Sports Page Atlanta

Ilya Kovalchuk has been the only bright spot for the Atlanta Thrashers lately. On Tuesday in a loss against the Flyers, he netted his 50th of the season. This is the 2nd time in his brief career that he has scored 50 goals in a season. He now has 252 career goals in just under 6 seasons.

But do you remember back in the Thrashers first season back in 1999-2000 who the team’s leading scorers were???

Here are the top 6 from that season…

1. Andrew Brunette - 23
2. Ray Ferraro - 19
3. Dean Sylvester - 16
4. Nelson Emerson - 14
5. Yannick Tremblay - 10
6. Mike Stapleton - 10

No one else scored in double-figures that season for the Thrashers.
photo credit: FrenchKheldar

The Atlanta Thrashers have allowed the most goals this season. They need help on defense, they need to be more physical, they need to get bigger, they did.

The Thrashers called up Boris Valabik from their Chicago-based farm team in the AHL.

The native Slovakian stands in at 6′7″ and weighs 240 pounds. He has racked up a total of 191 penalty minutes this season, good enough for 10th in the league in that category.

Valabik was the Thrashers first round draft pick (10th overall) in the 2004 NHL Draft.

Atlanta Thrashers center Jim Slater won the ‘Planeteer of the Year’ award for his environmental efforts that he displays. The award is presented by the Captian Planet Foundation.

The former 2002 first round draft pick was instrumental by getting recycle bins placed throughout Philips Arena and in the teams’ locker room. Slater also filmed a public service announcement on recycling that is played before every home Thrasher game. He was also the co-chairman of the 2007 Atlanta Recycles Day.

The Captain Planet Foundation was created to support hands-on environmental projects for youths. It was founded in 1991.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored for the Atlanta Thrashers last night against the Carolina Hurricanes. It was his 43rd goal of the season. Last season he had just 42 goals and now has 4 straight 40-goal seasons. His career-high is 52 which he netted back in the 2005-06 season.

But he is having a career-high season in shooting pct.

Here is a list of his career stats…

2001-02 29 goals 15.8 shooting pct

2002-03 38 14.8

2003-04 41 12.0

2004-05 -nhl lockout

2005-06 52 16.1

2006-07 42 12.5

2007-08 43 18.2

There are14 games left on the Thrashers season this season.

photo credit: FrenchKheldar

photo credit: Timmy!!one

Overall, the Pittsburgh Penguins have absolutely added to their team one of the best wingers up for grabs in Marian Hossa, and a penalty killer in Pascal Dupuis.

The Penguins got the better end of this trade. Don Waddell is counting on the “possibility” in the young ones from Pittsburgh, but with the salary cap, and based off how other “sellers” benefited, Waddell did an excellent job by actually getting players, and not just future considerations.

Thrashers fans are going to be upset now. Until we see how Erik Christensen and Colby Armstrong play with their new team (and they will play their “old” team this Sunday), we REALLY don’t know how this will effect the Thrashers. The Thrashers play as of late has been lacking, and with players like Perrin, Kozlov, and Holik, along with the recent play of Slater and Thorburn, these two new Thrashers have an opportunity to do more with Atlanta than they possibly would being shadowed by Crosby and Malkin.

Overall, I am disappointed by losing Hossa and Dupuis. All great Thrashers fans loved watching Dupuis skating lightning fast, and being such a threat on the penalty kill. Fans have enjoyed chanting Hossa, but regardless of feelings, only time will tell. Knowing how Waddell has been in the past, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was basically a payroll move, and with the strong possibility that he now has made more room to re-acquire Hossa AND Dupuis come July 1st.