by Greg

Allow me to change course once again and proclaim myself "alarmed" with your 2007-2008 Atlanta Thrashers. I was planning to go to Saturday night's game with New Jersey, but in the end, blew it off (hockey has failed in the South!) and watched from the comfort of my couch. All things considered, the right decision.

I got engrossed with cooking dinner and drinking a bottle of wine, and so got into it a bit late -- turned it on during a phone conversation with my Mom, which went something like this:

Mom: "Dad's fine, sister's fine, etc etc"

I turn on tv, Patrik Elias scores to make it 2-1.

Me: "(word that you don't normally say in conversation with your dear sainted mother)"

Mom: "Excuse me?"

I should have just turned it off there. Instead, I got my hopes raised by the first decent period they've played all year, made mouth farts as the announcers talked about the need to "play a full 60 minutes" (perhaps the most inane thing a hockey commentator can say?), then watched in sorrow as the Thrashers, indeed, didn't play a full 60 minutes. God, that sucked.

This isn't a case of a team getting a few bad breaks. Kari Lehtonen was considerably less than spectacular last night, but he wasn't helped by his defense's complete inability to clear out the front of the net. The third period is just an ugly haze of red wine, Devils surrounding Lehtonen, and shattered dreams.

There's also not much to be scared of offensively, especially with Hossa out. Kovalchuk, ok. Slava Kozlov and Todd White aren't doing much. The kids are yet to accomplish much.

The double-barreled rumors are getting going -- will Hossa be traded? (if so, the Thrashers are in contention for whoever goes #1 next year) and will Hartley be fired? (wasn't his fault that the team's glaring needs weren't addressed, but they should be doing better than this regardless.) I know, I know, it's early yet, but this is shaping up to be a long year.

Labels: thrashers