HOCKEY'S HERE: ATLANTA THRASHERS

The first hint of fall is in the air. It's getting dark earlier, and soon it will be too cold to spend Saturday nights sharing a 2-4 of Blue and listening to Guns N' Roses at the gravel pit. It's time to air out your gear, sharpen your skates and tape your stick -- it’s hockey season. Sure, your team flat-out ached last season, but there's hope, unless you're an Islanders fan. In that spirit, Out of Left Field offers looks at all 30 NHL teams. Presenting: The Atlanta Thrashers.

Last season: 90 points, 3rd in Southeast Division; missed playoffs
Coach: Bob Hartley (4th season with team)
Young gun: Ilya Kovalchuk (he's still just 23)
Store this name away: Alex Bourret
Hey, get a load of the new guys: Steve Rucchin, Johan Hedberg
Blogs (including but not limited to): Do The Thrashers Have Large Talons?, The Smirkin Chicken, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thrashers Blog
Pop culture moment: Get serious. It's a hockey team in the Deep South.

As goalie Kari Lehtonen (pictured) goes, so too will the Thrashers in '06-07. The 23-year-old is supposed to eventually become the best of the assembly line of Finnish goalies (Miikka Kiprusoff, Antero Niittymaki, Vesa Toskala), but a groin problem limited him to 38 games last season, and not suprisingly, the Thrashers missed the playoffs despite having three 90-point scorers.

One of that trio, Marc Savard (signed with Boston) is gone, and Hartley apparently wants to rein in his free-wheeling team, who scored the fifth-most goals in the NHL but allowed the seventh-most. Poolies who were planning on preying on their friends' ignorance of the Southeast Division will probably groan when they hear that... superstar Ilya Kovalchuk will probably have his first 100-point season though, if he stays healthy and doesn't pull another kicking stunt like he did against Nashville last weekend.

Look for the Thrashers to be the team that keeps the Leafs from nabbing the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. That will be largely dependent on whether they can make up for not having Savard's playmaking on the power play.

Also in Southeast Division: Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals

Back with more later. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca