Fragen und Antworten » period by making a stellar stick

ATLANTA (AP) The playoff run by the Winnipeg Jets has ripped the bandages off some old wounds in their former home.Hockey fans in Atlanta – yes Womens Jared Spurgeon Jersey , they actually exist – are still bitter about the way they lost the Thrashers seven years ago , a move that deprived this city of a team for the second time and probably any chance of ever again being a member of the NHL club.In the A-T-L, a popular refrain of the postseason seems to be A-B-T-J.Anybody But The Jets.”I won’t support the Jets,” former Thrashers fan Fred Johnson wrote in an email. ”In fact, I’d like to see their fans suffer for a lot longer like we did.”Instead of suffering, the Jets and their fans are thriving . Winnipeg reached the Western Conference final against the Vegas Golden Knights – a sort of double-whammy for Atlantans, who have seen what their former team could have been while getting a tantalizing glimpse of what a well-run expansion franchise can do its very first season.Founded in 1999, the Thrashers managed just 14 wins and 39 points in their debut year, which remains the worst full-schedule total in almost a quarter-century. The Golden Knights piled up 51 wins and 109 points, captured a division title and were just two wins away from playing for the Stanley Cup going into Game 4 of their series against the Jets on Friday night.”It’s not hard to feel like just yesterday Atlanta was an expansion team,” said another Thrashers fan, Tiffany Burns. ”I couldn’t have imagined how surreal it would have been to be a part of something so successful so quick.”In contrast to the Golden Knights, the Thrashers never really had a chance in Atlanta, doomed by a bickering group of owners who spent more time suing each other than caring about what was happening on the ice, clueless management and inept coaching, and a roster perennially low on talent.The lone highlight came in 2007, when the team captured the Southeast Division title and finally made the playoffs for the first (and only) time.The euphoria didn’t last long.The Thrashers were swept in four straight games by the New York Rangers. Atlanta began the following season with six consecutive losses, leading to the firing of coach Bob Hartley, and the dismantling of the franchise commenced a few months later.In what became an all-too-familiar scenario Jason Zucker Jersey , the frugal Thrashers dealt away Marian Hossa rather than lose him as a free agent – one of many horrible deals engineered by general manager Don Waddell, who somehow kept his job throughout the Thrashers’ entire existence without ever really demonstrating that he knew what he was doing.Anyone remember Angelo Esposito, a supposed top prospect who was acquired in the Hossa deal?Anyone?Bueller? Bueller?The Thrashers always seemed to operate under a dark cloud, most tragically exhibited in 2003 when star player Dany Heatley lost control of his Ferrari on a narrow Atlanta street, struck a wall at high speed and killed teammate Dan Snyder . Heatley recovered but was never the same, eventually requesting a trade so he could get a fresh start elsewhere.The Thrashers soon followed Heatley’s lead. In 2011, after a proposed move of the bankrupt Phoenix franchise to Winnipeg fell apart, the NHL quickly engineered a deal to send Atlanta’s team north in place of the Coyotes , collecting a hefty relocation fee and ridding themselves of another troublesome franchise.While it’s impossible to deny that the team has been more embraced by hockey-mad Winnipeg than it ever was in Atlanta, this city’s fans have long gotten a bum rap that goes all the way back to its first NHL team.Yes, the Flames lasted only eight years in Atlanta before moving to Calgary in 1980. But they averaged more than 10,000 fans every season (not a sure thing in those days) and outdrew the NBA’s Hawks every year but their last. That franchise was largely doomed by the economics of the late 1970s.For the Thrashers, it was a similar story.They averaged more than 17,000 in their debut season despite putting one of the worst teams in modern NHL history on the ice. But the franchise was essentially doomed when it was sold to a group known as Atlanta Spirit (what a malicious example of false advertising that was).The new owners wanted only the Hawks and Phillips Arena. Almost immediately, they began trying to pawn off the Thrashers. Not surprisingly, no one was interested in acquiring a team that would have to rent an arena from an increasingly dysfunctional group. As the losses mounted, reportedly in the range of $130 million, Atlanta Spirit began looking for another way out. When the Winnipeg offer came along, there was no real attempt to keep the team in Atlanta.Through all the turmoil Joel Eriksson Ek Jersey , the Thrashers never ranked at the bottom of the NHL in attendance. In fact, the average from their gloomy final year would have beaten out three teams this season.Many Thrashers fans are still upset about being ridiculed for a perceived lack of support after the team moved. And unlike the Flames, who retained their name and some sense of their Atlanta history after moving to Calgary (and were largely cheered by their former fans for winning the Stanley Cup in 1989), the Jets made a clean break with their past.Johnson, the former Thrashers fan, recalls the vitriol when the move was announced. He said some Jets fans who trolled the Thrashers’ message boards belittled Thrashers fans as ”worthless” and said the team would now win the Stanley Cup in Winnipeg because that’s where ”real fans” were.”They had no idea about the dysfunctional management,” he said.Atlanta deserves a third chance at making the NHL work, but that’s not likely to happen.As if closing the door on any chance of getting another team, Philips Arena is finishing up a $192.5 million renovation that will essentially make it a basketball-only facility.No thought was given to accommodating hockey.For those who still love the game in Atlanta, they’ll have to make do with watching games on television and rooting for other teams.Anybody but the Jets, that is.—Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paul newberry— NEW YORK (AP) — Petr Mrazek and the Carolina Hurricanes had a reason to enjoy themselves, too, on Friday night.Mrazek made 27 saves and the Hurricanes spoiled a celebration at Madison Square Garden that honored the last Rangers team to win the Stanley Cup, blanking New York 3-0.Warren Foegele scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period as the Hurricanes ended a 16-game losing streak at the Garden. He took a pass from Saku Maenalanen in the slot and wristed a shot past Henrik Lundqvist at 6:43.“It was nice to get rewarded there,” Foegele said. “It was a great play by (Kegger) Greg McKegg to enter the zone with speed and then a beautiful pass by Saku.”Rookie Andrei Svechnikov and Brock McGinn added empty-net goals as Carolina won its third in a row. It was Carolina’s first win at MSG since a 4-3 victory on Oct. 29, 2010.In a 45-minute pregame ceremony, Mark Messier, Brian Leetch and the players and coaches from the Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup team were introduced. They were seated at center ice as a sellout crowd cheered the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of that championship.To honor that club, Lundqvist wore a goaltender’s mask similar to Mike Richter’s with the Statue of Liberty prominently displayed on the front. Lundqvist’s mask also has “1994” painted on the right side with a picture of Richter Authentic Marcus Johansson Jersey , his name and number.“Unbelievable. It’s a humbling thing. What a great statement by him,” Richter said before the game.“(He) didn’t have to do it. It’s very classy. I was shocked. … Coming from him, look at the career the man has put together. He’s been nothing but consistent from the day he arrived. He’s had just a remarkable career, so it means a lot coming from him.”Rangers coach David Quinn was disappointed in his team’s effort in the game.“There was definitely a lack of urgency which was surprising,” he said. “It certainly was set up to be a special night. We just didn’t capitalize on it.”Carolina, which is 13-4-1 in its past 18 games, climbed within a point of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference.“I think we know where we are in the standings and how important each game is,” Foegele said. “We need wins and it’s important we got two points there.”These Rangers are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.After a tightly played opening period, both teams had better scoring chances in the second.Kevin Hayes took a pass from Jimmy Vesey and faked Mrazek and attempted to stuff the puck into the net, but Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin swept it out from the crease.“That was a big save by him,” Mrazek said. “Hayes did a nice job holding the puck for a little bit, I get out and a great save by Slavin.”Mrazek closed the second period by making a stellar stick-side save on Mika Zibanejad with the Rangers on the power play.Lundqvist kept the game scoreless late in the opening period as he stopped Nino Niederreiter on a breakaway. He finished with 30 saves.“We definitely had our looks, especially in the second period,” Lundqvist said. “It came down to one play. Unfortunately we were on the wrong end. We had our opportunities. But they defended really well the whole game.”NOTES: For the national anthem, the Garden replayed John Amirante’s version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” that he performed during the ’94 Cup Final. … The Rangers are 1-2-1 on their homestand. … Defenseman Haydn Fleury was scratched for Carolina. Center Brett Howden and defenseman Neal Pionk were scratched by the Rangers.UP NEXT:Hurricanes: At the Devils on Sunday in the fourth game of a five-game road trip.Rangers: Host Toronto on Sunday to close out a five-game homestand.