What gets the goalie going? (+ FAIL?)

360 Magazine did a little featurette called "Kari Lehtonen's MP3 Playlist," listing the top 10 songs in his iTunes. The one page is shown below (with the text typed in case you can't read it). Caveat: I've never heard of 360, nor could I find ONE specific magazine with that title to attribute this to (there's about 6 out there and hard to determine to which this belongs). However, I'm not sure the right magazine would want credit, considering the EPIC FAIL* (in amongst the other, albeit less-epic fails) contained within...

Text:
Since Mid-January, Kari Lehtonen has been a steadying force for the Thrashers, holding down the fort and flat out stealing games when needed as he flirts with a new career-high save percentage. The quiet Finn is more grounded than your average goalie and spends a lot of free time listening to music and taking in concerts at Philips Arena.
Kari's method for finding new music is straightforward, and keeps him up to speed on the hottest tunes.
"I'm really hooked into iTunes. Once a week I go on and look at the Top 100 songs and preview anything I haven't heard before. I usually find three or four songs each time that I haven't heard before that I like and then a week later I do it again."
Lately the netminder has been listening to heavy doses of one of the most popular bands in the world.
"I really got into Coldplay after going to see the concert at Philips Arena, so I've downloaded a lot of Coldplay lately. They've always been one of my favorite bands and seeing them in concert took it to the next level."
Don't try to pigeon-hole Lehtonen's musical tastes though. They run the gamut from rock to country to hip-hop, as his recent Top 10 playlist shows:

• Coldplay: "Yellow"
• Kanye West: "Homecoming"
• Metallica: "The Day That Never Comes"
• U2: "One"
• Adam Gregory: "Crazy Days"
• Greenday: "King for a Day"
• The Killers: "Human"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers: "Zephyr"
• Beck: "Lost Cause"
• Akon: "I'm So Paid"

I was going to tear into the writer for their horrible writing skills, but I'll let that slide for now, and instead, share with my 4 darling loyal readers my top 10 songs on iTunes right now. I'm going in terms of, 10 Most Played, dig? You should comment and share yours. Which, in reality, is my subtle way of asking for some new music rec's!

Maali's Top 10 songs on iTunes:

• LL Cool J - Around the Way Girl
  
• n.e.r.d. - She Wants to Move (Native Tongue Remix)
  
• Buckcherry - Lawless and Lulu
• Reid Genauer - Dance
• O.A.R. - That Was a Crazy Game of Poker
• moe. - New York City
• Dropkick Murphys - The Gauntlet
• The Rasmus - First Day of My Life
  
• Weezer - Troublemaker
• Notorious B.I.G. - Real Niggaz

FAIL correction: Celestrina sent me a link of the full page from which the above was taken, so mild apologies for calling out the goalie fail. But since it's still funny, I'm not taking it down.

Kari grows up

Not sure how I missed this earlier... SORRY!

Lehtonen ready to prove he’s grown up

By Jeff Schultz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

If acceptance is the first step to recovery, maybe it also can be the first step toward prominence.

Kari Lehtonen came into the NHL as a talented goalie more than three years ago. He is still a talented goalie, just not a great one. Granted, there are issues associated with being the Thrashers’ starting goalie. Psychotic episodes, for example. But there have been questions about Lehtonen’s work ethic, mental toughness and a seeming tendency to assume that talent alone would carry him to success.

There’s no reason to guess any more. Lehtonen acknowledges everybody else was right. He needed to grow up.

“I got here with just talent,” he said with remarkable candidness the other day. “It feels great, you know, when it’s like you don’t have to do that much to get here. But that doesn’t last long. You have to work hard. Sometimes I think it’s easier for the players who have to go the other route — when you have to work harder and you’re a late bloomer. You already know it’s not going to be a walk in the park. I know that now.”

The Thrashers open the season Friday. It will be Lehtonen’s fourth full season. He is playing on only a one-year contract. They call that a crossroads.

Even Lehtonen acknowledges, “I wasn’t in a position to go in there and say, ‘I want 10 years. I want this and that.’ I know that I have to have a solid year.”

Even with an improved defensive corps, expectations for the Thrashers are generally low. The team is young and thin at forward, with little to support the talents of Ilya Kovalchuk. They have one of the league’s lowest payrolls.

The team’s best hope? That Lehtonen makes up for the roster’s deficiencies, which means becoming the difference-maker he was expected to be when he was drafted in 2002.

Goalies always have been the X-factor in hockey. It’s just more pronounced on some teams than others. Lehtonen was drafted second overall. He had size, skill and potential, connected qualities that had eluded his Atlanta predecessors. He was projected as a star, and former Thrashers coach Bob Hartley still says, “He has the potential to be one of the top five goalies in the league.”

But he isn’t. His career numbers (2.82 goals-against average, .913 saves percentage) are solid, especially given he plays behind one of the league’s most porous defenses. But extended absences with groin strains have led to questions about his strength and conditioning, and general goofiness — even dying his hair blue on the eve of the Thrashers’ first playoff series two years ago — illustrated what already had been suspected by teammates and Hartley: Lehtonen needed to grow up.

Hartley was tough on the goalie. Lehtonen didn’t always take it well. Funny how hindsight can be educational. Lehtonen now acknowledges Hartley was right all along.

“When I got here, I thought it would be a little easier,” he said. “Here was this guy [Hartley] who was — not yelling at me, but talking to me about everything. I was like, ‘What’s going on here?’ It was hard. For the first time in my life, somebody was tough on me, pushing me every day. That took awhile to get used to. But now I realize that’s what I really needed.”

Asked if he held any grudges against Hartley, Lehtonen laughed and said, “Not at all. I don’t think I would’ve gotten better if he didn’t do that.”

Hartley believes the pressure of coming into the NHL so young was difficult on Lehtonen, adding: “It’s not as hard for a young forward to be a stud. But it’s hard for a young goalie because there’s so much pressure.

“I would have Patrick Roy talk to Kari two or three times a year about things like how to bounce back from a loss. I told Kari many times, ‘You have the same tools as Patrick Roy. What you need to work on is your mental strength.’

“We learn in life that words don’t carry the same weight as actions. But Lehtonen is saying all the right things.

“It hasn’t gone the way I wanted,” he said. “But I still have many years left and hopefully I can take my game to the next level. I think I grew a lot.

“Skill-wise, I think there’s 100 goalies who can play here. But the top guys, whether they come to the rink after a loss or a win, they have the same mind-set. They’re not thinking about the past, they’re thinking about the next game. So much of it is mental.”

Reality hits at the age of 24.

Listen, here's what I want everyone to take out of this article. Kari made it to the NHL, to the Thrashers, on NOTHING BUT PURE TALENT. Not on discipline, not on conditioning, not on necessarily working his ass off (rakkastan sinua, Karppa!!), but strictly on the innate talent he possesses. You don't often hear the story of the guy who just happened to be REALLY GOOD at playing goal, even if he was half-assing it, and made it to the NHL anyway.  Actually, hardly ever. So image, just take a brief moment to dream about how breathtakingly awesome Kari will be with that extra effort and work.

Also, don't forget all those cans of Winning he's drinking now!

NHL.com blurb, 3 more cut

NHL.com's Mike Morreale put together a blurb on "one player to watch from each Southeast Division club who could become an influential component in a postseason run." Obviously Kari was the one from the Thrash. The write up he received was surprisingly positive.

Kari Lehtonen, Atlanta Thrashers -- Thrashers General Manager Don Waddell felt the revamping of his team's defense wouldn't have been complete without the assurance his record-breaking goalie was back in the mix, and signed him to a one-year deal in July.

The 24-year-old Lehtonen, the second pick in the 2002 Entry Draft, is the Thrashers' all-time leader in games played (158), wins (75), shutouts (11) and save percentage (.913). Lehtonen completed his third full season in 2007-08 with a 17-22-5 record, a career-high four shutouts, a 2.90 goals-against average and franchise-record .916 save percentage.

"It was my goal all summer to get a deal done and it was great to finally reach an agreement, so this way everything is in order from the start of training camp," Lehtonen told NHL.com. "I'm looking forward to playing for John Anderson since he was my coach for two years in Chicago (in the American Hockey League). We had great success there and I'm very excited that he's been given a chance to prove his ability on this level."

Lehtonen's new contract came after Waddell signed free agent defenseman Ron Hainsey to a five-year deal and drafted Zach Bogosian third at the 2008 Entry Draft, all in an attempt to retool a defense that yielded a League-high 3.24 goals a game last season.

Nothing we didn't know, but still nice. Also there's a video! So check that out.

FORWARDS
#20 Colby Armstrong
#36 Eric Boulton
#9 Erik Christensen
#42 Joey Crabb
#45 Matt Hoffman
#17 Ilya Kovalchuk
#13 Slava Kozlov
#50 Jordan LaVallee
#38 Junior Lessard
#10 Bryan Little
#41 Joe Motzko
#11 Eric Perrin
#19 Marty Reasoner
#23 Jim Slater
#21 Brett Sterling
#40 Grant Stevenson
#49 Colin Stuart
#27 Chris Thorburn
#12 Todd White
#14 Jason Williams

DEFENSEMEN
#4 Zach Bogosian
#39 Tobias Enstrom
#2 XLB
#6 Ron Hainsey
#28 Nic Havelid
#62 Arturs Kulda
#51 Scott Lehman
#47 Nathan Oystrick
#25 Jamie Rivers
#48 Boris Valabik
#?? Mathieu Schneider

GOALTENDERS
#1 Johan Hedberg
#32 Kari Lehtonen
#33 Ondrej Pavelec

Traverse City, also Training Camp opens 9/20

Thrashers to Participate in Traverse City Prospect Evaluation Tournament Sept. 13-17

Training Camp Opens on Sept. 20th at Duluth IceForum Following Tournament

Atlanta Thrashers

Sep 3, 2008, 3:36 PM EDT

The Atlanta Thrashers will be among eight NHL teams participating in the 2008 Traverse City Prospect Evaluation Tournament, hosted by the Detroit Red Wings at the Center I.C.E. Arena in Traverse City, Mich., from Sept. 13-17. The Thrashers will compete in the tournament’s Eastern Conference along with the Red Wings, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues will comprise the Western Conference.

Per tournament rules, each team may have a maximum of four players with one year of professional experience. In order to participate, all skaters must have been born no later than 1984; goalies are exempt from this rule.

The Thrashers roster will be highlighted by the team’s third overall selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, defenseman Zach Bogosian, as well as former Pittsburgh Penguins first-round selection Angelo Esposito. Newly appointed Chicago Wolves Head Coach Don Granato and Gwinnett Gladiators Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Pyle will coach the Thrashers prospects.

At the conclusion of the tournament, players will be selected to participate in the Thrashers main training camp, which begins with physicals and medical testing on Sept. 19th at the Duluth IceForum. On-ice workouts begin on Sept. 20th and are open to the public. A complete training camp schedule will be released at a later date.

Thrashers Traverse City Prospect Evaluation Tournament Schedule:

Saturday, Sept. 13
• Practice (8:30-9:15 a.m.); Game vs. Tampa Bay (3 p.m.)

Sunday, Sept. 14
• Practice (9:30-10:15 a.m.); Game vs. NY Rangers (2:30 p.m.)

Monday, Sept. 15
• Practice (10:45-11:45 a.m.)

Tuesday, Sept. 16
• Practice (11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.); Game vs. Detroit (7 p.m.)

Wednesday, Sept. 17
• 7th Place Game (2 p.m.)
• 5th Place Game (2:30 p.m.)
• 3rd Place Game (6 p.m.)
• Championship Game (6:30 p.m.)

Kari's working out!

Lehtonen has begun on-ice workouts

By Mike Knobler | Tuesday, August 5, 2008, 03:47 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kari Lehtonen won’t be returning to Atlanta for a couple of weeks, but the Thrashers’ No. 1 goalie already has returned to the ice. He has been working out in his native Finland for about a week with other Finnish pros, including NHL players and players whose teams are in Europe.

One of the big names: Teemu Selanne, a 38-year-old unrestricted free agent who might or might not want to continue playing in the NHL. Selanne became the leading scorer in Anaheim Ducks history this year; he had 23 points in 26 games with the team in 2008 after joining the team in January. Ducks general manager Brian Burke was quoted by the Orange County Register last week saying he hadn’t heard from Selanne in awhile and would like to speak with him.

“I don’t know if he’s coming back,” Lehtonen said of Selanne. “He’s been quiet about that. I’m sure he’ll tell us when he’s ready to make a decision. He’s still got a scoring touch, for sure.”

Another guy in on the workouts: Niklas Backstrom of the Minnesota Wild.

Lehtonen said he’s energized about hockey and playing for the Thrashers. “I’m excited to get to camp with the new coaching staff and a few new players,” he said.

Interesting assessment of the team

From profantasysports.com:

After mortgaging the farm to make the playoffs for the first time in 2006-07, the Thrashers actually took a step backward in 2007-08 after a slow start led to the early season firing of coach Bob Hartley. GM Don Waddell assumed the reigns behind the bench and did a good job, but a lengthy and unsuccessful contract negotiation with Marian Hossa, a lack of depth on defense, and a lack of secondary scoring were too much to overcome. Ilya Kovalchuk and rookie Tobias Enstrom were two bright spots for the Thrashers and the trade of Marian Hossa brought back some much-needed assets to the organization.

Returning Nucleus

Ilya Kovalchuk remains a top-10 fantasy option on the wing, despite the fact that he does not have a premier centerman to play with. Tobias Enstrom slowed down in the second half, but he looks like he has the skills to be able to repeat his performance in 2008-09. Newly acquired Erik Christensen and Colby Armstrong add some depth at forward, but are in the same boat as Todd White, Eric Perrin and Slava Kozlov as 40-60 points fantasy players. Veteran Niclas Havelid returns on defense but will not be able to put up more than 25-30 points. Goalie Kari Lehtonen should still be considered one of the best young goalies in the league, but until the Thrashers surround him with help on defense his numbers will not reflect his true talent.

Departures

Center Bobby Holik is a UFA and likely will not re-sign. Mark Recchi, who put up respectable numbers for the Thrashers last season is also a UFA but has expressed a desire to remain in Atlanta. Backup goaltender Johan Hedberg has likely played his last game in Atlanta.

Prospects

After trading away prospects and draft picks over the last few seasons, the Thrashers cupboard is bare. Bryan Little, who played in 48 games last season with the Thrashers and had 16 points remains their top prospect, but he is still a few years away from making an impact. Angelo Esposito, once considered a can't miss prospect appears to be sinking faster than the Titanic in terms of his overall development and AHL star Brett Sterling may be running out of chances if he can't translate his scoring touch to the NHL. Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec looks to have the backup spot after fairing well in the AHL and could get in a lot of action next season with behind an injury-prone Kari Lehtonen

Draft

The Thrashers have the third pick in the draft and although they need help in almost every area, a stud on defense is their most pressing need after trading away Braydon Coburn to the Flyers at the 2006-07 deadline. Two of OHL standouts Drew Doughty, Zach Bogasian or Alex Pietrangelo will still be available, and one will be the likely choice. The Thrashers also have a late-first round pick as part of the Marian Hossa trade and may also use that pick to build up there defense.

Needs

Where to start. The Thrashers finished 30^th in goals-against last season, and definitely need help on defense to help goaltender Kari Lehtonen. Two top-four d-men should be their first priority. The Thrashers also cannot rely on just Ilya Kovalchuk for offense and should try to land a top-centerman to keep Kovalchuk happy, as he is set to become a UFA at the end of the 2008-09 season. With plenty of cap space available, the Thrashers also need a top-six winger to help make up for a declining Slava Kozlov and the loss of Marian Hossa.

Last night's photos, and Kari's comments

I'm too bummed out still to bother with captions. Here's to hoping we don't make Toronto look like a Cup contender on Saturday. Photos courtesy the AP and Presswire. Only a few are 1024x768, and so notated.

(click for larger)

(click for larger)

(click for larger)

Snippet from Craig's AJC column today:

Raleigh — All the goalie equipment that had piled up around him was gone, ready to be loaded on a bus for a trip to the airport. The hum of the postgame showers whistled while Thrashers teammates hurried to wash away the ugly 5-3 loss to the Hurricanes.

But Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen just sat and stared. If he was in a hurry to get to Toronto and face another barrage of shots, he didn't show it. The usually affable goalie was still steaming. At his teammates. At himself.

In a game against first-place Carolina, the Thrashers followed four days of rest and preparation by letting the Hurricanes dominate play for the first period. The Thrashers were outshot 21-5 in the first.

"It was a big joke," Lehtonen said of the effort to start the game. "The whole period. I don't know why we were not ready."

He was. He made all 21 saves, and the Thrashers went into the first intermission in a scoreless tie.

But then came his mistakes. Early in the second, Lehtonen went behind the net to backhand a puck to a teammate, but instead Carolina's Eric Staal came away with the puck and fed Ray Whitney in front of the net for an easy goal.

Later in the period, a turnover by Lehtonen kept the puck in the Thrashers' zone, giving Carolina another shot at scoring, which they did. Ryan Bayda gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead.

Then came the backbreaker. Scott Walker ripped a slapshot from 45 feet away, at an angle Lehtonen usually handles. But this one beat Lehtonen and sapped what little energy the Thrashers had mustered during a decent rally in the second period.

"That's the bad thing about goaltending; when you make a mistake there's not another goalie to save your [butt]," Lehtonen said.

After saving his teammates in the first, there was nobody to save Lehtonen.

Lehtonen is Thrashers’ saving grace

By Jeff Schultz | Wednesday, February 20, 2008, 07:41 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kari Lehtonen has faced 90 shots in his past two starts, 248 in his past seven and way too many this season for a team with a general tendency to keep its goalie just this side of extensive therapy and, maybe, a drool bucket.

But there is an upside to all of this. Lehtonen has not only survived, he has thrived, faculties and most major organs intact. If Ilya Kovalchuk has largely carried the Thrashers on the front side of the red line, Lehtonen is holding things together on the backside, even if “NHL Playoff Contenders For Dummies,” would suggest this probably isn’t the way to do things.

Sometimes, even flawed building projects can hang by a thread. It’s that blind squirrel/acorn thing.

“This year, certainly, the games have been tougher for the goalie than last year,” Lehtonen said. “We’ve been giving up more scoring chances. We were a lot better overall with our defensive game last year. That’s something I hope we can still turn around because you really need that in the playoffs, or just getting there.”

Getting there is going to be a problem. The Thrashers are approaching the trade deadline more famously as probable sellers (Marian Hossa) than buyers. Their erratic tendencies can best be summarized by their past two outings: a 4-3 shootout win in New Jersey, followed by a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders, during which they were outshot 49-10.

The Islanders game set two team records and tied two others for shot infamy. If this franchise should be anywhere by now in its evolution, it’s past the point of establishing new lows. (The 39-shot differential in the Islanders game broke the mark of 27 set in a 1999 game, the expansion season.)

But there is this: They found a goalie.

Lehtonen has started to turn the corner in maturity, durability and certainly consistency. Going into tonight’s game at Carolina, he has allowed only 10 goals on 248 shots (.960 saves percentage) in his past seven starts. He has had really only one bad outing in the past six weeks.

The team’s play in front of Lehtonen (and backup Johan Hedberg) generally has been awful. The Thrashers are allowing a league-high 33-plus shots per game, and have outshot opponents in only eight of 61 games. Lehtonen isn’t a goalie so much as he is a rotating duck in a shooting gallery.

It’s so bad at times that defenseman Niclas Havelid admits, “Kari gives us some of those special Finnish words sometimes.”

Remarkably, he has remained sane, the result of increased patience and confidence.

“I guess that’s why it’s been easier for me to live in this roller coaster this season,” he said, “because as a goalie I feel I’ve been doing a pretty good job. But I know it’s only going to get tougher, and I really need to play at this level the rest of the year if we want to go somewhere.”

He is their only real hope. The roster has holes. If the team has a system under the temp. coach Don Waddell, it’s not working.

The effort is uneven — and players only seem to wake up after associate coach Brad McCrimmon plays bad cop and yells at them between periods.

Twenty-one games to go, and this is where the Thrashers are: Barely over .500 (29-28-4), at least as the NHL defines over .500. But look deeper. Their record is only that healthy because of a league-best record of 14-4 in relative gimmick hockey: 4-on-4 overtimes and shootouts (which are like deciding football games with field goal contests).

In regulation-time games, the Thrashers have the second-worst record in the NHL. They are only 15-28 in those games, just one win ahead of Edmonton (14-29). Goaltending becomes an even bigger factor than usual in overtimes (when more open ice creates more scoring chances) and shootouts (when it’s one-on-one).

In short, their margin for error is slim.

“When you have a goalie who can play the way Kari’s playing, you know he can steal games for you,” said Mark Recchi.

It’s not where the team wants to be. But it’s where they need their goalie.

Givin' Kari some sugar

Nice article by Craig over on AJC, about my favourite goalie!

GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE:
Kari Lehtonen is starting to live up to his potential, and at the perfect time

By Craig Custance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/11/08

He'd just made 27 saves and single-handedly kept the Thrashers in a game they probably shouldn't have won. On Saturday night, after beating the Lightning, Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen was unhooking his goalie equipment when somebody suggested to him that he had just played one of his better games in a long time.

He looked up and smiled. You haven't been around much lately, he suggested.

As impressive as his performance was against the Lightning, it was just the latest in a string of strong starts for the 24-year-old goalie.

His overall numbers this season aren't impressive, but they're improving. He has more losses than wins (12-14). His goals-against average (2.75) doesn't crack the top 30 for NHL goalies. His save percentage is 15th best in the league.

Not bad, but not great.

Kari Lehtonen needs to be great.

The Thrashers' success and improvement this season depended on growth from young cornerstone players like Lehtonen and forward Ilya Kovalchuk.

Kovalchuk has delivered.

Lehtonen? Things haven't gone as smoothly.

There was his 0-4 start before he injured his groin. And while the Thrashers climbed back in the hunt in October and November, it was largely behind the strong play of backup goalie Johan Hedberg and rookie goalie Ondrej Pavelec.

But with 24 games left, Lehtonen can completely bury his frustrating first half and, as a restricted free agent following this season, he can also cement his status as the Thrashers' franchise goalie.

"I want to stay here; that's my No. 1 thing," Lehtonen said. "I just have to play well and earn my spot here so that the owners and management believe I can help this team. That's my No. 1 goal."

If the Thrashers emerge from the pack and make the playoffs, it'll likely be because Lehtonen rises to his oft-discussed potential and talent level.

More than any other player, Lehtonen can be the one to propel such a push.

"No doubt," Thrashers coach and GM Don Waddell said. "I think it's already started."

Since the All-Star break, Lehtonen is 3-2 with a 1.41 goals-against average and a save percentage of .956.

That's the kind of stretch the team envisioned when Lehtonen was chosen with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 draft, the highest a European goalie had ever been selected.

But even during this hot stretch, he's barely over .500. After breaking a franchise record for wins a year ago, Lehtonen has been under .500 all season.

"The wins, that one is harder to explain," Waddell said.

"I think in the last month, I've been playing the way I want to and the way I'm expecting to," Lehtonen said. "It's been getting my numbers up, but not really in the most important area, the W section. It's very frustrating."

If you look at his two losses since the break, games in which Lehtonen played well for the most part, there were still lapses from the young goalie.

Philadelphia's Mike Richards scored four seconds into a power play on a long shot Lehtonen admitted later he wasn't ready for.

Against Vancouver, Alex Burrows scored the game-winner when Lehtonen was slow to get up after a teammate hit him near the neck with a stick.

In one-goal games, and in a playoff race, those lapses are magnified.

But so are the wins.

On Saturday night, Waddell answered post-game questions about Alexei Zhitnik, who scored the game-winner, and Marian Hossa, whose goal tied the game.

But give credit where it's due, Waddell said, singling out his young goalie.

"Kari is in a zone right now," he said. "We talked about a guy who needs to step up —- he's doing that for us right now."

It's just how we roll. Photos. Salmelainen.

Before we get into today's post, I just wanted to thank y'all so much. Yesterday was a banner day, with 202 unique visits. I know most of you dropped in to see Kari's new mask, but it looks like a bunch of people stayed to read. Thank you. I hope you'll make return visits to Kari Central. Without further ado, hockey stuff!

From THN sigh-worthy news:

Burrows' goal 11:14 into the third period came after contact between teammate Ryan Kesler and Perrin in front of the net. Perrin's stick hit Lehtonen below his right collarbone, knocking the goalie off his feet. Lehtonen was sitting on his backside in front of the net and was unable to defend Burrows' shot.

After the game, Lehtonen showed a six-inch red streak on his upper chest.

"Perrin's stick hit me right here," Lehtonen said, pointing to the mark. "That's why I went on my butt. I couldn't get up fast enough.

"I was complaining a lot because I thought it was their player's stick, but I was wrong. Sometimes things like that happen."

Greaaaaat. Well done, Perrsy.

Your photos from last night:

I would really like to see a little less of the ass beating, and a little more of the goal scoring. Also, less injuring of our own players. DO NOT BE DERIAN HATCHER, BOYS!

---

Right so last night I teased you with the words Salmelainen and poliisi. Which is Finnish for police, if you're still struggling over that one (I thought about it later and realised it could be misconstrued for Polish. Maybe.). Best we figure, Salmo was arrested yesterday in Tampere, then taken to Helsinki, for returning to Finland without committing his mandatory Army conscription, which had been deferred due to his pro hockey contracts. As luck would have it, Toronto waiving him voided said deferral, and once he returned to Tampere to play for the national team, he was targeted. He was allowed to play, putting up one goal and one assist, and then taken into police custody. Late last night I heard he'd been released and was on the way to Stockholm with the team, so hopefully Yaroslavl faxed a copy of his contact with them over, and he is not on the lam. I love this guy, he's my 2nd favourite Finn player after Kari, and my god, if it weren't for bad luck he'd have none at all. Not unlike me.

But the best thing to come out of all this, from the Jatakoaika boards, was;

Tony Salmelainen Hat trick = one goal, one assist, police interrogation

That is a t-shirt waiting to happen! If you read Finnish and want more details, articles here, here, and here. And a nice pre-arrest article (with video) here. Onnea, Salmo!

Kiitos, K, for translations!

Niitty's blurb about Lehts, and photos from last night

God, Jimmy ringing the post was like, well akin to that nightmare that you're at school with no clothes. Except it wasn't a nightmare, it was real.

Niittymaki finishes the job for Flyers

By ED MORAN
Philadelphia Daily News

ATLANTA - Antero Niittymaki would like the world to believe that he doesn't see anything all that special in playing against fellow Finnish goalie Kari Lehtonen.

"You guys keep asking me that after every game," Niittymaki said last night after the Flyers' 3-2 win over the Atlanta Thrasher in Philips Arena.

"I don't think if he's playing. There's just something about this building. I like to play here. And when you're playing some teams, you get the good bounces.

"You could see that after we scored the third goal, they hit the post right after, and that's the way it is. It's really hard to explain."

Maybe. But it was not hard to explain to Flyers coach John Stevens, who is aware enough of what happens when Niittymaki, a sixth-round pick in 1998, plays against Lehtonen, the second overall pick in the 2002 NHL draft.

Stevens knew it enough not to play Marty Biron, even though Biron had logged a shutout against Anaheim at home Saturday night.

Stevens has seen this since his Phantoms, backstopped by Niittymaki, swept the Chicago Wolves, with Lehtonen in the nets, in the 2005 Calder Cup finals.

When Niittymaki was preparing to face Lehtonen for the first time before that series, he said something similar to what he said last night.

"They say he's the best young goalie in the world," was the way Niittymaki put it then. "I don't know. We'll see."

Since coming to the NHL, Niittymaki is 8-0 against the Thrashers and has allowed only 13 goals.

Niittymaki, from Turku, Finland, only alludes to the fact that Lehtonen, from Helsinki, has been getting all the accolades and been more highly regarded throughout their careers.

Niittymaki was not picked for the 2006 Olympics until after Lehtonen was injured and unable to play. The Flyers goalie pooh-poohed that, too, even after winning the MVP of the tournament and a silver medal in Turin, Italy.

He's tried to downplay the rivalry ever since. But when pressed, he is forced into a grin and a tiny bit of honesty. Like this: "It's always nice to play against a Finnish goalie, a countryman. Maybe it gives you a little extra. You don't want to lose to a countryman."

He didn't last night, and he hasn't yet.

You know what? It was a tight game. And we came that close to tying it. It's not a win, but it was a good game, and at least we did not suffer the humiliation of the Leafs, who lost 8-0 to the Panthers. THE PANTHERS, PEOPLE!


ONE POINT SEPARATING THE CONTENDERS, BOYS. THIS IS NOT GOOD. IN FACT... IT'S SCARING THE CRAP OUT OF ME.

SOUTHEAST	GP	W	L		OT	Pts	GF	GA
Carolina Hurricanes	56	26	26		4	56	165	178
Atlanta Thrashers	56	26	26		4	56	154	183
Washington Capitals	54	25	24		5	55	156	169
Florida Panthers	55	25	25		5	55	145	153
Tampa Bay Lightning	54	22	27		5	49	158	182

I gotcher photos right here! And some article snippets

Photos! Get yer photos! Red hot, right off the wire! As always, click little for wallpaper-sized!

OK, not our guy, but wow, what a great shot.

Slats throwin' down on some guy I'd never heard of before.

Wade Redden squishing Eric Perrin. Dude, he's little! Back off!

Snippet on Perrsy from the AJC:

PERRIN EXTENDS RECORD: Eric Perrin's assist during Tampa Bay's power play on Tuesday extended his franchise record for short-handed assists to six, and the forward is now second in the league with six short-handed points.

He's been a big part of the Thrashers' turnaround on the penalty kill, which is no longer last in the league. In fact, there are now three teams in the league below the Thrashers as they continue to move up the list.

Entering Thursday's game, the PK had killed 36 of its past 39 opposing power plays.

"I think in general, we're doing such a great job of being aggressive, not giving them any time to think or make a pass," Perrin said.

Ko-VY! Ko-VY! Ko-VY!

The hero of the night, Mr. Kari "I don't know" Lehtonen

And another from the AJC:

Last season, Kari Lehtonen took his game to another level when his parents visited from Finland. His brother Kimmo is now visiting with a friend. They arrived on the 13th.

So does the goalie play as well in front of his brother as he does other family members?

"It's been better than last year; I think I went 0-5 when he was here for three weeks," Lehtonen said. "Now, I guess I'm 1-1. Hopefully I can make it a winning record."

I'm hoping to get Kari's post-game interview up soon, but it could be a little while. If nothing else, I can get it in MP3 format, but if anyone has it, or has a link to it, please let me know. Could he be any more poker-faced and dead-pan?

All of the following images are by photographer extraordinaire, Scott Cunningham.


Up next, Les Habitants. They squashed the Caps last night, and Carey Price seems to look pretty comfortable in net there. I'll put up the GDP (game day preview people, not gross domestic product) tomorrow. Probably. If there's no incidents with the Christmas shopping.

USA Today: Waddell might be best choice...

Waddell might be best choice behind Atlanta bench
By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY

Atlanta Thrashers general manager Don Waddell might be steaming toward to the conclusion that his best coaching option for the rest of this season might be staring him in the face as he shaves each morning.

Although Waddell would still prefer to name a permanent coach, it seems more likely each day that he will retain the title as interim coach for the remainder of the season.

Several factors might be pushing him toward that decision, including the fact that most of top assistant coaches around the NHL don't have in-season out clauses and their general managers won't give Waddell permission to talk to them until the summer.

Second, with the Thrashers' ownership in limbo because of a legal squabble, Waddell could have trouble securing ownership approval for a long-term hire.

But the most important factor of all is that the Thrashers players seem to be responding well to Waddell's coaching style. After starting 0-6, the Thrashers are now 4-2 under Waddell, even though they have played five of those six games on the road.

Essentially what Waddell has done has pumped optimism into a team that was being suffocated by the weight of its self-doubt and its weariness of Bob Hartley's style. In a world where everyone is always complaining about something, Waddell always acts as if he is always thankful to make a living in the hockey business. He is well respected around the NHL, and if he gets fired from the Thrashers, it is presumed that he would soon find new employment with the league office or with another team. Most people in hockey like Waddell because he always treats everyone with respect. He seems to be an optimistic person by nature, and that seems to be rubbing off on the Thrashers. His speech on his first day was to forget about the 0-6 start because his approach was they were starting with clean slate.

The team still looked sloppy defensively in his first couple of games behind the bench, but the Thrashers have slowly started to tighten in the recent. And their 3-2 win against Montreal was probably their best game of the season.

Waddell has also made his mark as a coach in more tangible ways:

• Empowering Ilya Kovalchuk by giving him more ice. He played more than 23 minutes against Montreal and played 26 minutes against Toronto. Kovalchuk and Hartley had a dysfunctional relationship, and Kovalchuk seems to be responding to Waddell's style. He has three goals, five assists and two shootout goals under Waddell's command.
• Creating a fourth line of Eric Boulton, Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn that seems to give the team some energy. They make contact. They draw penalties and they don't get scored on.
• Inserted defenseman Mark Popovic into the lineup and benched Steve McCarthy. That probably showed the team that Waddell will make difficult decisions. McCarthy competes aggressively, and gives his coach what he has, but he was minus-13. Popovic plays safer than McCarthy, and his steadiness has also helped Alexei Zhitnik start to emerge from his slump.
• He cut Zhitnik's minutes because he decided he wasn't in shape, and he needed to regain his confidence. He played more solidly against Montreal.
• Moved rookie Bryan Little and Darren Haydar to play with Kovalchuk, and he's trying to get Marian Hossa started by playing him with Todd White and Eric Perrin.
• Empowering prize rookie Little. He used Little in a shootout over Hossa, and he's showing confidence him in key situations. But he's also keeping him honest, pulling him aside for a brief discussion after he saw not hustling back on defense.

Basically, Waddell is selling enthusiasm and everyone seems to be buying in.

This team still ranks among the NHL's shakiest defensive teams, but Waddell seems to have made a difference. The Thrashers have looked stingier over the past couple of days. Waddell is not working with the league's most talent-laden roster, and certainly he bears responsibility for that. As GM, he pulls the levers behind the curtains. He has made decisions that haven't helped. The signing of Steve Rucchin was a mistake. Waddell is glad he has Bobby Holik, but his $4.5 million salary has made it difficult to build any depth. But the ownership issues also haven't helped him. He didn't have the money this past summer to acquire a free agent to help on defense, and he watched free agents Jonathan Sim, Eric Belanger and Andy Sutton move away.

Waddell has other options for a coach, including assistant Brad McCrimmon, who is popular with his players. Chicago Wolves coach John Anderson is a possibility. Pat Quinn's friends around the NHL are lobbying on his behalf.

But Waddell seems disappointed that he can't reach out to the top assistant coaches around the NHL. He certainly would like to look at Mike Sullivan in Tampa Bay, and presumably he would consider Nashville assistant coach Brent Peterson. He might be thinking that he will have a deeper pool of talent if he can wait until the summer to make his decision.

If Waddell could squeeze out another win in either Ottawa or Tampa Bay, this would have been amazingly impressive road trip under the circumstances. He's selling his players on the fact that they have already played almost 25% of their road games and a now favorable schedule will allow the Thrashers to climb back into contention.

Waddell is optimistic to the point that he truly believes that. He probably is the right guy to finish the season as Atlanta's coach.

AJC: Lehtonen hurt but confident

Groin injury puts Thrashers top goaltender on IR

By CRAIG CUSTANCE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/20/07

More than anything, Kari Lehtonen just wanted play to stop. He had just overextended his leg, trying to make a kick save during the first period of Thursday night's win over the Rangers. That's when he felt the pain.

"It just snapped," he said, referring to a pain in his upper leg. He thought he would try to get through one more shift, to see if he could play through it. The Rangers were on a power play, and the action turned out to be non-stop.

"I was praying for a whistle," he said, realizing shortly into the power play that he shouldn't be on the ice. "But that never came."

In all, he played more than two minutes in pain, making multiple saves to help preserve an early Thrashers lead.

At one point, after the Thrashers cleared the puck down the ice, he considered moving the net to get a whistle.

"Then I realized, we'd get a penalty, and I didn't want to put Moose [Hedberg] in there on a 5-on-3," Lehtonen explained.

So he toughed it out before finally covering the puck to stop play. And that was it. He skated off the ice for what could be an extended time off, and on Friday morning Lehtonen had an MRI exam to assess the extent of the injury.

It's not the same groin problem that sidelined him in training camp. This injury is lower down, more like an upper-leg injury.

Either way it's painful, but not unbearable.

"It's OK to walk and do desk work, but not to be a hockey goalie right now," Lehtonen explained.

In the meantime, the Thrashers called up Ondrej Pavelec from the AHL to back up Johan Hedberg. Pavelec was 2-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average for the Wolves. He's widely considered the Thrashers' top prospect and had a strong training camp before being sent down to Chicago right before the season started.

The team will have a better idea about a timetable for Lehtonen's return after the MRI results are examined this weekend.

"This isn't going to be something where we're going to see him in the next week or so," general manager and interim coach Don Waddell said.

In the meantime, Waddell said he is relieved to have a proven backup in Johan Hedberg and also plans to get Pavelec some work.

"It might be an opportunity for [Pavelec]," Waddell said. "When you watch him as a general manager, and now a coach, he gives you confidence. He always looks in position when he makes saves. He makes saves look easy. To me, when I watch a goalie, I like that."

The injury comes at a bad time for Lehtonen, who struggled to start the season. He is 0-4, with a 4.49 goals-against average and is 0-6 in his past seven starts dating to the playoffs. Hedberg got the win against the Rangers, but Lehtonen looked sharp, stopping all nine shots he faced.

If there's a silver lining to the injury, it is that it came while Lehtonen was playing well. He admitted his confidence was shaky after the slow start and could feel a turnaround coming against the Rangers.

"I would be devastated if it would have happened during the New Jersey game [a 6-5 loss] or something like that," Lehtonen said. "[The Rangers game] gave me so much positive energy, and I started to believe again that I can do this job very well."

Lehtonen was placed on the injured reserve to create a roster spot for Pavelec.