I know this is only speculation, and it sounds too good to be true (not for the Sharks, but for other teams, like, say, the Thrashers). But I can't resist sharing:
Ryan Clowe, is a great player but is still rolling around the free agency market and I can only ask one question "What's Up?" I mean Clowe has gone through arbirtration and even though Doug Wilson has said the deal is pretty much done like dinner I've learned their has been a bunch of interest in the left wing.
You can call me a lunatic, but I've got a hunch that Ryan is already gone. I mean the Sharks only have 1.374 million cap space left and still have a handful of prospects to sign. Now something I know for real is that Clowe still hadn't picked the term of his new contract and I think why he's taking so long is cause another team is trying to poach him.
Could the Thrashers be a viable poacher?
If the Thrashers get Ryan Clowe I will cry rivers of joy.
For one, the guy is a Shark. More importantly, he scored 34 points in 58 games in 2006-07 and 8 points in 15 games in 2007-08. He got injured early in the regular season, but came back just in time to score 5 goals and 4 assists in the playoffs. He's a great skater, he has a good shot, and he does a lot of this:
Sign him and we probably won't need Vermette, but of course I wouldn't be against going after Vermette as well. Do work, DW.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Rise Early and Boil Some Blood
So I wake up way, way early this morning and check the Thrashers message boards. A link points me in the direction of this.
Sigh. Where to begin?
Kincade is upset about the Hawks for some reason, mainly because that Josh Childress guy has gone to play in Greece and Josh Smith doesn't seem interested in staying. Eager to save his favorite basketball team, Kincade proposes a way to keep Smith: trade Ilya Kovalchuk. Now.
That way, you see, we get "maximum value" for a superstar. What what what?
The Hawks might get maximum value (this is actually quite debatable though), but the same couldn't be said for the Thrashers. Ilya Kovalchuk, it has be said again and again, IS the Thrashers.
It's something worse than ridiculous to compare the Czar, who happens to be one of the finest players in the NHL, with Josh Smith, who's merely a good NBA player. There's really no correlation between Smith and Kovalchuk. Almost as ridiculous as equating Kovalchuk to Smith is equating Kovalchuk to Marian Hossa.
Kincade is certain that the Czar "will walk the way of Marian Hossa" sooner or later. How did Kincade come to be so certain? Well, for one thing, he uses lots of capital letters and exclamation points. This contributes a lot to his argument. He also pats himself on the back for being as brave and forward-thinking as to recommend trading the Thrashers' star player, as if this half-baked notion is somehow original and unique to him.
But that's beside the point. The point, readers, is that the Hossa situation and the Czar situation can't be compared. Hossa came to Atlanta via trade; it was never "his" team. The Thrashers are Kovalchuk's team, and Kovalchuk is the Thrashers' one and only Czar. And no, I'm not confusing supporting an individual player with supporting a team. To have a team you must first have individual players--because teams are, like, composed of individual players--and we have one of the very best in the world. It would be insane to trade him...and what, exactly, would we be trading him for? Draft picks? Please.
It's true he hasn't explicitly said it, but Ilya Kovalchuk has made plenty of signals that 1) he thinks of the Thrashers as his team and of Atlanta as his home away from Mother Russia, 2) he wants to be the franchise player, and 3) he will sign a long and lucrative contract with the Thrashers a la Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.
I've said it before, I'll say it etc. etc...When Ovechkin signed his contract with the Caps, the team was in third place in the Southeast, behind the Carolina Hurricanes and the terrible, hopeless, soon-to-be-Czarless Atlanta Thrashers.
Ovechkin is the Capitals. He wants to remain that way. I'm not certain, of course (that's one difference between me and the uber-confident Mr. Kincade), but I don't think it's unreasonable to think that Kovalchuk is the same vis-a-vis the Thrashers.
And by the way, too much has been read into his comments to Craig Custance at the end of last season. The Czar wants to see some changes, no doubt about it, but I don't think he was laying down an ultimatum (despite what I said at the time). Kovy was talking honestly and critically about the team, and Custance gave his comments a new, probably unintended context when he surrounded them with his own doom-mongering about the future.
But fearless truth-teller Kincade would be deaf to all this because he puts his head in things other than sand and wears things other than blinders, etc. etc. And he uses exclamation marks. Sometimes not just one but four or five in a row. That PROVES the man knows something.
Sigh. Where to begin?
Kincade is upset about the Hawks for some reason, mainly because that Josh Childress guy has gone to play in Greece and Josh Smith doesn't seem interested in staying. Eager to save his favorite basketball team, Kincade proposes a way to keep Smith: trade Ilya Kovalchuk. Now.
That way, you see, we get "maximum value" for a superstar. What what what?
The Hawks might get maximum value (this is actually quite debatable though), but the same couldn't be said for the Thrashers. Ilya Kovalchuk, it has be said again and again, IS the Thrashers.
It's something worse than ridiculous to compare the Czar, who happens to be one of the finest players in the NHL, with Josh Smith, who's merely a good NBA player. There's really no correlation between Smith and Kovalchuk. Almost as ridiculous as equating Kovalchuk to Smith is equating Kovalchuk to Marian Hossa.
Kincade is certain that the Czar "will walk the way of Marian Hossa" sooner or later. How did Kincade come to be so certain? Well, for one thing, he uses lots of capital letters and exclamation points. This contributes a lot to his argument. He also pats himself on the back for being as brave and forward-thinking as to recommend trading the Thrashers' star player, as if this half-baked notion is somehow original and unique to him.
But that's beside the point. The point, readers, is that the Hossa situation and the Czar situation can't be compared. Hossa came to Atlanta via trade; it was never "his" team. The Thrashers are Kovalchuk's team, and Kovalchuk is the Thrashers' one and only Czar. And no, I'm not confusing supporting an individual player with supporting a team. To have a team you must first have individual players--because teams are, like, composed of individual players--and we have one of the very best in the world. It would be insane to trade him...and what, exactly, would we be trading him for? Draft picks? Please.
It's true he hasn't explicitly said it, but Ilya Kovalchuk has made plenty of signals that 1) he thinks of the Thrashers as his team and of Atlanta as his home away from Mother Russia, 2) he wants to be the franchise player, and 3) he will sign a long and lucrative contract with the Thrashers a la Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.
I've said it before, I'll say it etc. etc...When Ovechkin signed his contract with the Caps, the team was in third place in the Southeast, behind the Carolina Hurricanes and the terrible, hopeless, soon-to-be-Czarless Atlanta Thrashers.
Ovechkin is the Capitals. He wants to remain that way. I'm not certain, of course (that's one difference between me and the uber-confident Mr. Kincade), but I don't think it's unreasonable to think that Kovalchuk is the same vis-a-vis the Thrashers.
And by the way, too much has been read into his comments to Craig Custance at the end of last season. The Czar wants to see some changes, no doubt about it, but I don't think he was laying down an ultimatum (despite what I said at the time). Kovy was talking honestly and critically about the team, and Custance gave his comments a new, probably unintended context when he surrounded them with his own doom-mongering about the future.
But fearless truth-teller Kincade would be deaf to all this because he puts his head in things other than sand and wears things other than blinders, etc. etc. And he uses exclamation marks. Sometimes not just one but four or five in a row. That PROVES the man knows something.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The Vermette Situation
There's a discussion over at the Thrashers message board about Antoine Vermette's arbitration hearing. It's tomorrow morning, apparently, and there's reason to believe that Vermy won't be staying in Ottawa. He'll likely be traded to either the Vancouver Whale-Riders, the Columbus Rick Nashes, or that sub-sub-tropical bird team.
Us, that is.
The speculative consensus is that Vermette will be asking for a Duckberg-style bin of loonies and toonies, and the speculative consensus says that Ottawa isn't about to give Vermette a Ron Hainsey-esque contract when they have Msrs. Heatley, Alfredsson, and Spezza to worry about. The word on the street is that Ottawa will trade Vermette for a "puck-moving defenseman." Vancouver could probably supply that (Kevin Bieksa), but I'm not sure about Columbus. And I'm not about to look it up.
Atlanta, of course, now has a few puck-moving defensemen in Tobias Enstrom, Ron Hainsey, and "Zach" the Bull "Bogosian." Do we give one of them up in return for Antoine Vermette?
No, of course not, you asshole. Why would we diminish our suddenly rich (and offensively talented) defense when it's been our single biggest problem for the entire history of the team? Dropping Enstrom for Vermette would leave us no better off than we were before. There is a way, of course, to keep Enstrom (and Hainsey, Bogosian, Nikulin, and whoever else) and get Vermette.
The Blueland Chronicle has been pushing this editorial position for weeks.
Ottawa's greatest lack--contra what Internet and media folk say--is NOT on defense but in goal. Martin Gerber is a back-up goalie, not a starter, and Ottawa is desperate for a talented, reasonably young starting goale.
Let's review the rumored Vermette trade partners: Columbus, Vancouver, Atlanta.
Could Columbus satisfy Ottawa's biggest need? Pascal Leclaire is an excellent young goalie, and Columbus is not about to part with him.
How about Van--ha. HA. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
We have Lehtonen. We have Pavelec. I think either trade scenario (Lehtonen for Vermette, Pavelec for Vermette) is completely plausible. Lehtonen is a proven NHL goalie, and a very good one, which is easy to forget if you base your evaluation of hockey solely on statistics. Pavelec, it's true, is younger and less experienced. But there are few people who seriously doubt Pavelec's ability, and I can imagine Ottawa being very interested in making him this year's Carey Price.
Your move, DW.
Us, that is.
The speculative consensus is that Vermette will be asking for a Duckberg-style bin of loonies and toonies, and the speculative consensus says that Ottawa isn't about to give Vermette a Ron Hainsey-esque contract when they have Msrs. Heatley, Alfredsson, and Spezza to worry about. The word on the street is that Ottawa will trade Vermette for a "puck-moving defenseman." Vancouver could probably supply that (Kevin Bieksa), but I'm not sure about Columbus. And I'm not about to look it up.
Atlanta, of course, now has a few puck-moving defensemen in Tobias Enstrom, Ron Hainsey, and "Zach" the Bull "Bogosian." Do we give one of them up in return for Antoine Vermette?
No, of course not, you asshole. Why would we diminish our suddenly rich (and offensively talented) defense when it's been our single biggest problem for the entire history of the team? Dropping Enstrom for Vermette would leave us no better off than we were before. There is a way, of course, to keep Enstrom (and Hainsey, Bogosian, Nikulin, and whoever else) and get Vermette.
The Blueland Chronicle has been pushing this editorial position for weeks.
Ottawa's greatest lack--contra what Internet and media folk say--is NOT on defense but in goal. Martin Gerber is a back-up goalie, not a starter, and Ottawa is desperate for a talented, reasonably young starting goale.
Let's review the rumored Vermette trade partners: Columbus, Vancouver, Atlanta.
Could Columbus satisfy Ottawa's biggest need? Pascal Leclaire is an excellent young goalie, and Columbus is not about to part with him.
How about Van--ha. HA. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
We have Lehtonen. We have Pavelec. I think either trade scenario (Lehtonen for Vermette, Pavelec for Vermette) is completely plausible. Lehtonen is a proven NHL goalie, and a very good one, which is easy to forget if you base your evaluation of hockey solely on statistics. Pavelec, it's true, is younger and less experienced. But there are few people who seriously doubt Pavelec's ability, and I can imagine Ottawa being very interested in making him this year's Carey Price.
Your move, DW.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Those Crazy Islanders
They had Mike Milbury as a GM for years, during which time he made such brilliant comedic moves as trading away Roberto Luongo AND Olli Jokinen so he could draft Rick DiPietro. They promoted backup-goalie/Voltron-lookalike Garth Snow to GM. They actually signed Andy Sutton to play professional hockey AFTER seeing how he played for the Thrashers.
Now the New York Islanders, who are to hockey as Mel Brooks is to movies, may just be upping the ante. That's right, readers, this Wednesday GM Garth Snow (that's not the punch-line, just a laugh along the way) will sit down to interview another candidate for head coach. After hearing from such snoozer sure things as Bob Hartley, Paul Maurice, and John Tortarella, Snow finally gets to hear some novel ideas from none other than SCOTT "FLASH" GORDON!
Some of you newer Atlanta hockey fans may be scratching your heads right now as to why this is so funny. Some of you who were old enough to drink during Atlanta Knights games might also have fuzzy memories of this comedic wonder.
However, those of us who frequented the Omni during those days when the Tampa Bay Lightning weren't yet evil remember Scotty well. Shooter and I once watched Gordon, the Knights third string netminder at the time, decide to put on a little bit of a show for the crowd after making a routine collection of a dump in. Instead of simply passing the puck out to his defenseman in the neutral zone, Gordon decided to pretend he was a soccer goalie and DROP KICK THE PUCK.
Predictably, the puck arced beautifully right onto the tape of a forechecking opponent who was able to put the biscuit in the basket behind the badly out of position and off balance Scott Gordon.
It was understandable that Scotty was feeling a little lightheaded and giddy, though. After all, it wasn't that often he actually stopped the routine dump in from center ice. More than once his teammates had to hang their heads in shame as Gordon let a puck bounce through his legs at a screaming five miles per hour and into the net.
So it would be a perfect fit for the team run by Garth "the rules don't say I CAN'T wear roofing shingles on top of my pads" Snow; the same team who said "who needs Luongo when you can draft DiPietro number 1 in front of Heatley;" to hire ole Flash as their new head coach.
Go for it, fellas! I hope Leslie Nielson is available for an assistant spot!
Now the New York Islanders, who are to hockey as Mel Brooks is to movies, may just be upping the ante. That's right, readers, this Wednesday GM Garth Snow (that's not the punch-line, just a laugh along the way) will sit down to interview another candidate for head coach. After hearing from such snoozer sure things as Bob Hartley, Paul Maurice, and John Tortarella, Snow finally gets to hear some novel ideas from none other than SCOTT "FLASH" GORDON!
Some of you newer Atlanta hockey fans may be scratching your heads right now as to why this is so funny. Some of you who were old enough to drink during Atlanta Knights games might also have fuzzy memories of this comedic wonder.
However, those of us who frequented the Omni during those days when the Tampa Bay Lightning weren't yet evil remember Scotty well. Shooter and I once watched Gordon, the Knights third string netminder at the time, decide to put on a little bit of a show for the crowd after making a routine collection of a dump in. Instead of simply passing the puck out to his defenseman in the neutral zone, Gordon decided to pretend he was a soccer goalie and DROP KICK THE PUCK.
Predictably, the puck arced beautifully right onto the tape of a forechecking opponent who was able to put the biscuit in the basket behind the badly out of position and off balance Scott Gordon.
It was understandable that Scotty was feeling a little lightheaded and giddy, though. After all, it wasn't that often he actually stopped the routine dump in from center ice. More than once his teammates had to hang their heads in shame as Gordon let a puck bounce through his legs at a screaming five miles per hour and into the net.
So it would be a perfect fit for the team run by Garth "the rules don't say I CAN'T wear roofing shingles on top of my pads" Snow; the same team who said "who needs Luongo when you can draft DiPietro number 1 in front of Heatley;" to hire ole Flash as their new head coach.
Go for it, fellas! I hope Leslie Nielson is available for an assistant spot!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
I Swear, If This Doesn't Make You Tear Up
Remember back to this time. I can't even because I hadn't been converted yet to hockey, but if you can, bless you.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Atlanta Sports Writing's Most Confident Dunce Strikes Again
Jeff Schultz is not the most complex of creatures. He is varying his well-paid act slightly these days, working generalized put-downs of the Thrashers (of the Thrashers, not necessarily of the Atlanta Spirit Group or even, this time, Don Waddell) into columns about the Atlanta Hawks. But still, his criticism rarely expands beyond "My God, the Thrashers suck. Everyone else in my trade thinks so, so I agree."
There are plenty of problems with the way the Thrashers and Hawks franchises are run, but they mostly have to do with the ownership. Not entirely to do with the ownership, but I find it pretty hard to disagree that the Spirit are the root cause of a lot of the Thrashers' woes. Don Waddell is just a highly visible scapegoat onto which Jeff Schultz and Scott Burnside unleash their resentment. I have no problem with a thorough and honest critique of the Thrashers' problems (I like to think that this blog does this every now and then, in a haphazard way), but Schultz's complaints rarely contain much more content than "I hate hockey. Get it out of Atlanta. Low standing last season...Don Waddell...something...perception...something...I-I want people to believe I know what I'm talking about..."
And working a dig at the Thrashers into a column otherwise totally concerned with the Hawks is just gratutitous.
You'll have to explore the AJC on your own if you want to read Our Jeff's latest emission. It's now the Chronicle's policy not to link to the excrement-farmer.
There are plenty of problems with the way the Thrashers and Hawks franchises are run, but they mostly have to do with the ownership. Not entirely to do with the ownership, but I find it pretty hard to disagree that the Spirit are the root cause of a lot of the Thrashers' woes. Don Waddell is just a highly visible scapegoat onto which Jeff Schultz and Scott Burnside unleash their resentment. I have no problem with a thorough and honest critique of the Thrashers' problems (I like to think that this blog does this every now and then, in a haphazard way), but Schultz's complaints rarely contain much more content than "I hate hockey. Get it out of Atlanta. Low standing last season...Don Waddell...something...perception...something...I-I want people to believe I know what I'm talking about..."
And working a dig at the Thrashers into a column otherwise totally concerned with the Hawks is just gratutitous.
You'll have to explore the AJC on your own if you want to read Our Jeff's latest emission. It's now the Chronicle's policy not to link to the excrement-farmer.
Summer Power Rankings My Ass
So, Scott Burnside is keeping up with the current trend to just make fun of the Thrashers. In his recent article he puts us dead last in the Eastern rankings. Surprise surprise! And then the man puts Carolina in the top ten. I ask you, really? Really? I mean Carolina over Ottawa or Boston even Tampa? I mean things are just getting out of hand. Also putting the Leafs and the Panthers in front of us? I swear, if I could find these writers, I would give em all a good kick in the nads. In the West he puts the Kings last. It just unimaginative thinking. Terrible speculation. But no no, everyone just talks about oh we didn't get Brian Campbell. He then goes to say John Anderson's first season is going to be a long one. The worst thing about all this is that Burnside lives in Atlanta. I can't take this kind negativity anymore. Also, I want to add, writing this article is a serious waste of time. There are other things going in the NHL: Murray on waivers, the Canucks trying to build the offense, the elongated wait for Sundin, Bouwmeester rejecting the offer from the Panthers, Vermette being moved, and other stories. But no, Burnside gets lazy and writes an article about his prediction to next season. The season hasn't even started nor has camp, and there are teams that aren't finished trades or signings. So to you, Scott Burnside I say, get off your ass and do some real sports journalism.
Also take a look at this. These were the power rankings last year at ESPN.
Also take a look at this. These were the power rankings last year at ESPN.
Day 15 Since Knobler's Last Blog...
According to Rawhide, apparently the only guy the AJC has reporting on hockey (SWEET JESUS THE AJC SUCKS!!!!!), we have hired Randy Cunneyworth of the Rochester Americans as an assistant head coach. This pleases me very much. He will be a head coach in the NHL one day. Probably in the next couple of years after we surprise everyone. Teams will come calling. Good for him.
Also, it is my official position that all the possible trade talks make my head hurt. Here are your lines:
Czar Christensen Little
Kozlov White Williams
Perrin Reasoner Armstrong
Boulton Slater Stuart
With the usual supects rounding it out.
This takes the pressure off Little by putting him with very talented players. You put him as the 2nd line center and I think he may struggle. Put him on the first line wing and he doesn't have all the defensive responsibilities that go with the center position. I also think he would complement the Czar quite nicely on the far wing.
For The Blueland Chronicle, I'm Big Shooter.
Also, it is my official position that all the possible trade talks make my head hurt. Here are your lines:
Czar Christensen Little
Kozlov White Williams
Perrin Reasoner Armstrong
Boulton Slater Stuart
With the usual supects rounding it out.
This takes the pressure off Little by putting him with very talented players. You put him as the 2nd line center and I think he may struggle. Put him on the first line wing and he doesn't have all the defensive responsibilities that go with the center position. I also think he would complement the Czar quite nicely on the far wing.
For The Blueland Chronicle, I'm Big Shooter.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Another Thought Experiment
The Thrashers trade one of our eighteen goalies to Ottawa for Antoine Vermette and that other guy. Then they trade Todd White, Jimmy Slater, Garnet Exelby, and a pick to San Jose in return for Jonathan Cheechoo.
Kovalchuk-Vermette-Cheechoo
Kozlov-Christensen-Williams
Perrin-Little-Armstrong
Boulton-Reasoner-Thorburn
Extras: Stuart, LaVallee, Larsen, etc.
OR
Kovalchuk-Vermette-Williams
Kozlov-Christensen-Cheechoo
Perrin-Little-Armstrong
Boulton-Reasoner-Thorburn
Extras: Stuart, LaVallee, Larsen, etc.
Anyone?
Kovalchuk-Vermette-Cheechoo
Kozlov-Christensen-Williams
Perrin-Little-Armstrong
Boulton-Reasoner-Thorburn
Extras: Stuart, LaVallee, Larsen, etc.
OR
Kovalchuk-Vermette-Williams
Kozlov-Christensen-Cheechoo
Perrin-Little-Armstrong
Boulton-Reasoner-Thorburn
Extras: Stuart, LaVallee, Larsen, etc.
Anyone?
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Right Winger Plot Thickens
No, Jesse Helms hasn't come back to life and declared himself Emperor of North America.
Instead, the Boston Bruins have put Glen Murray on waivers.
No, I'm not suggesting we go after the man. He's creaking into an injury-ridden, low-scoring decline, and besides, I've convinced myself we're going to trade Todd White and some other players for Jonathan Cheechoo.
However, if somehow my Cheechoo/Marleau hopes are not realized, and if Mike Knuble stays in Philadelphia, and if Antoine Vermette and Maxim Afinogenov can't stand the sight of powder blue, I wouldn't be averse to signing him to a one-year contract. He is old, he is declining, but I think he could put up 20 goals and plenty of assists if 1) he manages to avoid injury, and 2) he plays on the same line as Slava Kozlov and Bryan Little. Even if Murray doesn't score at all, he might be a useful guide to Little; playing alongside two veterans with plenty of experience (is there any other kind?) might ground him and help him develop his game.
So if my Kovalchuk-Christensen-Cheechoo/Kozlov-Little-Williams scheme doesn't come to pass (and really, why wouldn't it?), I wouldn't weep if our lines were Kovalchuk-Christensen-Williams/Kozlov-Little-Murray.
Thoughts?
Instead, the Boston Bruins have put Glen Murray on waivers.
No, I'm not suggesting we go after the man. He's creaking into an injury-ridden, low-scoring decline, and besides, I've convinced myself we're going to trade Todd White and some other players for Jonathan Cheechoo.
However, if somehow my Cheechoo/Marleau hopes are not realized, and if Mike Knuble stays in Philadelphia, and if Antoine Vermette and Maxim Afinogenov can't stand the sight of powder blue, I wouldn't be averse to signing him to a one-year contract. He is old, he is declining, but I think he could put up 20 goals and plenty of assists if 1) he manages to avoid injury, and 2) he plays on the same line as Slava Kozlov and Bryan Little. Even if Murray doesn't score at all, he might be a useful guide to Little; playing alongside two veterans with plenty of experience (is there any other kind?) might ground him and help him develop his game.
So if my Kovalchuk-Christensen-Cheechoo/Kozlov-Little-Williams scheme doesn't come to pass (and really, why wouldn't it?), I wouldn't weep if our lines were Kovalchuk-Christensen-Williams/Kozlov-Little-Murray.
Thoughts?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Last Item on the Shopping List: Scoring Winger
The way I see it, readers, is almost exactly like this:
Czar - Christensen - ?
Slava - Little - Williams
Perrin - Reasoner - Armstrong
Boulton - Slater - Thorburn
That leaves us with a huge question mark: what to do with Todd White? The man is clearly good enough to be a 2nd or 3rd line center, but I think it's obvious that we want those roles to be filled by Bryan Little and Marty Reasoner. I suppose he could take over the role of 4th line center, and I'm sure he'd do a fine job. But really, wouldn't it be better to offer Mr. White to, say, Philadelphia, in exchange for, say, Mike Knuble? Lots of Thrash fans have floated this idea, and the official editorial position of the Chronicle is whole-hearted assent. We think Knuble would make a fine addition to the Czar Line.
While we support going after Knuble, we must also propose an alternative.
The San Jose Sharks had a glut of mean and gritty third line forwards last year. Somehow they let the best (aside from Grier) of them, Patrick Rissmiller, get away to the New York Rangers via free agency. They're surely looking for a replacement, but so far no one has been signed or traded for. Are you thinking what we're thinking?
I know, I know. "Mean" and "gritty" aren't words that come to mind when we dream about Todd White either, but he IS a highly competent defensive forward, perfect for the third line. And really, Our Todd doesn't need to be mean or gritty when he's playing on the same line as Mike Grier and Jody Shelley. But the Sharks could just as easily have White play alongside Ryan Clowe and Joe Pavelski on the second line. To earn the hand of Our Todd, of course, the Sharks would have to give something up. What do we need?
A scoring right winger.
CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA
CHEECHOO!!!
The Czar, Christensen, and Cheechoo. The Triple C Line.
We could throw in Jimmy Slater and a draft pick as well. I'd hate to see Jimmy go, but the Sharks might need him in the near future: sadly, Jeremy Roenick won't last forever.
White, Slater, and a draft pick might also be a reasonable price for Patrick Marleau. At the very least, he could center the second line to take the heat off of Bryan Little. In that situation our top two lines would look like this:
Kovalchuk-Christensen-Williams
Kozlov-Marleau-Little
But I think Bryan Little is hungry and heat-ready, so if Don Waddell read this post and decided to take my advice and go after Patrick Marleau our lines would be:
Kovalchuk-Christensen-Marleau
Kozlov-Little-Williams
Solid. And yes, Marleau is a deft winger. The man can play any and every forward position, probably ones that haven't even been invented yet. But the most sensible option might be to go after Jonathan Cheechoo first, so as to get the Triple C Line off the ground.
Czar - Christensen - ?
Slava - Little - Williams
Perrin - Reasoner - Armstrong
Boulton - Slater - Thorburn
That leaves us with a huge question mark: what to do with Todd White? The man is clearly good enough to be a 2nd or 3rd line center, but I think it's obvious that we want those roles to be filled by Bryan Little and Marty Reasoner. I suppose he could take over the role of 4th line center, and I'm sure he'd do a fine job. But really, wouldn't it be better to offer Mr. White to, say, Philadelphia, in exchange for, say, Mike Knuble? Lots of Thrash fans have floated this idea, and the official editorial position of the Chronicle is whole-hearted assent. We think Knuble would make a fine addition to the Czar Line.
While we support going after Knuble, we must also propose an alternative.
The San Jose Sharks had a glut of mean and gritty third line forwards last year. Somehow they let the best (aside from Grier) of them, Patrick Rissmiller, get away to the New York Rangers via free agency. They're surely looking for a replacement, but so far no one has been signed or traded for. Are you thinking what we're thinking?
I know, I know. "Mean" and "gritty" aren't words that come to mind when we dream about Todd White either, but he IS a highly competent defensive forward, perfect for the third line. And really, Our Todd doesn't need to be mean or gritty when he's playing on the same line as Mike Grier and Jody Shelley. But the Sharks could just as easily have White play alongside Ryan Clowe and Joe Pavelski on the second line. To earn the hand of Our Todd, of course, the Sharks would have to give something up. What do we need?
A scoring right winger.
CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA
CHEECHOO!!!
The Czar, Christensen, and Cheechoo. The Triple C Line.
We could throw in Jimmy Slater and a draft pick as well. I'd hate to see Jimmy go, but the Sharks might need him in the near future: sadly, Jeremy Roenick won't last forever.
White, Slater, and a draft pick might also be a reasonable price for Patrick Marleau. At the very least, he could center the second line to take the heat off of Bryan Little. In that situation our top two lines would look like this:
Kovalchuk-Christensen-Williams
Kozlov-Marleau-Little
But I think Bryan Little is hungry and heat-ready, so if Don Waddell read this post and decided to take my advice and go after Patrick Marleau our lines would be:
Kovalchuk-Christensen-Marleau
Kozlov-Little-Williams
Solid. And yes, Marleau is a deft winger. The man can play any and every forward position, probably ones that haven't even been invented yet. But the most sensible option might be to go after Jonathan Cheechoo first, so as to get the Triple C Line off the ground.
A Little More Goalie Intrigue
NHL.com is featuring an informative article about the Thrashers' current top prospects, with some good commentary from Dan Marr. (No link because I don't understand how blogspot does HTML yet, but there's a link from the front of nhl.com) If the name's not familiar to you, Dan Marr is Atlanta's head amateur scout and is in charge of development of the prospects. This means he works very closely with the coaching and training staffs in Chicago and Gwinnett and keeps close tabs on all Thrashers prospects playing in various collegiate, junior, and foreign leagues.
What really caught my eye was a quote from Marr about Ondrej Pavelec. According to Marr, "Don's (Waddell) plan is to have Ondrej playing somewhere this season. Whether it's with Atlanta or in the AHL, we'll have to see."
Plans to have Pav playing somewhere this season. Now, under the current status quo, that's not really an earth shattering statement. Right now, Kari is the number one in Atlanta, getting the lion's share of the playing time while Moose rides the pine and takes over when Squirrel needs a rest (maybe in some of those 15 back-to-back games in the Thrashers' schedule) or has an off night. Pav goes back to Chicago and plays most of the games there defending his Calder Cup championship.
But as John "Somebody Slap Me" Anderson told our own Big Shooter at the blogger roundtable, nothing is set in stone. Thrasher fans will recall that training camp can be a tumultuous time for netminders. Anybody recall Norm "Double Cheeseburger" Maracle showing up way overweight? There's little doubt that both Kari and Pav are destined to carry NHL teams as the top goalie. A battle for playing time between the two can only help the franchise, but the above quote from DW seems to indicate that the fight is not going to be played out with one of the two in net and the other on the bench. Moose is locked up for the near future with his new contract while Kari is only on the books for this season before he is reevaluated once again. Whose idea that was is up in the air. Some reports have Kari saying that he didn't feel like he deserved much in his new contract and maybe he wanted a short deal so he could push up his price tag before locking himself in for the long haul. Or maybe DW had a picture of Pav holding up the Calder Cup on his screensaver while talking to Kari's agent and thought twice about signing Kari to a large contract that would make him harder to move if it turns out he could provide more as a trade asset than a presence in the crease.
Again, this is all a faint whiff on the breeze. The ground won't start shaking until John "Mississippi Moon" Anderson gets a good look at all three of his goalies at the Ice Forum in September. It's a safe bet, though, that there's going to be some funny-talking fireworks as the Finn, the Czech, and the Swede showcase their puck stopping acrobatics in training camp.
For the Chronicle, I'm Razor Catch Prey.
What really caught my eye was a quote from Marr about Ondrej Pavelec. According to Marr, "Don's (Waddell) plan is to have Ondrej playing somewhere this season. Whether it's with Atlanta or in the AHL, we'll have to see."
Plans to have Pav playing somewhere this season. Now, under the current status quo, that's not really an earth shattering statement. Right now, Kari is the number one in Atlanta, getting the lion's share of the playing time while Moose rides the pine and takes over when Squirrel needs a rest (maybe in some of those 15 back-to-back games in the Thrashers' schedule) or has an off night. Pav goes back to Chicago and plays most of the games there defending his Calder Cup championship.
But as John "Somebody Slap Me" Anderson told our own Big Shooter at the blogger roundtable, nothing is set in stone. Thrasher fans will recall that training camp can be a tumultuous time for netminders. Anybody recall Norm "Double Cheeseburger" Maracle showing up way overweight? There's little doubt that both Kari and Pav are destined to carry NHL teams as the top goalie. A battle for playing time between the two can only help the franchise, but the above quote from DW seems to indicate that the fight is not going to be played out with one of the two in net and the other on the bench. Moose is locked up for the near future with his new contract while Kari is only on the books for this season before he is reevaluated once again. Whose idea that was is up in the air. Some reports have Kari saying that he didn't feel like he deserved much in his new contract and maybe he wanted a short deal so he could push up his price tag before locking himself in for the long haul. Or maybe DW had a picture of Pav holding up the Calder Cup on his screensaver while talking to Kari's agent and thought twice about signing Kari to a large contract that would make him harder to move if it turns out he could provide more as a trade asset than a presence in the crease.
Again, this is all a faint whiff on the breeze. The ground won't start shaking until John "Mississippi Moon" Anderson gets a good look at all three of his goalies at the Ice Forum in September. It's a safe bet, though, that there's going to be some funny-talking fireworks as the Finn, the Czech, and the Swede showcase their puck stopping acrobatics in training camp.
For the Chronicle, I'm Razor Catch Prey.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
I walk around in the summertime saying "How about this heat?"
It's like 200 degrees in Atlanta, but thankfully some thunderstorms are hovering. Here's some entertainment.*
*I can't embed this video because the Universal Music Group are a bunch of repressive cockheads.
*I can't embed this video because the Universal Music Group are a bunch of repressive cockheads.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Esposito is Here to Stay
TSN says so:
The Atlanta Thrashers have come to terms with forward Angelo Esposito on a multiple-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
...
The Montreal native has yet to appear in the NHL however he has enjoyed a solid junior career with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL with 96 goals and 150 assists in 173 games.
Wonder how long it'll take him to join us? There are few players who generate as much as controversy as this guy. He's polarizing, as they say on cable news: Some people think he'll be a superstar and some think he's going to be a huge bust. 96 goals and 150 assists in 173 games looks pretty good to me, but who knows? Maybe he really impressed at prospect camp.
The Atlanta Thrashers have come to terms with forward Angelo Esposito on a multiple-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
...
The Montreal native has yet to appear in the NHL however he has enjoyed a solid junior career with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL with 96 goals and 150 assists in 173 games.
Wonder how long it'll take him to join us? There are few players who generate as much as controversy as this guy. He's polarizing, as they say on cable news: Some people think he'll be a superstar and some think he's going to be a huge bust. 96 goals and 150 assists in 173 games looks pretty good to me, but who knows? Maybe he really impressed at prospect camp.
The Way I See It...
Kovalchuk Christensen Williams
Kozlov White Little
Perrin Reasoner Armstrong
Boulton Slater Stuart
Extra: LaVallee/Larsen/Thorburn
Havelid Enstrom
Hainsey Bogosian
Klee Exelby
Extra: Valabik
Lehtonen
Hedberg
Extra: Pavelec
This is as of right now. Hopefully there is another move or two to be made.
Kozlov White Little
Perrin Reasoner Armstrong
Boulton Slater Stuart
Extra: LaVallee/Larsen/Thorburn
Havelid Enstrom
Hainsey Bogosian
Klee Exelby
Extra: Valabik
Lehtonen
Hedberg
Extra: Pavelec
This is as of right now. Hopefully there is another move or two to be made.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Marty Reasoner Signs With Atlanta
I'm appalled that no one has posted this on the Chronicle yet, but the Thrashers have signed ex-Oil dude Marty Reasoner. Basically, he adds depth: he'll be a good 3rd or 4th line center and he's a good defensive player. If the comments at TSN are any indication, Oilers fans are sad to see him go.
The way I see it, we now have four official centers (Erik Christensen, Bryan Little, Todd White, and Marty Reasoner), two potential centers ready to go if needed (Eric Perrin and Jason Williams), and one in the system (Angelo Esposito). Not bad, really.
CORRECTION: Jimmy Slater exists and is also a center.
The way I see it, we now have four official centers (Erik Christensen, Bryan Little, Todd White, and Marty Reasoner), two potential centers ready to go if needed (Eric Perrin and Jason Williams), and one in the system (Angelo Esposito). Not bad, really.
CORRECTION: Jimmy Slater exists and is also a center.
Schedule Is Here!!!
Many thanks to The Razor for breaking the story on the 08-09 schedule. We beat TSN and all the other boys getting it up. Nice to have our own Bob McKenzie on board. See the post below for Razor's Top 10 home games of the season.
ATLANTA THRASHERS 2008-09 NHL REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
(Home games in all caps. All times are Eastern Standard)
DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME (ET)
Fri. Oct. 10 WASHINGTON 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 11 @ Florida 7 p.m.
Tues. Oct. 14 MINNESOTA 7 p.m.
Thurs. Oct. 16 NEW JERSEY 7 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 18 BUFFALO 7 p.m.
Tues. Oct. 21 @ Tampa Bay 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 24 @ Detroit 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 25 @ Boston 7 p.m.
Tues. Oct. 28 PHILADELPHIA 7 p.m.
Thurs. Oct. 30 @ NY Rangers 7 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 1 @ New Jersey 7 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 2 FLORIDA 5 p.m.
Thurs. Nov. 6 NY ISLANDERS 7 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 7 @ Buffalo 7 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 9 @ Carolina 5 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 14 CAROLINA 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 16 @ Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Thurs. Nov. 20 PITTSBURGH 7 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 22 COLUMBUS 7 p.m.
Tues. Nov. 25 @ Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 26 @ Washington 7 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 28 NASHVILLE 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 30 ST. LOUIS 3 p.m.
Tue. Dec. 2 @ Montreal 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Dec. 3 @ Ottawa 7 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 6 @ NY Islanders 7 p.m.
Wed. Dec. 10 NY RANGERS 7 p.m.
Fri. Dec. 12 BOSTON 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 13 @ Boston 7 p.m.
Tues. Dec. 16 @ Ottawa 7:30 p.m.
Thurs. Dec. 18 PITTSBURGH 7 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 20 TAMPA BAY 7 p.m.
Mon. Dec. 22 TORONTO 7 p.m.
Tues. Dec. 23 @ NY Islanders 7 p.m.
Fri. Dec. 26 CAROLINA 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Dec. 28 BOSTON 5 p.m.
Tues. Dec. 30 @ Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Dec. 31 @ Carolina 7 p.m.
Fri. Jan. 2 VANCOUVER 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Jan. 4 TAMPA BAY 5 p.m.
Tues. Jan. 6 @ Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m.
DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME (ET)
Thurs. Jan. 8 @ New Jersey 7 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 10 @ Florida 7 p.m.
Wed. Jan. 14 OTTAWA 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Jan. 16 TORONTO 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 17 @ Nashville 8 p.m.
Tues. Jan. 20 MONTREAL 7 p.m.
Wed. Jan. 21 @ Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Tues. Jan. 27 @ Dallas 8:30 p.m.
Thurs. Jan. 29 NY ISLANDERS 7 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 31 @ Carolina 7 p.m.
Tues. Feb. 3 @ NY Rangers 7 p.m.
Fri. Feb. 6 NEW JERSEY 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Feb. 8 PHILADELPHIA 3 p.m.
Tues. Feb. 10 @ Tampa Bay 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Feb. 11 CHICAGO 7 p.m.
Sun. Feb. 15 @ Anaheim 8 p.m.
Mon. Feb. 16 @ Los Angeles 10:30 p.m.
Thurs. Feb. 19 @ Phoenix 9 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 21 @ San Jose 10:30 p.m.
Tues. Feb. 24 COLORADO 7 p.m.
Thurs. Feb. 26 @ Washington 7 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 28 CAROLINA 7 p.m.
Tues. Mar. 3 FLORIDA 7 p.m.
Fri. Mar. 6 MONTREAL 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Mar. 8 CALGARY 3 p.m.
Tues. Mar. 10 @ Colorado 9 p.m.
Thurs. Mar. 12 @ Edmonton 9 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 14 @ Buffalo 7 p.m.
Mon. Mar. 16 WASHINGTON 7 p.m.
Tues. Mar. 17 @ Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Mar. 20 DETROIT 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 21 @ Tampa Bay 7:30 p.m.
Tues. Mar. 24 @ Montreal 7:30 p.m.
Thurs. Mar. 26 NY RANGERS 7 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 28 OTTAWA 7 p.m.
Wed. Apr. 1 BUFFALO 7 p.m.
Fri. Apr. 3 @ Florida 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Apr. 5 @ Washington 3 p.m.
Tues. Apr. 7 WASHINGTON 7 p.m.
Thurs. Apr. 9 FLORIDA 7 p.m.
Sat. Apr. 11 TAMPA BAY 7 p.m.
ATLANTA THRASHERS 2008-09 NHL REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
(Home games in all caps. All times are Eastern Standard)
DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME (ET)
Fri. Oct. 10 WASHINGTON 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 11 @ Florida 7 p.m.
Tues. Oct. 14 MINNESOTA 7 p.m.
Thurs. Oct. 16 NEW JERSEY 7 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 18 BUFFALO 7 p.m.
Tues. Oct. 21 @ Tampa Bay 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 24 @ Detroit 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 25 @ Boston 7 p.m.
Tues. Oct. 28 PHILADELPHIA 7 p.m.
Thurs. Oct. 30 @ NY Rangers 7 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 1 @ New Jersey 7 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 2 FLORIDA 5 p.m.
Thurs. Nov. 6 NY ISLANDERS 7 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 7 @ Buffalo 7 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 9 @ Carolina 5 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 14 CAROLINA 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 16 @ Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Thurs. Nov. 20 PITTSBURGH 7 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 22 COLUMBUS 7 p.m.
Tues. Nov. 25 @ Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 26 @ Washington 7 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 28 NASHVILLE 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 30 ST. LOUIS 3 p.m.
Tue. Dec. 2 @ Montreal 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Dec. 3 @ Ottawa 7 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 6 @ NY Islanders 7 p.m.
Wed. Dec. 10 NY RANGERS 7 p.m.
Fri. Dec. 12 BOSTON 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 13 @ Boston 7 p.m.
Tues. Dec. 16 @ Ottawa 7:30 p.m.
Thurs. Dec. 18 PITTSBURGH 7 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 20 TAMPA BAY 7 p.m.
Mon. Dec. 22 TORONTO 7 p.m.
Tues. Dec. 23 @ NY Islanders 7 p.m.
Fri. Dec. 26 CAROLINA 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Dec. 28 BOSTON 5 p.m.
Tues. Dec. 30 @ Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Dec. 31 @ Carolina 7 p.m.
Fri. Jan. 2 VANCOUVER 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Jan. 4 TAMPA BAY 5 p.m.
Tues. Jan. 6 @ Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m.
DAY DATE OPPONENT TIME (ET)
Thurs. Jan. 8 @ New Jersey 7 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 10 @ Florida 7 p.m.
Wed. Jan. 14 OTTAWA 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Jan. 16 TORONTO 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 17 @ Nashville 8 p.m.
Tues. Jan. 20 MONTREAL 7 p.m.
Wed. Jan. 21 @ Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Tues. Jan. 27 @ Dallas 8:30 p.m.
Thurs. Jan. 29 NY ISLANDERS 7 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 31 @ Carolina 7 p.m.
Tues. Feb. 3 @ NY Rangers 7 p.m.
Fri. Feb. 6 NEW JERSEY 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Feb. 8 PHILADELPHIA 3 p.m.
Tues. Feb. 10 @ Tampa Bay 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Feb. 11 CHICAGO 7 p.m.
Sun. Feb. 15 @ Anaheim 8 p.m.
Mon. Feb. 16 @ Los Angeles 10:30 p.m.
Thurs. Feb. 19 @ Phoenix 9 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 21 @ San Jose 10:30 p.m.
Tues. Feb. 24 COLORADO 7 p.m.
Thurs. Feb. 26 @ Washington 7 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 28 CAROLINA 7 p.m.
Tues. Mar. 3 FLORIDA 7 p.m.
Fri. Mar. 6 MONTREAL 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Mar. 8 CALGARY 3 p.m.
Tues. Mar. 10 @ Colorado 9 p.m.
Thurs. Mar. 12 @ Edmonton 9 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 14 @ Buffalo 7 p.m.
Mon. Mar. 16 WASHINGTON 7 p.m.
Tues. Mar. 17 @ Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m.
Fri. Mar. 20 DETROIT 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 21 @ Tampa Bay 7:30 p.m.
Tues. Mar. 24 @ Montreal 7:30 p.m.
Thurs. Mar. 26 NY RANGERS 7 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 28 OTTAWA 7 p.m.
Wed. Apr. 1 BUFFALO 7 p.m.
Fri. Apr. 3 @ Florida 7:30 p.m.
Sun. Apr. 5 @ Washington 3 p.m.
Tues. Apr. 7 WASHINGTON 7 p.m.
Thurs. Apr. 9 FLORIDA 7 p.m.
Sat. Apr. 11 TAMPA BAY 7 p.m.
The Chronicle's Top Home Games for 08-09
October 10, Washington Capitals 7:30
Kovy and Ovie, Bayou Boudreau and John "Chicken Truck" Anderson, and a chance to heckle Jose Theadore on opening night.
October 18, Philadelphia 7:00
While it's never risen to the level of a rivalry, the all-time Thrashers/Flyers series has had some epic battles.
November 20, Pittsburgh 7:00
For some reason, people get excited to see this Sidney kid play. I'm looking forward to cheering on Army and Crusher as they take on their former teammates, and Kari gets to show Fleury what a young phenom goalie is supposed to play like.
December 10, New York Rangers, 7:00
A chance to boo those bums who turned down our offers during free agency so they could play in the Madison Cube Garden.
December 20, Tampa Bay, 7:00
Barry Melrose's first appearance in Philips Arena as a coach, plus maybe the first opportunity for Bogo to plaster the Imp against the boards.
December 22, Toronto, 7:00
Time to unleash some hatred, then read TSN and the Toronto newspaper the next day to find out how unfairly John Anderson's boys stole the game.
January 2, Vancouver, 7:30
Come to the Bulb and see if you can figure out which conflicted individual is Mesieur Catologues, alternately cheering for the Thrashers and his beloved whale-men.
January 14, Ottawa, 7:30
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
January 20, Montreal, 7:00
"Parlez-vous you suck!?!?!?!?!?"
February 11, Chicago, 7:00
Atlanta vs. Chicago. The most talent under the age of 25 that you'll see in any game between any two teams in the NHL this season.
February 24, Colorado, 7:00
The Avs should be a lot of fun to watch this year. They are relying on Andrew Raycroft in net, so Kovy should have no problem putting up a hat trick.
March 8, Calgary, 3:00
Iginla, The Deion (his term, not mine), and Kipper in a matinee game. You'll probably be able to find the Chronicle staff at the Taco Mac afterwards watching the evening games.
March 20, Detroit, 7:30
Hossa and all things evil.
April 7, Washington, 7:00
The home stretch before the playoffs, and the Caps will he hoping to pick up some ground against the division leading Thrashers.
April 11, Tampa Bay, 7:00
The last regular season game, where Bogo uses the Imp as target practice to tune up before the playoffs!
Kovy and Ovie, Bayou Boudreau and John "Chicken Truck" Anderson, and a chance to heckle Jose Theadore on opening night.
October 18, Philadelphia 7:00
While it's never risen to the level of a rivalry, the all-time Thrashers/Flyers series has had some epic battles.
November 20, Pittsburgh 7:00
For some reason, people get excited to see this Sidney kid play. I'm looking forward to cheering on Army and Crusher as they take on their former teammates, and Kari gets to show Fleury what a young phenom goalie is supposed to play like.
December 10, New York Rangers, 7:00
A chance to boo those bums who turned down our offers during free agency so they could play in the Madison Cube Garden.
December 20, Tampa Bay, 7:00
Barry Melrose's first appearance in Philips Arena as a coach, plus maybe the first opportunity for Bogo to plaster the Imp against the boards.
December 22, Toronto, 7:00
Time to unleash some hatred, then read TSN and the Toronto newspaper the next day to find out how unfairly John Anderson's boys stole the game.
January 2, Vancouver, 7:30
Come to the Bulb and see if you can figure out which conflicted individual is Mesieur Catologues, alternately cheering for the Thrashers and his beloved whale-men.
January 14, Ottawa, 7:30
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
January 20, Montreal, 7:00
"Parlez-vous you suck!?!?!?!?!?"
February 11, Chicago, 7:00
Atlanta vs. Chicago. The most talent under the age of 25 that you'll see in any game between any two teams in the NHL this season.
February 24, Colorado, 7:00
The Avs should be a lot of fun to watch this year. They are relying on Andrew Raycroft in net, so Kovy should have no problem putting up a hat trick.
March 8, Calgary, 3:00
Iginla, The Deion (his term, not mine), and Kipper in a matinee game. You'll probably be able to find the Chronicle staff at the Taco Mac afterwards watching the evening games.
March 20, Detroit, 7:30
Hossa and all things evil.
April 7, Washington, 7:00
The home stretch before the playoffs, and the Caps will he hoping to pick up some ground against the division leading Thrashers.
April 11, Tampa Bay, 7:00
The last regular season game, where Bogo uses the Imp as target practice to tune up before the playoffs!
A Glimpse of What the Thrashers Could Be Next Season
They can become better than this, actually, if Enstrom corrects his habit of giving up the puck.
A note: Bobby Holik's goal had nothing to do with Bobby Holik and everything to do with the Czar's masterful set-up.
A note: Bobby Holik's goal had nothing to do with Bobby Holik and everything to do with the Czar's masterful set-up.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Official Editorial Position on the Winter Classic
The Blueland Chronicle, I've just realized, has fallen down badly on its responsibility to take an official line on the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.
Our position? The thing sounds fucking awesome. Not only will it be awesome, but we of the Chronicle intend to physically be there. Be there with Blackhawks jerseys, Al Capone fedoras, and layers upon layers of burning garbage to keep us warm against those dastardly Chicago winds. And Kanye West.
Our position? The thing sounds fucking awesome. Not only will it be awesome, but we of the Chronicle intend to physically be there. Be there with Blackhawks jerseys, Al Capone fedoras, and layers upon layers of burning garbage to keep us warm against those dastardly Chicago winds. And Kanye West.
Kari Talk
Many congratulations to Mrs. Lehtonen over at Fire Wagon Hockey, as her dream Finn has agreed to terms with the Thrashers. I truly hope you can now enjoy your summer!
According to all reports, the deal is for 1 year at $3 million. 1 year? Let the rumors begin!! Oh wait, they already have here at The Chronicle. I'm not sure why only 1 year. Sometimes that decision is made by the player, sometimes the club. I can come up with two possible reasons. One is Kari thinks he is on the verge of a break out year, and would like to cash in come next year (let's hope this comes true). The other reason, gulp, is it sets up a trade possibility of some sort down the line.
Moose has the longest contract at the goal position. Kari only 1 year, Pav in the minors (maybe). Coach Anderson correcting me VERY quickly when I said we are set in goal, "Nothing is set in stone". Can they give us any more reason to speculate?!?!?! I have no idea what is going on, but it seems as though something is cooking with someone. Got that? Glad I could clear it up.
As always, no one sums it up better than our ole pal Custance (boy I miss him). His new blog is here. Perhaps Morty will update the right side here to include not only his columns, but also his blog? If so, much obliged... much obliged. If you are too lazy to click on the link here, is what he says:
"Just got word, and a confirmation from Thrashers GM Don Waddell, that the Thrashers signed goalie Kari Lehtonen to a new deal. The deal is a one-year contract worth $3 million. It's an interesting number because that means backup Johan Hedberg is on the books longer than the franchise goalie. You can't help but wonder if the short deal sets up a goalie battle down the road with top prospect Ondrej Pavelec. It also means Lehtonen has a reasonable contract if the team decides Pavelec is ready and wants to trade from a position of depth. Lehtonen has all the skills in the world, but injuries and inconsistencies have prevented him from being an elite goalie."
I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the one year deal.
For The Blueland Chronicle, I'm Big Shooter.
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