The previously posted blog about Tim Horton's was meant entirely in jest. We here at the Chronicle have no knowledge of the business plans of Tim Horton's and intended only to annoy Canadian hockey fans who delight in starting rumors that our Southern hockey teams will be moved to small Canadian markets.
However, should Tim Horton's wish to implement Razor Catch Prey's brilliant plan to relocate and retool marketing around the wonderful personality of Jeremy Roenick, we will be expecting royalties.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Blueland Chronicle Comment of the Day
This epistle from "Go Puck Yourself" is just full of win:
We see some of your favorite hockey clubs are struggling/suck horrendously.
Well....that's what you get for giving us Nickelback.
Damn you. We deserve more vengeance.
This Just In
(updated quite a bit below)
Toronto area residents already steeped in a malaise inspired by the Maple Leafs' 0-5-1 start, were further saddened today to learn that a beloved local restaurant chain would be fleeing the Great White North for greener pastures in the American sun-belt.
Tim Horton's will be expanding throughout the Southeastern United States. The franchise will open fifty stores throughout the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner items and is well known for "Timbits" doughnut holes and high quality blueberry muffins.
The move will coincide with the closing of all Tim Horton's locations within the province of Ontario.
To appeal to the new market, the franchise is renaming it's restaurants after an American born hockey player. Jeremy Roenick has been chosen for the honor. "I can't wait to offer my input on what to rename the Timbits" an enthusiastic Roenick was heard to say.
copyright Aaron
Editor's note: Photoshop contest now. Send in your finest Jeremy Roenick + Tim Horton's photoshops and we'll post the most rib-tickling among them. bluelandchronicle@gmail.com -MP
Toronto area residents already steeped in a malaise inspired by the Maple Leafs' 0-5-1 start, were further saddened today to learn that a beloved local restaurant chain would be fleeing the Great White North for greener pastures in the American sun-belt.
Tim Horton's will be expanding throughout the Southeastern United States. The franchise will open fifty stores throughout the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner items and is well known for "Timbits" doughnut holes and high quality blueberry muffins.
The move will coincide with the closing of all Tim Horton's locations within the province of Ontario.
To appeal to the new market, the franchise is renaming it's restaurants after an American born hockey player. Jeremy Roenick has been chosen for the honor. "I can't wait to offer my input on what to rename the Timbits" an enthusiastic Roenick was heard to say.
copyright Aaron
Editor's note: Photoshop contest now. Send in your finest Jeremy Roenick + Tim Horton's photoshops and we'll post the most rib-tickling among them. bluelandchronicle@gmail.com -MP
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Moonbat Canadian Fan Support Group
If you didn’t know (and I certainly didn’t) there is a group out there calling itself the NHL Fans Association which apparently purports to represent the will of hockey fans in the same way the NHL Players Association does its union members.
Their website claims 30,355 “members” and 251 “MVPs” who I assume are probably members who paid extra money. Jim Boone is the founder of this organization and through that claim to fame has himself a blog on our favorite Sunbelt-Hockey-Bashing publication, The Hockey News.
Boone’s newest update communicates the results of a poll of the NHLFA’s members. Apparently the main concerns of their members depend on whether they are answering from north or south of the U.S./Canadian border. American fans, according to Boone’s data, want to see higher quality and more widely available television coverage for the NHL in the United States. Fair enough, and a sentiment I think all of us here at the Chronicle share.
Where this whole exercise turns nutty however, is when Boone reveals the main concern of Canadian members of his organization, which is the ouster of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Apparently Canadian NHLFA membership is comprised mainly of the canuckle-draggers who believe that Commissioner Bettman is an evil robot from the future sent back in time to prevent NHL franchises from being moved to Canada. Bettman has become a lightning rod for irrational Canadians who don’t understand why an NHL team in a major American media market shouldn’t immediately be uprooted and moved to any available site north of the Canadian border.
According to Boone, “Canadian fans feel this man has done more harm than good to the game. They feel Bettman is not in touch with the sport’s grassroots – in Canada – and the time has come to find a new and more informed leader.” That “- in Canada –“ emphasis was Boone’s, not mine. Our gracious neighbors to the north don’t want someone who has worked tirelessly to grow our game, expand the fan base, and drag the sport out of the low scoring doldrums of the late 90’s. They want somebody who will pluck teams out of the southern US and put them in Winnipeg, Quebec City, Hamilton, and Moose Jaw.
An earlier poll about members’ views on the Coyotes situation reveals surprisingly little. The questions asked for predictions, not personal feelings. The only question that gets at all to the desires of participants is “Do you think it is in the best interest of the NHL and its fans to have the Phoenix franchise relocate to Southern Ontario?” To which the vast majority of Canadian members and a narrow margin of American members said yes. One can easily think it’s in the league’s best interest to move them there, but they may not personally want to see it happen. It may also be in your best interest to order a Michelob Ultra at the game but full calorie Labatt Blue tastes a whole lot better. If there were other questions asked, they and the results aren’t included in the report published on the NHLFA’s website.
Their website claims 30,355 “members” and 251 “MVPs” who I assume are probably members who paid extra money. Jim Boone is the founder of this organization and through that claim to fame has himself a blog on our favorite Sunbelt-Hockey-Bashing publication, The Hockey News.
Boone’s newest update communicates the results of a poll of the NHLFA’s members. Apparently the main concerns of their members depend on whether they are answering from north or south of the U.S./Canadian border. American fans, according to Boone’s data, want to see higher quality and more widely available television coverage for the NHL in the United States. Fair enough, and a sentiment I think all of us here at the Chronicle share.
Where this whole exercise turns nutty however, is when Boone reveals the main concern of Canadian members of his organization, which is the ouster of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Apparently Canadian NHLFA membership is comprised mainly of the canuckle-draggers who believe that Commissioner Bettman is an evil robot from the future sent back in time to prevent NHL franchises from being moved to Canada. Bettman has become a lightning rod for irrational Canadians who don’t understand why an NHL team in a major American media market shouldn’t immediately be uprooted and moved to any available site north of the Canadian border.
According to Boone, “Canadian fans feel this man has done more harm than good to the game. They feel Bettman is not in touch with the sport’s grassroots – in Canada – and the time has come to find a new and more informed leader.” That “- in Canada –“ emphasis was Boone’s, not mine. Our gracious neighbors to the north don’t want someone who has worked tirelessly to grow our game, expand the fan base, and drag the sport out of the low scoring doldrums of the late 90’s. They want somebody who will pluck teams out of the southern US and put them in Winnipeg, Quebec City, Hamilton, and Moose Jaw.
An earlier poll about members’ views on the Coyotes situation reveals surprisingly little. The questions asked for predictions, not personal feelings. The only question that gets at all to the desires of participants is “Do you think it is in the best interest of the NHL and its fans to have the Phoenix franchise relocate to Southern Ontario?” To which the vast majority of Canadian members and a narrow margin of American members said yes. One can easily think it’s in the league’s best interest to move them there, but they may not personally want to see it happen. It may also be in your best interest to order a Michelob Ultra at the game but full calorie Labatt Blue tastes a whole lot better. If there were other questions asked, they and the results aren’t included in the report published on the NHLFA’s website.
Looking to Invest?
Via Bird Watchers Anonymous and the AJC, I hear the Atlanta Thrashers might be a welcome place for your dollars.
I think the Chronicle's record is pretty clear when it comes to what we think of the Atlanta Spirit ownership group. As much as we've criticized them in the past, fairness obliges me to credit them with at least two things, and this seems as good an opportunity as any to credit them:
1) They went on a spending spree this summer to hire Rick Dudley, acquire Nik Antropov, and take on Pavel Kubina's not-small contract, all in the hopes of generously shelling out even more money to pay Ilya Kovalchuk for many, many years.
2) For Jeebus's sake, and this goes for Canuckle-dragging yellow journalists and Thrashtards alike, STOP all this dumb hyperventilating about the ATL Spirit being a "money-losing" organization. Yes, they've lost a fair amount of money over the years, but (seriously, are you ready? because this is an actual dimension-opening mindfuck) even a paid commie like myself knows that a business can lose money for a fairly long time and still be a viable business. It's called "running a business at a loss." Of course, there are certain conditions for this kind of thing, like having a big and deep pool of capital to dip into. The ATL Spirit guys, whatever else you may say about them, aren't going to run out of capital anytime soon. The countless concerts and special events at Philips, plus the sales of Wetzel pretzels and gallons of beer, not to mention their personal fortunes, will make sure of that. The fact that they're willing to invest in this team--and yes, lose money on it--ennobles them at least a little bit, don't you think?
But still, they might be looking for new investors. I know I could contribute maybe $20 if they'd be willing to give me a .000000002% share in ownership.
I think the Chronicle's record is pretty clear when it comes to what we think of the Atlanta Spirit ownership group. As much as we've criticized them in the past, fairness obliges me to credit them with at least two things, and this seems as good an opportunity as any to credit them:
1) They went on a spending spree this summer to hire Rick Dudley, acquire Nik Antropov, and take on Pavel Kubina's not-small contract, all in the hopes of generously shelling out even more money to pay Ilya Kovalchuk for many, many years.
2) For Jeebus's sake, and this goes for Canuckle-dragging yellow journalists and Thrashtards alike, STOP all this dumb hyperventilating about the ATL Spirit being a "money-losing" organization. Yes, they've lost a fair amount of money over the years, but (seriously, are you ready? because this is an actual dimension-opening mindfuck) even a paid commie like myself knows that a business can lose money for a fairly long time and still be a viable business. It's called "running a business at a loss." Of course, there are certain conditions for this kind of thing, like having a big and deep pool of capital to dip into. The ATL Spirit guys, whatever else you may say about them, aren't going to run out of capital anytime soon. The countless concerts and special events at Philips, plus the sales of Wetzel pretzels and gallons of beer, not to mention their personal fortunes, will make sure of that. The fact that they're willing to invest in this team--and yes, lose money on it--ennobles them at least a little bit, don't you think?
But still, they might be looking for new investors. I know I could contribute maybe $20 if they'd be willing to give me a .000000002% share in ownership.
Monday, October 12, 2009
John Anderson Simply Does Not Care for Slava Kozlov's Diet
The Thrashers don't play again for like 7 full years, so there's precious little to say. Here's some worthwhile stuff that the Internet has recently thrown up:
- Some dude who plays the Hockey in Zagreb committed an act of OMG Goal-Scoring Pwnage the other day. [Puck Daddy]
- Mr. Rawhide's peculiar and famous blog over at the AJC--in addition to being the newspaper's sole source of wealth--is now 3 years old. Head over and say "Cheers, Mr. Rawhide. Thank you, thank you brother, for being a beacon to Thrash-bloggers hither and yon. Ah, Trixie, I didn't see you come in. Looking lovely today, as always, truly a vision." [AJC Ice Man]
- Not hockey-related, but hahahahahahaha 20th Century Fox is making a Moses movie in graphic novel-300 style. The plagues are gonna kick ass. [The Awl]
- Ben Wright is demanding you Twitter him your requests for a new "Ask a Thrasher" feature. Speaking as me, I'd like to see a searching interview with Nik "Danger" Antropov. [Ben Wright on the Twitter]
- I thoroughly enjoyed this video of John Anderson all mic'd up at a Thrashers morning skate. Particularly his ribbing of Slava Kozlov for not eating more steak. [Thrashers TV]
Song of the day? Song of the day:
Jackie Collins Existential Question Time - Manic Street Preachers
- Some dude who plays the Hockey in Zagreb committed an act of OMG Goal-Scoring Pwnage the other day. [Puck Daddy]
- Mr. Rawhide's peculiar and famous blog over at the AJC--in addition to being the newspaper's sole source of wealth--is now 3 years old. Head over and say "Cheers, Mr. Rawhide. Thank you, thank you brother, for being a beacon to Thrash-bloggers hither and yon. Ah, Trixie, I didn't see you come in. Looking lovely today, as always, truly a vision." [AJC Ice Man]
- Not hockey-related, but hahahahahahaha 20th Century Fox is making a Moses movie in graphic novel-300 style. The plagues are gonna kick ass. [The Awl]
- Ben Wright is demanding you Twitter him your requests for a new "Ask a Thrasher" feature. Speaking as me, I'd like to see a searching interview with Nik "Danger" Antropov. [Ben Wright on the Twitter]
- I thoroughly enjoyed this video of John Anderson all mic'd up at a Thrashers morning skate. Particularly his ribbing of Slava Kozlov for not eating more steak. [Thrashers TV]
Song of the day? Song of the day:
Jackie Collins Existential Question Time - Manic Street Preachers
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Ho Hum
Yes, we lost to the Sens. Sounded like the Thrashers were sloppy and could never settle into their preferred style; like Pavelec was, as usual, terribly shaky at the beginning (only this time, it led to 2 goals against us); like the officials hate us, etc.
No solemn requiems just yet. A 2-1 start is pretty good; the torment is waiting for the next game. In the mean time here's Felix the Cat to cheer us all up:
No solemn requiems just yet. A 2-1 start is pretty good; the torment is waiting for the next game. In the mean time here's Felix the Cat to cheer us all up:
Saturday, October 10, 2009
GAME DAY: Ottawa Senators
The Sens, now Heatley-less, have been doing pretty well so far. So have we.
We must make a 3-0-0 start for ourselves. I say it all depends on whether Todd White and Christoph Schubert decide to wreak havoc on their former city or go easy on it.
I predict Nik Antropov (who's been good so far, by the way) gets on the scoresheet tonight. I also predict a lot of goals all around.
Make it three in a row, boys. We don't need to get caught in a web of our own weaving this early (no, I can't think of any songs to go with the Ottawa Senators).
Friday, October 9, 2009
Just How High Can He Go.... Heennngghhh?
Well, let me be the one billionth person to congratulate our Czar on reaching 300 goals. This did get me thinking, just how many CAN he actually score? Let's review, shall we? The man is 26 years old, and in 7 NHL seasons where he stayed mostly healthy, he has reached 301 goals. That is an average of 42 goals per season. Those are downright frightening numbers. Just what, exactly, have you done with YOUR life... hmmm?
Let's stay on the safe side as we try and project the rest of his career. You never know how long someone will play, or how much they will play due to injury. Kovy is entering the prime of his career, so lets say over the next five years he averages 40 goals per season. That puts him at 31 years old. Let's then drop him down to an average of 30 goals over the next five seasons, putting him at 36 years old. Somewhat doable, would you say?
And because my head starts to hurt when I do all teh numberz, we will stop there even though we know our Czar will play until he is 50. By stopping him at age 36, that allows perhaps for some missed time due to injury throughout the years, and helps keep our possible number reasonable. Everyone still with me?
This little experiment puts our Czar at 650 career goals (and if things go well, could easily score over 700)! Pretty incredible wouldn't you say? Just think, if we didn't have the lockout, you could probably add another 40 goals to the total he already has. But if we did that he would have scored 300 goals a while ago, thus I would have written this post a while ago. Hey, what a minute... am I stuck in some sort of Back to the Future monkey time machine?!?!? Great Scott... help me Doc Brown! 1.21 gigawatts, get me out of here!!
So now, what do you all think of my little deal here? Too many goals? Not enough? You don't give a sweet who-ha? Just how many can the man score?
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Keep Things Like This
The Czar did some Czar stuff tonight. First and foremost, #300 and #301. Also: good defensive plays, sensible hockey, etc.
Secondly, Evander Kane is the real deal. The passes from Peverley and Armstrong were perfect, and Kane's goal even more so. And oh yeah, he's a stellar penalty killer.
Toby and Bogo continue to rule.
Liking this.
GAME DAY: St. Louis Blues
The Thrashers are in the wild and woolly city of St. Louis tonight. Their purpose? To inflict a defeat on the St. Louis Blues and get themselves a winning streak.
The Blues are on an impressive winning streak of their own: surely you know all about how they beat the Red Wings, twice, in Sweden (land of the Lidstroms and most of Detroit's team). The Blues are a much better team than the Tampa Bay Lightning, so tonight's game might be a bit more difficult than the opener. They have a sterling defense that can certainly slow down the Thrashers forwards. And it's their home opener, so the team and their fans will be quite pumped up, etc. And, in the interest of full disclosure, I should admit that I have both Brad Boyes and Keith Tkachuk on my fantasy team.
Can it be done?
We think so. Mainly because John Anderson has done what we've long wanted him to do, and made our forward line-up into this:
Kovalchuk-Antropov-Little
Kozlov-White-Afinogenov
Kane-Peverley-Armstrong
Boulton-Reasoner-Slater/Thorburn
One of the Greek Gods will sit, making our fourth line forever the Party Line. This holds promise.
And now for some St. Louis blues, the middle way between the Delta and Chicago:
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
News! Boris Out, Army Ready, Schubert in Gitmo
According to Vivlamore, at least 3 things are true:
1) Boris Valabik is out for 4 weeks, probably longer.
2) Colby Armstrong is ready to play tomorrow.
3) Christoph Schubert is locked in a grey room under a swinging lamp. "Who is HOCKEY?!" the immigration officer keeps asking him.
1) Boris Valabik is out for 4 weeks, probably longer.
2) Colby Armstrong is ready to play tomorrow.
3) Christoph Schubert is locked in a grey room under a swinging lamp. "Who is HOCKEY?!" the immigration officer keeps asking him.
Early Season Melodrama
As I'm sure you've all noticed, there's very little to write about vis-a-vis the Thrashers right now.
No one can be perfectly sure if they're ever going to play again.
Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks can't get it together (a chemistry problem, perhaps on the top line?), Craig Anderson is the greatest goalie on the planet, the Canucks and their man suck, and the Flyers look pretty damn good (this won't change).
Can the Thrashers maintain their spot in the Top 8? Time will tell.
As you were, comrades, as you were.
No one can be perfectly sure if they're ever going to play again.
Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks can't get it together (a chemistry problem, perhaps on the top line?), Craig Anderson is the greatest goalie on the planet, the Canucks and their man suck, and the Flyers look pretty damn good (this won't change).
Can the Thrashers maintain their spot in the Top 8? Time will tell.
As you were, comrades, as you were.
Interesting Trivia
The Chicago Wolves new GM is former Atlanta Knights backup goalie Wendell Young. According to his Wikipedia page, Young is the only player to have won a Memorial Cup, Calder Cup, Turner Cup, and Stanley Cup. He did it in an odd order, winning the Memorial in juniors, the Calder with Hershey, then the Stanley Cup as a backup for the Pens in 91-92, then the Turner Cup with the Wolves in 2000. He played a couple of games with the Knights the season they won the Turner Cup in Atlanta, but apparently wasn't on the team during the playoffs when Mike Greenlay took over the starting job from J.C. Bergeron.
The Wolves have a video tribute to their new GM's playing career here.
How much does an AHL General Manager do, really? Obviously there's all of the non-hockey business responsibility, but when it comes to the roster, what does he do besides take what the NHL club hands down?
The Wolves have a video tribute to their new GM's playing career here.
How much does an AHL General Manager do, really? Obviously there's all of the non-hockey business responsibility, but when it comes to the roster, what does he do besides take what the NHL club hands down?
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Just Because You Say It's Obvious...
Doesn't make it true.
From The Fourth Period: "Atlanta's in trouble, everyone knows it. They're losing way too much money every year. That being said, it's going to take a few years (at most, five), to move them (be it to Winnipeg, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Hamilton, or anywhere)."
David Pagnotta, the TFP editor, was making the same false claims on a live chat with Puck Daddy last week. Here, he's taking a page out of President Obama's book and trying to give himself credibility by denying that anyone disagrees with him.
Ben Wright put it nicely on the Blueland Blog when he responded to the ludicrous Manitoba rumors thusly: "Think about it- if the NHL is hesitant to move out of Phoenix where the team is bankrupt, why would they want to move out of a city the size of Atlanta when the team has zero debt, pays its bills, has an arena lease, and packed the building on opening night."
Those of us who have been paying attention to folks who actually know what they are talking about will remember DW addressed this last year at a town hall meeting. At that time he said that he spoke with Gary Bettman who assured him that the league isn't worried about the Thrashers franchise at all. "We pay our bills," DW said. There are several franchises who don't.
Economics are the ONLY thing that drives whether or not a team will move. With that in mind, you have to look at Atlanta as a huge market that is still growing. The league would be insane to pull out. On the other hand, some more "traditional" hockey markets are in serious decline economically. How long is Detroit going to keep selling out The Joe if the team starts slipping in the standings and the local economy continues its nose dive? If the Bills start winning football games and the Sabres don't turn things around, where are those folks going to spend their sparse dollars? Will there be a hockey team on Long Island in two years? In the desert of Arizona? Can Cubans in Miami even pronounce the word hockey? Will Oren Koulis and Len Barrie try to trap each other in diabolically elaborate death traps before this season is over?
The Thrashers are way down on the list of teams that are in danger of being moved if you're building your list on facts and logic. On the other hand, if you're building your list based on Canadian jingoism and a Tim Hortons-induced sugar high, we're right up there with Phoenix.
From The Fourth Period: "Atlanta's in trouble, everyone knows it. They're losing way too much money every year. That being said, it's going to take a few years (at most, five), to move them (be it to Winnipeg, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Hamilton, or anywhere)."
David Pagnotta, the TFP editor, was making the same false claims on a live chat with Puck Daddy last week. Here, he's taking a page out of President Obama's book and trying to give himself credibility by denying that anyone disagrees with him.
Ben Wright put it nicely on the Blueland Blog when he responded to the ludicrous Manitoba rumors thusly: "Think about it- if the NHL is hesitant to move out of Phoenix where the team is bankrupt, why would they want to move out of a city the size of Atlanta when the team has zero debt, pays its bills, has an arena lease, and packed the building on opening night."
Those of us who have been paying attention to folks who actually know what they are talking about will remember DW addressed this last year at a town hall meeting. At that time he said that he spoke with Gary Bettman who assured him that the league isn't worried about the Thrashers franchise at all. "We pay our bills," DW said. There are several franchises who don't.
Economics are the ONLY thing that drives whether or not a team will move. With that in mind, you have to look at Atlanta as a huge market that is still growing. The league would be insane to pull out. On the other hand, some more "traditional" hockey markets are in serious decline economically. How long is Detroit going to keep selling out The Joe if the team starts slipping in the standings and the local economy continues its nose dive? If the Bills start winning football games and the Sabres don't turn things around, where are those folks going to spend their sparse dollars? Will there be a hockey team on Long Island in two years? In the desert of Arizona? Can Cubans in Miami even pronounce the word hockey? Will Oren Koulis and Len Barrie try to trap each other in diabolically elaborate death traps before this season is over?
The Thrashers are way down on the list of teams that are in danger of being moved if you're building your list on facts and logic. On the other hand, if you're building your list based on Canadian jingoism and a Tim Hortons-induced sugar high, we're right up there with Phoenix.
News Item, Followed by Thought for the Day
Well, you've probably heard by now, via innumerable sources, that Manny Legace just got himself an AHL contract with our very own Chicago Wolves. Good to have Manny back in the stable. "Security," I think they call it.
Before this season is over, I want to see a fight between Chris Pronger and Alex Ovechkin. I think the big feller might be the one to convert Ovie's incessant hitting and weight-throwing into an actual confrontation. Finally.
The Caps-Flyers game tonight should be a rollicking good time, and I'd like to watch it, but the U2s of Dublin come 'round only once every 5 years or so.
Before this season is over, I want to see a fight between Chris Pronger and Alex Ovechkin. I think the big feller might be the one to convert Ovie's incessant hitting and weight-throwing into an actual confrontation. Finally.
The Caps-Flyers game tonight should be a rollicking good time, and I'd like to watch it, but the U2s of Dublin come 'round only once every 5 years or so.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Six Years Ago Today
We bid farewell to Dan Snyder and his dream of making an NHL roster that had just come true. This is what I wrote that night as I sorted through all that I was feeling at the time.
----------
Atlanta is not a hockey town. It’s not even a good sports town. Sure, the Braves are the best team in baseball, and the Falcons have the most exciting player in the NFL. As a city, Atlanta doesn’t support its teams well.
But each of our teams has its core base of fans. Those fans are rabid. Those fans are obsessed. Those fans are pure. To those fans, it isn’t a game that they’re watching, it’s a struggle on their behalf by men who spent their boyhoods dreaming of one day playing in front of such fans.
The Atlanta Thrashers set a record for attendance for an expansion team in 1999. That wasn’t because of an instant supply of fans; it was because the NHL was the new novelty ticket in town. Ticket sales have dwindled as the new car smell has been chased off by the pervasive odor that permeates the 10 feet surrounding a hockey equipment bag.
Attendance hasn’t lessened in the most important category, however. The people who are no longer to be found in Phillips Arena are the ones who thought that seeing a hockey game was just a different way to spend a Friday or Saturday night. They’re the ones who looked confused when the game ended after 3 periods instead of going on to a forth. They’re the ones who thought of the Thrashers as one homogenous entity.
The most important category, in which the Thrashers began with a small, but strong showing, has grown.
It’s grown slowly, but it’s grown steadily. That category is of pure fans. They are the fans who do
not see just a team, but a tightly bonded group of individual men who fought and struggled and sacrificed
to different degrees to be able to skate on that slab of artificially frozen ice in the middle of a man made
mountain filled with people who want nothing more than to watch for 60 minutes as these men battle for
victory on their behalf. These are the pure fans. The fans who can see past the colorful jerseys and the
inane “entertainment” spewed forth mindlessly from the jumbotron while waiting for a face off. These are the
fans who love the game, and love the players for the way that they play it.
I am one of those pure fans, and it is in that capacity that I intend to offer my memory, my eulogy
for Danny Snyder.
Being a pure fan of the Atlanta Thrashers wasn’t easy
for the first few years. Men with an abundance of
character such as Jeff Odgers, Dean Sylvester, and
Denny Lambert made it easier. They played with a
desire in their gut that was obvious to those of us
looking on from the stands. They cared about how they
played, not for the money and the incentives in their
contracts, but because there were people like us
watching who had traveled from our homes and paid to
be a part of their struggle for victory.
I can’t remember what night Dan Snyder made his debut
with the Atlanta Thrashers after being called up from
the Orlando Solar Bears of the IHL. What I do
remember is the feeling that I and all of the other
pure fans had when we saw Danny play.
Danny Snyder wasn’t supposed to be in the NHL. He
wasn’t even supposed to be in the IHL. He was too
small. He didn’t shoot the puck well enough. He
wasn’t cut out to be a pro hockey player.
Danny Snyder didn’t give half a**** about what he was
and wasn’t supposed to do or be. Like anyone who has
ever felt their cleats crunching the dirt of the
infield as they stepped on to a little league field,
or strained to lace up their skates or focused every
essence of themselves on making sure that the tape on
their Koho was just right, Danny Snyder grew up
playing the game he loved, and dreaming about becoming
a pro. Men like Dan Snyder dream such things all
their lives, and lesser men won’t have a clue as to
the real reasons why.
Men like Dan Snyder dream of being a professional
athlete in this society where such athletes are paid
more than they should to an exponential degree. But
they don’t dream of it for the money, like so many who
aspire to practice law or trade stocks.
Men like Dan Snyder dream of being a professional
athlete in this society where such athletes are
treated like royalty in the community, with attention
lavished upon them regardless of their social prowess
or ineptitude. But they don’t dream of it for the
free drinks and dates with any woman they want, like
so many who aspire to become stars in Hollywood or on
the stage.
No, Men like Dan Snyder dream of being a professional
athlete so that they can play for fans. Pure fans.
They dream of living for this sport that they love,
and excelling so that they can pay back their fans for
the support that they have been given. They want to
stride onto that ice and without speaking a word, tell
every true fan in the crowd that they care about their
passion, and will struggle and sacrifice to make it
count.
In a game that, like so many in the Thrashers short
history, was a losing battle on the scoreboard, we as
fans received a victory when Danny Snyder first took
to the ice as an Atlanta Thrasher. He wasn’t supposed
to be there, but he worked every second he could
throughout his life to overcome his small stature by
replacing the missing inches and pounds with passion
for the game and the way he played it.
There are players that you watch and can see their
love of the game and their joy at playing it. Wayne
Gretzky was such a player. There are players that you
watch and can see their determination to be the best.
Scott Stevens is such a player.
Then there are players like Danny Snyder. When fan
watched Danny Snyder play, they saw an undersized
underdog fighting his way upstream to establish
himself worthy of a place in the highest hockey league
on Earth. When a pure fan watched Danny Snyder play,
they saw his heart. Danny Snyder played because he
loved the game, loved his team, and he loved being
able to validate the love of the pure fans through his
blood, sweat, and tears.
Danny Snyder was a normal, nice guy off the ice. I
can’t say that I really knew him; just that I’ve
shaken his hand a few times around the practice rink
or season ticket holder events while speaking
encouraging words about his play and that of the team.
But from what I saw, it was obvious that Danny Snyder
was different than most. He had a sense of purpose.
Some professional athletes seem to believe that they
are owed the attention that they receive because of
their skills. Others are bewildered at that
attention. Danny Snyder always seemed to understand
it, and accept it, not as being owed to him, but as
being the result of what he had worked toward all
those exhausting hours on the ice and in the weight
room. He knew that the fans didn’t owe him anything
because he knew how hard he had to work to get it.
And he wasn’t bewildered by it, because that was what
he had worked toward all along. He played for the
fans, and he did it well.
All of us who have ever been athletes, whether they
had the skills of Wayne Gretzky or John Smoltz, or if
they could barely lift a bat or hit the water if they
fell out of a plane over the Pacific, have known at
least a little of what drove Dan Snyder. In some, it
becomes clouded and corrupted by tangential dreams of
fame or fortune. Danny Snyder didn’t let anything
like that distract him. Fame and fortune were never
his dream. Skating on that NHL ice and playing in a
manner which showed his heart was his dream.
And he achieved it.
Danny Snyder would have spent this season as a
permanent member of the Atlanta Thrashers, rather than
as a transient bouncing back and forth between Atlanta
and Chicago. His work had come to fruition, and he
was ready to spend the entire season playing for those
pure fans who he won over the first time he strode
onto the ice in Phillips Arena and steamed shoulder
first into a man with 5 inches and 30 pounds of
leverage on him, just so he could keep him from
knocking the puck out of the zone.
Danny Snyder never seemed to think any part of the
game was routine or mundane or unimportant. He chased
down a loose puck in the neutral zone with 20 seconds
left in a game his team was losing by 4 goals as if by
reaching that puck before anyone else, he would earn
the right to raise the Stanley Cup. Why did he do it
that way? Because he was a special kind of player.
Because he wouldn’t understand why anyone would even
think to ask why he did it that way.
When a pure fan watched Dan Snyder play hockey, they
saw his heart. And when you saw Danny Snyder’s heart,
he became a part of your own.
The hockey Hall of Fame didn’t lose a future
commemorative display tonight. When our grandchildren
look at the book of NHL records, they won’t be missing
Danny Snyder’s name, because it was never going to be
there. But for all of us for whom Danny Snyder had
become part of our hearts, we have lost something that
hurts deeply, and won’t be filled again.
Dan Snyder didn’t deserve to die from injuries he
received in a car crash last Monday night. He didn’t
deserve to spend the past week in a coma, or to have
some guy he would never have recognized sitting up at
1:30 in the morning rambling aimlessly about him onto
a computer screen. Dan Snyder deserved to live his
dream to the fullest extent. He deserved a spot on
the Atlanta Thrashers roster, and he deserved a spot
in the heart of the pure fans in the stands.
Danny Snyder earned that spot on the roster, and he
earned that spot in our hearts. He will be missed
such that I cannot convey it in words here. Danny’s
parents have lost their son. Danny’s teammates have
lost a brother. Danny’s fans have lost a hero.
Hockey has lost – not a potential record breaking,
revolutionary talent – but a quiet soldier of
dedication and love of the game and of the fans. None
of those losses can be filled.
When you grip a softball bat to play in your work or
church league; when you lace up your cleats to play a
high school football game; when you pull your jersey
on over your shoulder and elbow pads prior to a game
against the Carolina Hurricanes; when you take your
son out to the back yard for his first game of catch,
remember Danny Snyder, and the reason he lived his
life and played his sport the way that he did. There
are no small plays; there are no unimportant games.
Miss Dan Snyder, and keep his heart as part of your
own.
----------
Atlanta is not a hockey town. It’s not even a good sports town. Sure, the Braves are the best team in baseball, and the Falcons have the most exciting player in the NFL. As a city, Atlanta doesn’t support its teams well.
But each of our teams has its core base of fans. Those fans are rabid. Those fans are obsessed. Those fans are pure. To those fans, it isn’t a game that they’re watching, it’s a struggle on their behalf by men who spent their boyhoods dreaming of one day playing in front of such fans.
The Atlanta Thrashers set a record for attendance for an expansion team in 1999. That wasn’t because of an instant supply of fans; it was because the NHL was the new novelty ticket in town. Ticket sales have dwindled as the new car smell has been chased off by the pervasive odor that permeates the 10 feet surrounding a hockey equipment bag.
Attendance hasn’t lessened in the most important category, however. The people who are no longer to be found in Phillips Arena are the ones who thought that seeing a hockey game was just a different way to spend a Friday or Saturday night. They’re the ones who looked confused when the game ended after 3 periods instead of going on to a forth. They’re the ones who thought of the Thrashers as one homogenous entity.
The most important category, in which the Thrashers began with a small, but strong showing, has grown.
It’s grown slowly, but it’s grown steadily. That category is of pure fans. They are the fans who do
not see just a team, but a tightly bonded group of individual men who fought and struggled and sacrificed
to different degrees to be able to skate on that slab of artificially frozen ice in the middle of a man made
mountain filled with people who want nothing more than to watch for 60 minutes as these men battle for
victory on their behalf. These are the pure fans. The fans who can see past the colorful jerseys and the
inane “entertainment” spewed forth mindlessly from the jumbotron while waiting for a face off. These are the
fans who love the game, and love the players for the way that they play it.
I am one of those pure fans, and it is in that capacity that I intend to offer my memory, my eulogy
for Danny Snyder.
Being a pure fan of the Atlanta Thrashers wasn’t easy
for the first few years. Men with an abundance of
character such as Jeff Odgers, Dean Sylvester, and
Denny Lambert made it easier. They played with a
desire in their gut that was obvious to those of us
looking on from the stands. They cared about how they
played, not for the money and the incentives in their
contracts, but because there were people like us
watching who had traveled from our homes and paid to
be a part of their struggle for victory.
I can’t remember what night Dan Snyder made his debut
with the Atlanta Thrashers after being called up from
the Orlando Solar Bears of the IHL. What I do
remember is the feeling that I and all of the other
pure fans had when we saw Danny play.
Danny Snyder wasn’t supposed to be in the NHL. He
wasn’t even supposed to be in the IHL. He was too
small. He didn’t shoot the puck well enough. He
wasn’t cut out to be a pro hockey player.
Danny Snyder didn’t give half a**** about what he was
and wasn’t supposed to do or be. Like anyone who has
ever felt their cleats crunching the dirt of the
infield as they stepped on to a little league field,
or strained to lace up their skates or focused every
essence of themselves on making sure that the tape on
their Koho was just right, Danny Snyder grew up
playing the game he loved, and dreaming about becoming
a pro. Men like Dan Snyder dream such things all
their lives, and lesser men won’t have a clue as to
the real reasons why.
Men like Dan Snyder dream of being a professional
athlete in this society where such athletes are paid
more than they should to an exponential degree. But
they don’t dream of it for the money, like so many who
aspire to practice law or trade stocks.
Men like Dan Snyder dream of being a professional
athlete in this society where such athletes are
treated like royalty in the community, with attention
lavished upon them regardless of their social prowess
or ineptitude. But they don’t dream of it for the
free drinks and dates with any woman they want, like
so many who aspire to become stars in Hollywood or on
the stage.
No, Men like Dan Snyder dream of being a professional
athlete so that they can play for fans. Pure fans.
They dream of living for this sport that they love,
and excelling so that they can pay back their fans for
the support that they have been given. They want to
stride onto that ice and without speaking a word, tell
every true fan in the crowd that they care about their
passion, and will struggle and sacrifice to make it
count.
In a game that, like so many in the Thrashers short
history, was a losing battle on the scoreboard, we as
fans received a victory when Danny Snyder first took
to the ice as an Atlanta Thrasher. He wasn’t supposed
to be there, but he worked every second he could
throughout his life to overcome his small stature by
replacing the missing inches and pounds with passion
for the game and the way he played it.
There are players that you watch and can see their
love of the game and their joy at playing it. Wayne
Gretzky was such a player. There are players that you
watch and can see their determination to be the best.
Scott Stevens is such a player.
Then there are players like Danny Snyder. When fan
watched Danny Snyder play, they saw an undersized
underdog fighting his way upstream to establish
himself worthy of a place in the highest hockey league
on Earth. When a pure fan watched Danny Snyder play,
they saw his heart. Danny Snyder played because he
loved the game, loved his team, and he loved being
able to validate the love of the pure fans through his
blood, sweat, and tears.
Danny Snyder was a normal, nice guy off the ice. I
can’t say that I really knew him; just that I’ve
shaken his hand a few times around the practice rink
or season ticket holder events while speaking
encouraging words about his play and that of the team.
But from what I saw, it was obvious that Danny Snyder
was different than most. He had a sense of purpose.
Some professional athletes seem to believe that they
are owed the attention that they receive because of
their skills. Others are bewildered at that
attention. Danny Snyder always seemed to understand
it, and accept it, not as being owed to him, but as
being the result of what he had worked toward all
those exhausting hours on the ice and in the weight
room. He knew that the fans didn’t owe him anything
because he knew how hard he had to work to get it.
And he wasn’t bewildered by it, because that was what
he had worked toward all along. He played for the
fans, and he did it well.
All of us who have ever been athletes, whether they
had the skills of Wayne Gretzky or John Smoltz, or if
they could barely lift a bat or hit the water if they
fell out of a plane over the Pacific, have known at
least a little of what drove Dan Snyder. In some, it
becomes clouded and corrupted by tangential dreams of
fame or fortune. Danny Snyder didn’t let anything
like that distract him. Fame and fortune were never
his dream. Skating on that NHL ice and playing in a
manner which showed his heart was his dream.
And he achieved it.
Danny Snyder would have spent this season as a
permanent member of the Atlanta Thrashers, rather than
as a transient bouncing back and forth between Atlanta
and Chicago. His work had come to fruition, and he
was ready to spend the entire season playing for those
pure fans who he won over the first time he strode
onto the ice in Phillips Arena and steamed shoulder
first into a man with 5 inches and 30 pounds of
leverage on him, just so he could keep him from
knocking the puck out of the zone.
Danny Snyder never seemed to think any part of the
game was routine or mundane or unimportant. He chased
down a loose puck in the neutral zone with 20 seconds
left in a game his team was losing by 4 goals as if by
reaching that puck before anyone else, he would earn
the right to raise the Stanley Cup. Why did he do it
that way? Because he was a special kind of player.
Because he wouldn’t understand why anyone would even
think to ask why he did it that way.
When a pure fan watched Dan Snyder play hockey, they
saw his heart. And when you saw Danny Snyder’s heart,
he became a part of your own.
The hockey Hall of Fame didn’t lose a future
commemorative display tonight. When our grandchildren
look at the book of NHL records, they won’t be missing
Danny Snyder’s name, because it was never going to be
there. But for all of us for whom Danny Snyder had
become part of our hearts, we have lost something that
hurts deeply, and won’t be filled again.
Dan Snyder didn’t deserve to die from injuries he
received in a car crash last Monday night. He didn’t
deserve to spend the past week in a coma, or to have
some guy he would never have recognized sitting up at
1:30 in the morning rambling aimlessly about him onto
a computer screen. Dan Snyder deserved to live his
dream to the fullest extent. He deserved a spot on
the Atlanta Thrashers roster, and he deserved a spot
in the heart of the pure fans in the stands.
Danny Snyder earned that spot on the roster, and he
earned that spot in our hearts. He will be missed
such that I cannot convey it in words here. Danny’s
parents have lost their son. Danny’s teammates have
lost a brother. Danny’s fans have lost a hero.
Hockey has lost – not a potential record breaking,
revolutionary talent – but a quiet soldier of
dedication and love of the game and of the fans. None
of those losses can be filled.
When you grip a softball bat to play in your work or
church league; when you lace up your cleats to play a
high school football game; when you pull your jersey
on over your shoulder and elbow pads prior to a game
against the Carolina Hurricanes; when you take your
son out to the back yard for his first game of catch,
remember Danny Snyder, and the reason he lived his
life and played his sport the way that he did. There
are no small plays; there are no unimportant games.
Miss Dan Snyder, and keep his heart as part of your
own.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Actual Game Thoughts, Recollected in Sobriety
- Even though he didn't appear on the scoresheet last night, Nik Antropov had a good game. He screened the hell out of Mike Smith on at least one of those Kovalchuk goals.
- Rich Peverley: awesome.
- On top of all the goal-scoring, Kovalchuk had a great game defensively. Keeping the puck out of our zone, etc.
- Gotta get our shots-against to a more favorable ratio.
- There were times in the game when the Thrash looked defensively bewildered, pinned down in their own zone. There were other times, perhaps more frequent, where they were not only attacking the Lightning zone like a pack of angry razorbacks, but looked super-disciplined doing it. More disciplined-looking than I've ever seen. Making all the fancy moves and passes, keeping the puck well in the zone, making opposing d-men look silly, etc.
- WOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
I would end this post with Erik B. and Rakim's "I Ain't No Joke," but we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. Like the Czar said, we won the opener last season too and can't rest on our laurels, etc. etc...
Nevertheless, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...
- Rich Peverley: awesome.
- On top of all the goal-scoring, Kovalchuk had a great game defensively. Keeping the puck out of our zone, etc.
- Gotta get our shots-against to a more favorable ratio.
- There were times in the game when the Thrash looked defensively bewildered, pinned down in their own zone. There were other times, perhaps more frequent, where they were not only attacking the Lightning zone like a pack of angry razorbacks, but looked super-disciplined doing it. More disciplined-looking than I've ever seen. Making all the fancy moves and passes, keeping the puck well in the zone, making opposing d-men look silly, etc.
- WOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
I would end this post with Erik B. and Rakim's "I Ain't No Joke," but we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. Like the Czar said, we won the opener last season too and can't rest on our laurels, etc. etc...
Nevertheless, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...
Two Thoughts
1) We were at the game tonight. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
2) Al Strachan is an actual fat, dumb, bald fuck with a touch of dementia.
THE THRASHER IS A HOCKEY-PLAYIN' BIRD.
2) Al Strachan is an actual fat, dumb, bald fuck with a touch of dementia.
THE THRASHER IS A HOCKEY-PLAYIN' BIRD.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
GAAAAAAAAAAAAME...Day.
Vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning, and all that.
Today begins the most important season in Thrashers history. Be ready.
Today begins the most important season in Thrashers history. Be ready.
Friday, October 2, 2009
What Ho, Thrash Season Eve
You know me, readers. I hate to take even a short break from the Ron Hainsey festivities, but it's Thrashers Season Eve. Can't help but feel like tomorrow is Christmas, or something like it. And how do I celebrate cheerful holidays like Thrash Season Eve?
Usually by watching this:
Dr. House used to be such a bright and chirpy fellow.
P.S. The Blueland Chronicle Fantasy League is in full swing. I dare you to have a look at the post-first game standings.
P.P.S Yeah, the Face Off thing last night was, well, whatever. Big Shooter high-fived Moose, and because we didn't really want to stand in line we adjourned to the Taco Mac with the proprietress of Wazzupwitchu? (code name: "Laura") and watched the Caps-Bruins game, while drinking. THAT was a good time.
Usually by watching this:
Dr. House used to be such a bright and chirpy fellow.
P.S. The Blueland Chronicle Fantasy League is in full swing. I dare you to have a look at the post-first game standings.
P.P.S Yeah, the Face Off thing last night was, well, whatever. Big Shooter high-fived Moose, and because we didn't really want to stand in line we adjourned to the Taco Mac with the proprietress of Wazzupwitchu? (code name: "Laura") and watched the Caps-Bruins game, while drinking. THAT was a good time.
Hainsey on Hockey This Morning
Ron Hainsey made up for his Wednesday absence, calling in to Hockey This Morning on NHL Home Ice at 9:05 today. He discussed last night's Montreal/Toronto game which he watched to see his USA Hockey buddy Mike Komisarek. He also talked about how great camp has been despite the injury, what a surprise it was to be told yesterday in practice that he would be wearing the A, and how good the team looks heading into Saturday's season opener.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Give Ronald the 'A'
The NHL season begins today. Actual hockey games. Actual hockey games that award teams points for the playoff-position standings. A new dawn.
The Thrashers face-off event is tonight, yessir. Your Chronicle staff will be there, though I'm not sure if we'll be seeking autographs. It'll be interesting to see who gets the A's to complement the Czar's C. I figure we'll still have Armstrong and Kozlov as A's, though I wouldn't be against giving Ronald "OMG It's Ron Hainsey" Hainsey one as well. I mean, no one that handsome should be without A.
Speaking of Hainsey, I hope the world is ready for him on Saturday. Because we all know it's not a matter of whether Ron Hainsey is ready for action; it's a matter of whether action is ready for Ron Hainsey.
Oh hey, look at this press conference with John Anderson and Don Waddell, where they talk about things, at length.
There's also a season-opening media blitz underway, the venues of which are outlined by Ben Wright over at his place.
The Thrashers face-off event is tonight, yessir. Your Chronicle staff will be there, though I'm not sure if we'll be seeking autographs. It'll be interesting to see who gets the A's to complement the Czar's C. I figure we'll still have Armstrong and Kozlov as A's, though I wouldn't be against giving Ronald "OMG It's Ron Hainsey" Hainsey one as well. I mean, no one that handsome should be without A.
Speaking of Hainsey, I hope the world is ready for him on Saturday. Because we all know it's not a matter of whether Ron Hainsey is ready for action; it's a matter of whether action is ready for Ron Hainsey.
Oh hey, look at this press conference with John Anderson and Don Waddell, where they talk about things, at length.
There's also a season-opening media blitz underway, the venues of which are outlined by Ben Wright over at his place.
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