Dupuis Retires

Pascal Dupuis was forced to retire from the NHL yesterday due to a medical condition related to blood clots, something that began in January 2014 when the blood clots were first diagnosed.  In 2014-15, he only played 16 games before shutting it down in November due to a blood clot in the lungs.  After 18 games and a health scare on December 1 against San Jose, Dupuis decided to call it a career, citing family reasons.

Dupuis was a player that very few had a bad word for, as he was one of the most respected players in the league, especially by those for whom he played with in his career.  Undrafted, he parlayed a 50-goal season with Shawinigan of the QMJHL into a free-agent deal with Minnesota, where in his best season there, netted 20 goals and 28 assists in the 2002-03 season that saw Minnesota go to the Conference Finals that season.  He would later spend a brief time with the New York Rangers and Atlanta Thrashers before heading to Pittsburgh in 2008 in a trade that involved Marian Hossa.  In the 2011-12 season, he notched career highs in goals and points, and also played a key role in the 2009 Stanley Cup run with Pittsburgh.

Many times, it's the superstars that get the credit, but it's the players like Dupuis and Rich Peverley who turn in an honest effort night in and night out that truly make a team better.

Revisiting the Thrashers' Last Year

Currently, the Winnipeg Jets are in their fourth year after relocating from Atlanta, and much like many of those Thrashers teams, the Jets aren't getting anywhere. It so happens that I found a copy of The Hockey News yearbook for the 2010-11 season, the last to feature the Thrashers before the move to Winnipeg. Let's leaf through their analysis, shall we?

The Thrashers were picked to finish eleventh in the Eastern Conference despite picking up four players from the Chicago Blackhawks team that won the Stanley Cup the previous season. Their leading point getter in the 2009-10 season was Nik Antropov, almost by default, as Ilya Kovalchuk was traded mid-season. In addition to the four Blackhawks (Ben Eager, Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, and Brent Sopel), they also picked up Chris Mason in goal. They also got a new coach in Craig Ramsay, who replaced John Anderson after a few lackluster years.

Predictably, the Thrashers missed the playoffs, and in late May, the Thrashers would be no more, as the True North ownership group would buy the team and move them to Winnipeg.

What of the top prospects that year? Of the ten listed, only Paul Postma remains with the team while others such as Daultan Leveille and Angelo Esposito never made it to big club. The only other player to make the NHL with any significant playing time was Alexander Burmistrov, who was rushed to the NHL too early and never fulfilled his potential. He is currently playing with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL.

A Season of Loss, A Lifetime of Forgiveness

A little more than ten years ago, the life of Dany Heatley was forever changed, and it had major consequences for not only him, but also the lives of Graham and LuAnn Snyder, parents of the deceased Dan Snyder, their friends and family, and the Atlanta Thrashers organization.  John Manasso documents the events pertaining to the crash in an Atlanta neighborhood on the evening of September 29, 2003 and how it has affected those who knew Snyder the best.

A Season of Loss, A Lifetime of Forgiveness focuses mainly on Snyder and how his family has found the ability to forgive Heatley all the while finding a way to hold him accountable in ways that the justice system couldn't do.  For the book, Manasso takes the time to talk to the Snyders, mainly Graham, LuAnn, and brother Jake, Dan Snyder's former teammates with the Orlando Solar Bears (Snyder won a championship with them in 2000) and the Chicago Wolves (the Thrashers' affiliate at the time), and those whose lives he had touched.  Manasso also makes note that while Heatley did not have a say in the book, it was not for trying, as he is careful to note that he did ask for an interview with both Dany and Murray Heatley, only to have the request never answered.  The book is not just about the struggles that the Snyders had in coping with the loss of a son, it's also about their ability to forgive, with a fair portion of it being due to their Mennonite upbringing, something that is mentioned in detail.  Towards the end, the trial of Heatley was also mentioned, and Manasso does a good job of recounting some of the events of the trial, as well as the evidence that may or may not have figured into the decision.  The lone flaw that I saw with the book was that there wasn't much mention of the Snyders' reaction to when Heatley requested and got a trade in 2005.

In all, A Season of Loss, a Lifetime of Forgiveness is a book that while it is hockey related, it is also one that I believe sends a positive message of forgiveness in the face of tragedy and is a fairly easy read for a 260 page book.

Time to Light a New Fire

Calgary Flames fans will recognize this man as Bob Hartley, who as of yesterday, is now the head coach for the team.  This bit of news got lost in the shuffle of Nicklas Lidstrom retiring, and with the rumors of Hartley heading to Montreal prior to yesterday, it almost certainly will be an interesting time to see if Hartley made the right decision.  Part of why Hartley decided on Calgary was because of his closeness to Flames General Manager Jay Feaster.

Hartley, as you will remember led the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in 2001 and led the Atlanta Thrashers to their only playoff berth in their entire existence in 2007.  The current Flames do not have the talent that the Avs did nor the young players that the Thrashers did in 2007, so it will be interesting to see how Hartley does this time around.  Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff cannot play in the NHL forever, and the prospect pool is rather shallow.  The only real clear cut player ready for the NHL is Sven Baertschi, and with the likes of T.J. Oshie and Leland Irving already cementing their spots on the roster, Hartley doesn't have an entirely barren cupboard to work with.  However, growing pains are inevitable, and neither Joe Sakic nor Ilya Kovalchuk will be walking through the door for the Flames.

Thrasher the Unfriendly Ghost

In the most recent Winnipeg Jets game, they traveled to Nashville for a game against the Predators, where they lost.  However, that is not the story, as there were a few Atlanta Thrashers jerseys thrown onto the ice during the game.

The story behind it is that in the wake of the Thrashers being relocated to Winnipeg to become the new Jets, the Predators took a rather aggressive approach to court the fans that would be losing their team.  This brings to mind two things: why the Predators were the only team (that has been documented) to try and get some of the ex-Thrasher fans on their side, and whether any of those converted fans were in fact, the people who threw the jerseys onto the ice.  Nashville has been an underrated franchise in many ways, and the fact that they managed to get a few displaced Thrashers fans on their side should be an example to teams that are struggling to stay afloat (e.g. Columbus and Carolina).

Worst Jersey Ever?

Word on the grapevine is that the New York Islanders are wanting to introduce a new third jersey for the 2011-12 season.  As a team that desperately needs any good news, this proposed design that you see is not even close.  This design is pretty much an alteration to a proposed design that was leaked earlier this month.

 As you can see from both designs, the gray in the latest design has replaced the white, and the numbering and lettering are unconfirmed, as opposed to the outwardly horrid lettering on the player names, complete with clashing nameplates.  Now, as far as the latest leak goes, this isn't just bad, this is "worse than those Atlanta Thrashers home and alternate jerseys from last year" bad, which mind you, says a lot.  The best way to voice your opinion on this potential jersey besides "Dear fucking Christ, NO!"  With your wallet, particularly if this actually gets out onto the streets, as in don't waste your money on this garbage.

The Ascent of US Hockey in the 1990's

Lost in all of the rumblings about the New York Islanders and their possible move out of Long Island (whenever that may be) was the fact that Monday was also a monumental day for US hockey.  Chris Chelios, Keith Tkachuk (who is pictured), Gary Suter, Ed Snider, and Mike "Doc" Emrick were all selected to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.  All five selected have on some level, impacted the state of US hockey.  Chelios, for all of his outspoken comments against Gary Bettman, namely during the lockout of 1994, was a mainstay on the blue line for Montreal, Chicago, and Detroit for two and a half decades (let's pretend the Atlanta experiment never happened for argument's sake).  Tkachuk was the power forward that was heavily leaned upon by the Jets/Coyotes, Blues, and Thrashers.  Suter, like Chelios, was a blue line stalwart, playing for Calgary, Chicago, and San Jose.  All three made their marks in international play, as part of the 1996 World Cup championship team for the United States.

If there ever was to be an announcer that goes perfectly with the three players, it would be Emrick.  His distinct voice was evident on Devils' broadcasts, and is currently heard on the NBC and Versus broadcasts.  Snider and Philadelphia are synonymous with each other, so it should be no surprise that both gentlemen are inducted for their efforts to make hockey visible in this country.

Escape from Long Island

The man you see in the picture above is New York Islanders owner Charles Wang.  As you will have probably read by now (and if you haven't, you will after reading this piece), the voters of Nassau County rejected the $400 million plan to build a new arena for the Islanders in the same area that the current Nassau Coliseum resides.  Rejected by a 56 to 43 percent margin, the plan was also to have included a new ballpark for a minor league team.

*Soapbox Alert: If you don't want to read my rant on bringing a team to Kansas City (and trust me, I do this when there's potential talks of a team in financial turmoil), then stop here.

Now, I know there are people that are going to be screaming for the team to relocate, with Quebec City being a likely destination.  I don't like to deal with rumors, but a source familiar with the Kansas City coalition to bring hockey to the city, NHL 21, says the major hangup is finding an interested owner.  I know not anyone from Kansas City who actually reads this blog, but if you are, I absolutely think this would be a great time to get on the ball and encourage someone to try and buy the Islanders off of Wang and do what you can to relocate the team here to Kansas City.  After all, the Islanders' on ice product would be an easy sell, as you can center your marketing campaign around the likes of John Tavares, Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo, and Michael Grabner (And if any other city gets the Islanders, this goes for you, too.  This should be a slam dunk when it comes to marketing).  Those four can play on the top two lines on any team, given the right circumstances, and Tavares, at the very least, can be a true franchise player.  Off the ice, marketing the team is as simple as not doing what the ownership for the now deceased Atlanta Thrashers did, which is to say absolutely nothing.

Wild Days

I've been absent for a few days while the free agency period has begun with owners overpaying for players (read: Brad Richards' 9 year, $60 million deal with the Rangers and James Wisniewski's 6 year, $33 million deal with Columbus) and fans of their teams scratching their heads at some of the signings (see: Jaromir Jagr signing with Philadelphia).  In an attempt to keep everything rational, I have not put thoughts to the blog and other than the small update on favorite players leaving the Canucks (both Tanner Glass and Rick Rypien signed with Winnipeg over the weekend, which actually increases my like for the new Winnipeg team), have said nothing about the signings.  Today, that changes, though today's thought subject is actually a trade.

This morning, the San Jose Sharks made a trade with (wait for it) the Minnesota Wild, where Dany Heatley and Martin Havlat switched places.  What does this mean?  Well, the Wild get a player who can score goals and is looking to redeem himself after a so-so last season.  The Wild get a second-tier star who was actually an All-Star last season and can set up goals for the likes of Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton.  That is not the reason why I am writing this piece, though.  No, it's about Heatley, and the potential that has still yet to be realized.  Sure, you know about his playoff failures in recent years, but it goes beyond that.  It began with his first three seasons in Atlanta, where his potential was first realized in his rookie year, where he edged out then-teammate Ilya Kovalchuk for the Calder Trophy.  The following year, he was the MVP of the All-Star Game and looked well on his way to superstardom.  Then, one fateful night in late September, the car he was driving was involved in an accident that killed teammate Dan Snyder.  Heatley would miss half of the season while recovering from injuries in that accident.

Prior to the 2005-06 season, Heatley was traded to Ottawa in a deal that saw Marian Hossa go to Atlanta.  His goal totals in Ottawa were 50, 50, 41, and 39 in his time there.  The last season, however, saw him clash with coach Cory Clouston over playing time.  While asking for a trade, he nixed a trade in the offseason that would have sent him to Edmonton.  He would eventually be traded to San Jose prior to the 2009-10 season. In his two seasons with San Jose, he amassed 39 and 26 goals.  In San Jose, the numbers don't tell the whole story, as he was demoted to the second line in favor of Devin Setoguchi, who ironically, was traded to Minnesota a week earlier.  Questions about his skating also came to surface last season, as he was eventually demoted to third line duties in the playoffs.

Going to Minnesota, he won't have the likes of Joe Thornton on the same line, but he should definitely be motivated because Minnesota is as hockey mad as the people in San Jose and Ottawa, and clearly, this trade was performance related, and despite having a few more points than the guy he was traded for, the Sharks wanted better skating, which to them, necessitated his trade.  Heatley has a chance to be the face of the Minnesota Wild, and I would love to be able to see that happen, but he has to help himself, not just on the ice, but also off of it.

D-Day in Winnipeg

Today is June 21, which is a very significant day in the life of Winnipeg, MB.  Though it has been known for some time that the Atlanta Thrashers will be moving to Winnipeg in the wake of the True Sports and Entertainment buying the ex-Atlanta Thrashers franchise, today is the day that the NHL Board of Governors will put their rubber stamp on the deal that would see the ownership change hands.  It would officially mark the end of hockey in Atlanta for the second time, since they also had the current Calgary Flames franchise.

So, the question now is not if Winnipeg will get a team, but what the team will be called.  Many in the city would love for the team to be called the Jets, and why not, since that is the name most associated with the city.  The other side of the coin creates a direct conflict with the former Jets, otherwise known as the Phoenix Coyotes.  There is precedent for such a conflict, as the NFL had this issue when the Cleveland Browns re-entered the league in 1999 after the original franchise moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens in the mid-90's.  Smart money says the Winnipeg team will be called the Jets when the name gets announced.

Old Man Recchi

The image you see above is a painful one to look at, particularly if you happen to be a Canucks fan, as those who read this blog know about me.  However, this piece is not about my pain, but rather a man who made it in the NHL for over 20 years.  It isn't often that a player gets to retire on top, let alone, be on top three different times.  That is exactly what the ageless wonder Mark Recchi is doing after winning his third Stanley Cup last Wendesday, this time with the Boston Bruins.  One of the more underappreciated players in the league, all he did was end up 12th on the all time NHL scoring list, play for three Stanley Cup teams (Pittsburgh in 1991, Carolina in 2006, and Boston in 2011), and reinvent his game for the benefit of the younger generation later in his career (just ask Bryan Little, who had a career year after an apprenticeship in Recchi's time in Atlanta, and Brad Marchand).  Recchi was never the premier player on any team, but ask any team he's ever played for, and the odds are he was just as important as the man at the top, be it Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, Eric Staal, or Tim Thomas.  Recchi is a certain first ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2014, a tribute to his ability to be there day in and day out and his penchant for wanting to win, and that's all you can ask for out of a player.

The Most Exciting Days of Hockey

These have been some two days in the life of a hockey fan.  Yesterday, the city of Winnipeg has their hockey team formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers, and now tonight is game one of the Stanley Cup Finals.  I promise to get the eulogy for the Thrashers written some time soon, but for right now, it's all about the city of Winnipeg.  Even though the team will be playing in an arena that holds 15,000 at the most, you can bet that the arena will be full for at least the first two years or so of the franchise.  I will be talking a lot more about this deal, which has to be voted upon by the Board of Governors.  Money says it's a foregone conclusion that it will be approved.

Now, for the real business at hand: the Stanley Cup Finals.  I've waited the entire season for this, and a week extra just to see who the Canucks will be facing.  Now, we know it will be the Boston Bruins, so if any Boston Bruins fans want to have any bets with me, I want to hear them.  No monetary bets, though, just ones that will bring about humiliation.

One more thing, all bets with the anonymous name tag will not be accepted.

Winnipeg is Back

The picture you see right now is the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, MB.  If you haven't quite figured out what this piece is about just from the first sentence, I'm sure many a Winnipeg native will be happy to tell you that Winnipeg is back in the NHL.  An hour ago, the deal that would see the True North Sports and Entertainment group purchase the Atlanta Thrashers was finalized in a press conference in Winnipeg.  Among the attendees for this announcement was NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.  No nickname has been announced for the new Winnipeg team, and the team will compete in the Eastern Conference next season.  Stay tuned for more, and the Atlanta Thrashers eulogy will also be forthcoming.

Last Rites for the Thrashers (?)

Today is the day that we find out the fate of the Atlanta Thrashers.  As you may (or may not) have read in some of my posts, I talk about some of the reasons for the Thrashers' failure in Atlanta.  I can assure that the picture above has nothing to do with it, or for that matter, it has absolutely nothing to do with this piece, I just wanted an excuse to post that picture.  Back to the topic at hand, I won't rehash any of what I said in my previous pieces as to why the Thrashers may soon become property of an ownership group in Winnipeg that will bring the team back to the city that lost its Jets in 1996.  However, what can be said is that though the number of fans who attended the games in Atlanta were less than all but two teams this season, you cannot expect fans to get behind a team if the ownership doesn't care about the team, and that is exactly why the Thrashers' run in the NHL was pretty much a disaster from the start.  With the exception of the 2006-07 season, the Thrashers hadn't experienced much success when it comes to even making the playoffs.  Sure, the fans deserve some blame, namely the ones who didn't show up to the games, but the reality is that the onus falls on ownership failing to give the fans a reason to come out to games.  Carolina, Nashville, and Tampa Bay have all given fans reasons to care about their teams.  What was Atlanta's pitch to get fans out to games?  Can't think of one?  Neither can I, and now, the sad saga of the Atlanta Thrashers is almost certain to be buried with the likes of the Kansas City Scouts, Colorado Rockies, California Golden Seals, Atlanta Flames, and the Cleveland Barons as teams that failed to get fans in a ten year period, or thereabouts.

Update: the official announcement of the fate of the Thrashers won't be today, according to sources.  Official word has been pushed back to a date yet to be determined.

More Winnipeg Talk

This is not likely going away until Tuesday, so I'm obligated to once again, talk about the potential Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg move that is supposedly going to be announced.  You know all the factors behind the possible move, particularly if you have read the news reports from the various sites, so I won't go there.  However, this little bit of news should truly put to bed the idea of hockey ever getting over in Atlanta.

300 fans attended the "Save the Thrashers" rally?  Hmm, I don't know about you, but the one time I was in Atlanta, the city had a lot more than that in its population.  In the time I was there, I saw a lot of Falcons stuff, but only one family of people in Thrashers gear.  Granted, I didn't get to see as much of Atlanta as I wanted, as ProgPower stared in the afternoon on both days, but given that hockey season was starting that same weekend, and the Thrashers were coming off of a playoff appearance (the ProgPower I attended was in October 2007), wouldn't there be more than just the family in Thrashers gear, as horrible the color scheme looks?  And of all the Atlanta teams in that particular time period (as of October 2007, keep in mind), the Thrashers actually had the brightest future of all of them, as the Braves didn't make the playoffs, the Falcons had their well-documented problems with public relations, and the Hawks were still stinking up the joint.  You can say ownership wasn't what it was supposed to be, and you'd be correct, but remember that it was the same ownership that screwed the Hawks for a lot of those years.  The difference?  No real effort was ever made to sell hockey to Atlanta, which brings us to right now.  Anytime someone dies, there will be a lot of people coming out of the woodwork to offer condolences, many of them complete strangers.  Seemingly with this rally, the Thrashers weren't even given that kind of reception, which is truly the saddest statement of them all for a team that simply didn't have the support it needed nor the dignity to walk out with their heads held high.

Winnipeg Thrashers?

As much as I talk about teams who are failing at the gate and the idea of relocation, a lot of what I say is pretty much a pipe dream as it relates to all of what goes on.  However, this bit of news (speculation?) has been burning up the wires the past few hours.  And because this is all not finalized, I can point you to a source over on Yahoo.

As you have read, if you have clicked on the link, the Atlanta Thrashers are the team being talked about, and the reason: they may be moving to Winnipeg.  Now, the official word will not be announced until Tuesday, so any and all wild talk about a team going to Winnipeg will likely be flying around.  Now, for my take: it won't be the Phoenix Coyotes, as they will be in Phoenix for another year, at least.  For me, it's never too early to start those Coyotes to Kansas City rumors, and I'd love it.  However, that is a topic for another day.  What is the topic of the day is the Thrashers and the hand that is being forced.  Currently, I am in no position to truly make any remarks about the potential move until it actually happens, but the facts about Atlanta and their failed 11 years in the city do speak for themselves.  On the ice, they only made the playoffs once (2006-07), and despite all of the picks in the top-10 for most of the existence, few have panned out, and the ones that do pan out, are on other teams now.  The front office hasn't been much help, either, as that has experienced major turnover in its brief history.  As for the off-ice problems, I will direct you to Hockey Blog in Canada, who took the time to analyze a video that was made trying to defend Atlanta and why the Thrashers should stay.  Obviously, I cannot speak about attendance figures, as I have hardly seen the Thrashers on TV (a large part of that problem being their lack of playoff appearances),  and I'm generally impatient when it comes to sifting through "facts," but what I get from HBIC's analysis is that comparing attendance figures for Winnipeg and Atlanta is like comparing apples to oranges when you're looking at the hard numbers.  It's the percentage of the building capacity that in many ways, tells the real story.  I've bagged on Florida fans for being passive, and a lot of that stems from the NBA's Heat, but in comparing the two teams this past season, the Panthers are above the 80 percentile when it comes to capacity rating, whereas the Thrashers are in the 72 percentile, in terms of home numbers.  The hard figures (the attendance numbers themselves) have the Thrashers ahead of only the Coyotes and Islanders.  Going back one season earlier, the Thrashers are ahead of only the Coyotes in terms of percent rankings and were dead last in the percent ranking the year before that.  Not surprisingly, those three seasons were when the Thrashers weren't expected to even sniff a playoff chase.

Say what you will about the Thrashers in their 11 year existence, but when it comes down to it, it's plain as day that the Thrashers brass didn't make the necessary effort to try and market the team to its fans.  For all of the talk about Nashville moving, they went straight for the country music crowd.  Even Phoenix had an idea of how to market themselves early on: with a team that could win most nights.  As you know, the perpetual losses in the first round caused some people to be turned off to the Coyotes, hence the situation they're in.  Even Florida has done its best to market itself in the face of 10 seasons without a playoff run.  What has Atlanta done?  Well, they have tried the "Blueland" ploy, which for all intents and purposes, came much too late.  Had they done this within their first two years of existence, maybe we  wouldn't be talking about the Thrashers' eulogy.

R.I.P. Thrashers Third Jersey

Some good news for the hockey eyes of the world: the Atlanta Thrashers have officially shelved their third jerseys.  Though it was rumored to be on the chopping block a few months back, today is the day when those rumors are true.  The news was first broken by Blueland Blog, and has since been confirmed by Birdwatchers Anonymous and Ice Ethics.  Although I would have liked to have seen the Thrashers give their current home jerseys the Ol' Yeller treatment, I cannot say that it was the wrong decision to shelve the third jerseys.  By itself, the jerseys weren't quite the eyesores that the home jerseys were, but the front of the jerseys hardly scream out "hockey team."  When you're ripping off ideas from quite possibly the most boring jerseys in the league (Dallas Stars, I'm looking at you), then you have no hope of succeeding with that jersey.  Throw in the socks, as modeled by Dustin Byfuglien in the picture above, and this was a trainwreck that mercifully, has been put to bed.  The Thrashers will not go with a third jersey next season, so Thrashers fans will only have to deal with one eyesore instead of two.

Kansas City Thrashers?

ATLANTA THRASHERS


The Atlanta Thrashsers' season began with a major bang, and ended with a whimper.  Nik Antropov was supposed to be the big point producer on the team, but fell way short of expectations to the point of being in coach Craig Ramsey's doghouse.  On the other end of the spectrum, Dustin Byfuglien came in with a lot of hype and a transition to the blue line.  For a while, he really was the best player on the Thrashers team before teammate Tobias Enstrom (his defensive pairing mate) got hurt mid-season.  Byfuglien figures to benefit from Enstrom's presence again next season.  Bryan Little was supposed to return to 30-goal territory; he ended up with 18 goals.  Respectable, but hardly the numbers expected of him, though 30 assists isn't a shabby number.  He will, however, have to step up his game next season.

Offense for the Thrashers was a major problem, which was to be expected when Ilya Kocalchuk was traded last season.  The blue line outside of Byfuglien and Enstrom needs a major defensive presence, something that mid-season acquisition Mark Stuart could fill.  Chris Mason was a bust as a goalie, losing out to Ondrej Pavalec.  Pavalec's season started with a health scare, but ended with some rather respectable numbers.  He still needs to find consistency, but he would also benefit from a better defense.  This season could in fact, be the last for the Thrashers in Atlanta, as rumors of the team's move gain ground, particularly in the wake of finishing 27th in attendance.  As I said before, and I will keep saying it, Kansas City would be happy to have the Thrashers here.

Vomit on a Stick

If you were to ask me which NHL team makes the worst choices when it comes to jerseys, I wouldn't hesitate to tell you it's the Atlanta Thrashers.  Sure, the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are close, but in their respective histories, they have had some really good designs (more on those as I get to those teams).  Atlanta, it just simply hasn't happened since their inception in 1999.  Yes, their inaugural jerseys were actually not that bad looking, but the dark jerseys had quite possibly the worst logo idea for the front of their jersey.  It's actually the shoulder patch in a perfect world, but it was inexplicably made the primary logo for the dark jerseys.  Sadly, it's not the worst idea for a jersey...

Yes, the sky blue vomit that the Thrashers call a jersey made their debut in the 2003-04 season, and were made the home jerseys in the 2006-07 season.  Why this jersey is still in existence is beyond me, even with the Reebok Edge design (which is marginally better, though it doesn't even change my opinion).  The things that made the road whites unique were changed with the Reebok design, making it worse.  And then there's the third jersey, which on paper, isn't so bad, but in practice, it just doesn't do anything for the imagination.  Here's a question, do you know anyone who owns a home or alternate Thrashers jersey?  No?  Didn't think so.

More Deadline Madness

Here is the Eastern Conference and the teams battling for the last few spots in that race.

EASTERN CONFERENCE


7. New York Rangers:  Acquiring Bryan McCabe was good because they didn't give up much to get him.  However, the good could be undone if they do in fact, go for Brad Richards.  The Stars are asking a lot for him, and the Rangers look like the most likely suckers to go for the bait there.

8. Carolina Hurricanes: The most likely 8th seed at the moment, they would love another veteran presence to go along with recently acquired Cory Stillman to take some of the pressure off of rookies such as Jeff Skinner.

9. Buffalo Sabres: Acquired Brad Boyes in hopes of getting some offensive firepower.  Last time they tried to get offensive firepower (Raffi Torres last year), it did them no good.  Let's hope this time is different because Ryan Miller can only carry a team so far.

10. Toronto Maple Leafs: Despite being sellers, they're well in the playoff chase.  Two questions here: how long can James Reimer hold up and do the Leafs think about trading Phil Kessel?  Whether the Leafs make the playoffs or not, they look like they're setting themselves up for the future quite well.

11. Atlanta Thrashers:  Falling out of the playoff race fast, the Thrashers desperately need offense, something missing since Tobias Enstrom got hurt prior to the All-Star Break.  Perhaps being sellers would be good, since they don't nearly have enough to be contenders this year.

12. Florida Panthers:  Sell...big time!  Florida fans are delusional if they think the Panthers are playoff contenders.  If I were them, I'd entertain offers for Tomas Vokoun...right now.

13. New Jersey Devils: A long shot to make the playoffs, it's a miracle that they're even in the playoff hunt.  Too bad they still have to jump over a lot of bodies to get there.  Trading Jason Arnott doesn't necessarily mean they're out of it, but it would offer some relief on the cap space and maybe a prospect or two from that deal could help.