Though the Atlanta Thrashers were unable to repeat their Southeast Division win from the 2006-07 season, finishing a disheartening fourth place, General Manager Don Waddell is determined to turn the team around for the 2008-09 season. The first change was bringing in John Anderson as head coach. Anderson brings 30 years of experience in professional hockey as both a coach and a player, and for the past 11 years he was the coach of the Chicago Wolves, a minor league affiliate of the Thrashers. The Thrashers’ offense was already pretty strong, lead by All-Star left winger Ilya Kovalchuk and backed up by proven veterans Vyacheslav “Slava” Kozlov and Todd White. The defense needed a boost, and Waddell is betting that the additions of Zach Bogosian and Ron Hainsey will do the trick, though of course that depends on Bogosian making the team out of training camp. The Thrashers are a team with enough talent to dominate the Southeast Division, and if Anderson proves to be the coach the team is hoping for, they may well end the season with a division title. Get your tickets to Philips Arena and see how it all pans out for the Atlanta Thrashes in the 2008-09 season!

Atlanta welcomed the return of the NHL in 1999 with the arrival of the Thrashers. Previously home to the Flames, Atlanta had been without an NHL team for nearly 20 years when the Flames were sold to a group of Calgary businessmen.