As great as it is to see Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa create magic on the ice with their world-class skills, it was even more fulfilling for me to see the magic they created off the ice recently with their latest community outreach efforts. I had the pleasure of emceeing both the Hossa’s Heroes event at the Georgia Aquarium (gallery) and Kovy’s Krew get-together at Jillian’s at Discover Mills in Duluth (gallery) in late November and came away with an even greater appreciation of the impact these gifted scorers can make off the ice. Both events were held to benefit children, in many cases children who have had a pretty rough skate through their formative years, and the collective joy these kids obviously felt was priceless to behold.
 
 At the Georgia Aquarium, Hossa’s special guests were treated to a mini-feast and a video featuring number 18 before being addressed by their host, who answered questions, presented each child with special Thrashers gifts and then led the entire group on a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility. Marian was joined in his efforts by goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, who helped pass out gifts and served as a very capable partner on the guided tour.
 
 One day later, Kovy’s Krew – which included teammates Slava Kozlov, Ken Klee, and Bryan Little, along with assistant coach Brad McCrimmon - convened for an early evening of food, fun, and games at Jillian’s, which has helped Kovalchuk host his event from its inception. After a buffet dinner, the children who packed Jillian’s private dining room saw a special video presentation of their host, followed by a question-and-answer session with Kovy. When that was over, each child received a Kovalchuk jersey, and then it was off to play the games. One of the volunteers at the event asked a child if he was going to play pool, and the answer was, “I’ve never played pool before; I would definitely like to try it.” Another child, who headed to the lanes to bowl in the group that included Kozlov, exclaimed to anyone within earshot, “I have never been to a bowling alley before.”
 
 Yet another event that took place that week – one I was not able to attend - was Nic Havelid’s latest efforts with Habitat for Humanity (gallery). Last year I had the chance to do some roofing work on a home that the Thrashers defenseman helped build, and this year he again was instrumental in fulfilling a dream for a deserving family.
 
 True, there were no games played for several days in the week following Thanksgiving. But there were many goals scored, many victories achieved. They may not resonate on the airwaves or sports pages, and they may not be met with thundering applause. Their impact, though, will be much longer lasting, indelible, in fact, for those whose lives were touched in those few days and will be touched in the days ahead by the ongoing work of Thrashers players.