Craig Ramsay to Coach Atlanta Thrashers

The Atlanta Thrashers have announced that Craig Ramsay will replace recently fired John Anderson as head coach.

The Thrashers also interviewed Chicago Blackhawk assistant John Torchetti, who was rumored to be a front-runner for the position, as well as Columbus head coach Scott Arniel.

All of the candidates had pluses and varying levels of experience but new Atlanta general manager Rick Dudley ultimately chose his old Buffalo Sabres teammate for the position.

Dudley and Ramsay played together on the Sabres when they barely missed winning the Stanley Cup against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Sabres lineup included Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, Rene Robert, Jim Schonfeld, Don Luce, Jerry Korab, Rick Dudley and Craig Ramsay.

Ramsay was known as a tenacious forechecker, who was also a opportunistic scorer and able leftwing.

According to Wikipedia, Ramsay won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1985 He won the Stanley Cup in 2004 as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning . He remained as the assistant coach until he was fired on May 24, 2007.

Prior to being hired by the Thrashers, Ramsay served as a assistant coach for the Boston Bruins.

Ramsay was primarily a defensive forward during his playing days often charged with shutting down the opposing teams top lines. He and his longtime linemate Don Luce were also adapt on the penalty killing unit often-engineering shorthanded opportunities.

Ramsay’s hiring coincides with several key moves the Dudley has made in the last week.

One day Prior to Ramsey’s announcement Dudley made a blockbuster trade for Chicago forward Dustin Byfuglien giving the Blackhawks a first and second round draft choice in addition to prospect Jeremy Morin and Marty Reasoner.

 The Thrashers also received defenseman Brent Sopel, prospect Akim Aliu, and forward Ben Eager.