< 24 hours!

Can you feel it? I mean, really? Does that question even apply anymore? The reality of it is if you're reading this blog, you're super-saturated in everything that is Blueland. For a few minutes (hopefully an evening!), the predictions are thrown out the window. All questioning regarding the Baby Thrashers (enter Little, Sterling, Enstrom, and Popovic) is silenced. The pressure that's weighing on the newcomers' shoulders (i.e. White, Perrin, Thorburn, Klee) is lifted. Every little minute (well, that's debatable) detail that's been brought up over the off-season will be forgotten.

The only thing that will matter, for a matter of minutes, is that the '07-'08 Thrashers are taking the ice for the first time. The scene within the Arena will be electric.

And then, before you know it, THAT takes a backseat to remember what was accomplished last season - Southeast Division Champions. A banner will rise to the Philips Arena rafters in the name of the Atlanta Thrashers. Finally, a Widespread Panic banner will take a backseat and hopefully get buried in future accolades of the Legends of Blueland. This will be a great start to something fantastic for this franchise.

Once again, fans will lose it. Tears will simultaneously fight with celebratory yells to the heavens, all in the name of victory, in the name of one cause, one team - our Atlanta Thrashers.

What was brought up today by Stan over at Hockey Buzz was a dedication for Dan Snyder, who passed away four years ago. Hopefully this will be addressed, and it really should be. A couple of big milestones in the history of the Thrashers will coincide for one evening and I really feel that one would not happen without the other. Sure, division titles might've occurred with Snyder still in the lineup, but they never would've been as significant as this title. It's really like tomorrow will be reason enough to celebrate his life and his heart and his passion for the hockey he played, the organization he played for, and the city he called his home. I'll never forget the day I heard about the tragedy and Dan will always live on in the hearts and minds of Thrashers fans, players, and hockey supports all over.

We'll never forget you, Dan, and we know that you still play a tremendous role in the team we support.

Regarding the actual game tomorrow night, it's going to be a battle. The Caps are nothing to take lightly. We all know that the Caps love to play spoiler and Friday night should be no exception. You take that, the unspoken rivalry between Ovechkin and Kovy, and the brawls and you've got one hell of a matchup. Washington has possible rookie phenom Nicklas Backstrom and new center Michael Nylander - we all know that they have something to prove in their new roles with their team. And you better believe that AO wants to erase all memories of his "off" year last season. What better time to start a new campaign than game one, right?

The Thrashers better have their A-game. We learned last season that, down the stretch, there are no "gimme" games in terms of relaxing/coasting/etc. Every game matters. Every game should feature everything on the line for the most success possible.

Two points or nothin'. That's what the Thrashers should have on their minds tomorrow evening. Forget about the critics who are denouncing them. Forget about the last four games. Forget about attempting repeat performances and winning big in April. We need to focus on the now.

I absolutely cannot wait for the game. I'll get there super early and be right by the Thrashers bench for the warmups, cheering for each and everyone of 'em as they take the ice. There's no holding back for the Thrashers and there's no holding back for myself or any other believer in Blueland.

I'll be in 317, row E. Come and say hey! I'd love to meet new fans. I've always been hesitant about it but now I know I'm part of a community. I'd love to meet each and every one of you and discuss our common bond, the Thrashers.

My jersey's ready. My Blueland scarf is out. My blue shoes will be worn ALL DAY. My tickets will stare me in the face for hours once I get off work tomorrow afternoon.

Seriously, let's get this started already!

LET'S GO THRASHERS!

Do you believe?! Because you better!

Training Camp Opens Tomorrow! (clicky)

And so it continues - the soap opera that is the upcoming hockey season. This all happens is stages, you know.

June starts with the Stanley Cup and ends with the NHL Draft. Then there's the free-for-all free agency grab in July. August comes around and brings the baby Thrashers to town for a few days to get a taste of the big leagues for a change. And now that we're nearing the halfway point of September, training camp starts up and everyone invited has that chance of making the team.

Of course, players like the Kovys, the Hossas, the Karis, etc. don't have to worry much about making the opening day squad. But the great thing is seeing the younger bunch of players trying for their shot at a full-time membership of an NHL team. This season, unlike others in recent memory, offers the best chance for the young'uns to show up on October 5 and know what's at stake (i.e. the raising of the Southeast Division Championship banner) and more.

What really matters the most to the casual (or any, really) hockey fan is the notion that the fans are one more day closer to the start or another professional hockey season in North America. The game we all love is about to return and the opening of training camp tomorrow morning is one more step closer to that.

All of the subtleties are becoming apparent now and aren't distant memories anymore - they're simply reminders of what's to come. For example, if you're crazy about the Atlanta Thrashers and have attended a game (or 23) at Philips Arena last season, I'll list some things that will get you excited about the upcoming '07-'08 season. If you don't feel a thing from these little snippets, then God help you.

• the beeping of the ticket scanning machines, granting you entry into the Arena.
  
• drowning in a sea of BLUE as you make your way throughout the Arena.
  
• a temperature difference once waking through your designated portal.
  
• getting the first over-priced beer... or that huge brew before the game in the CNN Center.
  
• the smell of the ice.
  
• scrolling text messages (and apparently the over-abundance of Chuck Norris shout-outs).
  
• the sound of the Zamboni.
  
• the booing that meets the referees.
  
• Steve Craig.
  
• Rabid Fans, Heatmisers, and the entire Nasty Nest.

You know, the list is actually pretty endless. I had to stop myself because I was getting tons of chills down the spine and I couldn't put words to my thoughts and the visions that have danced in my head for the past few months.

The same also applies to hearing Blur's "Song 2" on the radio during the summer. Or GNR's "Welcome to the Jungle". Or that damned Tom Petty song that plays whenever the Thrashers get scored against. (Note to self: I HATE that Tom Petty song... because of hockey?)

Tomorrow, all of these things come closer to repeating themselves all over again. The thrills of victory, scoring the OT winner, watching Kari sprawl in the crease to stop that shooter in the shootout to preserve a winning outcome, Ilya going on one knee after he burns the back of the net by his low-percentage (bew-hew!) slapper from the point and the agonies of prolonged stays on the IR, the opposition ending the game by scoring with .5 seconds left (thanks, Carolina!), and ridiculously bad breaks from our own boards are about to be reinvented and revisited (hopefully none of the agonies will return!).

Who's gonna be the playmaker this season? Who's gonna be the rookie to steal the show for the Thrash? Or will ANY rookie step it up?

What's the story going to be for this season? Only time will tell and I'm so excited to know that the Thrashers will keep on improving and become even stronger than before.

You better believe I'll be there tomorrow, with tons of other supporters cheering on the team as they take the ice collectively for the first time since crap went down in April and new additions started trickling in in early July. I'll be one of the many sporting some sort of winter-weather wear (!), my Blueland scarf, and my camera.

See you there! And...

LET'S GO THRASHERS!

Happy 4th!

On this Fourth of July, I'm finally putting my camera to the test. I've done some research on the best settings for digital photography of fireworks. I'm busting out a tripod I've had for years and I'm going to see exactly what my camera can do. I figured out after this year's Coachella that I can bust out some pretty good pics, and that was without knowing how to use the camera properly. I'm pretty excited about tonite and I'm hoping that I come away with some nice shots.

In other news...

The NHL free agency floodgates opened on Sunday and the Thrashers lost a few players, re-signed some notables, and picked up a few game-breakers (hopefully). Here's what happened to le Thrash since Sunday:

Thrashers Agree to Terms with Forward Pascal Dupuis (re-signed on July 1)

Thrashers Re-Sign Forward Vyacheslav Kozlov (re-signed on July 4)

Thrashers Agree to Terms with Unrestricted Free Agent Forward Todd White (signed on July 1)

Thrashers Agree to Terms with Unrestricted Free Agent Forward Eric Perrin (signed on July 1)

Thrashers Agree to Terms with Free Agent Defenseman Ken Klee (signed on July 2)

Wild Signs Center Eric Belanger (signed July 3)

FREE AGENCY UPDATE: Islanders Sign Jonathan Sim (signed July 1)

Predators sign free agents Bonk, de Vries (signed July 2)

The most surprising move to me was the Klee acquisition. de Vries' departure to Nashville wasn't much of a shock, but the pick up of someone along the same lines as Devo doesn't come off to me as an "improvement". My experience with Klee is that while he was with Toronto a couple of years ago, I had him on my fantasy team for a while and that made me aware of how he was as a player. Granted, I never watched him play, so I do not have any kind of knowledge on his style of hockey, but he wasn't remarkable in the stats department. It just struck me to replace one veteran defenseman with another one who will probably play the same role. I never asked for anyone in the Sheldon Souray department, but I'm sure that there was someone else who would better fit into the Thrashers' system than Ken Klee. Personally, I would've loved to see Tom Preissing in a Thrashers jersey next season... hell, even Tom Poti had a nice year with the Islanders previously... let's just say there were options out there other than Klee that I would've made an effort for.

Resigning Dupuis was a great move because he was definitely one of the bright spots during our playoff push and our (ugh) first-round exit. And the recent re-signing of Slava Kozlov is a move hugely supported by the Blueland faithful. The biggest concern for this off-season was whether our management was able to keep Slava in the picture while making an effort to improve the team. Many wondered if he'd test the waters of free agency and see what kind of deal he could get, others also worried about whether he priced himself out of our already bloated payroll. Fortunately, he'll be in Thrashers Blue for three more years, and possibly end his career here, a place where he is most appreciated.

Picking up speedy forward Eric Perrin from rivals Tampa Bay was a "typical Waddell" pick - not noteworthy, and has potential to have any kind of effect on the team. Fans wonder if he'll turn into another Niko Kapanen experiment (that failed miserably) or if he can spark up like Mr. Belanger did late last season. I think he'll provide more offensive punch than Simmer, but Simmer's scrappy presence on the ice will be missed. And the arrival of Todd White will be surprising. We'll either be taken back by how well he fits into Hartley's system or how he might become another Steve Rucchin and have the game pass him right on by. From various sites, I've seen a few people compliment Don Waddell on these acquisitions... let's hope their compliments and hints about their abilities ring true.

While none of these moves rivals the Briere signing or the double-plucking the Rangers did of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, they are what we've come to expect of Don Waddell and Co. for the past few years. He's clearly not hesitant to pull the trigger on bigger moves (the Heatley/Hossa trade and the Tkachuk signing come to mind instantly), but it's like there's this kind of fantasy to sign some smaller players and try to give the team great parity. The superstars are obviously Kovalchuk, Hossa, and possibly Lehtonen and thankfully Kozlov, but other than those, there are a slew of players that have third- and fourth-line potential. The team that the Thrashers are left with, to me, doesn't seem as through-and-through as last year's Buffalo, Ottawa, San Jose, and Anaheim squads; the main complaint of Atlanta from fans and critics alike last year (and is sure to continue through to this upcoming season) is that the team we're left with is quite one-dimensional. That lack of diversity in the lineup is appearing to bleed into the '07-'08 season. We'll see what all of these moves bring in the upcoming months.

Regardless, I'm incredibly excited about this upcoming season for the Atlanta Thrashers. There are so many elements of the hockey season that I'm missing out on right now that I'm ready for September to roll around and the pre-season to get started.

In the meantime, there's the prospect camp that opens this weekend in Duluth. It'll run from the 6th to the 12th and will put all of our up-and-coming players on display for both fans and the organization to see, pick apart, etc. Featured players in the Thrashers' system (and possible candidates for roster spots with the team, as well) include Bryan Little, Brett Sterling, Chad Denny, Tobias Enstrom, and Ondrej Pavelec among many others. Information about the camp (including other players featured and times of the sessions each day) can be found below. All sessions are open to the public. I know I'm going to make a serious attempt at one of the days next week (somewhere on Tuesday through Thursday). I'll be sure to post pictures and notes from my trip(s?) up to the IceForum next week.

PDF: Thrashers to Hold Prospect Development Camp from July 6-12

INFO: Duluth IceForum

Photos: ECQ Game 1 - Thrash vs. Range-uhs (clicky)

More are located at the flickr site, as is the norm. Clicking on any of the above brings you there as well.

Today's the day!

So last nite, I was going to put together a little thing I wanted to call a "Thrashers Playoff Kit", which was basically going to be a silly take on what was essential for the game this evening against the Rangers. After playing around with it for a while, I just wasn't that satisfied with how it turned out, so I'll just do a quick version of what I wanted to do yesterday.

Basically, today is a huge day. Players are coloring their hair blue (and now I'm seeing that it was only temporary), fans are going nuts on the local airwaves, and you better believe that there'll be a bunch of face painting. All of these things are great ways for fans to express their hockey love, but they are definitely not essential.

What is essential to have upon your arrival to Philips Arena this evening is the following:

- your Southeast Division Champions t-shirt that you bought at the game last Saturday (you know you have one);

- if there's some reason that you do not have this shirt, a Welcome to Blueland t-shirt will make do... for now;

- another visible item of clothing needs to be blue - this applies to pants (I'll have blue jeans), shoes (I have blue Pumas), socks (where I'm lacking), hats (I guess I can rock the Thrashers hat that I have from earlier this season), and/or gloves. I'm sure there's more I can add to this list, but, because it's 60+ degrees outside, I'm refusing to add "shorts" because this is playoff hockey! Shorts are NOT worn at playoff hockey games... I don't care how damned hot it is outside;

- if you've stock-piled 'em up until now, pull out your Thrashers thunder sticks, inflate, and make contact.

- a mouth that's ready to scream, yell, BE LOUD for hours on end. If you can avoid talking until the game, I highly advise it. Drink plenty of water, drink some hot tea - just do anything to preserve your throat;

- you better not forget that jersey of your's. Whether it be the old away (navy/maroon) jersey that was retired last season, the current away (white) jersey, or the current home jersey, you wear it.

- and, what is perhaps the most essential item of your inaugural Atlanta Thrashers playoff experience, yourself! If you don't have a ticket, get your rear down to Philips and spend the evening in Centennial Park and watch the game on the big screen across the street from CNN Center - it's guaranteed to be on there while the game is going on inside.

So everyone, get up, grab your garb and head over to Philips Arena and let the atmosphere take you over... because tonite is gonna change your life. It's that serious!