BAYONETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Damn y'all, a lot has happened since the last time I typed up an actual entry for this here blog. I've typed a few here, but only to publish them on Hockey Independent's website. But seeing as how the Thrashers are mired in a horrific losing slump -- only winning 6 of their last 26 games since December 20th's win over the Toronto Maple Leafs -- there hasn't been much in the way of creativity-inducing fodder for this forum. As some of you know, I do enjoy the zany good fun on a more than irregular occasion, but lately, the sorry ass play of these Thrashers has gotten me down. And with all of the scuttlebutt concerning a potential sale of the team that might see them end up in some God-forsaken place like Winnipeg, Manitoba (take that Winnipeg tweet bot and irrational Jets' fan-trolls!!) swirling around town like debris that gets blown down a pot-hole riddled Marietta Street during late winter, the rumors and horror have been too much to stomach lately.

But hope and promise are back in the form of cryptic tweets from radio personality John Kincade (of 680 the Fan "fame") and a story printed by our humble and esteemed AJC beat writer, Chris Vivlamore, who tells us that there aren't just one, but two potential investor groups who are interested in snatching up the whole kitten-caboodle (yes, we play the Panthas tonite so I had to do it) known as Philips Arena operating rights, the Hawks and Thrashers. Oh yeah, they both want to keep the Thrashers here for goodness sake!! And prior to that news, we learned of Dustin Byfuglien liking us enough to commit to staying and skating on our blueline as a defenseman (so they say) for the next 5 years. As long as he scores 20-30 goals every year, he can play freakin' roving infielder for all I care. Right on the heels of that news, our mob-connected GM, Rick Dudley was extended for 4 years and Captain Andrew Ladd, who's been driving up the price of his next deal into the stratosphere by scoring 6 goals in his last six games, intimated to Vivlamore that a new deal is on the horizon with these words:

“We are still talking,” Ladd said. “We are still working on it but both sides are on the same page for sure. I want to be a part of what we are doing here. We kind of need a couple guys to stay and say this is a good place and we’ve got a good thing going here. It will help out a lot.”

CAN YOU SAY SEGUE?? Cutting and pasting from my HI.com featured article from earlier in the week, I give you this again: “Sage-er” words have never been spoken. Andrew Ladd is the captain of this team for a reason: because he leads by example with a conviction and seriousness of action that engenders respect from his peers; and it looks as though his genuine character will be manifested again in what is rumored to be a 5 year deal worth in the realm of $20 million. Considering the circumstances of this troubled franchise, and the fact that the requisite winning needed for a playoff run has taken a long winter vacation, Thrashers fans should take heart and rejoice in the fact that two players – both of whom have already been part of a successful Chicago Blackhawks organization, as well as the biggest victory celebration you can hope for as a hockey fan – have committed for the foreseeable future to a distressed and mistreated franchise whose sweater is adorned with a truculent, whirling Thrasher bird.

For now, the commitments of Ladd and Byfuglien will have to be enough to keep the ember of belief and passion burning within the hearts of Thrashers fans everywhere until the shadow of doubt and rumor are replaced with certainty of fact. Till that time, all we can do as Thrashers fans is to keep the faith by going to games (bringing lots of friends!), wearing our Thrashers regalia with pride and earnestly beseeching our civic leaders to open their eyes to the disastrous consequences, both financial and social, of losing a major league sports franchise on account of sheer contempt, lies and willful negligence. The time to act is now and I implore any rational (or irrational depending on your current state) Thrashers fan to write your local community leaders, Mayor Reid and Governor Deal included, as well as the president (William Pate) of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, so they may realize how deep the passion for hockey runs in this community. Note: if you don’t fancy yourself much of a letter-writer, lend your support however you can to help keepthethrashers.com or simply head over to the Thrashers website (atlantathrashers.com) and buy up a bunch of tickets for remaining home games.

We must remind these community leaders of not only the negative financial impact — especially that of lost sales tax revenue — of such an outcome, but enlighten them on both the burgeoning youth hockey programs that continue to grow despite a lack of facilities and public sector support and the immense positive impact felt around Atlanta as a result of the $4.2 M that the Atlanta Thrashers Foundation has injected into the community over the past 12 years. These civic and business leaders need to be reminded of how important the Atlanta Thrashers are to the community for reasons that go far beyond the economic success of a downtown area, which is still in need of further development and revitalization. The Thrashers aren’t just a team, but they are an intrinsically important thread in an all too loosely knit fabric of the Atlanta community. The Thrashers are more than just a hobby for a key demographic hailing from colder climes in the North, but rather they are a real and dynamic catalyst for community outreach and charity in a city that sorely needs as many unifying forces in play for growth and stewardship as possible.

PLEASE “WAKE UP” CITY OF ATLANTA!! THE THRASHERS DON’T JUST BELONG TO BLUELAND, THEY BELONG TO ALL OF US WHO LIVE HERE. DON’T WAIT FOR GARY BETTMAN TO “FIND US A SAVIOR”, “RISE UP” AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD AND HELP KEEP THE THRASHERS HERE, BECAUSE THE CITY OF ATLANTA NOT ONLY DESERVES HOCKEY, BUT THE CITY OF ATLANTA NEEDS HOCKEY.

And, as if that wasn't a rousing enough battle cry for the city of Atlanta, I would like to share with you the immortal words of Brigadier General Joshua Chamberlain, who once said in the face of death at Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg: "Fix BAYONETS (motha-fuckas)!!!!!!!!!!!" Thrashers, let's DO this. (FF to the 1:00 mark for the "stuff")

St. Louis Blues Oust Thrashers after Near Misses at End

Mister Levenson! TEAR DOWN THIS CURTAIN!!!

On the morning after the Atlanta Thrashers dismissed the New Jersey Devils with a resounding statement of renouncement, and as the beleaguered Blueland Nation savors the spoils of this brief, but glorious triumph over some rather beguiling franchise demons, we must now pause to reflect on what this victorious battle means for the future of hockey in Atlanta. Just how could it alter the fate of a struggling franchise that is trying to climb its way from the depths of darkness, despair and ridicule?

For the first time since March 20, 2010*, more than 17,000 fans desperate to believe in Blueland filled the seats of Philips Arena to not only offer their sarcastic thanks and harsh invective to the once ballyhooed face of the franchise, Ilya Kovalchuk, but also witness what they hoped would be a turning point victory for a team that has historically come up short in big "statement" games. On a night when the team mascot would be released from lawful detention as a symbolic message to the hockey world that Thrasherville CAN and WILL rally to support the attendance cause, the Thrashers' players responded with a convincing and profound message of restored hope, renewed excitement and fulfilled expectations. *Note: I'm very much aware of the fact the last home game of 2009-10 was a sell-out, but at least 1/3 of the arena was filled with Pens' fans.

At least for one night were expectations fulfilled. Finally, after two consecutive failed attempts to win in regulation (the Thrashers suffered back to back overtime shoot-out losses against Tampa Bay and Carolina) and earn the coveted second point that would catapult them to the top rung of the Southeast Division standings, the Thrashers elevated their game to match the import level of the prize at stake to dismantle a reeling Devils team by the count of 7 to 1 in front of a boisterous and near-capacity crowd at Philips Arena. Led by the "best 4th line in hockey", the Thrashers blitzed legendary goalie Martin Brodeur with a 4-goal barrage on just 15 shots. The Thrashers were led by pugilist turned goal-scorer Eric Boulton, who netted his first ever hat-trick (and multi-goal game for that matter) in a 10-year career known solely, if at all, for dishing out punishment as part of a grinding, "energy" trio not expected to score goals.

But just like my good friend, and AJC Fan Blogger, Bill Tiller said after "Boultsy" put the finishing touches on an amazing feat of crazy, cosmic luck, the Thrashers had officially entered into the "bizarro world" of hockey phenomena, for on the same night, Rich Peverley, known purely for his gifted skating and slick passing, decided he would attempt to one-up Boulton by dropping the gloves and teaching Eric a lesson on how to execute some of the finer points of the "sweet science". Truly bizarre indeed. Pretty much the entire sequence of unfolding of events made for a surreal outcome as the Thrashers seemingly managed to cast off a galling shroud of bad luck and misfortune with this win over their devilish nemesis. Not only was Boulton's 3rd goal the result of a strange twist of fate that saw the puck take a random, hard kick off the boards from behind the goal and past a startled and panicked goalie -- former Thrasher Johan "Moose" Hedberg was victimized by an even stranger karmic carom in Game 2 of the 2007 playoffs' series against the New York Rangers -- but the final score seemed like a fitting ironic tribute to erstwhile Thrashers hero, Ilya Kovalchuk, who left the ice beneath a scoreboard emblazoned with a score matching the transposition of his number 17.

For the fans in attendance, it was surely a cathartic release of pent-up frustrations, anger and scorn. For years, the fans have been subjected to the fickle and petty whims of a misguided ownership group. And recently, the relentless rumors of relocation fueled by a frenzied Canadian press have been rampant. And with the Canadian, and even the national American, media agenda buoyed by recent comments in the press by NHL Deputy Commissioner, Bill Daly, who continues to question publicly the viability of hockey in the metro Atlanta market, the 7 to 1 spanking of Ilya's Devils was even sweeter for the citizens of Blueland, who can now enjoy the chance to fire back with a thunderous message of partial vindication that screams out like a chorus of "Mooooooooose" chants at Philips Arena: UP YOURS CANADA!!!

Much work is surely left to be done as the underdog Thrashers attempt to lift up a fan base that has been beaten down repeatedly by a neglectful, often ungrateful and sometimes petulant ownership group. But in the wake of the Thrashers emphatic win over the Devils last night, and their ascendancy into the upper echelon of the NHL standings (did I just type that?), it now seems as though the time is ripe for all fans, both the embittered and unwavering citizens of Blueland, to renew, or solidify their belief in and support of this team. And in so doing, they can convey to the desperate "Octo-cluster" ownership group a powerful and adamant message similar to the one late President Ronald Reagan delivered to Soviet Russia in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin back in 1987:

Paraphrasing of course:

"There is one sign the (dis)Spirit Group can make that would be unmistakable; that would advance dramatically the cause of (passion) and (hope). (Mr. Levenson), if you seek (success); if you seek prosperity for the (town of Thrasherville).....come here to this gate. (Mr. Levenson), open this gate. (Mr. Levenson), TEAR DOWN THIS (CURTAIN)!"

Yes, for those who are unaware, the upper reaches of the stands at Philips Arena -- the 400-level section of seats --has been partitioned off by the Atlanta Spirit Group since the beginning of the season. In an attempt to apparently mask their own embarrassment over dwindling attendance and their methodical dismantling of hope during the past three seasons of failure, the ASG has erected a black curtain of shame to hide the once popular section of $10 seats. Well, I think it's just about time that our short-sighted owners take down this damn curtain and open up as many reasonably-priced seats as possible so that the thousands of fans, who are still on the fence about financing further ineptitude on the part of the ASG, can come to Philips Arena and pay a guilt-free pittance to watch some of the most exciting and inspiring hockey ever seen in these parts. In fact, the now first-place Thrashers, who overtook, even if only briefly, the free-falling Washington Capitals with their win last night, play some of the most exciting, fun-to-watch hockey in the entire National Hockey League.

So ASG, do what is right and indeed salutary for your benevolent Blueland backers. Come here to the front of this curtain. Come here, with hat in hand, before the masses of hockey fans who want to believe. Come before them and offer up a gesture of good faith to win back the hearts of those who wish to no longer be exploited for their generosity. Come before Blueland and TEAR DOWN THIS CURTAIN!!!