+/-	PPG	SOG	Pts/G	S%	Pts/G
23	20	13	33	2	5	90	1.43	22.22%	1.43

Money. As in: "The man is." As in "Show him the." We know what he's capable of. Now, he's proving it. The crowd was LOUD Sunday, especially toward the end.

Goals. We has 'em.
The way I see it, this team is playing against itself. More specificly, the 5-9-2 record of last year's Thrashers. That's .375 points per game. For the remainder of the year, we have 16 games, 12 against playoff (or within spitting distance of a playoff spot) teams, 6 on the road, 6 at home. If we could pull off a 9-7 record over that span (.889 points per game), I will be convinced. I know, a lot to ask. The team that showed up this weekend could do it.

Trade Deadline Day!

2009-03-04T11:03:00.003-05:00

Weeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Go see what kind of mischief I'm raising over at NHLol.

The Rose-Colored Sunshine Is Half-Full At the End of The Primrose Rainbow. Yea, so we lost to the Panthers. But on the bright side, it coulda been worse. Bogo & Toby were -1 each with 5 blocked shots between them, and only slightly looked as if they didn't know where to go. Kari was ballsy last night, and I think it may have hurt him at times. Christensen's audition went well, I hope someone was watching. Even if someone wasn't, maybe he'll wakeup and become a 20 goal scorer for us sometime soon. I really like Jim Slater. I'm not saying I'd make out with him, but a nice dinner and a coffee would be cool.

Busy Already...

2009-03-03T14:20:00.004-05:00

- Perrin on Waivers. That whole cause/effect thing again. But why didn't we at least offer him to other teams? If we lose him on waivers, we get nothing in return, right? A 4th rounder is worth more than only having to pay 1/2 of his salary.

- Avery back w/ the Rags. Rangers pickup Avery off of waivers. Not a surprise, but that doesn't diminish the possible entertainment value. 3.30.09. Fatso vs. Mr. Sloppy Seconds at MSG. Be there.

- One less goalie to shop. Nick Backtrom re-signs with the Wild. What does this do to Kari's value today & tomorrow?

- Big Waiver Day. Gary Roberts & Jon Sim among those available. Do we grab the Simmer again? I say "sure, why not?"

- Trade Speculation. Listening to the ole XM this afternoon, I heard Gary Greene, Boomer Goron & Joe Thistle idly speculate that Atlanta might be a good fit for Olli Jokinen- Thistle was positing that with the 'Yotes fiscal woes, it might be a good idea to move Jokinen and his one more year of $5.5 million dollars. At this point, it sounds like a prety appealing gamble to toss a couple of RFAs to PHX for Jokinen. Christensen & who else?

- Off-Topic. Whoah. Unwigged & Unplugged. Talkin 'bout a hell hole.

-One More Thing. Join us as tomorrow as we team up with NHLol to bring you "Don Waddell: Trade Day of Reckoning" - or some other event titled in a similarly dramatic fashion. We'll be giving you sneak peeks into the Don's thoughts all day.

Havelid Gone, Perrin Clinging to His Leg Screaming "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

2009-03-02T17:17:00.004-05:00

Wow. Havelid for Anssi Salmela. What, exactly do we know about Anssi Salmela?

- According to Hockey's Future, he's the Devils' 18th ranked prospect.
- He's 25, 5'-11", 190lbs, offensive defenseman.
- He's from Finland.
- We didn't originally sign him, Sweet Lou did. That makes me like him a little more.
- SM-liiga's highest scoring defenseman in 07-08
- He may (or may not) have a Facebok page.

This one smacks of wait-and-see.

Double wow. Perrin wants out, and he's not shy about it. Comments like this really only work in your favor if you've got a stellar resume to back it up. Sure, he's a hard worker - a fighter, just like he says. But he's easily pushed around because if his small stature, and he doesn't even have the speed a lot of the smaller guys have. He's insurance for someone else, and now he's probably made it more difficult in the dressing room for himself. Get him gone for whatever you can get for him, Don.

Don?

Miscellany

2009-03-02T15:00:00.001-05:00

Putting Things Right. VERY inexcusably belated props to Here Come The Bruins for the recognition of the Thrashers' blogosphere. Big huge thanks.

Caption Contest. The crew @ Barry Melrose Rocks has a caption contest featuring our very own Eric Boulton. Go compete.

Good Numbers. Just doing a little statistical analysis (something I promised myself I'd do better with), and decided to examine Kovy's performance both before & after being awarded the 'C'

	W	L	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GTG	GWG	SOG	S%	P/G
Before	14	29	16	27	43	-13	31	5	0	0	2	137	11.68%	1
After	9	11	18	10	28	3	6	5	0	1	2	80	22.50%	1.4

I knew Kovy was playing well, but not goal-doubling well. And, yes, the argument of sample size is valid (43 games before, only 20 after). But you can say with surety: Kovy's playing like Kovy should play. But that brings me to my next point...

Where the crap has this team been hiding? Y'know... the team that may not win, but leaves it out on the ice a lot more than it used too. I'm sure you've all read the latest monologue from Jeff "I used to be a fan" Schultz. My issue is not with Jeff, though he should be taken to task for not making this point clearer in his season-long "throw the team under the bus" bit. My point is stated nicely by long-time commenter named GaVaHokie (solid commenter, btw):

I’ve always blamed the players… I think they could’ve played like this all year… there’s nothing wrong with this team but effort… if they gave this effort all year, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Nobody seems to play like they care until their job is on the line, or they’re trying to look good for a trade… look how Schneider is doing in Montreal now.

I don't know about the "not having this conversation right now" thing (we would've won about 5 more games, I believe), but the situation wouldn't seem nearly as dire. There has been a rotating list of players who've needed a fit lit under 'em, and it's only been recently that everyone's been on (anything close to resembling) the same page. I fully support the protest, the root of this issue is the ownership group that has taken buffoonery to a level unreachable by mortal men - but why are these players just now "gelling"?

Attention Canadiocentric Hockey Media: Kovy likes it here - SHUT UP and live with it.

From Puck Daddy:

Let's get back to talking about Atlanta. What is keeping you in the city apart from the contract? Would you live through a move with difficulties?
"I never thought about it. I like everything in Atlanta. The organization treats me very well. My daughter is in kindergarten. She has also started doing athletics. Nicole settled well: she became busy, got new friends. We expect an addition to our family..."

And then from Sovetsky Sport:

Q: General manager of Atlanta Don Waddell gave a guarantee that he would not trade you. Do you believe him? Do you sleep well at night?

A: I always sleep well. But trades - that is business. If it happens, it happens. But I wouldn't be happy to leave Atlanta.

Q: But if tomorrow you were to wake up and find out that they had traded you to Washington, would that be a good or a bad dream?

A: It would be a provocative dream. I like everything in Atlanta. I have played here since the first day of my career. I very much hope that we will build a respectable strong team. The city is wonderful, the fans are great. We must play significantly better.

So, guys, go ahead and make up some more crap about how Kovy desperately wants out of Atlanta.

Oh, and the always fabulous ladies of Puck Huffers are discovering what we knew all along. (Careful, that link might not be suitable for... well, anyone anywhere. But you just may become addicted to their wonderful, warped view of things.)

Off-topic. Anyone else remember this Kids In The Hall bit?

Good times.

God Bless the Circus - Thrashers Win

2009-02-25T11:28:00.005-05:00

Editor's Note: We here at the Outsider believe in things like recycling, compost piles, and other tree-hugging crap like that. In that spirit, we present (in it's entirety) the post we wrote yesterday and accidentally clicked 'Save Now' instead of 'Publish Post'. As an added bonus, we give you some new useless meanderings as well. Remember kids: Give A Hoot - don't throw your crap on the side of the road. That creepy indian guy will find you. And you'll feel awful.

Old Crap, From Yesterday

I can imagine the thought process behind the Avs canceling their morning skate:

"The circus? No ice yet? Meh, we don't need to drive all the way out to the 'burbs to skate... besides, it's only the Thrashers; we'll use the first period as our gameday skate..."

Redemption, Thy Name Is Peverly

And with that, the Dispenser returns to his point-per-game pace since The Pickup.

Numbers That Make Me Happy:

- 4 The number of years on the extention signed by one Tobias Enstrom in September of 2008. (Quick Trivia: What's Enstrom's first name? According to his Wikipedia page, Ulf. I'd go with Toby too, if it were me).

- 61% Our faceoff win percentage last night. Now if only that could somehow translate into more shots...

- 3-1-1 Our record over the last five games.

- ~52 1/2 The number of minutes per game our team has played solid hockey over that span.

- 8 The number of days we have left to put up with annoying Canadiocentric hockey media speculating where Kovy might go on deadline day.

Numbers That Make Me Sad

- -5 Our current shots/game differential. That's just bad.

- 8 The number of days my gut tells me we have left to spend with Marty Reasoner Nic Havelid before they're headed to a contender. But the good news is, according to the Falconer, Toby plays just fine without Havs.

- 5-7-1 Our record since the All-Star break. Not much to get excited about, yet I'm excited that the team is playing better.

All New Crap From Today

- Welcome Back Marty!

I'm sorry, Brodeur fat jokes never get old.

- As The Blueline Turns... Whitney's out and Kunitz & Tangradi are in for the Pens. Poor Whits... comes back from injury, and now he has to move.

Some Linkage

2009-02-20T16:04:00.004-05:00

Craig is Back to Blogging. The dear and (nearly) departed Craig Custance is blogging again for The Sporting News. Wouldn't ya know, his first blog back was about some Thrashers }ahem{ flying the coop at the trade deadline. I'm fully aware that of all the rumors flying, only about .05% of them will end up playing out - but all the talk of losing Army bugs me. I'd like to see him stick around and build a solid career here. It's not often you can get a holt of a player who's phyiscal, can score 20 goals and has personality to spare, n'at.* Nic Havelid, on the other hand, he can go. I think he deserves a team that playes his style of hockey, and he's pretty valuable right now - like a 3rd rounder & a prospect valuable, in the right situation. Also, if you look hard enough, you'll find a Hossa post that'll stomp all over your sense of team spirit and general sportsmanship just by mentioning the name of Ritch Winter. That's always fun.

*Some yinzer-talk thrown in for old times sake.

More A$G Trial Info. Atlanta Business Chronicle's BallBiz Blog is heavy on the local litigation. Authored by one John Manasso, this should be a great place for info. The Feb 19th post did a good job clearing up (for me, anyway) exactly what each side was seeking; a little tidbit of knowledge that I had yet to grasp.

The First of the BIG DEALS. This one involving Comrie, Campoli, McAmmond and a very well-traveled first round pick.

A/V Squad

2009-02-20T11:17:00.007-05:00

Easing back into the process here...

Re: Jason Williams shootout magic

He's found a home. Good for him.

Re: NHL.com's Top 10 Goals of the Year

Thus far, anyway. The usual stuff: The Flying Zednik, a couple of snowplows from the 'Vetch. I would've futzed with the order a bit, but hey....

Tremendous effort by the team on this west coast swing. They look like they're having fun. The Lits-to-Kovy tying marker in the third looks very nice.

Re: Attention Movie People

A little off-topic goodness....

Nothing to do tomorrow? For the 2nd year in a row, AMC Theatres are holding a Best Picture Showcase - a marathon showing of all five Best Picture nominees back-to-back-to-back-to... you get it. Last year's showcase was tremendous. Movie watching for movie people: no talking, texting, people leaving at unfortunate points of plot development... $30 gets you a reserved seat & all the popcorn & beverage your big ole American self can consume. I'll be at the participating AMC Theatre here in Upper Gwinnettia, but other events will be held at Phipps, and that crazy restaurant/theatre conflagration in Buckhead.

My Long National Nightmare is Over

2009-02-20T09:24:00.002-05:00

After a couple of weeks of computer nightmares at work (and seriously toying with the idea of becoming a total Luddite), I am prepared to resume blogging. I'm certain you've all missed me and have found a serious hole in your life without the regular verbal meanderings of your trusty Outsider.

Right then.

According to Mr. Ben Wright, one Slava Kozlov is 5 for 5 in shootouts this year. That's pretty astounding. As is the Thrash's 4-1 record in the shootout as a team. What's the team's overall record in the shootout since it's inception? Who've been the key shootout performers? Maybe some statistical analysis is in order...

Right after I go catch up on my LOLcats.

Miscellany

2009-02-09T15:43:00.008-05:00

- I don't even wanna think about the Devils game. Except to say this: Shanahan's still got it. For a geriatric. Ooooh. Snap!

- Best thing about the Flyers game: Watching Colby Armstrong's mouth moving non-stop through the whole Boulton/Cote scrap. I would pay money to be able to hear/read whatever Army was saying.

- And was it just me, or did Cote seem to reconsider after he figured out he wasn't going to pin Boults against the glass?

- I don't agree much w/ Pierre McGuire, just on general principle, but Master P with a good quote on Hockey This Morning on the XM:

"Scott Hartnell has become the best super-pest in the league."

Yes. Just yes.

- Another great thing about the XM: reliving how Urge Overkill's loving Neil Diamond tribute 'Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" shifted entire paradigms in my 15yr old world.

The boat. Is key.

Gameday/Devils

2009-02-06T15:26:00.000-05:00

-Which team will show up tonight? No, I mean which Thrashers team will show up tonight?

-Knobes has a great writeup on the Kaluha line; Slava, Litts & the Todd seem optimistic the chances will soon turn into points, and that's half the battle.

- Boults racked up 26 PIMs in the last matchup with NJ. 3 guesses as to what they were for. Nope, not delay of game. He and Devil Mike Rupp may have to renew their acquaintance before the end of the night.

- Lehtonen in goal tonight. Let's not make him work as hard, shall we, boys?

- The NJD are on a 3 game roll at Phillips. Uh oh.

- Still no Army on the top line with Pevs & Kovy. When will we learn?

- I will eat a copy of the gameday program if we don't get outshot this evening. Promise.

- Speaking of eating:

No Marty yet. Sad face.

Go Thrashers.

(Um)burger with Pickle

2009-02-06T11:20:00.003-05:00

Wow. This. Is. Teh Awesum.

2009-02-05T17:29:00.001-05:00

http://nhlol.blogspot.com

For gems like this:

Pavorosgood.

2009-02-05T16:09:00.001-05:00

Even better

Low Tide, Nothing Doing

2009-02-05T13:53:00.003-05:00

You know what they say, "boredom begets blog posts."

- Off-topic. Write this down: Fiction Family is worth your time.

- Hats off to the Crabb Shack. Joey Crabb pots 3 in last night's victory against Peoria, as the Wolves jockey for playoff positioning. Machacek & Lavallee with the remaining goals. My gut tells me that young Joseph was sent down more because of his contract flexibility than anything else, and it's good to see him contributing.

- All this technology's getting out of hand. Is that the real Alfie on Twitter? YOU make the call....

- Who's house? Gabby's house! Tarik El-Bashir examines the Caps winning home record, and the reasons why. Some quotage:

Winning consistently on home ice and making Verizon Center an unpleasant environment for opponents have long been among Boudreau's priorities. In his postgame news conferences, he often makes mention of an arena's "atmosphere" and how it played on the Capitals' emotions -- and ultimately affected the outcome of the game. After Tuesday's 5-2 win in front of a sparse crowd in New Jersey, for example, Boudreau said the subdued mood at Prudential Center negatively affected both teams but that it mostly dragged down the Devils...

"If there's no fans, there's not that energy," said Boudreau, who has a 42-11-4 record at home. "And if you're not winning, there's no fans. You can't have one without the other."

Hmm. Y'don't say. In all seriousness, I was expecting the Nasty Nest road trip to spark our guys a little more. Who wouldn't like 150 crazy fans following you to an opposing town and screaming like nutjobs? But what we got was... another shutout. Any feasable reason will be accepted.

- Something useful on TSN.com? The Eastern Conference Trade Dealine Playbook. For those (like myself) who will be in front of a computer hitting 'refresh' the whole of March 4.

- Something stupid on TSN.com? That's more like it... From the Canuckistani Ministry of Manufactured Propaganda:

"[Vincent Lecavalier is] not being traded today, he's not being traded tomorrow or anytime soon."
-- Tampa Bay Lightning GM Brian Lawton, Jan. 15

Look, I know how the GM-speak game works. But for some reason, I believe Lawton when he says he doesn't want to trade Vinnie. To me, that adds up to "It would literally give me a coronary to trade Lecavalier, but the right return could afford me a lot of asprin." The problem is, for Lawton to trade Vin, I think the return would have to be able to buy an asprin factory. So why is TSN making him the posterboy for their "Tradecent(e)r(e) '09" coverage?

EDIT: ...and that face on J-Bo? Priceless.

- Moment of Higher Culture. For us heathens, Mortimer Peacock with today's Moment of Higher Culture.

Kari Topples The King: Thrashers Win

2009-02-04T13:07:00.000-05:00

Snuck little listens to the game last night, even though I promised myself I wouldn't. My thoughts:

- God bless Adam Graves. As a younger pup, I watched Ranger games on my dad's new-fangled cable-equipped TV. Even then, I could tell some players were different. Gravey might not have been the flashiest, he might not have been the most prolific scorer (though he was no slouch), but you knew to keep your eyes on him. If you could bottle whatever it is that he's got, let me be the first to order each Thrasher a case. As a matter of fact, I move to make Adam Graves an assistant coach, pronto. Classy move with the 9's on all the jerseys, Rags.

- Oyster man read him his Reitz. Yea, that's all I got on that.

- Motzoh ball. The Motzko goal was good old-fashioned hard work. More, please. More.

- Put Army back on the big line. Please. For us.

- Kari = Teh Hotness. He is straight gas over the last two games. But with Sunday come the Flyers. At home. Let's hold off 'till then.

- The Watch Is On. Knobes @ the Atlanta Junk/Crap is getting all Geico'd out with the Scout Watch.

Things That Are More Fun to Blog About Than Thrashers Hockey

2009-02-03T10:39:00.004-05:00

- It's pretty freakin' cold in Atlanta today.

- I've begun recording again, and I've found some suh-weet (and FREE!) limiter (it's the W1, for the recording-minded) and compressor plug-ins.

- No lie, I have lost 13 lbs. in 40 days on the sadistic slice of evil known as the Wii Fit. You'll lose weight, but you will never curse more at a piece of plastic, ever. Actually, in the balance-board's defense, it's that snide SOB digital trainer that'll really getcha.

- After finishing A Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich, I'm starting Dostoyevsky's Notes From Underground. I don't know what it is about Russian literature... There's a certain plain-spokenness that never seems condescending, just factual. Even in Tolstoy's short stories, which in lesser hands could be simple moralizing, there is a... reality that I can readily identify with. I read The Picture of Dorian Gray, and it seems to me that Oscar Wilde (through the mouth of Lord Henry Wotton) really hammers home his almost nihilistic worship of beauty even as he presents the horrendous eternal consequence of Dorian's actions. It's came off (to my ears) as heavy-handed preaching. But maybe that says more about me than it does Oscar Wilde...

Wow. Didn't think that would happen...

- Big Star's only rival in the Most Underrated Rock Band of the Century debate is Cheap Trick. I would put #1 Record/Radio City up against the Trick's 1977 self-titled debut any day of the week. September Gurls is transcendental, while He's A Whore is the best song about a (metaphorical) gigolo you will ever hear in your life. Srsly.

- I made scones last night. Me = win.

So yea, there's a game tonight. I may feel motivated to expound on that later, I may not. But hey, at least Nuke Laloosh is on our side. (from Puck Daddy)

My, he looks happy.

LOLMats

2009-01-30T18:09:00.003-05:00

That Was The Kind of Game....

2009-01-30T15:23:00.004-05:00

...that makes you glad you missed the first ten minutes, 'cause it was apparently (somehow) worse than this.

...that makes you want to shut it of after the "comeback" falls short, no matter how much time is left.

...that provides punctuation to the owners' sentence: "Screw you, fan, and be content to watch our tax write-off."

...that makes you wish you lived in Chicago.

...that mars the reputation of not just NHL hockey in Atlanta, but hockey as a general idea in Atlanta.

...that the players say to the fans, "Hey, we know your life sucks, but so do we."

...that gives fans little reason to blog, wear your team colors/t-shirt/jersey, or even get excited at all about going to another game.

...that makes star players (that would otherwise make a home & career here) leave.

...that makes you wonder what you could have done with all the money you spent on hockey tickets, even though you did get them half-price.

...that makes you think "I wish I could get at least $400,000 for standing on ice for an hour."

Anybody got anything else?

Gameday v. Islanders & Nuggets

2009-01-29T17:32:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts:

Re: Canadian Media Loves Atlanta. Darren Dreger recently posted one of those "Top 10 Players to Watch at the Deadline" things that get so popular 'round this time of year. The usual suspects: Tkachuk, Bouwmeester, the Toronto Maples Leafs...

...and Colby Armstrong?

C'mon, Dreg... seriously? He says:

"[Pittsburgh] would like to see him reunited with Penguins captain Sidney Crosby."

Um, so they can hang out on the weekends? I don't recall Army getting a ton of top line minutes in the 'burgh. I mean, at least make it plausible. Like: "The Pens would really like to have more guys to slam into Colton Orr during Ranger games."

Re: Great Diplomats - Roosevelt, Churchill, Kovalchuk...

First, we had the Malkin-Ovechkin Accords of 2009. Then we had high praise from one of them Kostitsyn boys. Now I find this thought running through my head: What kind of effect could Kovy now have on bringing Illya Nikulin into the fold? Hmmm...

(Yes, that bullet point was just an excuse to post that sweet 'shop.)

Re: Great Writing Speaks For Itself. From Puck Daddy: "Flyers Upset the NHL Thinks They're the Flyers." Great mysteries revealed within.

Re: The Isles Tonight. The frontrunners for the John Tavares Sweepstakes (i.e. "Yet Another Chance to Prove the Islanders Should Be Relocated Before the Thrashers") are in Phillips tonight. Lets review the checklist:

___ Move legs
___ Hit people
___ Shoot puck

Some (if not all) of these tricks may work against the Islanders.

But you gotta show up.

Go Thrashers.

Just Cause I Found A Bigger Pic

2009-01-29T12:01:00.000-05:00

Well, That Was Disappointing

2009-01-28T16:13:00.002-05:00

12 shots in the first two frames, boys? Twelve?

There's always the Islanders.

Gameday v. Stars

2009-01-27T16:28:00.002-05:00

I'm not so much in the gabby mood right now. But I did have time for a quick shop:

To be fair, Turks & the rest of the Stars seem to have found their mojo since the "incident." And really, these incarnations of these teams are different from the ones that have faced each other in the past. The Stars' PK is abysmal, and our road PP is tough (3rd in the leauge, or something as equally surprising). If we can plant ourselves in Turco's kitchen and make 'em take penalties, the games is as good as won.

Go Thrashers.

Back to Business

2009-01-26T16:18:00.005-05:00

Look at that face. Someone forgot to tell Ilya it's an exhibition.

And who doesn't love this guy? Well, my brother, for one. His favorite nicknames for Ovechkin: "Ovary" and "Caveman Lawyer". Seriously, I have uncles that dress up like this. Y'know what we do with them? Well, besides cutting off their alcohol consumption, we hide them. And we never speak of that moment again. That, my friends, is the power of the 'Vech. Gaze and dream, young Russians... gaze and dream. And for those that thought OVs twitter account was nothing more than a PR firm intern, well, I give you this tidbit from Puck Daddy:

Ovechkin then skated over to the stands, tossing the hat and glasses into the crowd. Later, he was shown with a cell phone in his hand on the bench - text messaging a vote for himself, perhaps?

So, the tweet that hit my celly while I was under the car fighting an alternator may just have been the 'Vech? Take that, cynics!

But I'm ready for the games to count again.

ASG, Behind The Scenes

2009-01-24T16:27:00.006-05:00

What they showed us...

What actually happened...

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Part.... Something.

2009-01-23T12:20:00.007-05:00

Just 'cause I can't stand leaving things unfinished, the short, short version of SISOSIG?

The Greek God Line

(Jim Slater/Chris Thorburn/Eric Boulton)

I'm gonna review these guys as a unit, because they've been together since what seems like the Carter administration.

Interesting stat:
07-08 Point Total: 40
08-09 Point Total (Thus Far): 34

That's exciting.

Excluding his fighting majors, Boults has racked up about 32 min in minors - That number could stand to come down. Slates & Thor are both big bodies with decent hands, and all three seem to be taking pretty well to head coach Johnny A's system.

Verdict: Stay.

The D

Ron Hainsey - Love him. Solid human being. Stay.

Nic Havelid - UFA this summer; getting older; lost a step or two; PIMs starting to climb; Toby seems to be doing pretty well, let him Go. The Isles always like picking up our slop.... wait, nevermind.

Mathieu Schnieder - No one is a bigger Schnieder fan than me (a good hockey-playing jewish boy from New York, what's not to love?). But, man, those PIMs are killing us. I'd like to keep him around to assist Hainsey at the kid's table, but his real value is in what he can fetch us at the deadline from a desparate bubble team. Go. Sad face.

Tobias Enstrom - AKA "The Future, Chpt. 1". Stay.

Zach Bogosian - "The Future, Chpt. 2" Stay.

As a matter of fact, the only other D-man that really needs to go....

Garnet Exelby. Yes, he's fun. Yes, ladies love him. Yes, he's an all-around fan favorite. But he hasn't been the same since the concussions. And his positioning... um, less than stellar. We need to ship him while he's got some value.

There. That's the end of that. I learned a bunch. Another shutdown D-man would be nice. Should Pev's not be the answer long-term, Andy McDonald is a UFA. Let's throw some of that unused Campbell money at him....

Then again, ask me next week, and this all could change.

I love hockey.

Insight

2009-01-22T18:09:00.002-05:00

From Kevin Allen's Mucking & Grinding:

Since being plucked from the Nashville Predators earlier this month, Rich Peverley has become an instant sensation in Atlanta, producing two goals and five assists in four games as Kovalchuk’s center. With Peverley playing a key role, the Thrashers have won three games in a row.
“I can’t say I expected this, but we liked his skill,” Waddell said. “Kovy really likes him. He came up to me after the first game with him, and said, 'Don, good player.'”

Kovy Likes him. Good enough for me.

Gross.

2009-01-22T12:34:00.004-05:00

Re: Last Night. Like I said, gross.

Re: What bias? I wonder if TSN likes the Flyers better than the Thrashers? 'Cause the headline "Flyers make short work of Thrashers" sounds like a fair assessment of last nights' game, right?

Re: Some guys aren't built for the broadcast booth. Chris Therien (colorman, former "illustrious defenseman" for the Flyers) is a joke. The jobbing of Valabik was uncalled for.

Therien: "Does Boris even speak english?"
Tim Saunders: "Valabik was a first round draft pick..."
Therien: "What league?"
Saunders: "Valabik hales from Slovakia..."
Therien: "So he's not the 'Siberian Express'?"

At the very least, unprofessional. We pretty spoiled with Kamal.

But please enjoy this forgotten gem from McSweeney's Internet Tendency starring Mr. Therien. If you've not discovered McSweeney's, I also reccomend "Journal of a Cobra Recruit" and "Journal of a Seasoned Cobra Veteran."

That's about all I got right now.

Beh. Just, gross....

Gameday v Flyers, or Everyone Loves Hartnell

2009-01-21T17:23:00.004-05:00

- Slates out w/ a bruised shoulder, listed day-to-day. The break is a good thing.

- No Ex tonight. Sad face.

- Briere is headed back to the doctor? Oh my. Didn't see tha.... Oh, wait.

- Alan Muir of SI.com predicts the Don is headed out to pasture sometime soon. See? Muir gets it! EDIT: But who might Darren Eliot be referring to with the comment about a "well-known winger that fits in on Sidney Crosby's line"?

- Thrash are 4-5-1 on the tail of back-to-backers, but 0-11 against Nitty. But he's had the sniffles. So... there's that.

- Bogo knows what to say (from yahoo.com):

"We have worked hard the last couple of games,” rookie defenseman Zach Bogosian said. “We need to not get a big head and keep things simple. Play every shift like it’s 0-0.”

- For those that don't know, congratulations to the staff of the Blueland Chronicle on one year of blogging success.

Finally, just 'cause it's Hartnell...

(The look on that lady's face is classic...)

Flyers suck.

Go Thrashers.

WOOOOOOOOOO.

2009-01-21T16:49:00.002-05:00

With all due respect, and remember I'm sayin' it with all due respect...

Nice.

2009-01-21T09:53:00.005-05:00

This'll get old one day. But not today.

Re: The Peverley Bounce? No, it's not the hottest new dance in the Buckhead clubs - it's the initial jolt after a fresh dispensation of some Pevs. After last nights' 3rd period, I'm wondering if it isn't starting to wear off. No real sustained pressure, 18 shots allowed... not a good sign. Kari shouldn't have to work that hard. Hopefully the momentum can keep rolling tonight.

Re: Scoring. I love it when people not named Kovalchuk have mutli-point games and multi-game point streaks. Shuts the haters right up.

Re: Jimmy Slater Get well soon. Haste the return of Joe's Crabb Shack. And hopefully Ex. 'Cause this looks like fun:

Next up: Philthadelphia.

Fact: I have never been to a Flyers game without someone wearing orange being escorted out of the arena. True story.

Gameday v. Habs

2009-01-20T16:15:00.003-05:00

No staying or going today - focusing on beating the Habs tonight. Halak gets the start, he of the 11.2 GAA against the Thrash. This is also the same Montreal team that blew the two goal lead in the third against Ottawa. As long as the momentum keeps rolling, we can outplay them. They'll run out of comebacks sooner or later.

Tonight's Checklist:
__ Keep the legs moving
__ Go to the net
__ Play physical
__ Have fun

Yes, it really is that easy.

...and just 'cause I'm on a roll:

Go Thrashers.

More LoLThrash

2009-01-20T12:46:00.003-05:00

Don't read Bleacher Report.

Just.....

don't.

Should I Stay or Should I Go, Part 4

2009-01-19T16:34:00.006-05:00

#9 LW Erik Christensen

Pros: Great stickhandling with the puck; Shootout stud; Plenty of offensive potential

Cons: "Crusher" tends to separate his shoulder delivering checks; hasn't really found a role in the lineup

Crusher's a funny one. It looked as if he was beginning to live up to his potential in Pittsburgh, only to be traded to Atlanta at the deadline last year. It seemed to unsettle him, and it looks as if he hasn't found his groove yet. He excels at the shootout, but it would be nice if he had the confidence to pull some of that stuff in-game.

Verdict: He's not a special teams pro or a banger/energy guy, but plays on those lines. He's got offensive potential, but hasn't hit his stride here. As much as I like him, I think he'd be better playing somewhere else. Go.

#19 C Marty Reasoner

Pros: Penalty kill; defensively responsible, Solid human being.

Cons: Not much.

Verdict: I think this is a rare example of a Thrasher being paid to do exactly what he does on the ice. $1 mil this year, UFA next year. Let's make every effort to get him to Stay.

#11 C Eric Perrin

Pros: Hardworking French-Canadian hockey player; 40pt/year potential; Small & speedy

Cons: Getting older (34); Points pace has slowed considerably this year

Verdict: Eric Perrin seems to be tailored to HC Johnny A's mongoosing system. I'd pass on him if he started looking for a significant raise this off-season. If his point prodcution picks back up, Stay.

What A Weekend & Tidbits

2009-01-19T12:52:00.003-05:00

RE: This Weekend. Wow. All about chemistry, baby. Rich Peverley, stay. Big time.

RE: Isn't it ironic? David Climer @ The Tennessean thinks the Preds need more offense.

RE: The Can't-nucks. Huh. The 'nucks aren't really that much better, even with Sundin. Who called it? Yea, I know, me and everyone else.

RE: The Locals. For the Gwinnettians among us, a new Glads forum.

More Staying & Going later.

Thrashers Endangered?

2009-01-18T22:30:00.003-05:00

Mobileblog. According to the ajc, thrashers not tied to 30yr bond payment agreement for phillips arena.

EDIT: I know that this isn't a cause for outright panic, but I'd feel a whole lot better if the Thrash we're tied in.

Amazing.

2009-01-17T22:12:00.002-05:00

Mobileblog. Who the crap is this team!?!? 10 11 goals in two games. Maybe moving Doogie was the cure?

EDIT: Still working the kinks out of phone blogging.

Gameday vs. Leafs

2009-01-16T14:36:00.001-05:00

Seems the vets did all descend upon the Don and make something happen. This is a good thing. They're showing ownership, and are taking initiative. They really do care!

Jason Williams' comments to the ajc don't make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but I can't really explain why.

“It’s just one of those things,” Williams said. “He’s a very skilled guy, plays a lot of minutes. Sometimes he tries to do things on his own. He’s got the skill and the talent to do that. For some reason, him and I playing together didn’t click. There’s still a lot of guys in that dressing room that he’ll have fun playing with and hopefully they can make it click. If he has someone to get him that puck, he’s going to score a lot of goals.
“For both organizations, I think it’s better.”

It just.... don't make me feel good.

Does anyone remember any of these?

11.25.08
6-3

12.22.08
6-2

12.30.08
4-3

How 'bout this buckethead?

I don't know why I dislike Ian White - I just do. Much like I dislike Scott Hartnell.

Can we at least play for pride tonight, boys?

From the yahoo.com preview of the game:

Friday’s game will feature two of the league’s worst defenses and two of its worst penalty-killing units.

Yea. Thanks for that.

The Leafs suck on the back end of consecutive nights. If we can work 'em up and make 'em take stupid penalties, our guys are gonna roll.

Go Thrashers.

Should I Stay or Should I Go, Part 3

2009-01-16T11:39:00.006-05:00

The Khaluha line!

13 LW Slava Kozlov (A)

Pros: Great leader; Great hockey sense; Workhorse player; Incredibly consistent; Solid shootout performer; Member of the most effective Thrasher line this year; On pace for a career-high in PPGs; Re-signed in Atlanta in '07, though he probably could've gone elsewhere; Has his name on the Cup. Twice.

Cons: Getting older (36)

I may be a victim of misunderstanding stats here, but I can't really see a lot of down side with Slava. He's a solid veteran presence, a consistent performer, and probably lends a lot of credibility to the Thrashers organization as a whole. Even if there was a total & complete meltdown next year, he would have excellent value as trade bait.

Verdict: Stay.

12 C Todd White

Pros: No longer "squeezably soft"; Not currently overpaid; Solid work ethic; Good for 17:00-18:00 minutes per night; dependable third/second-line center

Cons: Looked a little pricey for a 40pt/year guy until this year

Todd White is a solid hockey player. His contract might scare some trade partners away, but as long as this line keeps up the pace, that shouldn't be a problem.

Verdict: Stay.

10 RW Bryan Little

Pros: '07-08 Calder Cup winner under HC Johnny A; Excellent hockey sense; Offensive-minded, but not at the expense of his defensive game; Rose to the NHL pretty rapidly; Hard-working & energetic

Cons: (still looking)

I read somewhere that "Bryan Little is the real deal." Yes. Yes he is. In a perfect world, he would be Kovy's linemate (with, oh, I dunno, maybe a Marc Savard-type centering them). Lock him up.

No, you lock him up.

Verdict: Stay.

About Last Night...

2009-01-15T11:27:00.003-05:00

Not really what I wanted to see after the 8 goal debacle, but let's call it an acceptable loss. Some things I noticed:

- Pevs likes to go to the net. This is good.
- The possibility for chemstry with Pevs & Kovy is good (unlike the recently departed Jason Williams; you can read between the lines here, courtesy Laura @ Wazzupwitchu?).
- Boris has not made many friends on the Senators.
- Some good sustained offensive pressure at many points during the game.
- Didn't get a chance to watch, had to listen to Dan & Ex. Ex has a future in broadcasting, I believe (I don't wanna hear any "he should get started" remarks from the back of the class, let's be nice to Ex - he is injured, after all).

Later, we'll have SISOSIG, part III.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go, Part 2

2009-01-14T17:47:00.003-05:00

Continuing the theme, I give you tonight's top line, left to right:

17 LW Ilya Kovalchuck (C)

Pros: 500 points in 500 games; unbelievable slapshot; even more amazing wrist shot; the celebrations:

Cons: Tends to cheat a little defensively.

Verdict: Stay.
Please, please, please for the love of hockey in this town, Stay.

47 C Rich Peverley

Pros: Almost a point-per-game in 4 years in the AHL; rated among the top 20 Preds prospects by HockeysFuture.com (great interview with the magnificent Holly Gunning to be found here); all stats point to a possible top scoring forward

Cons: "Knock, knock"
"Who's there?"
"Rich Peverley"
"Ummm.... who?"

Other than lack of name recognition, Peverley looks like a keeper. An RFA with a cap hit this year of $244,000, and 2 more years at roughly $500,00 each, Pevs looks like a forward who cold find space on not only this roster, but some others as well (ooooh, trade bait!).

Verdict: Stay.

20 LW Colby Armstrong

Pros: Great locker room guy; fan favorite (rumor has it, some Pens fans cried when they learned of Army's trade); has at least 20g/20a potential; pretty chippy, likes to agitate, but in a good way; massive hits; just a ton of fun to watch.

Cons: Still prone to making "young guy" mistakes; hasn't had a consistent enough role to establish an identity.

A hard hitter, a point-producer, fan-favorite, and locker room glue. As long as he likes Atlanta, I'll have him.

Verdict: Stay.

Tonights game v. Sens: The team we love to hate, the only team in the league more depressing to watch (c'mon, those preseason expectations were at least a little higher than 34pts at the midpoint). We can leapfrog 'em with a regulation win, boys. All eyes on Pevs. And Little. And Bogo. All hands on deck, full speed ahead.

Go Thrashers.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

2009-01-13T17:54:00.003-05:00

January is Clash month here at the Outsider, so we're starting a recurring feature called "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" Not the great of the band's output (I prefer "Police On My Back" or "Train In Vain," myself), but a great title for this segment.

With a playoff berth looking less and less likely, lets take a moment and discuss who in the Atlanta Thrashers organization should stay and who should go during the inevitable off-season blowup (and, if we're really lucky, the start of a new five year plan). Some pros, some cons, some kibitzing, the usual. Let's keep it simple to start. Who's up first?

Yeah. Go.

Next:

HC John Anderson

Seriously, asking this guy to make a playoff contender out of this team is like asking Robert Pattinson to get out of the mall food court alive, unharmed and fully clothed. But still, some are already wanting to show him the door for the lack of progress.

Pros: Almost frighteningly upbeat; has (arguably) gotten more out of less than any other Thrashers coach (here's just one example, via Thrashers Recaps); not averse to a youth movement; lots of prior success with current & future NHLers; willing to take chances on strange line combos; the mongoose.

Cons: Almost frighteningly upbeat; still somewhat untested as the head coach of a real NHL team; no longer sports the sweet 'stache:

Verdict: Stay.

Tomorrow, more candidates!

Tibits and such...

2009-01-13T15:10:00.008-05:00

Just because I feel compelled to comment, and no one is around to stop me...

Re: Florida game. Y'know, I actually had hope after Kovy's goal in the third... the whole thing about not going quietly into that good night and such... but, too little, too late. C'mon Kari, time to put on the big-boy pads and play like a pro. No matter what time the game starts.

Re: Kovy's captaincy. If what Waddell says is true about the other A's giving him the thumbs-up, that's a tremendous vote of confidence. It also puts to bed the biggest fear in my mind: that Kovy was a locker room problem. Now, most games (especially the games that resulted in a win), that thought would never even cross my mind. But other games... The rap on him was that he was a selfish "showoffy" player. In my mind, that conjured up images of a locker room demeanor that would be less than productive. Not along the lines of a Sean Avery, but more like a bizzaro-Avery: so quiet and reserved that his on-ice celebrations and actions would cause others to avoid him. Throw in a lack of production from the rest of the team and a scoring slump, and that thought started to creep in more & more. So when the trade rumors stared to float around, I started to wonder, "Is this how he's gonna go?" Giving Kovy the 'C' (and more importantly his decision to accept it) is a huge bright spot in a pretty dismal time.

Re: Rich Peverley. On the ajc beat blog, a commenter made this statement:

It’s kind of embarrassing when you grab a waived guy and make him the first line center, eh?

I understand the point: how good can your team actually be when you pull a guy off the wire and then drop him on the top line for the very next game.

But then there's the chemistry. Just like Savard coming over from Calgary improved his point total considerably (btw... required reading: Mike Chen's article on Savard and the "unraveling"), this might be the move that Pevvy needs to jumpstart his offense. You can never make judgement calls on how a line will play together until they actually play together. Who predicted the success of the Kahlua line before the season started? If I remember correctly, it was Slava who said they were so successful because they think so much alike. Rich may have a mindset that fits Kovy's game perfectly. On paper, Kovy-Pevvy-Army makes a lot of sense. Super-offensive left wing, offensively-minded centerman, and gritty right wing. Let's give it a shot. Johnny A. may have some experience with/against Pevvy. Besides, it's not like there's another number one center kicking around to mortgage the farm for...

...oh, wait...

Re: Speaking of Johnny A... He and our esteemed GM were taking to the airwaves today. Check out Rawhides' recaps.

Re: "James Wisniewski, the Audubon Society is on line 1 for you..." The Blackhawks hate pigeons. Pigeons, stay away from the Blackhawks.

Re: The newest Thrasher/Wolf. Welcome Brett Skinner. Trade bait, or Chicago depth?

W-I-N

2009-01-09T11:26:00.005-05:00

Shame on me.

Remember this: the most important part of the clip happens at the end. There are guys remembering what it's like to play together. And to win together.

Big Time Play: Toby Enstrom's positioning on Army's first goal, shoving the puck back into the zone. Huge.

Kari's performance is a big step toward regaining confidence & form. Yeah, I know, it was the Devils. But there have been nights when we couldn't stop anything thrown at us. Let's take it to Florida and build some more.

Feels good to win, doesn't it?