How This Blog Could Become More Like LiveJournal

It's been an odd season so far. Well, maybe not for the Thrashers, but for me. I've yet to attend a game and I've yet to watch a game in its entirety. I saw most of the season-opener against Washington (great win, BTW!), watched the last half of the OT loss against the Panthers, and saw most of the game versus New Jersey. It feels rather weird to have not witnessed a full Thrashers game, especially in person.

So please excuse the lack of posts as there has been minimal time to post anything substantial lately and especially no time to watch a full Thrashers game, apparently.

However, noting what's on "paper" right now, it's good to see the Thrashers are 2-2-1. I mean, that's still three losses, but that's OK. We picked up a point against another team within the division (Florida) and we lost to two overly defensively-minded teams in Minnesota and New Jersey. Our other victory (the most recent one) was against Buffalo last nite and, of course, I had zero contact with any of it until it was all said and done and my wife received a text on her phone with the final score. I wish I could spend more time with my favorite team of teams and I wish there was more recognition for what they do as a whole.

I mean, yesterday I attended a birthday function and ended up watching college football all day long and endured conversation after conversation about how UGA's schedule in the coming weeks looks rough and the who's the weakest team in the SEC. The entire time I took this information in, I deeply longed to have this kind of conversation... only about the Thrashers, and the Southeast Division, and HOCKEY. It's this kind of love that is noticeably absent in the South and it will remain that way until the Thrashers win, and win lots. In the region where college football is KING (yes, all caps, because it really is THAT BIG), all other sports and teams are overshadowed. Hell, for the birthday function, my wife and I attempted to go around to local retailers and pick up some random Falcons memorabilia for the birthday boy and we noticed that even the Atlanta Falcons are second best, below the almighty GEORGIA BULLDOGS.

So what started out as a blog about the lack of posts due to the lack of attention I'm paying to the Atlanta Thrashers has morphed into a post about how college football owns all and that there is no hope for anything more for any other sports in this region of the country, at least in Georgia. But is that really true?

As I said, what the Thrashers need to do to in order to gain any kind of attention here is win and win lots. We all know what one semi-successful season can do and it was noticed in '06-'07. This isn't enough, obviously, as the Thrashers went four-and-out in their only playoff appearance in franchise history. If the Thrashers can have regular season success consistently, this will get recognized until the purists shoot down their winning ways because they compete in the "weak" Southeast Division. If they do this AND win the Cup just ONCE, I think that this could be enough to give credibility to the Atlanta Thrashers and to hockey in Georgia, which would result in recognition and possibly fodder for conversation at birthday functions that I could involve myself in (for once).

Really, this is a self-serving post that (ideally) would satisfy my conversational needs at awkward social gatherings. (Fortunately, here's the universal tie-in, people.) But wouldn't it be nice to have this kind of appreciation for such an amazing sport in an atypical environment like Georgia? I long for the day when hockey can actually be understood and appreciated to its fullest in the South. I will never give up hope for hockey in this part of the country. It's a fight that will take a lot of work, from both fans and the team.

I mean, do you really have any idea how frustrating it is when people are asking you what your favorite football team is and you respond with, "Well, I really don't care that much about football... my favorite sport is hockey and I'm head-over-heels in love with the Atlanta Thrashers." The common response to that (IMO) is, "Oh, that's cool, hockey looks awesome with the fighting and all, but it's not football."

Uh, no shit it's not football, but take a second to get your head out of your ass and get a deeper look at the fastest sport in the world! I always try to talk new people into hockey usually I end up right about it after they watch a game (usually on TV, and that doesn't do the sport justice either). Some people need to get over themselves and take in something new that has the potential to really blow your mind.

I love it when posts on my blog turn into LiveJournal entries! Huzzah!

I really need to watch some hockey, for content purposes alone really.

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!

'06-'07 Atlanta Thrashers - R.I.P.

After a relatively strong season (to Thrashers standards, maybe not to the league's standards), going four-and-out in the playoffs definitely left a bitter taste in the mouth of Blueland Nation. No one - players from both sides, media, the fans - expected a sweep in this series, no one. So for the Thrashers, the third seed in the Eastern Conference, to come into the playoffs like a black labrador and go out like a canary, it's a disappointment. After waiting seven years to get into the next step of the team's development and character, everyone folds completely. Kinda sad, but, unfortunately, that's the way things go.

Yes - they could've played better. Sure - we could've had those lucky bounces. But what's done is done. Just be proud of your team for getting that far.

Maybe it serves us right. Maybe everyone was too optimistic about everything. Did people realistically expect the Thrashers to make waves in the post-season? I sure didn't, and I love this team more than anything. Regardless, it still hurts that the team unconsciously decided to not be present for (at least) a game in the playoffs. Things like a, sniff, first-round sweep can only serve to motivate what remains next season.

A lot was made of the team finally reaching the playoffs. About how the last playoff hockey in Atlanta occurred 20+ years ago when the Flames were cast out of the city (courtesy of the New York Rangers... hmm). About how the young stars of the team could step up and prove their real worth. About how the Hossas, the Kovys, the Lehtonens, could really make a statement and boost this franchise's value in the city that wants a winner more than anything (save the Braves).

Was there too much pressure on the team's collective shoulders? Perhaps. They'll never tell, and maybe the players themselves will never know. Management made moves to sacrifice the future for now, deserately trading away some nice prospects (we'll see how they turn out in a few years) and future draft picks for some more stability and possibly more names on the marquee. While it seems like the Tkachuk deal didn't pan out exactly as Don Waddell hoped, he (along with Zhitnik, Belanger, and Dupuis) provided the added spark to get the team to the post-season for the first time in its seven-year history.

And wasn't that the point? Playoffs or bust? For a while there, that's what it seemed like. Then it turned into, "Series win or bust." Then, "Regain series control or bust." It eventually turned into, "Show up or bust."

It's one's love for the team that constantly encourages more and that other things get lost in hindsight. Ending the regular season without a playoff berth would've signaled a definite failure of hockey in Atlanta (at least with the management staff). But you know what? We not only made it into the playoffs, but we have a banner to hang as a result of the hard-work that got us there. All of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into each game this season will be rewarded come October when we raise some sort of recognition to the rafters of Philips Arena.

For a moment, at least, the four-and-out playoff run will be forgotten and a sense of pride will be renewed.

Blueland Nation - I mourn as the rest of you do about the past four losses of the team that ultimately ended their season. I lived it all vicariously through the players' triumphs and miscues and run-ins with fate. But please do recognize the bigger picture here. We made the playoffs. We didn't sneak into it, we held that spot almost all season long atop the Southeast Division. Granted, there's a lot of parity in that division, but we commanded (albeit with some level of struggle) it. No one would've expected last September and October that we would've won the Southeast Division. Sneaking in as an eight seed, probably no higher than a six seed, was more appropriate.

But we won the division fair and square. Don't forget who got you there and all that happened through this roller-coaster ride of a season.

I, for one, am proud of you, each and every one of the Atlanta Thrashers, for going the extra distance this season. We didn't have the outcome we all wanted and felt we earned. A exit from the playoffs is inevitable. Either you win sixteen games or lost a series. A series loss of 4-3 or 4-0 results in the same outcome - no more hockey for you! We got into the next round of hockey that some teams are left out of. We got there and we opened the eyes of the league and made everyone consider our chances, examine our team, and really consider us a threat.

Isn't that what it was all about from the start?

Thanks for a great season, Atlanta Thrashers. You made the playoffs and really gave yourselves motivation for next year. Missing the playoffs by a couple of points was a start. The scores of this series should be posted in the locker room and acknowledged before every game next season so that the players are constantly reminded of what's on the line and that there's reason to go on. Right now, it's difficult to think about that, but it's the truth. Go ahead and drown in your sorrows and disappointment. Come July though, we're a new team and we have a new agenda.

Let's hang that banner in October and start anew.

Let's go Thrashers!

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!