Let the Madness Begin, Blueland!

You know, for the first few seasons as a Thrashers fan, I really enjoyed the novelty of hockey again. I was out of the loop for a few seasons too many and I slowly got back into the thick of things. At the time, there was a very young franchise that was starting to get on its feet and validate its existence in the sphere of NHL play.

As my relationship with the Thrashers grea stronger and stronger, I knew what was ahead - the playoffs. It was only so long before this team received a taste of playoff hockey. In '03-'04, we started off somewhat strong, but ultimately fell apart midway through the season after a nice victory against the Lightning on home ice the day after Christmas.

Then the lockout happened and changes were made, but nothing significant happened. Enter Scott Mellanby and Jaroslav Modry (and a few others). Also, Kari Lehtonen's time was approaching and he was beginning to be counted on by this team, this city.

Last season, we really tried hard despite the hard times (read: goalie diarrhea) and still came up VERY short. Guarantees were made, but still nothing was there to put the money where the mouth was, so to speak. We stuck to our guns and missed the objective. Last season, the playoffs would've been the goal - plain and simple. Anything past that would've been a pleasant surprise.

Now, heh, well now things are different. In my roughly five years' experience with the team, I've come from casual fan to really crazed, possessed, passionate believer in the future of hockey in Atlanta. A lot has changed since the infant stages of my relationship with the Atlanta Thrashers.

The biggest, and most meaningful, change occurs on Thursday evening as the Thrashers open their first ever playoff appearance against the New York Rangers at home in Philips Arena.

Even including last season's push for a ticket into the "real" season, it's perpetually been something as just an interest to be a Thrashers fan. Yeah, you liked the team and you occasionally voiced your opinion about what upper management should do. But nothing that's been said in the past compares to what's occurring currently. Deep analysis of the team is happening all over North America. Of course, some Thrashers fans have this discussion down pat over at their ends (name check to Southeast Shootout, Talons, and Talking Thrash), but the rest of the league could've cared less up until this point.

With that said, people are still writing off the team, saying that there isn't much to the squad to keep them in a high-intensity series against legitimate contenders for a week straight, two weeks if the writer is in a generous mood at the time they pen the piece on the Thrashers' likely outcome in this playoff race. Talking Thrash broke some predictions down and basically said that most of the media have the Rangers over the Thrash in five or six, and you take out "homers" like Darren Eliot and Scott Burnside and that's even less backing for a team that is as powerful as the Thrashers.

The point of this whole blahblahblah-ing is that the word is out - the Atlanta Thrashers are in the playoffs for the first time in their seven year existence. Everyone is recognizing it and there's no denying it. This team is poised to make a run, not just "an appearance". You can break down the series as much as you want to and make predictions out of the wazoo, but the fact of the matter is that Thursday nite starts a new era in Atlanta - Blueland. Let Blueland Nation overtake the city and cause a stir among the locals. If you aren't in the loop, be prepared to get bowled over in blue for as long as it takes.

Marian Hossa was run out of Ottawa because he couldn't compete at the level that playofff hockey (or Ottawa, for that matter) demanded. Scott Mellanby has appeared in more games than anyone in the league currently without a championship to his name. Ilya Kovalchuk is questioned as someone who can provide plenty of energy during the regular season, but what about when the pressure is really on? And then there's the question-mark about Kari Lehtonen - sure, he's competed a bunch on the junior level and in the AHL, but surely he cannot be enough to handle teams that will go for his throat at any given time.

The doubts linger... for now. Come Thursday, they will be silenced... for a moment, at least. Let the excitement carry over Blueland all of Thursday and let this sensation carry the team throughout whatever they come across in their journey toward the future of the team, toward the future of hockey in Atlanta, toward the future of hockey in the South.

I'll be there in the flesh and, unfortunately, it will be the only playoff hockey I will experience... unless the Thrashers make it past the first round. The job prevents me from doing such, so I'll have to live vicariously through the blogs and through the AJC and through friends and family. But there's no doubt in my mind that I'm missing the first ever playoff game in Philips Arena. I'll be there super early to check out everything that's going on and I'll have the camera ready for anything and everything. It's going to be an event, that's for sure. I thought I knew what playoff hockey was back on the Isle all those years ago... I'm ready for the madness to kick back in.

LET'S GO THRASHERS!