11 May 2010, Bob McKenzie owns some fellers

@TSNBobMcKenzie 1, @Jeffiarmstrong 0.

@TSNBobMcKenzie 1, @razorsedge052 0.

Let's see some real Twitter bullies go tag team on him and see who wins!

Relevence is sparce during the playoffs if your team missed the show

Nothing much seems to happen in the playoffs since the Thrashers missed them, again.

Woah, hey, the Sharks did eliminate Mr. Playoffs in the DEE-troit Red Wings. How'd that happen?? Ben Wright must have had a significant loss in his fantasy pool or his brackets with that series.

Seriously though, congrats to them there Sharks. To be honest, it wouldn't really hurt my feelings if they won it all. Like many others I'm kinda hoping for a Bruins-Sharks final, but not just because it could be interesting to see Jumbo Joe's old team vs. his current team. While Jack Edwards' homerism sometimes exceeds my tolerance levels, the Bruins are a fun team to watch. Besides, it struck me as odd that so many people were counting them out without Kessel so it's kinda nice to see them still in it.

Time to enjoy some the Thrashers' offseason some more. I mean hey, there's only what, three, four more months of it? Gotta enjoy it while it lasts.

The offseason began rather before I had hoped for the Atlanta Thrashers...

Surprise of surprises, I was wrong about this team being a playoff team. I'm not entirely sure the team that finished the season was the same team that started the season, but that's neither here nor there. I still believe that the October-November Thrashers, before the contract talks broke down and the wheels fell off in December, were a playoff caliber team, but things change and wistfully ruminating will achieve, exactly... DICK. And there's no question the Thrashers were not a playoff team down the stretch (my semicolon key seems to be defective right now, so insert a semicolon here and remove the space before this strangely long parenthesis) consequently, the Thrashers are, yet again, damnit, on the outside either watching the playoffs on the telly or just flat ignoring them.

... Which brings us to the offseason. With plenty of better analysis than I could provide (and free of charge!) from the usual suspects, The Blueland Chronicle, Rawhide, and Bird Watchers Anonymous, I won't make a fool of myself by looking into possible lineups, free agent signees, draftees, or trades. It is written, "'Tis better to be silent and thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

However, I must admit to being rather intrigued about who will next captain the Atlanta Thrashers. There are the guys who have received some attention for such a role, namely Hainsey and Antropov, with either of which I would be satisfied. Then there's the less likely captain but very good team guy in Slater. However, the name I hadn't considered until the latest Ten Gallon Dick installment is Rich Peverley. I wouldn't mind seeing a quiet guy who plays hard every game and has some measurable leadership qualities who took about 1/2 what he probably could've made as a UFA to stay in Atlanta and put up 55 points this season as the next captain. (To every English teacher I've ever had or known, I sincerely apologize for that run-on sentence, but a meaning needed to be conveyed) Certainly, he's worthy of an alternate in my book, though I'm not the coach, which is a damn good thing for the franchise.

Um, as this is supposed to be about the offseason, I suppose I should talk about well, the offseason, a little more. I will say this: I am fairly optimistic about the Thrashers' 2010-2011 campaign, if the right moves are made. That's not to say the moves have to be moves that result in immediate playoff success, though that would certainly be nice, or even moves that I would make per se, because I am no great hockey mind. But if the Thrashers have at least a decent draft, bring back at least some of the right guys, and maybe but not necessarily bring in a free agent or two or trade for a player or two to fill out the roster, I expect the Thrashers to be in a better position to make the playoffs next year than this year. As LA GM Dean Lombardi said, teams have to go through those growing pains before they can be a true winning team. I think the Thrashers built a lot of character this season despite choking and coming up short for important games with playoff implications. Also, the Thrashers almost certainly will never be a team that can afford for a key contributor like Little, Bogosian, Hainsey, or Armstrong to have a down season and still make the playoffs. If this offseason is respectable and the expected contributions are turned in from throughout the roster, I easily could see the 2010-2011 Thrashers making the playoffs.

Or not. Up to them.

Thrashers playoff hopes shot down in flames

Fun while it lasted.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

I couldn't follow the Thrashers for about a week due to various projects, and during one of the most crucial times in the season. When this unavoidable hiatus began the Thrashers were fighting for their playoff lives, mostly unsuccessfully, just managing to keep one nostril above the water line. Well, that's still the same. I'm glad I didn't miss anything....

Only things that have changed is that the Thrashers apparently lost Kubina to injury, hence Chelios getting some minutes (no age discrimination there), and the Thrashers now have 3 games left. With time essentially out, I for one will actually be glad to be able to focus on other things for awhile.It would be nice to have my favorite team actually competing in the playoffs. But onwards to the offseason and next season.

How 'bout that Timmy Stapler? Stapleton has a goal in each of his last 2 games, both huge games, both huge goals, from a... well, from a guy.

Ha-GAIN!

Thrashers top Pheelay 3-1 in Pheelay on the hind end of the beast with two fronts. With the win the Thrashers gained a little limelight for themselves by being but one single point out of the playoff picture.

I've eaten on game day for both of the last 2 wins. I think we have a trend going here.... I'm about to run out, so if we lose Tuesday I'll have to run down to Georgia and get me some bbq for every game to do my part to appease the hockey gods. I'm very much ok with that.

Because I can't think of a witty title: Thrashers beat Flyers

With a jeweled shillelagh!! Still somewhat worrisome was letting a 2-goal lead shrink to a 1-goal lead twice, but the Thrashers eventually pulled ahead by 2 for good and then scored a 3rd goal at a time when the Flyers should've been scoring to close the gap at the end of the game. I like that.

"Your 2009-2010 Atlanta Thrashers!!" (explained)

The city streets are the regular season and the race for the playoffs, and the Thrashers are the nerd. Or maybe they're more like the dude-dressed-up-as-a-woman-and-pretending-to-be-ready-to-grant-some-other-dude-working-the-vid-his-wildest-fantasy because they historically seem to allow teams on the playoff bubble some points to help them along, with last season's finish as the notable exception. It's entirely subjective, which is why I posted the first video (the song's music video) alone as a metaphor with neither explanation nor elaboration.

Your 2009-2010 Atlanta Thrashers!!

Thrashers lose to Coyotes in SO

Missed the game tonight, but I've read in several places and several quotes that the Thrashers rang 5 shots off the posts tonight.













It's kinda like gettin hit in the face with a fryin pan aint it? That analogy could probably be expanded too...

Thrashers' playoff "hopes" taking a westbound train

Even if the Thrashers don't make the playoffs, I think this season would be a success if Chris Chelios opens a Cheli's Chilli in Atlanta. Yeah.

Sheet, wee looooossse ha-gain!

Everything seems rosier when your team is the victor, but I've gotta hand it to the Canes, they really wanted it more.

A win would've been great, but I still had a great time at the game, I really did. The folks working the upper levels were all first-rate. Everyone was pretty good to stop for a minute and talk and nobody made me feel like Jethro Clampett the entire evening even though I'm sure I reminded some of his character.

And after the game I had the privilege of meeting both Dan Kamal and Darren Eliot at the post-game show. Great guys, class all the way. Both gentlemen stopped during the commercial breaks to speak to me and both were very gracious about their time. Not once did either of them make me feel like I was taking up their time. Quite the opposite actually: they both made me feel like it was I who was in the position of host and they who were in the position of guest. Like I said, great guys. I raise a cool, refreshing beverage to both of them. Cheers, gents!

Oh, Atlanta

Making the trip to 'Lanter today to take in the Thrashers-Hurricanes game. I'd be lying if I said I don't care about the outcome, so I'm hoping for a win. But most importantly, I just wanna see the Thrashers play a good game and have the fans be into it and energetic. Either way, I'm pretty damn excited. I haven't been to a game since Alexei Zhitnik won it in OT vs. Tampa two years ago.

This season the Thrashers are undefeated when I wear my jersey during the game. Ok, so it's only a 1-0-0 record, but still, that's undefeated. Anyway, here's to hoping that trend continues.

Good luck boyas!

Antero Nittymaki

Damnit. All I got to say is the Thrashers better damn well beat the guy before Kari Lehtonen does.

That is all.

Glacier appears to bleed

On my morning rounds of headlines and links, I came across this and stared at the picture. I won't post the picture because I like to let the guy or gal to whose post or article I link get their traffic (even though I'd only be stealing maybe five or ten-ish people; I'm not delusional about how many read this), but let's just say the picture is a must see. In my somewhat limited grasp of biology I was wrong as to the cause of the glacial nosebleed: I had thought it might be something like a red tide. But I wasnt too far off. Here's the link.

And speaking of blood, one of my all-time favorite books, which if I remember correctly I gave to my biology lab instructor at the the end of the semester during which I did a report on the book (damnit. Oh well, he can use it more than I can and I can always get another copy), is Their Blood Runs Cold by Whit Gibbons. I'd thought it'd be boring as hell since it's about herpetology (it's the atudy of reptiles and amphibians, NOT a venereal disease) and the biologists' stories of encounters with said things that make (some) women go eek. But it was actually a hilarious read and not as dry as I was afraid it'd be. It's the guy's collection of anecdotes from his years on the job with quite a lot of info thrown in. It was a book that I found myself reading more for entertainment than for the report, and only after it was over and I was working on the report did I realize how much information was in there and how much I'd learned about the subject. I'm still no herpetologist, but I do have a much greater appreciation for them after that book.