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About Brett Friedlander
Brett Friedlander became a hockey fan in the heart of the deep south in the early 1970s. He became hooked the first time his father, a charter Atlanta Flames season-ticket holder, took him to a game at The Omni. His first job covering hockey was with the Annapolis Capital, where he covered the Washington Capitals and learned to do an uncanny imitation of coach Bryan Murray from 1984-93. He's also covered the Carolina Hurricanes and Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional Hockey League for the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. He has also been a regular contributor to Rinkside magazine and Faceoff.com. The highlight of his writing career came on June 19,2006, when the Hurricanes beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup. His first book, "Chasing Moonlight: The True Story of Field of Dreams' Doc Graham" was released by John F. Blair, Publisher, in April 2009.
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| This Ladd isn't too young to lead |
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| Southeast | |
| Written by Brett Friedlander | |
| Friday, November 26, 2010 14:59 | |
The Thrashers' 24-year-old captain has already won a pair of Stanley Cups. Andrew Ladd may have been overlooked in Chicago, but he is leading the Thrashers in scoring as well in the dressing room.
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Even at the age of 24, Andrew Ladd already knows a little something about being a leader. And a lot about winning.| AROUND THE SOUTHEAST |
Ladd, who was acquired for defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy and a second-round draft choice, was one of three players who served as alternate captains for the first month of the season before finally assuming the leadership role on his own last week.
It’s a role he would seem to have come by naturally.
Not only does he strike a commanding presence in the locker room at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, but having come up as a rookie with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, he learned at the side of Rod Brind’Amour – one of the NHL’s best leaders of the past decade.
Ladd won a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes that year, then added another ring to his collection last season by helping the Blackhawks to their first title since 1961.His leadership credentials, however, aren’t all based on the past.
This season, Ladd has been Atlanta’s best and most consistent player, leading the team with 23 points in his first 22 games. Two of his eight goals have come short-handed, including one in a 5-1 rout of Detroit on Wednesday.
“We were hoping from the start of the year that somebody would step up and say ‘Hey, I’m the guy. I want to be that guy',” Ramsay said. “When you go out on a 2-on-1, are you the shooter or always the passer? You want to be that guy that makes the big play. He wants to be that guy and he’s shown it with his play. We’ve talked about it and this is a good time to reward him for what he’s done and his commitment. The time just seemed right.”
Judging from the early results, Ladd may already be having a positive effect on the Thrashers.
The decision to name him captain came after a 2-1 loss to a Florida in a game in which Ramsay accused his team of quitting in the second period. It was Atlanta’s sixth loss in seven games.
The Thrashers are 3-0 since Ladd was given the C, with a 5-0 win against division rival Washington to go along with Wednesday’s impressive win against the Red Wings.
In becoming Atlanta’s eighth captain, Ladd joins Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Chicago’s Jonathan Toews and Carolina’s Eric Staal among the growing ranks of leaders in their 20s.
“I don’t know if it was a goal to be captain, but it was definitely a goal to be a leader on this team,” Ladd said. “We have a lot of great older guys that have been around that I’m going to be able to lean on throughout the year.”
Notes
The Thrashers’ Dustin Byfuglien leads all NHL defensemen with eight goals, including an overtime game-winner against the Islanders last Sunday. … Atlanta G Ondrej Pavelec has not allowed more than two goals in five straight starts and in his last three he has yielded a total of two goals. He has stopped 121 of 125 shots in his team’s current three-game winning streak. … The Hurricanes continue to wheel and deal while reshaping their roster. On Tuesday, they acquired C Ryan Carter from Anaheim for a pair of minor-league forwards. Carter scored just three points in 18 games this season with the Ducks. … Carolina also lost forward Patrick O’Sullivan when he was picked up waivers by Minnesota. The Hurricanes had previously traded for defenseman Ian White from Calgary and picked up forward Troy Bodie on waivers from Anaheim. … Florida has been forced to reshuffle its lineup because of a rash of injuries. In addition to forwards Rostislav Olesz and Steve Bernier being placed on injured reserve this week, defensemen Bryan Allen and Jason Garrison also went out with a broken foot and a groin injury respectively. To replace Allen and Garrison, the Panthers recalled D Keaton Ellerby and Joe Callahan from Rochester of the AHL. … Led by Stephen Stamkos, who has 18 points in his last 10 games, Tampa Bay is in the midst of its longest winning streak in nearly four years. The Lightning’s 5-3 victory against the Rangers on Wednesday was their fifth straight, and the first time they’ve won that many in a row since Nov. 7-16, 2007. … G Semyon Varlamov, making his first NHL start since injuring his groin on Oct. 21, stopped 30 of 32 shots Wednesday to help Washington break a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 win at Carolina.Photos by Getty Images
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