John Anderson was officially introduced to the public at a June 24 press conference. Garnet Exelby, who won a Calder Cup in 2002 with the Chicago Wolves and Anderson, helped welcome the new coach to the Thrashers.
“He’s a demanding coach who expects you to play with the same passion that he brings as a coach,” Exelby said. “But at the same time he’s a great guy to play for and winning follows him around. He always has the right things to say to get through to players – he has a knack for it.”
Anderson seems to be an amicable figure to the city and is not shy of the media, having already done three radio interviews in the Atlanta area since being named head coach.
With a new coach and new players, the Atlanta Spirit hopes to revamp ticket sales for the upcoming season. The 2007-08 season showed positive ticket sales, with the team coming off a playoff appearance and Atlanta hosting the NHL All-Star Game, but attendance slowly tapered off early after the firing of Bob Hartley and the poor performance on the ice.
MAKING HISTORY
Now that the entry draft is complete, the Thrashers made history when they selected two of their top picks. Daultan Levellie, who was drafted 29th overall, became the first player to come straight out of the Golden Horseshoe League in Ontario. Vinny Saponari, who is from Powder Springs, Ga., and went 94th overall, was the first player born and trained in Georgia to be drafted. Eric Chouinard was the first Georgia-born player to be drafted by an NHL team 10 years ago, but was mostly trained in Canada.
The next area to look forward to is free agency which started July 1 (after press time). A handful of Thrashers were on the list as unrestricted or restricted free agents. Last season’s team captain Bobby Holik had yet to be re-signed to Atlanta where he would like to continue playing. Kari Lehtonen, who has made an impact with the Thrashers for three full seasons, would like to re-sign as long as his $2.2 million paycheck he earned last season is increased.
IN OTHER NEWS
It was reported last Saturday that defenseman Alexei Zhitnik had been placed on waivers. Zhitnik, a 15-year veteran and two-time All-Star, was acquired via trade in February 2007, and appeared in 65 games for the Thrashers last season. … On July 20, the Thrashers will hold preliminary auditions for the 2008-09 Blue Crew at the Duluth Ice Forum. The girls will spend a week attending fitness evaluations, business interviews, learning the media rules and uniform fittings. Girls must be at least 19 years of age, have completed high school or have a GED, and be able to attend all Thrashers team events.
Yood can be reached at kellieyood@yahoo.com.
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