It's Been a Great Ride.

Well, it came to a close all too quickly. Despite the fact that game 3 was a disaster for the Thrashers, and even though it seems we were mostly outplayed, 3 out of the 4 games were incredibly close score wise. And to say the least the Rangers also got incredibly lucky – twice. The fluke goal on Moose in game 2 and the one in game 4 that hit the crossbar and just so happened to bounce off of it within a hair behind the goal line. Those stung and they still sting this morning.

But let me tell you something. I’m damn proud of this team and what they accomplished. Some argue that the Thrashers are no longer a young organization. Well, compared to some NHL teams that have been around for decades and decades, 7 years is still, relatively speaking, a young organization. We might not be considered an expansion team any more, but it can take years and years for newer teams to make it in the right direction. And this season has been a step in that direction. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that we’d be Division Champs and in the playoffs for the first time, I think anyone would have taken that in a heartbeat. It’s better than we’ve ever done before and really brought the sport to life here in Atlanta.

Last week I couldn’t get any work done because my fellow co-workers kept stopping by to ask me about and talk about the Thrashers. There were the first Thrashers playoff bootleg tshirts being sold outside Philips. We actually got some prominent coverage in the AJC. Heck, even driving through downtown I saw bums with Blueland shirts and flags. It was the talk of the town and the thing to do in Atlanta.

That first playoff game on Thursday night… that was awe inspiring. Not a seat left in the house. I’ve never been in a place that loud before. Our fans, despite being NHL playoff virgins, were there in force. We were loud. The arena was beautiful. It was an amazing sight and sound that for anyone that was there will never forget. It was something special. Saturday was great too, but didn’t quite have the same magic as Game 1. But man, we’ve been waiting for that moment for over 7 years, and it finally came. Even the media took notice. I bet you they though we’d pull a Braves postseason-like attendance. I bet you they though we wouldn’t be that loud. I bet you they thought we wouldn’t bring it. Well, we brought it to say the least.

This has been the most memorable season as well. My girlfriend and I, yes, we were the very first ones in line for Opening Night. We got there incredibly early, a few hours before anyone else. Yeah, we love our Thrashers that much. As I was sitting there reading, Coach Hartley comes up behind me and goes “So, are you reading about how we are going to win tonight?” I was startled but I came to attention and replied with something along the lines of “Hell yeah!” After he came back from getting Starbucks or whatever it was, he took a picture with me. Despite his questionable moves at times, he seems like a really nice guy. Don Waddell also walked by that day, along with several players. That day, we were also on 11 Alive news in a Home Opener feature. The calls didn’t end for a few days.

We went to quite a few practices. Sam got to meet and get a picture with her idol Kari. She, to this day, is still stunned she got to meet him. There was that autograph session earlier in the season where about MAYBE 20-30 people showed up at Philips; I think it was a Monday night. Since it was such a small crowd, people stood around and chatted it up with the players there.

The STH Town Hall Meetings were always fun you always wanted to hear whatever Waddell had to say. Plus the great food and drinks, well, that’s awesome too. The last Town Hall Meeting of the season was packed with more people than I’ve ever seen. Those are always a great experience.

We also got on the Kiss Kam earlier in the season. It was something, as a guy, that I’ve always wanted to experience. Well, finally the moment came. And we never looked go. I think we were both a bit nervous but, still, we kept going until the camera changed. Sam was quite embarrassed, but we she didn’t stop getting phone calls about it for a month.

The Stanley Cup also came to Atlanta. It had been hear before, it was here during a Hawks game I believe a long time ago, but I never got a chance to see it. I knew it was coming to the Buck & Kincaid 680 The Fan broadcast inside CNN Center, so I setup there about an hour before it’s arrival, and got as close as I could. Not too many people knew about it’s visit there. I was able to get up really close and get a good 50-60 pictures of it. It really is something to see. And as soon as it came out, all the sudden it was like a flock of hornets… the cameras and cell phone cameras broke out like a bad case of the herpes. People came in from out of nowhere. Interested CNN Center patrons also took notice that had no idea it was going to be there. But I was lucky enough to get up close and get some great photos. No, I didn’t touch it. But seeing it in person was awesome.

And then, after it’s stop at 680, it went into the Arena. Now, the line for that was a mess, they were totally unprepared for the massive line it created. Anyway, I wanted to see it again, and this time with the offifical NHL table cloth that it normally sits on. As I was waiting, I was interviewed by Sam Crenshaw of 11 Alive Sports… and yet again, I ended up on 11 Alive.

We also met a lot of really nice people as well that we saw nearly every game. From Lisa our Thrashers “mom” to Chief, everyone has been incredibly nice and fun to be around.

There are plenty of other great memories too. The fan rally at Jillians. The Rangers players trying to enter Philips the wrong way. The practices. The close games. Seeing Sabres fans walk out of Philips quiet after we beat them 4-3. I’m probably missing a bunch of great things that happened over the course of the season. That last game vs. Tampa is something I’ll never forget. Oh yeah, of course, I can’t forget – Blog Night.

Blog Night was awesome. Getting the full tour of Philips Arena. Sitting in the press box and meeting a lot of the press crew. Seeing the game from that angle. Blogging live during the game… not to mention free entry into the game… getting to meet Ben (the Web Guy) and meeting all of the other bloggers. I hope they do that again next season!

What else, what else? I’m sure I’m missing a few things. But all around, this season was, by far, the most memorable for me, at least personally. I fell in love with this team since they’ve been here, but none more so than this season. It was a special team, the likes of which we may never see again. I just hope next season we make it again and take that next step… not just winning a game in the playoffs, but maybe making it to the next round. That would be incredible.

I’m sad, I’m depressed, disappointed… I can’t find the right words to say how I feel about losing the way we did in the playoffs. I don’t think anyone saw that coming. It stung, it still stings, and will sting for a probably a few more days. But here in Atlanta, we’ve been let down before, many, many times in postseason sports… hell, the Braves have been doing that to us since 1991… so it doesn’t get any easier for the years, you just learn to handle that stomach-twisting, gut wrenching, depressing feeling better.

At least we got to experience the playoffs and got to experience what it feels like to lose in the playoffs. Perhaps that’s just what it takes to make it further next season. But right now that seems so very, far, far away. At least we had the experience to feel this way… if it wasn’t for making the playoffs, you wouldn’t have had the experience of that feeling… and when you love your team THAT much, it makes it that much harder.

One of the best things about the Thrashers compared to the other teams in Atlanta, are by far, the most accessible and fan friendly you can ask for. They’ll stop and sign your hockey gear. They’ll take pictures with you. The team and the organization make you feel closer to the team and the players than any other team does. We should be so lucky, teams up north would have crowds and lines going out the door for miles. In Atlanta, it’s not so bad. Even the most busy practices aren’t so full you can’t move. You really do feel like you are a part of something bigger.

Of course it wouldn’t be fair to only blog about the good things during the season. The team was incredibly streaky and that surely doesn’t help you in the post season. 5 wins, 4 losses… that’s just weird. They need to be more consistent next season.

What else. STH weren’t treated as well as in past season. No money to spend in the team gear store. Increased prices. Few, if any, perks outside of hockey. Heck, the tickets came in a UPS bag unlike the previous season when they came in a sweet looking package.

What else. The thing that pissed me off the most was the stunt they pulled in Game 2 at Headlines Grill. Now if you have tickets in 300 or 400, and you get to the arena early, you know the secret – go to Headlines Grill. It might be a race to get a good seat there, but if you get one, it’s worth the run. Now, for game 1 of the playoffs, there was a cooperate party before the game started. While we were standing there waiting, we did get to meet Don Waddell and Billy Knight, who were hanging around the bottom of the stairs that lead up to Headlines Grill. Anyway, we were able to run up the stairs and grab some great seats. Now our plan was the same for game 2.

We got there and there was a sign that said that the bar stool seats were “researved” for “ticketed guests.” Two things. First, the sign was misspelled, so technically, you can say that you do no understand what it means. A sign must be obvious and clear, and this sign was FAR from that. Under the misspelled “researved”, it said “reserved for ticketed guests.” I’m sorry but this bullshit is incredibly vague and has no meaning to me. I am ticketed. I am a guest. I should be able to sit there. We’ve been sitting there all season. And now you try to milk every single little, last dime? We were TOLD BY SEASON TICKET HOLDER REP that these seats, during the entire playoffs, would be first come, first serve as always. Now, we get there. The guy tells us they are selling the seats, however, at 2:30, for those seats not sold, they will release them. Some time after that, we were told that the seats would NOT be for sale and that they were going to try to sell all the tickets. We still stood there and waited in hopes of something changing. Then, he came BACK to tell us that yes, again, they are going to open up at 2:30. And then, of course, again, we were told the seats would not be opened up and they were selling all of them. It was the misinformation that pissed me off more than anything. People that get there early and wait for those spots should get them, not some guy in a suit or some guy with more money than he knows what to do with get them… those kind of people aren’t the real fans by any means. Some idiots paid 60-75 dollars EXTRA, per seat to sit there. And what really, really pisses me of is that even during the game there were STILL quite a few of those seats – EMPTY. It was a stunt that I can’t believe was pulled. It was unethical, it was immoral, and NOT a good way to screw over your fans like that. I understand that it’s their arena and they can do what they want. But that doesn’t mean it’s right. It makes me think all they want and care about is to milk everyone for every little dime they spend. As if spending money on tickets and food isn’t enough, you gotta charge for the seats just because it’s playoffs? Fuck that. Even the waitresses, who went out of there way to get to know us during the season, said it sucked because the big buck mother fuckers who pay that much for a seat don’t buy the same food like we do. She said she thought it sucked and she didn’t like it either. In fact, quite a FEW arena employees around Headlines Grill voiced their displeasure.

I really, really hope they don’t pull that stunt EVER, EVER again. If they start doing that next season, then the shit will hit the fan. If you don’t do it all season, and not for game 1, what makes you think you should be able to do that to fans who know and depend on that being there? Seriously. It was wrong, they know it, and everyone that came up there to get a seat was JUST as pissed and ticked off as I was.

Because of the situation, we all had to sit in our separate seats. Second, it’s the playoffs – it was a bad, bad omen to the start of the game. The LAST thing an organization should do is create ANY possible negative things going on… and blocking your fans from seats at Headlines Grill is not a good thing. It was a bad omen, a bad, bad start to the game, and then we get beat. Of course it has nothing to do with the on ice performance, but any little sign of negativity before the playoffs just is not a good idea in any shape or form.

The only other thing is that the doors have GOT to open on time. Not 3 minutes after the hour, not 5 minutes, but right on the button. No excuses. I worked for the Braves and if we were not in place at least 20 minutes or so before and ready to go, then we got in huge trouble. The ticket scanners should be ready to go and the doors should be ready to open at the strike of the hour. Fans get restless and angry when they’ve been waiting there for a long time and can’t get in when they should. It can take a while to get in line for the spin-n-win game, go to the store, get some food, and get a seat. That is why the doors MUST open ON TIME.

Grill disaster, I have no other complaints. The arena has a great smell and feel to it when you walk in the door. The food and service has always been great. The ushers and employees have been great and you have to give them credit for what they do. It’s not easy working with the public with 1000’s of people. I thought it was tough working for the Braves when Mets fans came to town, but man, I don’t even want to imagine what it’s like with crazy hockey fans.

But it’s now time to close this out. I’m not sure if there’ll be another post for a while unless there is any major Thrashers-related news to discuss. Next season can’t come soon enough. I’m already have really, really bad Thrashers and hockey withdrawal. It became such a big part of my life. I only missed ONE game the entire season for the Georgia vs. Georgia Tech football game, which I have never missed and never will. But missing only ONE game during the entire season isn’t too bad I’d say. So, to close out, I just wanted to say thanks to the Thrashers, the organization, the employees at Philips and all of the great fans for making this the most memorable season yet. I hope next season is ever better. I can’t wait and I’m counting down the days until we reveal the Division Champs banner and we get the season under way.

So for now, goodbye. I hope that if you’ve read this blog (yeah right, someone reads my blog?) that you continue to do so next season. I might not has as much technical information in regards to stats or that truly hard core hockey talk, but you know what, I love this team with all my heart and that is all that matters.

LETS GO THRASHERS!!!!!