Atlanta Thrashers

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Atlanta Thrashers
Conference	Eastern
Division	Southeast
Founded	1999
History	Atlanta Thrashers 1999 - present
Arena	Philips Arena
City	Atlanta, Georgia
Local Media Affiliates	SportSouth WCNN (680 AM)
Team Colors	Ice Blue, Navy Blue, Red, and Gold
Owner	Atlanta Spirit, LLC
General Manager	Don Waddell
Head Coach	Bob Hartley
Captain	Scott Mellanby
Minor League Affiliates	Chicago Wolves (AHL) Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL)
Stanley Cups	None
Conference Championships	None
Division Championships	None

The Atlanta Thrashers are a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Contents 1 Franchise history 1.1 2003-04 season recap 1.2 2005-06 season recap 1.3 Recent 2 Team colors and mascot 2.1 Logo 2.2 Jerseys 2.3 Mascot 3 Statistics and records 3.1 Season-by-season record 3.2 Individual records 3.2.1 Regular season 3.3 Current roster 3.4 Team captains 3.5 Hall of Famers 3.6 Retired numbers 3.7 First-round draft picks 3.8 Franchise scoring leaders 4 NHL awards and trophies 5 Media 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] Franchise history

Atlanta was awarded an NHL franchise in 1997 to replace the Atlanta Flames, who departed for Calgary in 1980 and became the Calgary Flames.

The nickname "Thrashers", after Georgia's state bird, the brown thrasher, was selected from a fan poll. "Thrashers" had actually been runner-up to "Flames" for Atlanta's first NHL team, and Philips Arena, the Thrashers' new home, was built on the site of the former Omni, which had been home to the Flames.

The newly-formed Thrashers selected Patrik Stefan with the first overall selection in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. They played their first game on October 2, 1999, losing 4-1 to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the New Jersey Devils. Captain Kelly Buchberger scored the franchise's first goal in the loss.

On September 21, 2003, the team was sold to a group of executives by Time Warner, along with the National Basketball Association's Atlanta Hawks. That same month brought tragedy as just five days later, star forward Dany Heatley crashed his Ferrari in a one-car accident that seriously injured him (broken jaw and arm, sprained wrist and gouged elbow among others) and killed Thrashers center Dan Snyder, who succumbed to a massive head injury after six days comatose, and was a passenger in the car. The Thrashers dedicated their 2003-04 NHL season in Snyder's memory. Heatley's blood alcohol content was far below the legal limit, but his combination of speeding (he was driving an estimated 80 miles per hour) and recklessness led to criminal charges (eventually settled with three years' probation and a penalty of community service).

Thrashers players wore black patches with Snyder's number, 37, on their jerseys. It greatly diminished the popularity of Heatley among Atlanta in general, and led to his request of a trade in August 2005. However, some say that Heatley had tremendous support after the accident, but rather it was his request for a trade that led to his diminished popularity.

The Thrashers have never made the playoffs in their short history. Their best complete season was in 2005-06, when they missed the playoffs by two points.

[edit] 2003-04 season recap

Led by captain Shawn McEachern, and with the memory of Dan Snyder on their mind, the Thrashers jumped quickly out of the gates with some notable highlights. Super offenseman Ilya Kovalchuk scored eight goals in the first seven games, including two hat tricks, one in a 7-2 rout of the Chicago Blackhawks and another in a come-from-behind victory against the Nashville Predators. Those comeback victories became a reoccuring sight throughout the season, including shocking upsets against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins, and the Ottawa Senators, as well as wins from games against the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Islanders.

Eleven games into the season, the Thrashers were alone in first place atop both the Southeast Division the NHL. Although they continued to play well, they could not keep up with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the eventual Stanley Cup champions, or other teams in the league. The absence of Heatley and a lack of depth started to appear. Boxing Day 2003 marked both a bright and dark day for the Thrash. On that day, Heatley skated for the first time since his car accident with Snyder, but it also marked the last win for the Thrashers before an extended losing streak. From December 28 to February 11 the Thrashers went a dismal 1-17-3. However, fans were entertained regardless of the team's struggles. Kovalchuk became only the second Thrashers' player to score in the NHL All-Star Game (after Heatley), an exciting overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings occurred on New Year's Eve, Randy Robitaille broke Brian Boucher's shutout streak, Dany Heatley eventually returned to game action, and a twelve-man brawl against the Edmonton Oilers took place. The losing streak finally ended with a 4-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks.

While the Thrashers' playoff hopes were done for the year, they still played on and ended up finishing second in the Southeast Division and tenth in the Eastern Conference, only a handful of wins away from the playoffs. Kovalchuk ended up tying for the league lead in goals (41) with Jarome Iginla and Rick Nash. Goaltender Kari Lehtonen started his NHL career with four wins in four starts, including one shutout.

[edit] 2005-06 season recap

Before the start of the 2005-06 season, the Thrashers picked up many veteran players in the hopes of making the playoffs for the first time. They signed Mike Dunham, Peter Bondra, Bobby Holik, Jaroslav Modry, and Scott Mellanby. They traded Dany Heatley on August 23, 2005, to the Ottawa Senators, in a blockbuster deal for forward Marian Hossa and defenseman Greg de Vries.

The 2005-06 season saw the Thrashers win a club-record 41 games, even with numerous goaltending injuries. Only a few minutes into the first game of the season, Lehtonen pulled his groin, an injury that would keep him out for a good portion of the season. Veteran backup Mike Dunham, an experienced number-one net minder, stepped in, but also promptly injured himself only a few games later; this left only prospects Michael Garnett and Adam Berkhoel to mind the nets. Journeyman goalie Steve Shields was signed, but he too was injured within ten games. On April 6, Lehtonen was run into by Tampa Bay's Chris Dingman, injuring him yet again. The remainder of the season was left to Dunham. Garnett was injured in a game against the Washington Capitals. Dunham, who had started the game but was relieved by the young rookie after poor play, was forced back into action in the third period.

[edit] Recent

The Thrashers may very well make the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hossa, Kovalchuk and New York Ranger Jaromir Jagr have recently been vying for the NHL scoring crown and after their first 29 2006-07 NHL games, Atlanta is leading the Southeast Division with a record of 18-7-4.

[edit] Team colors and mascot

[edit] Logo

The team unveiled their official team logo simultaneously in a live Internet launch (an NHL first) and at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

[edit] Jerseys

The current team colors are ice blue, navy blue, red, and gold. In 2003, the NHL decided to switch home and road jerseys^[1].

[edit] Mascot

Thrash, a Brown Thrasher

[edit] Statistics and records

[edit] Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Records as of December 5, 2006. ^[2]

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1999-00	82	14	57	7	4	39	170	313	1422	5th, Southeast	Did not qualify
2000-01	82	23	45	12	2	60	211	289	1500	4th, Southeast	Did not qualify
2001-02	82	19	47	11	5	54	187	288	1290	5th, Southeast	Did not qualify
2002-03	82	31	39	7	5	74	226	284	1253	3rd, Southeast	Did not qualify
2003-04	82	33	37	8	4	78	214	243	1505	2nd, Southeast	Did not qualify
2004-051	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005-062	82	41	33	—	8	90	281	275	1318	3rd, Southeast	Did not qualify
2006-07	29	18	7	—	4	40	101	81	498	1st, Southeast
Totals	498	166	259	45	31	408	1321	1714	8411	—	—

¹ Season was cancelled due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

² As of the 2005-06 NHL season, all games tied after regulation will be decided in a shootout; SOL (Shootout losses) will be recorded as OTL in the standings.

[edit] Individual records

[edit] Regular season

• Most Goals in a season: Ilya Kovalchuk, 52 (2005-06)
• Most Assists in a season: Marc Savard, 69 (2005-06)
• Most Points in a season: Ilya Kovalchuk, 98 (2005-06)
• Most Penalty Minutes in a season: Jeff Odgers, 226 (2000-01)
• Most Points in a season, defenseman: Jaroslav Modry, 38 (2005-06)
• Most Points in a season, rookie: Dany Heatley, 67 (2001-02)
• Most Wins in a season: Pasi Nurminen, 25 (2003-04)
• Most Shutouts in a season: Kari Lehtonen, 4 (2006-07 as of November 30, 2006)

[edit] Current roster

As of December 12, 2006. [1]

Goaltenders
#		Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
1		Johan Hedberg	L	2006	Leksand, Sweden
32		Kari Lehtonen	L	2002	Helsinki, Finland

Defensemen
#		Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
2		Garnet Exelby (Injured)	L	1999	Craik, Saskatchewan
3		Vitaly Vishnevski	L	2006	Kharkiv, U.S.S.R.
4		Braydon Coburn	L	2003	Calgary, Alberta
5		Steve McCarthy	L	2006	Trail, British Columbia
7		Greg de Vries	L	2005	Sundridge, Ontario
25		Andy Sutton (IR)	L	2002	Kingston, Ontario
28		Niclas Havelid - A	L	2004	Stockholm, Sweden
34		Shane Hnidy	R	2005	Neepawa, Manitoba

Forwards
#		Player	Position	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
9		Glen Metropolit	C/RW	L	2006	Toronto, Ontario
10		Jason Krog	C	R	2006	Fernie, British Columbia
11		J.P. Vigier	RW	R	2001	Notre Dame de Lourdes, Manitoba
13		Vyacheslav Kozlov - A	LW	L	2002	Voskresensk, U.S.S.R.
14		Jon Sim	RW	L	2006	New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
16		Bobby Holik - A	C	R	2005	Jihlava, Czechoslovakia
17		Ilya Kovalchuk	LW	R	2001	Tver, U.S.S.R.
18		Marian Hossa - A	RW	L	2005	Stara Lubovna, Czechoslovakia
19		Scott Mellanby - C	RW	R	2004	Montreal, Quebec
20		Steve Rucchin	C	L	2006	Thunder Bay, Ontario
23		Jim Slater	C/LW	L	2002	Petoskey, Michigan
29		Brad Larsen	LW	L	2004	Nakusp, British Columbia
36		Eric Boulton	LW	L	2005	Halifax, Nova Scotia
39		Niko Kapanen	C	L	2006	Hämeenlinna, Finland

[edit] Team captains

• Kelly Buchberger, 1999-2000
• Steve Staios, 2000-01
• Ray Ferraro, 2001-02
• Shawn McEachern, 2002-04
• Scott Mellanby, 2005- present

[edit] Hall of Famers

• None

[edit] Retired numbers

• 99 Wayne Gretzky, number retired league-wide February 6, 2000

[edit] First-round draft picks

• 1999: Patrik Stefan (1st overall)
• 2000: Dany Heatley (2nd overall)
• 2001: Ilya Kovalchuk (1st overall)
• 2002: Kari Lehtonen (2nd overall) & Jim Slater (30th overall)
• 2003: Braydon Coburn (8th overall)
• 2004: Boris Valabik (10th overall)
• 2005: Alex Bourret (16th overall)
• 2006: Bryan Little (12th overall)

[edit] Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Thrashers player

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	P/G
Ilya Kovalchuk*	LW	333	177	158	335	1.01
Vyacheslav Kozlov*	RW	265	75	149	224	.85
Marc Savard	C	184	63	133	196	1.07
Dany Heatley	LW	190	80	101	181	.95
Patrik Stefan	C	413	59	118	177	.43
Ray Ferraro	C	223	56	91	147	.66
Marian Hossa*	RW	108	59	72	131	1.21
Andrew Brunette	LW	158	38	71	109	.69
Yannick Tremblay	D	300	33	74	107	.36
Frantisek Kaberle	D	272	20	82	102	.38

[edit] NHL awards and trophies

Calder Memorial Trophy

• Dany Heatley: 2001-02

Rocket Richard Trophy

• Ilya Kovalchuk: 2003-04 (shared with Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets)

[edit] Media

The Atlanta Thrashers are broadcast on cable television on SportSouth, which is available in many Deep South states. Until October 13, 2006, SportSouth was known as Turner South. In 2006-07, the channel will broadcast about 75% of the team's schedule. Outside of the league's contract with NBC, the team has no broadcast (over-the-air) TV contract; thus, games are only available on television to fans with cable or satellite.

Radio coverage includes play-by-play of all games on 680 The Fan -- an AM sports station in Atlanta. The station is the flagship of a network that includes 18 stations. Most are in Georgia, but there are two affiliates in South Carolina and one in Scottsboro, Alabama.

[edit] References

1. ^ Karol, Kristofer (January 27, 2003). NHL 'quacked' up with hockey jersey switch. State News. Retrieved on 2006-08-30.
2. ^ Hockeydb.com, Atlanta Thrashers season statistics and records.

[edit] See also

• List of Atlanta Thrashers players
• Head Coaches of the Atlanta Thrashers
• Atlanta Flames
• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons
• List of NHL franchise post-season droughts

[edit] External links

• Official website of the Atlanta Thrashers

Atlanta Thrashers Head Coaches
Fraser • Waddell • Hartley