Who Will Be Our Dale Hawerchuk?

It's 10:49 in the morning on a chilly, but sun-soaked Thursday morning here in the big A (apologies to Nik Antropov). When you step outside and feel that crisp air infiltrate your bones, you know right away that hockey season is upon us. It's a wonderful feeling really and the chill in your bones gives way to a tingle down your spine -- or a thrill up your leg if you're a Democrat. But now is not a time for politics or debate. Even hockey-centered debate punctuated by prediction seems trite and silly when gameday is beckoning! Predictions about the upcoming season are meaningless and shrink in comparison to the excitement that fill's one's soul on the eve before one of the best day's of the calendar year: Opening Night!!

By now, if you are well-versed in surfing the choppy waters of the internet streams, you are completely fatigued by season previews and post-season prognostications. I choose not to trouble myself with such predictions -- well, at least on this particular blog -- until I can see 10 or so games of meaningful hockey action with which to analyze and dissect the team's play. That's not to say that I don't harbor the same worries shared by most Thrashers fans as we approach Opening Night. A myriad of questions confront us as the Thrashers prepare to do ice-battle with the visiting Washington Capitals, a true offensive juggernaut if there ever was one.

As we hurtle headlong into Friday's hockey affair, questions such as these abound and dismay:

-- Will the 2010-20011 Thrashers truly embody a new and different brand of hockey when they don the blue sweaters for the first time (in a game that counts) under the guidance of the venerable, battle-tested Craig Ramsay?

-- Will the boys in blue be worthy "puck battle bastards" who give little quarter to their adversaries and hunt down the puck with relentless abandon?

-- Can the Thrashers quiet their naysayers by executing Ramsay's "go-go-GO!" style of play in a fashion that makes them not only an aggravating opponent, but also an effective, exciting team that actually wins games more often than not?

-- Who will emerge from the shadows of uncertainty and become our team's Dale Hawerchuk, an often unheralded and under-appreciated play-making virtuoso who could make the players around him better, no matter who they were. Can an 18 year-old, pimple-faced Russian named Alex Burmistrov be such a player? Probably not...well, not just yet. Or can the irrepressibly charismatic Evander Kane, only 19 years of age, take his game to the next level and provide the goal-scoring punch this team needs from the left-wing? Can the quiet and industrious Bryan Little put to bed accusations of being a one-hit wonder and rise from the frustration to be a consistent offensive threat and contributor? Will the enigmatic and seemingly disaffected Swede, Niclas Bergfors, play with a chip on his shoulder the size of IKEA to prove that he is worthy of a sniper's spoils?

The best answer I can muster at this point in time is "THE HELL IF I KNOW!!" There are so many new pieces in this hockey puzzle that require additional time to fit together. And there is little doubt that the much ballyhooed "new identity" of the Thrashers will need sufficient time to take its shape. Mixed in with the frustrations of unproductive offense and fitful chemistry are some positive signs as evidenced by the energy and elan with which the Thrashers have played throughout most of the pre-season. On the surface it appears as though most of the players are buying-in to the new coaching philosophy and playing with spirited determination and vigor. But spirited effort will only take you so far in the game of hockey. Kind of like when the small, but feisty pug tries its best to take down the big bad Pyrenees in a paw-to-paw struggle to win all the snausages! Don't just sing it Puggsy, bring it!!

In this upcoming season, will the Thrashers battle hard only to resemble a precious, yet exuberant pug who doesn't stand a chance against bigger, badder and stronger foes? We shall certainly find out starting tomorrow night down at the Bulb! Don't miss it Thrashers' fans!!