Well- it finally happened. Just under nine months after we started asking for you to submit pictures of you and your friends and family sporting Thrashers gear around the country and abroad we got a picture from Antarctica. After roughly 200 submissions we have all seven continents covered and our fans have gone to the ends of the earth while wearing jerseys, hats, t-shirts or scarves all adorned with Thrashers logos and wordmarks. From the South Pole to Iceland, Alaska to South Africa, New Zealand to Northern Ireland, The Great Wall to Machu Pichu, India to Iraq- you've been pretty much everywhere. I'd go so far as to say that no other team in the NHL can boast a group of fans more well traveled than ours.

As for our fan at the South Pole, he's actually from right here in Atlanta. I asked Chad what took him to the most desolate place on the planet and here was his response:

"I'm a crew chief (aircraft mechanic) stationed at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. There is a handful of us from Robins assisting the New York National Guard here in Antarctica. The Guard deploys ski equipped C-130s to Antarctica to assist the National Science Foundation in running supplies to the South Pole and other various outlined camps. Sea vessels will bring supplies to McMurdo Station, and then we will fly the supplies from there. The C-130s take off from an ice runway on the Ross Ice Shelf, and then can land on snow or ice throughout the continent. So I'm here to support the aircraft.... and help bring the Thrashers on the road.

Can't wait to get home and see the Thrashers clinch the division.

Chad"

This feature has been an overwhelming success and we never thought it would get this big. We know it can get even bigger though, so keep sending us your pictures. There are plenty of states and countries that haven't been represented yet. Who knows- maybe we'll get a shot from space one of these days. Surely there's an astronaut out there who is a Thrashers fans.

The season ticket holding Jansen family used this picture for their Christmas card. What are you doing this year to mix the holidays and the Thrashers? I'll be taking my mother to her first ever NHL game on the 27th.

While I was in Nashville I had the chance to stop by a modest tailgate party across the street from Sommet Center. An RV of Thrashers fans made the trip from Atlanta and were hanging out with some Predators fans they'd connected with via some message boards. Here are some pictures of the festivities:

Blueland hits the road.

If you've seen our Thrashers on the Road page you our fans travel well.


Mixing and mingling with the locals.


There was a bit of an incident with a band's catering truck that didn't involve our tailgaters, but that didn't stop them from chatting it up with the Nashville Fire Department.

Some reminders and updates for the upcoming playoff games:

• There will be Blueland Block Parties on Philips Drive before the games on Thursday and Saturday (weather permitting). Things kick off at 4:30 on Thursday and at noon on Saturday.
  
  The parties will be very similar to the one last Saturday, complete with inflatables, access to concessions, face painting, sign making, etc. but they'll also feature live music. Woohoo! Live music!
  
  
• The doors to Philips Arena open 90 minutes before games during the playoffs. There will be plenty of new things inside to see and we expect a full house every night, so you might want to get in a bit early if possible.
  
  
• There will be giveaway items every game and you'll want to look around, mingle, and take in the atmosphere. Trust me- this is going to be special, so get there early. Support our guys during the warm-ups and show visiting media that we have real hockey fans in The South.

Some people told us that they had trouble finding the Blueland Block Party last week. Well, here's a foolproof map:

So we know there's at least one Thrashers fan in New York City, and his name is Patrick Hubbard.

If you have pictures of you or your friends sporting Thrashers gear in the Big Apple send them on in. I know some of you are heading up there for the games next week, so take some pictures of the Blueland invasion.

Update:

Here's another one from a young fan who toured MSG with the accompanying text from the Yanovich family:

"We did our part today visiting the locker room of the NY Rangers :-) at Madison Square Gardens and wishing them lots of luck - NOT. Good luck tomorrow, go and make us proud."

So, you're growing a playoff beard. Good for you. Now take a picture of it and send it in to us, along with your name and where you're from. Then send in pictures as it fills out as the Thrashers go deeper and deeper in the playoffs. There's nothing on the line except beard-growing pride, but why wouldn't you want to chronicle your hair-growing exploits for all of Blueland to see? Send us your pictures and we'll post. No beard is too scraggly, patchy or faint to show off.

While you're at it don't miss this blog post about the Thrashers predictions for best playoff beard on the team.

And ladies, don't feel like this is all about the men.