- Thrashers vs. Sabres, 2/6/07This is a fair warning: The comments you are about to read are raw and unedited for content. You have been warned.
First of all, this was nothing short of a playoff game... except it wasn't. This was one of the Thrashers best games of the season, despite the overtime loss. Even had we won in SO, both teams played so well tonight that neither really deserved to get a loss. But there are no more ties. I think the shootout, while highly entertaining, and while the Thrashers have had a 5-0 streak in shootouts, tonight it obviously didn't work out in our favor. But like I said, even had we won, it's not fair. To play 65 minutes and end up determining a win or loss on only a few shots on goal is great for the average fan, great for TV ratings, but not how I want to see a game end. I'd rather see another 15 minute OT period, then and only then if the game is still tied, then proceed to a shootout... making it a truly special thing. It's no way to lose a game... or win it.
Now, on to the refs. They were on their knees most of the night blowing calls left and right. You KNOW it's bad when on the post game show that is what half the show was about. I understand they want to let them play, especially these two teams, but there's no excuse for some of the calls that were not made. I'm not saying they were bias, but blind tonight. Sure, hockey fans will always hate on and complain about refs, but when the GAME ANNOUNCERS make a mention of how bad it was, that should give them a clue.
Yet again we had so many close chances to go up in the game and win in regulation, but so did the Sabres. I just wish we had played with even 3/4 of the heart we played with tonight when we played the Flyers and Islanders.... we may had had a closer game with the Islanders, but we would have easily beat the Flyers. That's what is so frustrating ... we play on par with the best team in the Eastern Conference, yet we can't beat bottom feeders like the Flyers... but nonetheless, we ended the homestand on a very positive note, there's not a thing the Thrashers should feel down about after tonight's game. I'm glad we got a point, I'm glad we ended on a very positive note, Kari played incredibly well and made some highlight reel saves.
But Sabres fans.... whoa. What a breed. They show about as much class as a snowy day in Georgia - None. (Get it, no class?). The prime example was the Sabres fan on the big screen who decided to flick everyone off on the screen. Now, I've seen kids and young teens do this before at games... but a grown man? The Sabres, their fans, and especially the fuck face who flicked off the screen got booed... I might expect that out of a kid, but not a grown up adult. He made ALL Sabres fans look bad tonight, he is a disgrace, and from what I observed tonight... this is not an opinion, this is a FACT: Sabres fans are no better than Mets fans. They win a game and act like they just won the Stanley Cup. When the Mets beat the Braves, they act like they just won the World Series. Most of what I observed tonight was incredibly unclassy, obnoxious, rude, and downright disgusting. I don't want to stereotype Sabres fans, and I've seen the Thrashers play pretty much every team in the NHL over the years ... I've never seen them as bad as Sabres fans.... but there is one thing they truly are, they are bandwagon. If they weren't leading their division and the conference, they would have never packed Philips Arena like they did tonight. Never in a million years. There's proof as well: If you every thought Thrashers fans were bad about yelling "shoot!" "shoot!" when it's the dumbest thing you can say, there were plenty of Sabres "fans" screaming "shoot!" "shoot!" when it was quite obviously the WRONG time... and they kept saying and and saying it. You'd think for a team that's been around a long time... you'd think their fans would know better. Now, there's a logical reason to determine that they are, in fact, a load of bandwagon fans: When the Chicago Cubs come to town, Turner Field turns into Wrigley Field South, no matter how the Cubs are doing - if they are playing well or having a crappy season, they still turn out in droves. However, we've played the Sabres in previous season when they WEREN'T that good; they never turned out in packs like they did tonight. Yes, Atlanta is a city full of transplants, but they all came out of the woodwork tonight... But I've met fans from so many NHL teams, and most of them have been nice, classy, and easy to talk to, but these guys.... are from another planet. You'd think that since many of them are transplants, while they've been in Atlanta, you'd THINK they'd learn at least a LITTLE good 'ole Southern Hospitality, but apparently not. C'mon now, a GROWN MAN giving the bird on the screen? What was he thinking? I'm just glad they are gone for now. They are no better than Mets fans, and well, we all know what Southerners think of Mets fans.
The Thrashers need to go in with the mindset that if we can play THAT well against the Sabres, we can play that well and beat any team at any time. I'd like to see Moose get a start or two on the road trip; Kari is going to need a break, especially with the odd start times that the Thrashers have not had to face yet this season.
Rewind a little bit, to before the game... I walked up to the ticket windows to get my girlfriend a ticket; I asked for $10 ticket, yet the man told me they were sold out... I'm sure there was ONE $10 ticket left... so I had to end up buying a student ticket, which is fine with me...but another $5 I hate to spend... Anyway, as I'm waling back down the sidewalk, 4 or 5 cops on bikes pull up and behind them are several black limos and SUVs. They all pulled up incredibly fast in a very TV or movie like way... there was a huge group of what looked like mostly girls waiting... I thought maybe it was a government official or famous athlete, possibly coming to see the game. Not even close. It was JOHN fucking TRAVOLTA and TIM ALLEN and others walking in to the CNN Center and very quickly into the CNN entrance. I didn't catch a but a very small glimpse of Tim Allen, but I did get a better glimpse of John Travolta. Now, I didn't have my camera with me to prove this, but the image I have in my mind is that he stopped to shake the person's had at the desk at the entrance to CNN. It was all too easy to see that it was in fact Travolta. So, after the crazniess, I went back to where School of Music at GSU where my girlfriend works to give her the ticket... I had left my camera in her car and she happened to have it with her, so I took the camera and snapped a photo of the limos, drivers, and bodyguards. Right after I took the photo, one of the guys was waving at me and yelling at me angerly to not take any photos... well, I left my camera in the car tonight, but I'll certainly post the picture the next chance I get. My girlfriend, her boss, and my mom were highly jealous, to say the least LOL. It was only a very short moment, but I mean, it was fucking John Travolta!
Here's an article from AccessAtlanta.com John Travolta, William H. Macy, Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence were in town to promote their new film and motorcycle safety.
The refs were a ultra bad tonight, Sabres fans were assholes, but the Thrashers played an amazing game, picked up a point, and ended the homestand on a high note... Usually when we lose in SO, it's a downer, but tonight I didn't have most of the crappy feelings after the game; it was way too good of a game to feel like crap, win or lose... I wonder what the hell Kovlov was thinking in the SO, that was a weird move, but he and Hossa have been SO good lately, they were bound to eventually not get SO goals.
Well, that's it for now. Because many of the games on the road trip have odd start times, don't expect a post game blog; expect posts to be made the day after or even a day or two after the game; just have to see how it goes. I haven't posted any links to articles in the last few days, so I'll be sure to get back on track with that starting tomorrow...errr. well make that later today...
Don't despair just yet, Thrashers fans... the season isn't over yet... we seem to have a lot of fans that are hard on our team... I guess here in Atlanta we expect the very best... the Braves have only been making the playoffs since 1991.... except last season, but still... if we play like we did tonight, we have a great chance to not only make the playoffs, but go deep into the playoffs. It's not over till the fat lady sings... we just need to make the playoffs and that I am confident we can do. Stay positive as you can, I can understand the frustration and how hard it is to stay positive, especially when we failed against the Flyers twice... but even so, that's the magic of sports...the worst teams can beat the best, the best can beat the worst on any given night. That's how it goes.
Let's go Thrashers!!!!!
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