On Sunday, first-year Atlanta head coach Craig Ramsay will be doing everything in his power to beat the Bruins.
But Ramsay might be his own worst enemy in that quest, as he left behind quite a legacy in Boston from his three seasons as a Bruins assistant. Ramsay was instrumental in the development of many of the young defensemen who will be doing their best to shut down Ramsay's Thrashers on Sunday.
"He was very influential in my game," said Bruins defenseman Matt Hunwick of Ramsay. "He helped me learn the pro game. It's hard to really put it into words, but working with him every day was just awesome. He taught me a lot. He had a great demeanor about him. It was fun to come and play for him every day."
Johnny Boychuk owes an even greater debt to Ramsay. Boychuk began last season as Boston's seventh defenseman and was a healthy scratch for all but three of the first 26 games of the year. But Ramsay continued to work with him daily, and when injuries gave him an opportunity to play, Boychuk proved a worthy pupil.
"I think every shift I came back he would give me little constructive criticisms," said Boychuk. "Not like yelling at me, but told me the things I could have done and showed me on video. He just worked with me every day for the first half of the season on different things."
By the playoffs, Boychuk had risen to playing on Boston's top defensive pairing alongside captain Zdeno Chara, then cashed in with a two-year, $3.75-million deal as a free agent this summer.
"He was awesome," said Boychuk of Ramsay. "He's always upbeat. He always had something to say to you. And he was very smart, that's for sure. He was just a good coach, and he helped me out throughout the whole year."
Adam McQuaid is in a similar situation this year, and already showed he is capable of contributing when he filled in when Boychuk was sidelined with a fractured forearm. McQuaid also credits Ramsay for aiding his development when he was up with the big club last season.
"Rammer was awesome with me last year," said McQuaid. "He was always keeping me in good spirits and working with me on small things. There'd be stretches of games where I wouldn't play, and he'd always be talking to me, telling me to stay ready and that I'd get my chance. He helped me a lot.
"He was instrumental in my learning the system here," added McQuaid. "He would spend a few minutes every day just going over some real small, small thing that he noticed, and those things could be the difference between being in the NHL and not. I think that helped me to be where I'm at right now."
On Sunday, the Bruins blueliners hope to show Ramsay just how well they've learned his lessons.
"Hopefully, I'd like to go out there and use some of the stuff he's taught us against them," said Hunwick. "Our entire coaching staff lives by a certain philosophy, and I'm sure he's brought some of that to Atlanta. It should be interesting because it may be two teams very similar going at each other."
Ramsay is already making the same kind of improvements on the Thrashers' defense, particularly in making converted forward Dustin Byfuglien into one of the most dangerous offensive defensemen in the league. Byfuglien is one of several former Blackhawks acquired by Atlanta over the summer who have brought some championship experience to the Thrashers and, along with Ramsay, are starting to change the culture of the long-suffering franchise.
"They added some good pieces this summer with the trades they had from Chicago," said Hunwick. "They have some Stanley Cup winners in that locker room now. And obviously with Rammer there they have a good coach, so it's no surprise to see [their success]. … I think he probably has a similar structure to us as far as the way they play defense, and it's obviously working for them now."
