New Thrashers coach a patient man — and he’ll need it with this bunch - American Hockey League Atlanta Thrashers Bob Hartley Brett

Aug 13 2008

New Thrashers coach a patient man — and he’ll need it with this bunch

Published by bud006 at 10:27 am under Thrashers Analysis Edit This

By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

ATLANTA – They say patience is a virtue. Here’s hoping John Anderson has packed an extra bottle or three of it as he takes the helm as head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Then again, the 51-year-old knows a little something about playing the waiting game. After all, here is a man who spent 13 seasons coaching in the minor leagues, patiently waiting for his chance to stand behind the bench in the NHL despite a resume that includes five minor-league championships.

He comes into a situation that – to be kind – is a mess. The Thrashers fell on their collective face last season, finishing next to last in the Eastern Conference one year after winning the Southeast Division title and advancing to the postseason for the first time in franchise history.

Watching the Thrashers last season was an exercise in frustration, even more so when one looked one notch down the organizational chart at the success being enjoyed by the Thrashers’ top minor-league affiliate. At Chicago, Anderson directed the Wolves to the Calder Cup, the second time under Anderson the Wolves captured the American Hockey League championship. He also led Chicago to the Turner Cup twice during their stay in the International Hockey League, and directed Quad City to the Colonial Hockey League crown in 1997.

It looks great on a resume. But will it translate into success in Atlanta?

Anderson was a popular name on the lips of fans when Bob Hartley was fired six games into last season’s disaster. The players who played with him in Chicago – from Kari Lehtonen to Bryan Little to Brett Sterling – sing Anderson’s praises as a player’s coach, a not-so-veiled shot at Hartley and his more-demanding style that led to Hartley losing the locker room and, subsequently, his job.

One thing the Thrashers figure to do better under Anderson than they did under Hartley or general manager Don Waddell (who served behind the bench for the final 76 games last season) is adjust on the fly. That was a strong suit of Chicago’s teams – Anderson’s ability to adjust strategy midstream if the game plan wasn’t working.

Another part of Anderson’s philosophy that should be comforting to Thrashers fans is his aggressiveness. Too often last season, the Thrashers were content to dump the puck in the other zone, catch their breath, then allow the opponent to again set up camp in their zone. When you have a not-so-stellar defense, that’s a sure-fire way to be looking up at a 3-1 or 4-0 deficit midway through the second period.

Anderson will push the Thrashers to be the aggressors, to control the tempo and to push play into the opponent’s zone. When you have Ilya Kovalchuk on your roster, that’s definitely a good thing to do.

A ton of work needs to be done to turn this team around. There are questions surrounding just how much the defense has been improved. What version of Lehtonen will we see this season, the brilliant young netminder who looks poised to become one of the best in the league, or the one who allows soft goals and finds himself sitting on the bench by the third period? Who else besides Kovy will shoulder the scoring load?

Anderson seems to be the right choice to sort through all of this. After all, he’s waited for this chance. Patience is a virtue, and Anderson will need it as he tried to guide the Thrashers back into playoff contention.