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Thrashers Announce Annual "Score For Schools" Contest-Winners Winning Schools to be Honored in Special Award Ceremonies
The Atlanta Thrashers have announced that Kelly Lake Elementary School (Decatur), Burgess/Peterson Academy (Atlanta) and FL Shelton Elementary School (Dallas) have been selected as winners of their annual "Score For Schools" contest, presented by Philips Electronics & Best Buy.The Score for Schools program uses elements of hockey to teach aspects of physical education, math, science, geography, history, world cultures and language arts in grades 4-8. Schools were asked to submit lesson plans that were comprised of nine goals, each relating the sport of hockey to everyday subjects. The three schools with the most creative lesson plans were chosen out of hundreds of applicants from across the metro-Atlanta area.In recognition of their scholastic accomplishment, the Thrashers will honor each of the schools with an in-class awards ceremony, complete with a special appearance by mascot Thrash. Schools will also be presented with the grand prize, a 27-inch Philips television for use in each of their classrooms.
The Atlanta Thrashers' Ilya Kovalchuk: Budding Hockey Legend?
Teenage hockey stars rarely say anything memorable at the NHL Entry Draft, preferring to get through the day on awkward smiles, mumbled answers and plenty of hair gel. But Ilya Kovalchuk was different. On the day before the Atlanta Thrashers made him the first pick of 2001, he declared his career goal: to be the greatest Russian hockey player ever.
Whether it was an off-hand remark or (more likely) the crowing of an 18-year-old accustomed to being the best player on every team at every tournament, the quote was considered a sign of Kovalchuk's callow arrogance. But considering his raw materials and what he has shown with the Atlanta Thrashers so far, "best Russian hockey player ever" might be within reach.
Who stands as the greatest Russian hockey player of all time? It could be the original legend, Vsevolod Bobrov, hub of the first Soviet dynasty in the 1950s. Candidates from the '60s and '70s include the fiery Boris Mikhailov and Vladislav Tretiak, the star goaltender. Viacheslav Fetisov and Igor Larionov won international titles in the 1980s and Stanley Cups in the '90s. Larinov is still going strong and his Detroit teammate, Sergei Federov, is one of the game's current masters.
But the man who sets the bar in Kovalchuk's mind is likely Valery Kharlamov, the dazzling playmaker and scorer who was perhaps the best hockey player in the world when the Soviet Union played Canada in the historic 1972 Summit series.
Kharlamov, whose stated goal was to "play the game beautifully," may be his country's most revered hockey player. His early death, in a car accident at the age of 33, enhances the legend. "Many greats followed, none with the quixotic flair… dash and charisma of the successor to Bobrov," wrote Lawrence Martin in "The Red Machine," a history of Russian hockey.
Flair, dash and charisma are words often used in describing Ilya Kovalchuk, who wears number 17 in Kharlamov's honor, though Kovalchuk is bigger and comes with a broader mean streak. At the age of 19, he is scoring at a pace of 40-to-50 goals per season, and his goals are often spectacular. He's also a winner, having led Russia to the World Under-18 and World Junior Championships before turning pro. He can play the game beautifully, although he and the rest of the Atlanta Thrashers often look very ugly indeed.
But Kovalchuk need only look to his immediate predecessors to see how quickly a promising career can plateau. While Russians have thrived in the NHL since the end of the Cold War, the most spectacular and talented have fallen short. Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Bure were fully expected to set the league on fire when they arrived (in 1989 and 1991, respectively), and for a while they did. At times, each looked like he might stake a claim to the title of greatest Russian hockey player. But they have been irregular scorers in recent years, grounded by injuries and occasionally indifferent play.
Perseverance - through the dog days of winter, losing seasons, coaching changes, left wing locks, draining road trips, revolving linemates, oak tree defensemen and pesky checking forwards - is perhaps the greatest challenge facing any NHL star. To go down as Russia's hockey player for the ages, Kovalchuk will have to rise above it all, stay healthy, play close to two decades of high impact hockey and avoid the ups and downs that plague so many exceptional talents from Vernon to Vladivostok. A handful of age-group medals and a solid rookie season are a decent start, nothing more.
With the Atlanta Thrashers struggling, Kovalchuk's triumphant junior years must now seem a distant memory. The Thrashers are a bad hockey team, losing games in bunches and playing to oceans of empty seats. Another new star, Minnesota's Marion Gaborik, is scoring more goals and making more headlines, while Kovalchuk learns to backcheck. "No matter how many goals you score, you can't give up more," said Thrashers' coach Curt Fraser, after scratching him from the lineup for a game in October. "He needs to learn that lesson now. He has to pay attention to defense."
The healthy ego apparently remains intact, which does not win him much support on the public relations front. The hockey code dictates that young players maintain at least a show of humility. Kovalchuk's self regard comes off as selfishness, a tag that has dogged Bure his entire career. The Thrashers don't seem too bothered. "I like his attitude," says Dany Heatley, the team's other emerging star.
But Kovalchuk might want to heed the words of his idol: "It is important for an athlete to always look at himself with impartial assessment," said Valery Kharlamov, "to look at himself, not with admiration, but with the stern eye of a critic."
Canadiens-Thrashers Preview
As the Montreal Canadiens end the year with a five-game road trip, they are approaching a record they would rather not surpass.
Montreal will try to avoid its ninth straight road loss when they meet the resurgent Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena.
The Canadiens dropped their eighth in a row away from the Bell Centre with a 4-2 defeat to the Washington Capitals on Friday. Rookie backup goaltender Cristobal Huet, playing his third straight game in place of the injured Jose Theodore (knee), gave up all four goals on just 11 shots faced in the third period.
Montreal has been outscored 32-16 and gone 4-for-37 on the power play during the road skid, its longest since a nine-game slide from Feb. 27-April 1, 1995.
Should the Canadiens fall in Atlanta, they would be in position to match the longest road losing streak in franchise history on Wednesday when they meet the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Canadiens lost 10 straight on the road from Jan. 16-March 13, 1926.
Atlanta, meanwhile, hopes rookie goaltender Michael Garnett can build off his first career shutout. Garnett made 29 saves and Czech Olympic selection Marian Hossa scored the lone goal Friday in Atlanta's 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Garnett was expected to play in the minor leagues this season while highly touted Kari Lehtonen and veteran Mike Dunham handled goaltending chores for the Thrashers. Groin injuries to both forced Garnett into a starting role.
He's made 14 straight starts for Atlanta, which has won five of its last seven games. The two losses came in shootouts.
``The defense has really picked it up lately,'' Garnett said. ``Our discipline is better. We're not taking stupid penalties. We're heading in the right direction.''
After the first month of the season, Atlanta was 4-9-1, including a four-game losing streak in which it was outscored 22-2.
Since beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-0 on Nov. 9, the Thrashers have gone a respectable 11-7-4, outscoring the opposition 82-72.
Atlanta is expected to have leading goal scorer and Russian Olympic team selection Ilya Kovalchuk back in the lineup after he served a one-game suspension for throwing his stick into the stands during a 6-5 shootout loss Thursday to Washington.
STANDINGS: Canadiens - 40 points, 3rd place, 11 PB, Northeast Division. Thrashers - 35 points, 3rd place, 13 PB, Southeast Division.
TEAM LEADERS: Canadiens - Michael Ryder, 16 goals; Saku Koivu, 19 assists and 27 points; Steve Begin, 83 PIM. Thrashers - Kovalchuk, 22 goals; Marc Savard, 33 assists and 48 points; Andy Sutton, 62 PIM.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Canadiens - Power play: 18.5 percent (39 for 211), 14th in NHL. Penalty killing: 80.9 percent (178 for 220), 24th. Thrashers - Power play: 20.9 percent (53 for 234), 4th. Penalty killing: 78.8 percent (186 for 236), 29th.
GOALTENDERS: Canadiens - Theodore (13-7-5, 0 SO, 3.06 GAA); Huet (1-1-1, 3.55). Thrashers - Garnett (8-7-3, 1, 3.57); Adam Berkhoel (2-4-0, 4.08).
SEASON SERIES: Canadiens, 2-0.
LAST MEETING: Nov. 22; Canadiens, 3-2, SO. At Montreal, Theodore stopped Kovalchuk, Peter Bondra and Hossa while Pierre Dagenais scored for the Canadiens in the shootout.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Canadiens - 6-5-4 on the road; Thrashers - 8-7-3 at home.
Canadiens in Atlanta to face Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers look to notch their fifth win in six games and return to .500 for the first time in more than two months tonight when they host the Montreal Canadiens.
Despite playing without suspended All-Star Ilya Kovalchuk, the Thrashers were able to post a 1-0 victory Friday over the New Jersey Devils. Marian Hossa scored the game's only goal and rookie goaltender Michael Garnett made 29 saves en route to his first career shutout.
Kovalchuk, who leads the team with 22 goals, was suspended for throwing his stick into the stands in Thursday's shootout loss to Washington but will be back on the ice Monday.
Atlanta has picked up at least one point in each of its last seven games (5-0-2) and has a chance to even its record for the first time since it was 2-2 on October 12.
The Canadiens opened a five-game road trip Friday with a 4-2 setback to Washington. Steve Begin and Richard Zednik each scored for Montreal, which lost for the third time in four contests despite holding a 43-31 advantage in shots. Cristobal Huet got his third straight start in goal and made 27 saves in place of starter Jose Theodore, who is day-to-day with a bruised knee. Huet will get the nod again tonight.
Montreal has defeated Atlanta twice in as many meetings this season and leads the all-time series, 16-4-2.
