Life After Kovy
Last night was the end of an era for hockey in Atlanta, but it most certainly doesn’t have to be the end of hockey in Atlanta. For the last 8 years, Ilya Kovalchuk has been the reason to watch the Thrashers.
When the Thrashers take the ice tonight against red-hot Washington, the reason to watch will finally be the Thrashers. Now is the time that the team can turn the corner and be a team. The Jackson 5 were never Michael & his 4 brothers, and the Thrashers finally aren’t Ilya and his supporting cast. When the Thrashers win games now, it won’t be because of the heroics of their captain, it will be because they outwork another team as a collective unit, and that is going to be refreshing to see. The jerseys with “Atlanta” going down the sleeve always outnumbered the 1 with Kovalchuk on the back. With that being said, I need to add that I do love Kovy as a hockey player, and will always continue to follow his game and wish him the best.
Lots of people in the media will say that Atlanta lost this trade, and yes, even I admit that none of the players the Thrashers got in return are Ilya Kovalchuk on any level, but it is important to look at the big picture. The Ilya Kovalchuk who was my favorite player was so because of his contributions for 8 seasons. The Thrashers didn’t trade 8 years of Ilya Kovalchuk, they traded 3 months. As a fan, we go 3 months without hockey every year, so this should be no big deal. When July 1st comes around, the Thrashers have the exact same 1-in-30 chance to acquire Kovy that every other team does. When July 1st comes around though, the team won’t be watching a star leave, they will be adding pieces to go along with the return their star brought who will now be with the team for years to come. The Thrashers are most certainly buyers in July, and they may be buyers on March 3rd, which is exciting.
Kovy is going to be portrayed as the villain in all of this, but I certainly don’t think that it is. Turning down $100,000,000 (look at all of those zeroes) is difficult for anyone to do, but Kovy has his reasons. As fans, we will all speculate that it has to do with the ownership. Hockey fans outside of Atlanta don’t understand what is happening with the owners’ legal battle, and if they did, I don’t think they would look down on the city the way that they do. Even fans who have followed the case in the media don’t know all of the facts, so we will never be able to fully pass judgement. With that said, it sickens me that the Internet is blowing up about how Kovy is greedy. Kovy wants to win, and I want him to as well. If he believes that he can’t do that in Atlanta, then it is good for him to try elsewhere while the Thrashers come up with their own winning game plan.
Now may be the most exciting time ever to be a Thrashers fan. The time is now for this to become the team of Bogosian, Kane, Little, Peverley, etc. These are the players that will be counted on moving forward, and without Kovy on the ice, we will all be able to focus on the game that each of them brings. Now is also the time to see exactly what makes Colby Armstrong so special, as he will be looked at to lead now more than ever. With Kovy gone, Army is our biggest unrestricted free agent. There is no reason to believe that Colby isn’t going to take his game to a new level as he plays for a contract and the opportunity to lead this team to the playoffs.
Tonight is one of those statement games that everyone gets excited to see their team play in. The fans who turn away from this team because of this team weren’t fans of the team to begin with. I followed this team before Kovy, and tonight I begin to follow them without him. When it comes time for the team to play in Atlanta, I plan to continue making my same 2 hour drive to Blueland, just as I did in 1999 B.K. (Before Kovy). Thanks to Center Ice, I will be keeping an eye on Kovy tonight, but also cheering as hard as ever for my Thrashers. When I woke up this morning, I put on my Thrashers hat, not an Ilya Kovalchuk one. Let’s not forget, there is a good chance Kovy plays more than just one more game in Atlanta this season. Who doesn’t want to keep his playoff losing streak going and knock off the Devils? Let’s Go Thrashers (before, during, and after Kovy)!
Post by http://twitter.com/everett_duke
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Atlanta Thrashers
Ilya Kovalchuk
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