Thrashers cut out their Hart

Bob Hartley is the first coaching causality of the seasons. With the Thrashers going 0-6, the only winless team left, GM Don Waddell made a move to right the ship, firing head coach Hartley.

You gotta love a GM who does little to better his team in the off-season and then takes it out on his Stanley Cup-winning coach.

When Hartley has the tools, he can take a club far. Heck, he even turned Ville Nieminen into a contributor. With the benefit of shootout wins, Atlanta's record the past couple years was in line with how Colorado performed in front of Hartley (the Cup year being the obvious exception). The Thrashers have half the talent the Avs had.

Who ever replaces Hartley - for now it's Waddell - isn't going to have a much easier go of it this season. If the Thrashers really want to turn it around, they're going to need to make some personnel changes on the ice or maybe even upstairs (remember the Keith Tkachuck deal?), not behind the bench.