For the second time this season, the Atlanta Thrashers played before a record-low crowd at Philips Arena. And for the second time this season, they were left answering questions about how the less-than-enthusiastic home crowd affected the team's play on the ice.
↵Defenseman Zach Bogosian was rather candid when asked whether a half-filled arena affected the team's play on the ice.
↵"Defintely," he said. "It not a good feeling when you come out and you are all pumped up and there's not that many people in the stands. After playing here for three years, you kind of get used to it. More fans would be a lot better, but it's not an excuse we can use."
↵If Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith thinks that the crowds for his team is bad, he should come to a Thrashers game on one of his off days.
↵Atlanta's hockey team played before a late-arriving crowd of 8,461 fans in a 3-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night in Blueland. To put things into prospective, fewer fans were on hand in three of Atlanta's first five home games than showed up at the ECHL Gwinnett Gladiators' home opener in suburban Atlanta.