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Posted by: Ben Wright at 5:21PM EST on April 29, 2008
Before he left for the off-season Johan Hedberg shared something with the
media that I've been trying to find a way to use and it seems suddenly poignant
right now, given what the Atlanta Hawks are accomplishing on the basketball
court:
"I think for all the players that have been around, they realize that we
need to build something that's going to be an identity for our team. It's
going to help new people coming in to the tam know exactly what they're
supposed to do. We have to create that from the top and to the bottom...
It's the identity that we have to create. People today playing against us
really don't know what to expect and I think and that's a key. You want to
be known for something whatever it is. If it's a strong defensive team, a
great skating team or a physical team. Whatever you have that's yours you
have to be strong at it. And that's something you always can fall back on.
If you do have that it's easy to find the things that go wrong. That's what
we have to create, and a big part of that comes from inside the group too.
We realize that and we have to help out to try to create it."
Both the Thrashers and Hawks struggled to find an identity this season, but
boy oh boy, are the Hawk ever making up for lost time right now. I was there on
Saturday night when the Hawks shocked the world the first time and I was there
last night when they did it again. The Hawks are young, aggressive, scrappy, and
they're not letting the Celtics push them around in their own building, no
matter how big the talent disparity is supposed to be. It's been incredible to
watch.
Based on what Don Waddell has said so far this summer I have every reason to
believe he'd like to have the same kind of team on the ice next fall that he's
saw at Philips last night (yes- he was there watching the Hawks and getting just
as excited as everyone else). With a young core of players that includes Ilya
Kovalchuk, Kari Lehtonen, Toby Enstrom, Erik Christensen and Colby Armstrong
there's plenty to work with. Throw in a few older veterans like Slava Kozlov,
Eric Perrin and Ken Klee and there's a nice mix of youth and experience. Getting
the most out of that mix will start with bringing in the right coach and we
should hear a bit more about that as teams drop out of the NHL and AHL playoffs.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 10:54AM EST on April 29, 2008
I just got this from the NHL:
NHL AND NHLPA SELECT GOALIE EQUIPMENT WORKING GROUP
TORONTO/NEW YORK (April 29, 2008) – The National Hockey League
Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) today
announced the formation of the Goalie Equipment Working Group, which
consists of five players and four General Managers.
The NHL representatives include Doug Risebrough of Minnesota, Garth Snow of
the New York Islanders, Jim Rutherford of Carolina and Brett Hull of Dallas
(co-GM). The NHLPA’s Executive Board voted to select three goalies and two
skaters. Martin Brodeur of New Jersey, Rick DiPietro of the New York
Islanders, Ryan Miller of Buffalo, Dany Heatley of Ottawa and Mike
Cammalleri of Los Angeles will represent the NHLPA.
The Goalie Equipment Working Group will meet on June 11, 2008 in Toronto to
examine the configuration and dimensions of goaltender equipment with
respect to safety and performance. If the working group decides alterations
to the rules governing goaltender equipment are warranted, and will not
jeopardize the safety of the goalies, these recommendations will be
forwarded to the Competition Committee for consideration.
“The NHLPA’s membership supports reviewing modifications to goaltender
equipment provided the safety and protection of goalies is not compromised,”
said NHLPA Executive Director Paul Kelly. “These five players, together with
the general managers, will each bring a unique perspective to the goalie
working group, and we anticipate that following the meeting there will be
recommendations for the Competition Committee to review.”
“As we discussed with the Players' Association, player safety and
competitive fairness are paramount whenever you're contemplating any change
to the game," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations
Colin Campbell. "By assembling this great group of former and current
players to review goalie equipment, I'm confident we'll have the right
recommendations to move forward both from a competitive and protective
level."
At some point along the way there was a fundamental shift in the way
goaltending equipment was viewed and it's purpose went from keeping goalies safe
to keeping pucks out of the net. Those are two very, very different things and
I'm all for making equipment smaller as long as safety isn't compromised. Back
before the All-Star Game I had a long, long talk with Todd McFarlane via phone
and one of the issues he expounded on the size of goaltending equipment. He
figured that with all of the advances in modern technology and in sports
equipment that there was no reason for goaltending equipment to be getting
bigger in the name of safety. He was very confident that if a manufacturer was
motivated they could easily make smaller equipment that was just as safe.
The committee has an interesting make-up. I have a lot of respect for Doug
Risebrough and Jim Rutherford as GM'. Brett Hull has not trouble backing changes
that make the game more exciting and Garth Snow is a former goalie who was known
for wearing ridiculously oversized shoulder pads. On the player side Heatley and
Cammalleri ought to be in favor of more scoring. Brodeur is very vocal about
goalie causes, but he wears some of the smallest gear in the league. That leaves
Ryan Miller and Rick DiPietro as the up-and-coming keepers. My only question is
why the committee has two representatives from the Islanders.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 11:19AM EST on April 24, 2008
ESPN The Magazine has released the results of their annual fan satisfaction
survey and the Thrashers rank 19th among NHL teams. They did well in some
categories and not so well in others.
Take a look for yourself.
Overall I'd say that 19th isn't unreasonable for a team that struggled on the
ice and finished well back in the standings. The good news is that two of the
areas that got low marks- coaching and players- are areas that will be addressed
over the summer.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 12:12PM EST on April 23, 2008
The finalists for the NHL's Calder Trophy for "the player selected as the
most proficient in his first year of competition"
have been announced, and while it's disappointing that Tobias Enstrom didn't
finishing the top three it was to be expected. The finalists- Patrick Kane,
Nicklas Backstrom and Jonathan Toews- finished first, second and third in
rookie scoring and all three are forwards. In another year Enstrom might have
finished in the top three and gotten consideration for being an outstanding
rookie playing a more difficult position, but Kane, Backstrom and Toews all had
incredible years and points will always overshadow defensive prowess.
Enstrom led rookie defensemen in points but was
eighth overall in rookie scoring. It probably didn't help that only eight of
his 38 points were scored after the All-Star break.
None of that should take away from Enstrom's incredible season though. In the
end he was our best defenseman and led all Thrashers and all NHL rookies in
time-on-ice en route to setting a new record for points by a Thrasher
defenseman. In the end the winner of the Calder Trophy this year will be a
former first-round pick and will be a player who was taken in the top four of
his draft class. Meanwhile we'll keep cheering our slightly undersized
eighth-round gem who will be an NHL All-Star long before his career is over.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 3:41PM EST on April 21, 2008
Game seven- Boston at Montreal. You don't have to like either team to get
excited about this game. It was just a few years ago (in 2004) that Montreal
scrambled back from a 3-1 series deficit to beat Boston, paving the way for Joe
Thornton's trade to San Jose. It was the first time Montreal had ever rallied
form a 3-1 deficit and the first time Boston had given up such a lead in a
series. Now the shoe is on the other foot and Boston has all of the momentum. I
should be a great game and you can catch it on Versus at 7. Personally, I'll be
pulling for the Canadiens. My Western Conference
playoff predictions aren't panning out so well, but I'm looking good in the
East- especially if Philly eliminates Washington tonight in a game that is
inexplicably absent from American television (except on Center Ice of course).
Versus has done an outstanding job with their game coverage, but I'd rather
follow a series from start to finish than get bits and pieces of each one. One
complete story is more compelling than four partial stories. I guess the best we
can hope for is for a Caps win tonight so Versus can carry game seven tomorrow
night.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 11:33AM EST on April 18, 2008
You may have noticed a distinct lack of daily links lately. Well, the off-season being what it is, not many people are writing about the Thrashers. It's hard to believe, but it's true. I will pass along anything interesting that I come across though, like this interview with Colby Armstrong from a Saskatoon paper.
It give you a good glimpse into his off-ice personality with gems like this:
The SP: Describe your first slow dance.
Armstrong: I went to dances in Grade 8 and stuff, but I don't think I danced with anyone. My first dance with a girl was when I got to high school and we had to do dancing in gym. I remember dancing with a girl and my hands were sweating. I was all embarrassed to be holding hands and dancing. My hands were just leaking.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 10:59AM EST on April 17, 2008
The NCAA champions have been crowned and we're a
few weeks into the junior playoffs now, so the list of prospects still playing
at the amateur level is getting very, very short. Here's an update.
C Angelo Esposito, Quebec Remparts. Quebec lost 4-1 to Gatineau 3-0
in the second round of the QMJHL playoffs. Esposito had 4 goals and 6
assists in 11 games and was -11.
LW Michael Forney, North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux got thumped 7-3
by Boston College in the Frozen Four on April 10, ending their season.
C Riley Holzapfel, Moose Jaw Warriors. Moose Jaw fell to Calgary 4-2
in the opening round of the WHL playoffs and Holzapfel has joined the
Chicago Wolves.
C Rylan Kaip, North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux got thumped 7-3 by
Boston College in the Frozen Four on April 10, ending their season.
RW Andrew Kozek, North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux got thumped 7-3 by
Boston College in the Frozen Four on April 10, ending their season.
RW Spencer Machacek, Vancouver Giants. Vancouver fell 4-2 to Spokane
in the second round of the WHL playoffs. Machacek has 5 goals and 2 assists
in 10 games. Machecek has joined the
Wolves as an extra forward for the AHL playoffs.
D Will O'Neill, Omaha (USHL). Omaha leads Sioux city 2-1 in the
opening round of the playoffs.
D Paul Postma, Calgary Hitmen. Postma continues to be the most
pleasant surprise of the postseason, piling up 6 goals and 4 assists in 12
games. Fantastic numbers for a 7th round pick who is only in his second year
of junior. Calgary plays Lethbridge in the WHL semi-final.
the Gladiators have advanced to the second round of the ECHL playoffs and
kick off their series against the Carolina Stingrays
tomorrow
night in North Charleston. The Wolves lost their first playoff game, falling
to Milwaukee
4-3 in overtime with Little, Sterling and Jesse Schultz scoring for Chicago.
The AHL doesn't have a roster limit, so it's not unusual for the Wolves to carry
some extra players to help out in practices and fill in if needed. Those players
are frequently junior players signed to ATO's (Amateur Tryout Offers) after they
get eliminated from their playoffs. Bryan Little did it last year and it helped
him get a jumpstart on his pro career. Right now the Thrashers have four
prospects on ATO's in Chicago- Arturs Kulda, Riley Holzapfel, Angelo Esposito
and Spencer Machacek (who just signed his ATO yesterday and is in transit). None
of them played last night, and that's not unusual given that the Wolves have
been very successful with the lineup they've been using all season. The amateur
guys are there to practice, learn about life as a pro, and be ready to jump in
if needed, and they understand where they fit into the scheme of things, as is
clear from this
snippet from the Vancouver Province:
"It's going to be a good experience," said Machacek, who realizes he
likely won't play. "I get to see what the lifestyle is like and meet some of
the people in the organization."
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 5:02PM EST on April 15, 2008
In an effort to keep bringing you fresh content between the end of the
Thrashers' regular season and the beginning of the off-season action (coach
hirings, player signings, draft preview, etc) I banked some end-of-season
interviews and pieces that will be rolled out every few days. Here's the first.
When he scored 10 goals and 10 assists as a rookie in 2005-06
Jim Slater showed some offensive promise. In 2006-07 his goal production
dropped to five goals while his assists went up to 14. This past season Slater
struggled offensively, especially in the first half of the season. He didn't
pick up his first assist until Nov. 6. His second came almost a month later. By
the All-Star break he had five assists and no goals. Then he went on a relative
tear, scoring goals in brief bunches. Goals in consecutive games on Jan. 30 and
Feb. 1. Another pair on Mar. 1 and Mar. 2. Then he finished off the season with
four goals in six games.
Fortunately for Slater, he is an adaptable player and a student of the game. A
staple on the Thrashers' energy line this season, Slater used his speed to
forecheck and pressure the opposition. When Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis were
dealt at the trade deadline and Todd White injured his shoulder, Slater quickly
became a fixture on the Thrashers' penalty-killing unit where he scored the
first and second short-handed goals of his career.
For Slater to take on a bigger role with the Thrashers he needed to find a
niche, and the way he killed penalties towards the end of the season he jut
might have found it. He also had a solid faceoff percentage this season (52%).
A checking center that kills penalties and has strong numbers in the faceoff
circle. Could it be that Slater learned a thing or two from his perennial locker
room neighbor- Bobby Holik?
Before he packed up for the summer I asked Slater what he'd learned from the
Thrashers captain who served as a bit of a mentor for Slater both on and off of
the ice. Here's what he had to say.
What have you learned from sitting next to Bobby Holik?
Slater: "Well, my ears hurt for one thing. But seriously, I think I got
learned a lot on a personal level. He's a very knowledgeable guy about a lot of
different things going on around the world. Listening to him talk about things
like that really makes you stop and think about what's going on in the world.
There's always two parts to a story and Bobby usually has both of them down pat.
You might think that you have one view of a subject and he's good at showing
another view that gets you to think about it. I've really enjoyed that about him
and I've learned a lot about American history, politics, and a lot of different
things going on in the world from him. It's been great learning from him."
And on the ice?
Slater: "Well, on a hockey level, he and I have a great
relationship on and off the ice. He's hard on me but I know he means it in a
good way. He knows the game so well and he's been around so long. I just
appreciate being able to sit like a guy him and have him take the time to care
about me and my career and have him teach me the ins and outs of the game."
You sat beside Scott Mellanby when he was here too. How would you compare
Mell and Bobby?
Slater: "They're very similar. They both worked really hard on the
ice and both cared so much about the team. But neither one really yells a lot.
They go out and lead by example, but when something needed to be said they'd be
the first to say it. My first two years Mell was definitely the best candidate
to be the captain, and this year you looked around and Bobby had control of the
locker room. He was the best candidate for us. There's lots of leadership at the
top in this room, but this year we just couldn't get the job done."
With the possibility that Bobby could leave as a free agent, is there
anyone you as being a natural to take on the captaincy or a bigger leadership
role?
Slater: "You never know. There could be a lot of movement in the
summer and you never know who you're gong to get via free agency or trades, but
I hope we can get Bobby back. He's good for this team. He works hard every
night. I'm close with him on a personal level and hopefully they can work
something out."
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 3:06PM EST on April 15, 2008
I got this emailed to me today and thought I'd
share it. Every season, without fail, complaints break out that the Thrashers
don't televise enough of their games. Naturally everyone would prefer to carry
all 82 games, but that's really not normal in the American hockey marketplace.
The following chart shows the number of games aired by each American team's
regional sports network partner. 8 of the 24 teams aired fewer games than
Atlanta and the Sharks aired the same number. So much for the argument that
"most teams broadcast all of their games". Hopefully the day will come when all
82 games are televised, but until it does it's not unusual for American-based
teams to air less than 100% of their games.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 2:37PM EST on April 14, 2008
I just got this memo from the NHL in my inbox.
NEW YORK/TORONTO (April 14, 2008) -- National Hockey League Senior
Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell
today issued the following advisory on the interpretation of Rule 75 -
Unsportsmanlike Conduct: "An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75)
will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when
an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and
engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the
goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or
distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make
a play."
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 4:55PM EST on April 11, 2008
Kudos to Versus for putting together some great playoff spots. Hopefully
they'll have them all online soon. My personal favorite is the voiceover from
the perspective of the net. Alex Ovechkin makes his playoff debut tonight at 7
on Versus. I know i'll be watching.
Click here for the full schedule.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 5:02PM EST on April 10, 2008
This is somewhat overdue, but given that nobody else has published 90% of the
material in it, here is Don Waddell's complete press conference and Q&A from the
end of the season. Waddell had a few minutes of opening comments and then spent
close to 20 minutes taking questions from the media in attendance. It covers
everything from the coaching search to team identity to highs and lows of the
season to Kari Lehtonen's contract status. It runs just over 20 minutes in
length.
There has been a lot of end-of-season housekeeping to take care of on
atlantathrashers.com this week, but next week I promise more content from end of
season discussions with players.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 5:14PM EST on April 9, 2008
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It's about time for another quick amateur prospect
update, isn't it?
C Angelo Esposito, Quebec Remparts. Quebec is trailing Gatineau 3-0
in the second round of the QMJHL playoffs. Game four is tonight. Esposito
has 9 points in 9 games.
LW Michael Forney, North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux play Boston
College in the Frozen Four on April 10.
C Riley Holzapfel, Moose Jaw Warriors. Moose Jaw fell to Calgary 4-2
in the opening round of the WHL playoffs and Holzapfel has joined the
Chicago Wolves.
C Rylan Kaip, North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux play Boston College
in the Frozen Four on April 10.
RW Andrew Kozek, North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux play Boston
College in the Frozen Four on April 10.
RW Spencer Machacek, Vancouver Giants. Vancouver is tied 1-1 with
Spokane in the second round of the WHL playoffs. Machacek has 4 goals and an
assist in 5 games.
D Will O'Neill, Omaha (USHL). Omaha leads Sioux city 1-0 in the
opening round of the playoffs.
D Paul Postma, Calgary Hitmen. The Hitmen lead the Broncos 2-1 in
the second round of the WHL playoffs and Postma has 4 goals and 4 assists in
9 games. Huge numbers for a defenseman in a defensive league.
If you have a hankering for some live playoff hockey don't forget about the
Gladiators. They're up 1-0 in the
opening round of their ECHL playoff run. Game two is tomorrow night.
