Atlanta Teammates Fight Each Other During A Game! .... Kovalchuk Disgusted ... Waddell Fails The Sniff Test ....

I've heard of teammates scrapping at practice and perhaps after a few cold beers at a nightclub, but during a game? Fantastic.

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution (Craig Custance):

"The Thrashers continue to drop to the bottom of the NHL standings, and now even teammates are turning on each other. Slava Kozlov had to break up some shoving between Eric Boulton and Bobby Holik in the second period as the players were headed to the bench.

"We got caught in our end for a minute and a half. I was coming off, and we were all frustrated at the time," Boulton said. "Bobby broke his stick, and pieces went flying everywhere. I just got a little upset. It's obviously frustrating the way we're playing right now. Emotions are running high."

Boulton said there are no lingering hard feelings between him and Holik.

"We made up," he said. "So everything is cool."

Actually Eric, everything is not cool. Ilya Kovalchuk has called this season the most disappointing of his career, saying, "After I sniffed playoff hockey, I'm really disappointed. I'm hoping next year we're going to battle not just for the playoffs but to win the Cup. It's my sixth year here, and I've never had a sniff."

Speaking of taking a sniff, Scott Burnside took one and he had to pull away his nose. He advocates a complete flushing of the management.

From ESPN:

"Hockey observers often cite the Toronto Maple Leafs as the most dysfunctional team in the NHL, and their 41-year Stanley Cup drought lends significant weight to that argument. But the Thrashers are in many ways worse. At the least the Leafs have made changes in an effort to move forward, firing GM John Ferguson and now beating the bushes for a candidate who might build a winner. The Thrashers may be in a worse position given that they appear clueless about what ails the team and how to go about fixing it.

With season-ticket holders dwindling in number and the prospects for the immediate future grim, the future in Atlanta is as dire as it's been in its
history."

I tend to agree with Burnside but there's another element at work here. Apparently Ilya Kovalchuk (who has two years remaining on his contract) is very loyal to GM and coach Don Waddell and if he is removed, Kovalchuk might get it in his head that he can be better served playing elsewhere. Atlanta without Kovalchuk would be like Different Strokes without Arnold. All you're left with is Willis and his dating problems.

No one has the stomach for either scenario.