The Other Side of the Argument

Allan Muir says the blame should be on Waddell and discusses possible replacements:

Safe to say, Hartley deserved the collar. He was part of the problem…but hardly the only part.

It was Waddell, after all, who asked Hartley to win with a roster that included neither a legitimate No. 1 or No. 2 center. It was Waddell who failed to replace Marc Savard, who departed for Boston in the summer of ‘06, and who this summer committed four years and nearly $10 million to Todd White, a free agent who scorched opposing goaltenders for 44 points last season. It was Waddell who maintained a scouting department that has delivered sub-par results in any situation other than a chip shot like calling Ilya Kovalchuk’s name first overall in 2001. It was Waddell who painfully cashed several layers of the team’s future, for the departed Keith Tkachuk and a couple of diminishing assets in Alexei Zhitnik and the dime-a-dozen Pascal Dupuis. And it is Waddell who’s yet to come to terms with Marian Hossa, the team’s most important asset, and one who seems more likely by the moment to head elsewhere when he reaches free agency this summer.

Waddell did what he had to do to save his job. But this was a reprieve, rather than a stay of execution. Unless he performs some miracle while wearing his GM hat, the on-ice fortunes of the Thrashers seem unlikely to improve significantly while he’s behind the bench.

The other skate will drop soon enough.

Start the Rumors

The first one comes from Pierre LeBrun, on Sportsnet.ca:

Thrashers GM Don Waddell had a long list of names he was peering over Wednesday that he needed to whittle down at some point. He’s going to be behind the bench at least a week if not longer probably before hiring Hartley’s successor.

Waddell wouldn’t divulge any of the names on his list for his next coach so I’ll go ahead and speculate. Aside from Quinn, other names might be Atlanta’s AHL coach in Chicago, John Anderson, as well as people such as Randy Cunneyworth, Robbie Ftorek, Kevin Constantine, Steve Stirling and Peter DeBoer — a hot junior hockey commodity.

Waddell should be okay. He’s got a good relationship with Thrashers ownership and also has two more years on his deal. But firing Hartley was not an easy decision.

“It was really tough,” Waddell told Sportsnet.ca. “This is one of the toughest days I’ve had as a Thrasher because Bob and I have become very close friends. It was very emotional. He’s a good man. He’s done a good job for us. But more importantly he’s a good man.”

Still, Waddell felt the players needed a new message. They had lost 10 games in a row going back to last spring’s playoff sweep at the hand of the New York Rangers.

BREAKING: Hartley Fired

Per TSN.ca:

After six straight losses to open the season, the Atlanta Thrashers have fired head coach Bob Hartley. Sources tell TSN that general manager Don Wadell will take over behind the bench on an interim basis until a replacement can be hired.

More to come later.

Update: Press conference scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

No More Captaincy for Holik

The Thrashers have suceeded at only one thing in this young season, and that is being the laughing stock of the NHL. They arent losing games because of a lack of talent, but a lack of grit. Im not just refering to their pansy playing style, but more importantly, when they get scored on they hang there heads and whine rather than getting one back. There is one main reason that this is occuring, and that is a lack of leadership. I do not mean from Bob Hartley or any of the other coaches. I am talking about leadership from team captain Bobby Holik. The captain is the guy that keeps everyone on track out there on the ice, not the coach.

So what has to be done? It is simple. Bobby Holik must be removed of his captaincy.

Nothing will make a statement to the other players more than that. You do not appoint another captain right away. Bob Hartley must challenge the other players to earn it. The position is open to anyone, because right now it is obvious that no one wants to step up and lead exept for Ilya Kovalchuk who has resorted to being the enforcer on the team as well as the sniper, play maker, and every other positive title out there.

If Hartley doesnt do something drastic he will lose his job in the near future. The ball is in his court.

A Few Thoughts

Well, the Thrashers lost again tonight by a score of 4-0 in Philadelphia. Here are a few random thoughts about the game and the season:

Things done well tonight: Little, Sterling, and Haydar played together more and it seems like Hartley is going to stick with what is “working well.” (I use the quotes because nothing is working.)

Umm, so what else went well tonight? Well, the team arrived in Philadelphia safely, didn’t get lost (that I know of) on the way to the hotel, and it looked like everyone was able to put on their jerseys and lace up their skates properly. That about sums it up.

What went wrong? Everything else.

When did the Thrashers get the 6th loss last season? November 17th, in the 21st game of the year.

So this brings up a few questions:

• What is going to happen first: a Thrashers win, or the firing squad?
• Who will win more games: the Atlanta Falcons, or the Thrashers? (Yes, I know the Thrashers play more than 5 times more games that Falcons, but who knows.)
• Will the AJC and atlantathrashers.com writers be able to come up with enough titles and different ways to describe a Thrashers loss?

Good news! I have found that rare and elusive silver lining in all of this! At this rate, we will have the first pick next year!

Unless of course Waddell trades the pick away for a rent-a-player, then that hope is gone too.

Oh, and I apologize for any sarcasm in this post. Winless in 6 games and a 10 game losing streak will do that.