On learning Jaromir Jagr signed a big one-year deal with the Dallas Stars, most hockey watchers seemed either confused (Why would the Stars bring in yet another player over 40?) or snide (Ha! Another has-been player for an irrelevant team in a city that doesn’t care anyway). As a Texan, born and bred, I get my back up when anyone starts in on our fair state. And, as a hockey fan from Texas, I feel the Northern media has once again missed the point.

The Stars are not bringing Jaromir Jagr to Big D expecting him to be what he once was. They aren’t expecting him to win any scoring races. Heck, I’d argue they aren’t even bringing him in for leadership or to share his Zen philosophy of training or eating. Dallas has secured the services of Jaromir Jagr for one reason: Star Power.

It’s no secret the Dallas Stars have suffered in recent years. Times have been hard, with the team coming oh-so-close to the playoffs and petering out at the bitter end.  The reasons (excuses?) are many:  Ownership difficulties, bad marketing, loss of focus, exorbitant ticket prices in a dreadful economy, and competition with collegiate and NFL football and MLB, as well as a popular championship-winning NBA team …  Really, the list of the Stars’ woes seems endless.

All of these factors have contributed to the franchise’s downward spiral, but none of these has hurt more than the loss of the face of the franchise, Mike Modano.  In Dallas, star power is required to get the public’s notice.  It is football country and in order to turn heads away, a team needs to either win or have a true super star (preferably both).  That person must have the cocky swagger we Texans like, but he also must be humble and human (see Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, or, say, Matthew McConaughey).  He needs to have a presence that demands notice and skills that make people say, “you gotta see this guy!”

Jaromir Jagr meets all of those criteria.  He has the kind of personality Texans adore.  He has massive talent that he attributes to a higher power.  (Texans doubly love that.)  He is confident in himself and his skills.  He works hard. He’s personable, quirky, has a good sense of humor and is quick to laugh.  And he is the kind of player who flirts with the media.  He winks and smiles and teases — and Texans like their personalities big — the bigger the better.

Is he slowing down?  No doubt.  Will he shine like he did in his mulleted glory days?  Perhaps not.  But he is almost guaranteed to provide enough dazzling moments of otherworldly brilliance to get people in Dallas talking about hockey again.  He is the kind of  player who transcends the sport he plays.  He is the kind of player people mark their calendars to come and see.  He is the kind of guy you want to see before he retires.

He is what hockey in Dallas has been missing:  He is a true star, now with a capital “S.”

Photograph:  Geneen Pipher/Hockey VIPs Magazine

If you’re familiar with our blog, you know that I’m an unapologetic Russophile. And there is no Russian more deserving of my love than Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals — especially during this post season.  In fact, he’s been so dominant in all aspects of the game that sportscasters, play-by-play and color commentators alike have been forced to acknowledge his stellar play.

You’d think I would be happy that he is finally getting his due, but I’m not entirely pleased.  As a matter of fact, I become a bit more exasperated every time I hear his name, because you never just hear what a great job he’s doing.  Rather, it’s always preceded by something like “not known for his defense …”

Maybe he’s not “known” for his defense but he’s not known for his lack of defensive play either.  He has been a plus player for most of his career and, while he was a mere +9 this year, he was a +22 in 2010-11 and a +36 in 2009-10.  Mike Greene has made more defensive errors in half the games this year and he is a defenseman!  Do you hear the experts make such qualified statements about him?  No.  Am I surprised?   Not at all.  The bias against Russians has emerged in this absurd, covert and undeserved bashing of Semin.

“In a rare effort, Semin dives for the puck,” the NBC Sports team raves.  Rare effort?  Let’s face it, Semin is never going to be an overly physical player.  It’s not his style.  He is deceptively fast as he is a smooth skater trained under the Soviet sports system, and could most certainly out skate the majority of current NHL players.  Yet for whatever reason, the rough-and-tumble skating style of most North American players gives spectators — and even Semin’s former teammates – the idea that these players are trying harder.  If you’re not willing to put your body on the line every shift, you’re accused of not putting out a decent effort.  Again, I’m crying xenophobia.

Then there’s the age-old accusation that Semin just doesn’t care.  Case in point:  “Semin one minute looks like a complete player, then the next looks like he’s not interested in the game,” a color commentator opined during the Boston series.  Earlier this year, his former coach Bruce Boudreau said Semin really does care, claiming no one on the team takes losing as hard as he does.  Taking a two-minute penalty is so devastating to him because of the consequences it might have on the team, Boudreau asserts, that he has a hard time not letting it affect the rest of his game.  This is an insight those highly critical of him apparently choose to ignore, forget or simply not believe.  After all, he’s not Sidney Crosby!

Maybe the North American media are coming around.  Before game one of the second round, they highlighted Semin as the top Cap the playoffs — without a hint of criticism.  I’m not ready to completely forgive the folks at NBC Sports just yet though.  If he fails to live up to his performance in the first round, I’m willing to bet he’ll be the first one blamed.  Still, with his contract up at the end of the year, the long-overdue positive PR can only increase the value of the overly criticized and extremely underrated Alexander Semin.

Photograph: Shannon Valerio

November 21,2011 wasn’t an ordinary day in the NHL. November 21 marked the retun of the greatest player in the history of hockey – nay, the greatest player in the history of any sport! The only reason the NHL exists is to provide a platform for his awesomeness. The King has returned: Sidney Crosby.

But it’s not only for a lowly hockey goddess to remark upon the blessedness of the return of Sidney Crosby, which has saved the NHL from the End Times. There are many in the chorus of the lowly peons who are dancing in joy and weeping in ecstacy.

Versus spokeman: Of course we dumped the Bruins-Canadiens game for The Return. After all, who cares about the greatest rivalry in the history of sports when you can show The King scoring at will against the sorriest team in the NHL? It’s a no-brainer!

ESPN spokesman: Hockey? What’s that? Oh, Crosby’s back? Hey, we love hockey!

Tim Thomas: Yeah, I know Cary Price and I were both coming off shutouts, and I extended my personal shutout streak to 133 minutes in a nail-biting 1-0 win in Montreal, but Sidney Crosby is much, much more important than the defending Stanley Cup champion playing a team that had beaten them twice last month.

Anders Nilsson: I may be a 21-year-old rookie who was making my first NHL start, but I’ll put my 4.25 GAA up against anyone in the league! Oh, um, sorry. Ahem. I’m honored to have been the worthy challenger for His Majesty in his return.

Pierre McGuire:  You talk about the all-around superstar that Sidney Crosby is, it’s been a Crosby-palooza tonight.*

NHL: Let’s hope every player in the league has learned an important lesson. Headshots were fine as long as the targets were guys like Marc Savard. But Sidney Crosby is our bread and butter. He and Ovechkin are the only players ESPN viewers can name. It behooves us all to pay proper tribute. All together now!

NHL players: Hail Sidney! All hail The King!

* I am not making this up.

 

Photo by Terry Moore

Cha-ching! Yashin Back in Moscow

After a brief fall flirtation with the New York Islanders, Alexei Yashin has joined CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League. The former NHLer spent a few weeks working out with his former club, prompting speculation he might rejoin the team. The magical reunion did not happen and he signed with the venerable Russian squad known as the Red Army team. Yashin is cashing in though, as remains on the Islanders payroll through the 2014-15 season.

Kozlov Reclaims Lucky Number

When Slava Kozlov signed up to play in the KHL, he seemed to have resigned his signature No. 13, opting instead for No. 72 — a number he donned in the days of the Soviet Union and during his first go-round with CSKA Moscow. He took this number again, wearing it once more for CSKA Moscow, whom he signed with at the end of the 2009-10 NHL season. What’s old is new again this season as Kozlov is once again donning No. 13, the number he made lucky during his 18 seasons in the NHL.

Photographs: Alexei Yashin from cska-hockey.ru; Vyacheslav Kozlov from dynamo.ru.

Since the brutal play-off exit of the Washington Capitals in April by the sticks of the Tampa Bay Lightning in an embarrassing 4 game sweep in the Semi-Finals, a lot of fingers have been pointed and a lot of blame has been shifted on what went wrong YET AGAIN. I don’t want to beat a dead horse here. I’m tired of talking about, tired of reading about it, and tired of people trying to tell me I’m not a true Caps fan for bashing my own team.

I think most will agree after digesting that embarrassment and hearing what the players and team personnel had to say, it is obvious this team has problems. I think the biggest problem is the stars of this team are coddled and not called out by the proper authorities when they need it. ALEXANDER SEMIN I AM LOOKING AT YOU. However, I’m not just talking about coming into practice when they feel like it, I mean, let’s face it they are still human and the grueling schedules they keep is enough to run everyone down at some point. My point is letting certain star players play when they need to be benched for their own good.

Now, I’m not on the inside exactly, I don’t know all the things that go on behind the scenes, but I can tell you that Alex Ovechkin was not suffering from one ailment this season, but three.

Yes, count them: One, Two, Three.

A wrist injury (which got one giant cortisone shot before every game for months), a groin injury, and a knee injury. Now, I’m no expert, but after a pitiful showing in the playoffs most likely due to said injuries, why would you let this guy go play for Worlds knowing he could injure himself further and potentially put him in the press box for months? Maybe it’s the old Soviet mindset clouding my judgment on this, but I’d tell him he was going to sit Worlds out.

I’ve also heard what was wrong with the lackluster Nicklas Backstrom this year… let’s just say I hope he stops hanging out with a certain defenseman who is known for his alcohol consumption and has gotten himself back together over the summer. Have I said too much by saying this? Potentially. I’m just still surprised even though I really shouldn’t be.

On that note, I might not have said this much before, but I am a HUGE Mathieu Perreault fan. I can’t get enough of Mighty Mouse and his perfect flow. I was interested to find out that the apparent reason he was suddenly sent back down to the minors back in mid-spring was that he showed up to practice still intoxicated from the night before. Do I insert a “Short French-Canadian Lightweight” joke here? Or do I once again shake my head?

All I know is, I’m happier than a hornet we have Matty P for another year, got my other hockey love in Chris Bourque back, and that we acquired Troy Brouwer so I can ask him to do the Kaner Shuffle with me, Brouwer Style!

 

 

 

On Monday night at TD Garden in Boston, Boston’s Nathan Horton was knocked out of the game and into Massachusetts General Hospital by a vicious late hit from Vancouver’s Aaron Rome.

On Tuesday morning, the Bruins announced that Horton would miss the rest of the playoffs with a severe concussion.

Tuesday afternoon, NHL disciplinarian Michael Murphy announced that Rome would be suspended for four games.

So we are supposed to feel sorry for… Aaron Rome?

According to Manny Malhotra, we are:

“It’s devastating,” said center Manny Malhotra. “To be so close, to be playing in your dream, to now have it taken away, it obviously hurts a lot. That being said, he’s still a huge part of our team in that room. Just his attitude, his mentality, his focus, he’s going to help our guys a lot. I think as a group we don’t agree with the suspension.”

Here’s an idea: You don’t want to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs, don’t leap off your skates and drill a guy in the head more than a second after he’s released the puck.

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault says Rome “isn’t a dirty player, never has been, never will be.” Whether he is or not is irrelevant. It was a dirty play.

Here’s Andrew Ference in February, after teammate Daniel Paille (not a dirty player; never disciplined before) was suspended four games for a head shot on Raymond Sawada (who was unhurt):

“It’s a bad hit, right?” said Ference. “You hear it from every player after they do it, they feel bad, and same thing, I talked to Danny [Paille] and he feels bad.

“You can’t be a hypocrite about it, though. I’ve thought about this a lot and had plenty of time to put things in perspective over the last year. Sidney Crosby has been very vocal about the head shots and blindside hits since he suffered one in the Winter Classic, but what did Crosby say after Cooke hit Savvy last year? Nothing.

“I thought a lot about that. You want to be a good teammate, but you shouldn’t be a hypocrite about it.” 

So here’s the question: If that was Henrik Sedin being strapped to a backboard and carted off on a stretcher, would Alan Vigneault be protesting that it wasn’t a dirty hit?

Photo: Nathan Horton from Getty Images

Click on BBC World News and remember that this is just a game. Look around your city and see those less fortunate. Contemplate for a minute that you could have a disease with no hope for a cure. Imagine the many, many things that would be worse than your city losing a hockey team.

That’s what I did today. Yes, I spent about 15 minutes with tears in my eyes. Then I shook myself and (hard as it was to do) forced myself to acknowledge that it could be so much worse. What happened in Atlanta is very upsetting but, in the end, the sun will rise tomorrow.

Tomorrow, God willing, I will still have my family, my friends, my health. I will have a home to live in. There is no war in the streets. My city hasn’t been destroyed by a tornado. There was no tsunami here. No nuclear meltdown. I have the freedom to choose what to do with my life. I have food on my table and money in my pocket. I am blessed with the leisure time to worry about such things as sporting events, where grown men play a child’s game for a living. Though I feel like I’ve lost my best friend, the most important things in my life are real and unchanged.

I guess I have arrived at the last stage of the grieving process. I accept what has come to pass.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate the idea of my Thrashers in Winnipeg. I hate that I will never get to take my daughter to a Thrashers game. I hate what the Atlanta (no)Spirit Group has done to the image of the city I love. But I will get over it. As goofy as it sounds to paraphrase Sting, I am going to do it anyway.

I love this team and I’ve been forced to set it free. Because I love the team, I have chosen to mentally release them, along with all of the anger and hurt. It’s a relief. In so doing, I have realized I can remain a fan. This is still my team too. And, in spite of it all, I still believe in Blueland. I hope the people of Winnipeg will cherish this team and honor its past. I hope that fans in both cities will someday realize we were really fighting over the same thing. We all love hockey and, in the end, we are on the same team.

Photo: Thrashers fan from Reuters.

Riddle me this: Why are the Stanley Cup playoffs like old age?

The answer: Because neither one is for sissies.

It’s been a couple of days since the Boston Bruins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. I think I’m starting to recover. I can actually watch the DVR now (for the fifth time – or is it sixth?) without twitching and flinching at every Tampa shot.

But Friday night almost did me in.

I was at work. I’m a newspaper editor (yes, we still exist!), and at times I work in news, at times in sports. In the sports department, we watch games on TV. In the news department, those of us who are fans watch surrepticiously. Unfortunately, I can only see the TV in the news department if I turn and crane my neck. Once, when I did so earlier in the playoffs, my co-worker across the desk got up and turned the TV off. I managed not to kill her (she is a nice person, really; she just has a blind spot when it comes to sports).

This time around, I didn’t chance it, just followed the game on NHL.com’s Icetracker, and via the Bruins’ Twitter updates (turning the notification sound so low that only I could hear it). I stayed busy, keeping the nerves at bay by throwing myself into my work.

Unfortunately, work petered out just after 10 p.m., as the scoreless game moved well into the third period. I picked up my phone, announced I was going outside for a break, and headed for the parking lot.

9:00 to go. Timeout Bruins.

I sat on a bench, hunched over, staring at the phone, as the seconds crawled by.

Shot toward Thomas. Deflected wide, but not far off.

Oh, thanks. Very reassuring. I leaned over, muttering, c’mon guys, c’mon, c’mon…

Bruins score! Horton!

I leaped off the bench, cheered, danced.

1-0 BOS. Horton (Ference, Krejci)

“When?” I asked the phone. Usually Bish (John Bishop, the Bruins’ PR man) gives the time of the goal. Not this time. I imagined the Garden, the noise, the crowd going wild, Krejci and Horton celebrating… I got up to pace. Surely there must not be much time left. Surely. Back and forth I went, back and forth…

6:00 to go.

SIX MINUTES!?!!?

Huge save by Roloson on Ryder.

Rydes!! Gah!!

Tampa Bay continues to be relentless.

OK, I didn’t need that.

Just under 2:00 to go.

I paced maniacally, watching the digital numbers change in the upper right corner of my phone, trying to prove to myself that time had not stopped.

Stoppage with 44 seconds left in regulation.

My heart was ready to burst out of my chest.

B’s control…. win!

I screamed up at the cloudy sky. I danced a quick jig, then ran inside, to the TV in the sports department, and watched the Bruins celebrate. I cried a little.

Then I went back to my seat. The editor across from me looked up. “Are you OK?” she asked.

“I had to go outside. I was too nervous to watch the game,” I said.

She shook her head and laughed. “It’s just a hockey game.”

No, no it isn’t. Trust me on this one. It isn’t.

Photo: Boston Bruins courtesy of slidingsideways at bestlaidplans.org

In this edition, we have a letter from a family outlining the downward trajectory of the Atlanta Thrashers after a very promising start. The writer brings up several points that are seldom mentioned when discussing this issue: The effect of the NHL lockout on a fledgling market and the impact of losing Dany Heatley, an immensely popular player in the market. In addition, she mentions a lack of marketing to the unique market that is Atlanta and explains the needs (which were unmet) in an up-and-coming market. Let’s take a look:

May 19, 2011 12:44:50 AM
To: GBettman@NHL.com

Dear Mr. Bettman,

I doubt I can say anything that hasn’t already been said about my team, the Atlanta Thrashers. I will just say that I feel the city deserves a real chance to succeed. Despite 10-ish years (I am excluding the lockout lost season), the Thrashers have never given fans a chance to love them.

The ownership group has been outstandingly apathetic, never marketing the team well when it did have super stars and just throwing up their hands, letting star after star walk away.

What a Mess!

There are many things that have added up to a perfect disaster for the Thrashers:

Dany Heatley’s departure seemed to start the decline — people here adored him and we lost a relatable, marketable personality when he left town. A personality like this goes a long way in attracting curious would-be fans.

The loss of countess other super stars (Heatley, Marian Hossa, Marc Savard, Ilya Kovalchuk, etc.).

The lockout year killed the excitement and momentum of the early years — a brutal thing to happen just a few years into our franchise. No season, no All Star Game (it was our year that year).

Open hostility on the part of the owners toward the fans (ask any season ticket holder about this).

Inability to sustain any on-ice success.

A mere four playoff appearances. The 2006-07 playoff failure also seems to be a huge turning point in the franchise’s brief history.

Not to mention the economy, which has hit Atlanta harder than many cities.

A fan base that doesn’t know the game as well needs a teacher. I think Nashville and Dallas are two shining lights. Their example was not followed here.

Constant rumors of relocation don’t do anything to help lure fans either. Why come out for a team that won’t be around next year?

The diversity of the city needs a different, unique approach. The ownership group never courted diverse audiences or tailored their marketing message to reach different audiences. The potential is here to have a truly unique team and fan base. The team already boasts the largest number of black players of any team and that’s so perfect for this city! That kind of diversity is one of the foundations of this city. Think what this team could do for would-be players of diverse backgrounds if ownership committed to doing so! What a legacy to leave for generations.

But perhaps above all of this is ownership locked in a battle against itself in court for years and years. What a mess!

All of the above is a recipe for disaster. How could any team in any market succeed like this? Wouldn’t you like to know what solid ownership could do here in this vibrant, now recovering market — the capital of the New South?

Making it Work

With so many examples of how once-troubled franchises turned it around, I — a simple, humble fan — just ask for one real chance with committed, passionate owners. I am a native of Houston, where I have seen the Dallas Stars come to the state and enflame the love of hockey in kids and adults all over our great state. In point of fact, my old high school, just 30 minutes from Galveston Beach on the Gulf of Mexico now has a successful hockey team. Wow! The Stars, and to a lesser extent, the Houston Aeros, made that happen. The Thrashers have done good things for hockey in Georgia, but it could be so much better! I am a journalist in Atlanta and have lived here for 10 years. I truly believe this market can work. It worked early in the franchise’s history with Heatley and Kovalchuk, before the ownership and year after year of dreadful teams made it nearly impossible to lure fans.

Your Vision

I dislike the term “deserve” in reference to any city and a sports team, but I believe you made a visionary plan for expanding into non-traditional markets. This plan can work. The fans that exist in Atlanta — and there are many — will come back, and I truly believe that with the right ownership, new fans can be created thereby expanding the game we so love.

I know you’re very busy and probably do not have time to read messages like this, but should you get it and take the time to read it, I want to thank you. Thank you for reading and thank you for your vision of hockey in the South. You are not wrong to believe in that vision and you would not be wrong to trust in the people and the city of Atlanta.

Thank you again for your time.

Sincerely,

The B Family,
Three true Southern hockey fans

* I have replaced names with initials.
** These letters appear as they were sent to me. No editing has been done.

Photo: Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk from atlantathrashers.com.

As you might be aware, I asked the Blueland faithful to send me their letters to NHL Commish Gary Bettman. In this third edition we hear from a passionate fan who pleads with the NHL brass for a fair chance for Atlanta to succeed as a hockey market. She also touches on many of the issues the hockey fans in Atlanta want people who don’t live here to understand.

Got a letter of your own? Please e-mail kaatiya[at]hockeygoddesses.com. We’d be delighted to post your letter here too. In the meantime, Thrasher fans STAY STRONG!

Mon, May 16, 2011 at 12:22 AM
Dear Commissioner Bettman,

I am writing to you in hopes of helping keep the Thrashers in Atlanta. There are numerous reasons why I believe we should not lose our hockey team. I know you already know the stats about the growth of Atlanta, the TV market and the corporate promise of Atlanta. However, I don’t know if you’ve thought about the impact of losing hockey in Atlanta will have for the game of hockey.

There has been a constant fight amongst the fans and the poor ownership, and can best be described as toxic. As a result, I do not believe the owners invested money, time, energy or passion into the hockey team. I fell that ii is apparent they are willing to just give up and sell the team without any hard and time consuming search. They have only been able to legally and seriously discuss selling the team for a few months. Mr. Bruce Levenson has never cared about the fans and created animosity when he told season ticket holders to “just deal with it”. I can’t believe the NHL cares about their fans, but allowed owners to have such a volatile and untrusting relationship with its fans. His comment for us fans to have interested buyers to contact him showed how serious they are about being owners of a team. Your average fan does not have enough money or contacts to just call up in a short period of time, if ever. If we are given time, maybe we as fans can find owners with the help of the NHL though. It would be a dream come true if I could own even 1% of a hockey team and I’d never forget the passion and love I have for the game and loyalty to the fans.

It’s been up to the fans for the most part to market and sell the team. I strongly believe the grass root efforts to grow the fan base is working. Also, after all of this we know how close we are to lsoing them. Despite, the team’s struggles and no marketing late in the season, attendance was there for the games on the weekends. We continue to bring friends, family, and co-workers to games. Most people can’t help but to fall in love with the game after watching it live. I remember numerous times when I’ve heard people say they couldn’t wait to come back to see a game. The owners have not put forth the effort and energy to market and sell this time to the community effectively.

If you question hockey’s growth here, I can give you just a few personal examples of how it is. My brother-in-law grew up loving the Flyers. He still is devoted to the Flyers, but the Thrashers are his second team and even admitted to me theThrashers may actually be his favorite now. My five year-old-nephew, Noah, LOVES the game of hockey. His favorite athlete is Zach Bogosian. He tells everybody his favorite thing to do is go see Bogie and the Thrashers. I’m an Auburn University alum and huge fan of the football team. This past season, I missed two AU games to attend Thrashers games. If you would have told me that even a year ago, I would have never believed it. I missed games in AU’s magical national championship season to watch Thrashers hockey! I remember watching Coach Chizik and the players after their first spring scrimmage and thinking that group would accomplish something special. I never knew it would happen in two years and result in a national championship. I get that same feeling with the Atlanta Thrashers team. I leaned over to a friend and told them I had that same feeling and he looked at me and said he agreed, there’s something special with this group. Please, don’t just take that away from a group of devoted fans without a fight.

The team is finally just that, a team. I know Ilya Kovalchuck was a great player, but the team was centered around him. After he left, it felt like a shift had occurred and people were more positive about the Thrashers. We have a team with multiple players fans have found something to appreciate in and grown to admire both individually and as a team. Just when we have a team that fans are starting to watch come together and develop is just the beginning. I can’t help but have the feeling that if this group stays together in Atlanta, you’ll have a team that we will love because we watched them come together through all the growing pains and struggles into a competitive, fun and successful team. The signings of Dustin Byfuglien, Chris Thorburn and Mark Stuart to extensions of multiple years this past season finally gave us fans excitement, hope and optimism. Please don’t take that away from us so fast and without an attempt at a fight and search for new owners. This team was pieced together so beautifully last year by Mr. Dudley (in his first year as GM) and in some odd sort of way (intentional or not) resembles the city of Atlanta. It really feels like our team. The fan base is growing and minorities are probably the fastest growing group of fans. The city is just starting to embrace this team and with infectious personalities like Buff, Evander Kane and Andrew Ladd, growth is limitless regardless of skin color and social and economic classifications.

Also, just look at the youth of Atlanta. Darren Eliot said there were 270 players at the Thunder AAA tryouts this past weekend. That despite all of the uncertainty of the home town NHL team that these kids follow and get inspiration from. One of the youth teams last year won a national championship and this past season I know I saw a story on another youth team winning a national tournament. If the Thrashers leave, the NHL loses these youth. High school hockey is just now taking off. If the Thrashers are not in Atlanta, the youth (and the public) will lose interest and the much needed support the Thrashers and the NHL provide. You never know, but the NHL leaving will stunt the growth of these players and the sport itself. We may just have the next Cam Fowler, Blake Geoffrion, Sidney Crosby, Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien or Tim Thomas in our growing hockey market. You take away the team they know, support and love and you take away their support system, love of the sport and any devotion they had because the NHL turned their back on them. The Thrashers being here provides the youth with inspiration, support, a goal to work towards and role models. Please don’t abandon the youth in one of the fastest growing hockey markets.

This franchise has had to endure a lot. The horrible accident and death of Dan Snyder left an indescribable mark on the franchise. Dan Snyder is still remembered and loved in Atlanta. I remember how everybody said we would fall apart after the Kovalchuck trade. We didn’t, and I think you could ask anybody associated with the Thrashers, but it finally feels like we have a team, hope and potential. I will never forget Feb. 6, 2010, the first home game after the Kovy trade. The team had endured a trip from hell in the middle of the worst blizzard to get from DC to Atlanta. The game was delayed, but the fans were there in full force to support our team. The arena was loud and showed support for our new look team. There was no negativity and players’ post game comments thanked the fans for their support. It feels like we are finally a team and building together as a “family”. To have that ripped away so suddenly, would abandon the region and the future of the game of hockey.

I don’t understand how the NHL could preach about fan loyalty, but then rip a team away from an emerging market. Fans of the Thrashers wouldn’t even get the chance to say good-bye or thank you to their team. Even if all we get is a guarantee of one more year, it buys us time to search for an owner(s), who do care and will share our love and support t for the team. Maybe a grassroots effort from fans will be what gets our team new owners.

Wow, this turned out to be a lot longer then I intended. I will admit if felt cathartic to get that all out in this time of confusion, rumors and uncertainty. Thank you for your time and bringing the best game of all to this Southern belle’s life. Please, don’t let it leave without helping us fight for our beloved Thrashers.

Sincerely,

S.W.

* I have replaced names with initials.
** These letters appear as they were sent to me. No editing has been done.

Photo: Thrashers fan tailgate from Getty Images.

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I am posting some of the letters Atlanta Thrashers fans have sent via e-mail to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on the subject of relocation. Below are several passionate letters sent on different days by the same fan.

This man’s growing frustration and exasperation is evident. And why wouldn’t it be? This drama has been dragging on for weeks now. It is high time for someone in an official capacity to level with the people of Atlanta (and, let’s face it, Winnipeg too). Even if the news is the absolute worst, we deserve the truth. We deserve to know we are being heard! We spent thousands of dollars over the years “investing” in the team as management asked of us fans. Instead of our ticket reps. calling and asking us to re-up, let’s hear from someone in a position of power who can tell us just why, exactly, we should bother re-upping when the team is moving?! Where is the common courtesy we fans, er, customers (perhaps I mean suckers?) deserve?

As before, I have substituted initials for the author’s name. The letters are otherwise unaltered. Keep those letters coming Thrasher fans!

To: gbettman@nhl.com
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 3:00 PM

Good Afternoon,

Keeping this brief: I appreciate all you’ve done to keep the NHL in Phoenix, Tampa, and Carolina. I hope you will exercise similar efforts in keeping my Thrashers in Atlanta. We have awful ownership that has hamstrung us for years.

Respectfully,
E.M.

To: gbettman@nhl.com
Monday, May 16, 2011 2:00 PM

Hopefully this subject line isn’t already in the “mark for deletion” bin, but I am writing again to plead on behalf of Atlanta NHL fans facing the loss of yet another NHL franchise. I appreciate your statement last week confirming my suspicions that folks are just making stuff up. Supposedly Winnipeg is driving hard to grab my team and shuttle them up north. I have several points:

1. Atlanta has not had quality ownership for 8 years.
2. Other NHL cities have had the benefit of the NHL fighting hard to keep them in their cities.
3. Atlanta deserves just as much effort.
4. The NHL has invested a large amount of money keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix. Please don’t try to recoup those expenditures to the detriment of Atlanta fans.
5. No threats of boycotts. Just a heartfelt plea to keep my Thrashers in Atlanta.
6. If you build it, we will bring our friends back. We have never left.

E.M.

To: gbettman@nhl.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 2:31 PM

Many of us watched in horror as the Flames were dispatched to Calgary. I even witnessed my hometown Minnesota North Stars relocated to Dallas. While the Wild has been a well run organization, our Atlanta Thrashers have been run more poorly than any franchise in professional sports. The misnamed “Atlanta Spirit Group” never wanted the Thrashers, in my opinion, and only took them as a part of a package deal to obtain the Atlanta Hawks. Now the guys want neither. We as Thrashers fans are devoted to our team. And have watched approvingly as you fought well to keep Nashville, Carolina, Tampa, Pittsburgh, and recently, Phoenix in their locations. Please remain consistent and help us look out for the local interest, which seems very prevalent in your bylaws. There appear to be local buyers. We deserve at least as much effort as Phoenix. While I know the situation is moderately different, the loss of the Thrashers would be devastating to the Atlanta community, and the NHL as a whole would look bad.

Thank you,
E.M.

To: gbettman@nhl.com
Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2011 10:18 AM

Swirling unconfirmed reports continue to call the move to Winnipeg a “done deal”, yet the NHL is silent. We deserve better than that from the NHL. Winnipeg fans deserve better than that. If this is a done deal, made months ago as some in the media are speculating, then all this “working to find a local buyer” is a sham. If no deal is done, and the Thrashers remain in Atlanta ultimately, Winnipeg fans will be understandably devastated.

Hockey fans are proud and passionate. We will spar with one another, but there is a measure of mutual respect that binds us together, both north and south of the border. Does the NHL actually care about us? More than lip service and autoresponses? Make all the claims that Phoenix and Atlanta’s situations are different that you want to, the fact remains that Phoenix was fought hard for. Atlanta is being allowed to swing in the breeze. We have had abysmal ownership the past 8 years and we have endured it, while still making a respectable showing to games. We have been publicly excoriated by our ownership group when we dared to question a rise in season ticket prices after consecutive losing seasons. “Deal with it,” was the message, verbatim. Such contempt for fans, yet we still do NOT rank as the lowest attendance in the league. You have allowed this to go on. If the Thrashers are ultimately moved for 2011-2012, the NHL will be the laughingstock of professional sports. It is common knowledge how awful the misnamed Atlanta Spirit Group is. You know it firsthand.

Assuming no NHL official goes on the record between now and Saturday afternoon, my son and I will be at our tailwake party. He’s been a hockey fan since 1998, right before the first year the Thrashers played. We discussed the Flames, and how “this was going to be different, and the NHL has a good market down here”. He played roller hockey for 4 seasons in Snellville, one of which I coached (primarily because there was a team without a coach), and he joined a travel league of under 8 year olds. From then until now, we’ve followed the Thrashers, but no time more than 2010-2011. He was excited to see his favorite player from the 2009-2010 cup champion Blackhawks in a Thrashers uni (Dustin Byfuglien). We watched every game televised, listened to Kamal call untelevised games and made it to a few games at Philips, including the final game vs the Pens. That place is a great atmosphere, even with all the turmoil of “imminent sale to Winnipeg”. And next season he is going to college in Nashville. I had considered buying him a partial season ticket package, just so he’d have a chance to remember the great times (and great “shouting at the TV” evenings) this season. He is my last kid to leave the house, and I will be devastated if the Thrashers leave. I have no delusions that my presence at a tailgate will change a gutless ownership group that just sucks more than gravity, but we will be there in our Thrashers jerseys. One from 1999, one from 2011. Potential bookends to a team franchise that had so much squandered potential. From dumb decisions such as the one to hang ones goalie hats on Damien Rhodes, through the Dany Heatley/Dan Snyder tragedy, the Kovalchuk departure, the Marian Hossa “hired gun”, all the way to possibly end with not so much as a real chance given to our great city to support a franchise that was hamstrung from 2003 on. Atlanta Spirit Group should keep the acronym, but change to Atlanta Shame Group.

E.M.

Thrash Fans: Have a Letter to Share?
Send an e-mail to kaatiya[at]hockeygoddesses.com

If you have been following the saga of my Atlanta Thrashers, you know all of the arguments being made for — and against — relocation of the franchise to Winnipeg. Though I have so much in my heart for the Thrashers, I have found myself unable to post about it here. Maybe I am still in denial.

Nevertheless, I have answered the call to action from Thrashers fans far more organized than me. I’ve written letters, I’ve debated with Winnipeg fans, supported the tailgate/rally, contacted my ticket rep., badgered members of the media, begged, pleaded, taken the insults being thrown at my city and the fans of this team, even cried a little bit in private. Not that it matters. It seems the Thrashers’ ownership group has been hell bent on moving this team all along, having worked a backroom deal months ago. I can honestly say I did what (little) I could.

I’ve asked some of the great people I’ve met through social media to forward me some of the letters they sent to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman (and others). I received quite a few. I will post them here as a small sampling of the sentiments of Thrashers fans everywhere. These people say what I cannot. My heart is too full, too broken. Here’s our first installment of “Letters to Gary…”

Mr Bettman,

Please don’t allow the Atlanta Spirit to relocate my Thrashers this soon after beginning their search for a buyer. I am aware they have been wanting to sell my team for the entire time they’ve owned them, but did not have clear title to do so until December 2010. Given the unknown duration of litigation, I’m sure you can imagine why no outside buyers would have seriously considered the purchase from the Atlanta Spirit until after their lawsuit was settled.

Five months is not enough time for due diligence. Five months is not enough time to determine relocation is the only answer left. Five months is not enough time for Atlanta Spirit and the NHL to determine that there are/aren’t local buyers interested in the purchase, and it’s not enough time for local buyers to complete their due diligence required to determine whether or not the purchase of the Thrashers is a real prospect they want to pursue.

Given the NHL by-laws regarding relocation requests (have to be entered by Jan. 1st) there is not reason to rush this sale. If it turns out on December 31st that a relocation deal is the only deal on the table, then I completely understand the need to enter the request to the NHL to move my team. I implore you to allow more time for this process to take place.

Best regards,

M.W.

* I have replaced names with initials.
** These letters appear as they were sent to me. No editing has been done.

Thrashers Fans: Have a Letter to Share?

We would love to have any letters you wrote to Gary Bettman, team representatives, NHL brass, city council members — anyone you might have been appealing to. Please send copies of your letters to kaatiya [at] hockeygoddesses.com . Thanks!

Photo: Ilya Kovalchuk by Goddess Kaatiya. Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved.

For a full calendar year, the Boston Bruins and their fans heard it: Chokers.

The Bruins couldn’t finish off the Philadelphia Flyers after taking a three games to none lead in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals. They were the worst chokers in the history of sports! They were the first NHL team EVER to lose after taking a 3-0 advantage! (Actually they were the third, but to some ::cough::Puck Daddy::cough hyperbole is much more fun than reality.) This would hang over their heads FOREVER!

Well, not quite. More like 360 days, to be exact.

Lessons learned by the Bruins, changes made. By the front office, which over the summer brought in a big, sniping wing in Nathan Horton and a solid, grinding center in Greg Campbell. Which added even more forward depth at the trade deadline in Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly. Not this year would the Bruins be left to depend on a European reject (Miro Satan), a fourth-line PK specialist (Dan Paille) and a player who never should have seen the ice (Marc Savard) as a “first” line.

And lessons learned by the players (those who remained;  almost half the roster turned over this season). Never, EVER take your foot off the gas, and never take anything for granted.

But probably the biggest factor in this series was the simplist: The good health of David Krejci, aka Flyer Killer (since last year’s playoffs, Boston is 10-0-1 vs. Philadelphia with Krejci in the lineup). Four goals (three game-winners), five assists, plus-6 in four games. The Flyers targeted Krejci (and let him know about it), but with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton on his wings, this time things were different. As Scott Hartnell discovered in Game 4, when he tried to put Krejci over the boards into the Bruins bench, only to have his head almost removed from his shoulders by Lucic.

Other than goalie Tim Thomas, who stole Game 2 (Boston’s only real difficult game, which they won 3-2 in overtime), the other beast of the series was defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, who led all skaters in ice time (29:02, 36:26, 28:16, 25:43), recorded three assists, and finished at a staggering plus-10. One Boston TV sports announcer reminded us, in tones tinged with surprise, that, oh yeah, Seidenberg missed the playoffs last year (severed wrist tendons). No shit, Sherlock.

Some (not the majority, to their credit) Flyers fans and media have protested that the Flyers couldn’t overcome their myriad injuries. The biggest factor in the series, some say, was the loss of Chris Pronger. Sure, I’d accept that, if you weren’t all shouting “CHOKERS!” at the Bruins last season. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Nobody who thumbed his or her nose last year can use injuries as a excuse. Sorry. The Flyers lost because the Bruins outhit, outhustled and just flat out outplayed them, at every position.

Pass the sugar.

(Photo courtesy of slidingsideways at bestlaidplans.org)

Bob Ryan is a longtime sports columnist for the Boston Globe. His particular focus is generally basketball, but he writes about everything, including the Boston Bruins. So with the Bruins returning from their (mostly) Western road swing with a 6-0 record, and Thursday night defeating Tampa Bay 2-1 to claim sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference, it’s not surprising he was on the job. 

Ryan dutifully chronicled Thursday night’s game here, noting that the last time the Bruins had had such a successful road trip was in the 1971-72 season, when they last won the Stanley Cup. Then he dropped this little bombshell:

… the question right now is whether or not this team is worth a serious emotional investment on the part of any Bruins fan.

Um, what?

A “serious emotional investment”? Isn’t that, y’know, what being a fan is all about? Isn’t that the whole point? What kind of “fan” studies the standings, sees a seven-game win streak, and says to him/herself, “hmmm, well, they’re winning, looks like they have a shot at the Stanley Cup, I guess I’ll be a fan now. Say, who’s this Krejci fellow? And how do you pronouce that?”

No. Those aren’t fans. They’re bandwagon-jumpers. Or what hard-core Red Sox fans cynically dubbed “pink hats,” the people who climbed aboard when the Red Sox won their first World Series in 2004 and suddenly became Fashionable.

Of course, this doesn’t just happen in Boston. When the Blackhawks won the Cup last spring, out of the hundreds of thousands (millions?) clogging the streets of Chicago for the parade, how many of those folks, do you think, had stuck with that team through thick and thin, suffered through the bad times, watched the drafts in which they selected Kane and Toews, dared to hope and cheer and dream?

Most importantly, how much did that parade mean to those fans, who never lost faith?

Nobody’s going to turn away bandwagon fans. They fill the arena, they create a buzz, they encourage the players (everyone likes to be loved and talked about). I for one am happy to welcome anyone who wants to be a Bruins fan.

But, y’know, there’s something to be said for swimming through bitter waters until you reach the sweet. You simply can’t appreciate having without going through the wanting, the dreaming, the hoping. When, someday (hopefully soon), the Bruins win the Stanley Cup, my tears — and those of my fellow black-and-gold faithful — will be all the more blessed, because we didn’t “decide to make a serious emotional investment,” we were there already. Fans — real fans – keep the faith.   

 Photo from boston.com

The NHL All Star Game is the perfect time for fans to get a glimpse of some of their favorite players up close. We hope you will enjoy these pictures, shot from the red carpet deep in the heart of Hurricane country.

Photos: All images by Wendy Bullard.  Copyright 2011.  All Rights Reserved.