Thrashers fire head coach Hartley

After starting the NHL regular season 0-6 the Atlanta Thrashers organization canned Head Coach Bob Hartley. This poor start to the season combined with their first round sweep in the playoffs last year gave GM Don Waddell enough reason in his mind to fire Hartley. Hartley was 136-123-32 with Atlanta during his stay, and he won a Stanley Cup with his previous team Colorado in 2001. In those six games this season, the Thrashers were outscored 27-9. Waddell is 4-5-1 as an interim coach after he fired Coach Curt Fraser during the 02-03 season before hiring Hartley. It’s easy to see why he was upset at starting without a win in six games after winning their division last year and making the playoffs for the first time. It was a concern that the Thrashers have lost all momentum gained from last year’s campaign and Waddell hopes that this move will motivate his team to play like they did last year before the playoffs. Hartley, who has proved himself in Colorado and again in Atlanta, should have no real problem finding a job within the next year or so. Supposedly there is no real time frame for finding a new coaching job in Atlanta. They’re looking for a coach that is less intense than Hartley, so the players can relax more on the ice and have more fun out there. We’ll just have to see how this move affects the Thrashers season this year.