(The following was submitted by Thrashers Fan Correspondent, Sean Grace)

9:38 PM – April 1, 2007

On Oct. 2, 1999 the Thrashers played their first game. And then they played another 570 games, all in the regular season. On April Fools Day, 2007 the Atlanta Thrashers clinched the first playoff birth in franchise history as the Rangers pummeled the Leafs, 7-2.

The moment wasn’t dramatic. The scoreboard at Philips didn’t flash the news to 18,000 screaming fans. No parade has been scheduled. But it happened, finally. While watching the Rangers beat the daylights out of the Primadonnas from Toronto; I started thinking about what it took to get to this point. We’re lost some of our favorites to trades, retirement and to a cruel accident in Buckhead. We’ve grown slowly and painfully at times. We’ve come close enough to smell success but never had a taste, until now. This is huge step for this franchise.

I’m relieved to be honest. This season has been emotionally draining. Our team has been in the grips of a personality disorder since November. Just when you think the Thrashers might never win another game, they win five in a row. And then they inexplicably lose four straight. It’s been frustrating to watch at times, exhilarating on other nights. Some of the most exciting games ever played on our ice were played this year. The back to back OT wins over the Rangers and Buffalo recently are a highlight for me.

Equal to the feeling of relief is the sense of accomplishment. So many of you that are reading this right now have supported this team, through thick and thin, since its inception. We’ve watched our young team grow up and we feel a sense of ownership of this club. The opportunity to become a fan of a new team in a major sport is special and rare. It also requires patience and perseverance. The payoff is very satisfying. It’s been a long and bumpy road but on April 1, 2007 at 9:38 PM we took our first big step forward, quietly and together. Congratulations Thrashers, we’re proud of you.

Finishing Strong

If the boys can tack a few more points to the tally, the Southeast division is ours. The advantage of winning the division is home ice advantage. Blueland has become hostile territory for the opposition as the Thrashers have a record of 8-1 since March 2nd. In order to earn the right to hang a banner from the rafters at Philips and play hockey well into baseball season, the team needs to reverse a negative trend.

Over the last few weeks, (excluding the Boston game), we have developed a puck possession problem. The opposition has been spending an inordinate amount of time in our zone. This has caused the Thrashers to expend a great deal of energy relieving the pressure and clearing the puck out of the zone. It also causes penalties and goals against. Most obviously, we can’t score goals while chasing the enemy around the boards in our zone. Lastly, we “waste” shifts as the result of these lengthy spells near our goal. The result is that too many shifts only result in one clearance of the puck, no offensive opportunities and skating to the bench fatigued. This needs to be addressed if we are going to play hockey in May.

My suggestion, (not that it means much), is to play more aggressively with a slight hint of recklessness. Lately, our D-men seem to be very concerned about making a mistake around our net. They are tentative and not particularly physical. I believe that if we attack the puck and put bodies on opposing forwards in our zone that we can turn the puck possession game in our favor. If this aggressive play results in more shots against Kari and Moose it may not be disastrous. They have both been consistently strong lately.

The other tactic we can use is to deny the entry of the puck into our zone more aggressively. To do the team needs to move their feet more and increase the physical play. I believe if we make these adjustments and also take some chances on rushes and outlet passing, we will be a very hard team to beat in April and May. Our offensive talent level is very close to the best in the NHL. If we can open up the game we have the advantage more often than not.

Don’t Make Them Beg

They are begging, you see and hear them everyday. On billboards, on ajc.com, on the radio, they’re begging. The Thrashers are pleading with Atlanta to buy tickets to playoff games. They should not have to work this hard to get 18,000 of 5,000,000 people to attend a playoff game. They are not attempting to sell time shares here, its post-season hockey. Playoff hockey is intense. It is perform or be gone. It’s high drama. Lunatics paid $10,000 for one seat to the final four when they didn’t attend any school playing in the tourney. This is your team. It won’t be your team for long if the Thrashers are forced to spend big money marketing/selling playoff games. How does the sound of Kansas City Thrashers or maybe the Hartford Thrashers sound?

In this spirit, no pun intended, here are the top reasons given for not spending some time with my friends and me at Philips, along with my rebuttals.

Next Week – An analysis of our first round opponent and a report from the first home postseason game

Your loyal Servant,
Sean Grace