Thrashers.Today.Com

By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com

ATLANTA — The Christmas lights are up at Centennial Olympic Park. The coldest winds of winter blew through downtown Atlanta last night.

And walking into Philips Arena to get my first peak this season at the Atlanta Hawks, the ticket taker at the gate noticed my 5-year-old’s Thrashers’ jersey.

(Now for clarity, my son does not have a Hawks jersey. I had a Hawks shirt I bought the day before last spring’s Game 6 playoff victory over the Celtics, a game I attended. I did have a Thrashers’ sweater on under my T-shirt … hey, I told you it was cold).

Anyway, back to the gate, where the ticket taker pointed to my kid’s jersey and said, “Were you here last night?”

We weren’t – I’m going to my first Thrashers game of the year next weekend – but in talking to folks at the Hawks game last night, in the store where you can buy Thrashers’ and Hawks’ swag, there is no denying the buzz that is starting to gradually build around this team.

Five consecutive victories will get people’s attention, especially when you start the season with just six points in the first 11 games. The Thrashers have been lights-out ever since, and they roll into Philly for tonight’s game with the Flyers looking like a team that can really make a push toward the top of the Southeast Division.

The Flyers played last night, posting a 2-1 victory at Montreal. We all remember the vicious 7-0 beatdown Philly put on the Thrashers on Oct. 28 at Philips. That seems like a long time ago, because the Thrashers are playing so much better hockey now.

Hopefully, that trend will continue tonight. As I wrote a few days ago, this stretch of November is critical for Atlanta, and so far, the Thrashers have done exactly as they’ve needed to and turned the ship around.

Now at .500 on the season, it’s time to push above break-even, and continue this surge toward first place. Keep this up, and the conversation around this team will only grow louder.

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