Anderson sees good things from Wolves, Blackhawks

He may be in Atlanta now, but that doesn't mean Thrashers coach John Anderson doesn't still keep an eye on his beloved Chicago Wolves as well as the Blackhawks.

Here's what he had to say recently about the two local franchises:

On the Wolves: "It's a great organization. It was a lot of fun. We really had a good understanding of what we wanted from that team.

"We had some tough transitional times going from the IHL to the AHL where your team becomes not everyone you pick. You're handed a lot of players and you've got to make them better. You become a little less of a master of your own destiny.

"We weathered through it. We had some heated conversations, but we got through it together, because our common goal was to win. We were one and we were tolerant of each other and I think that's why it worked there."

On the Blackhawks: "Wow. (General manager) Dale Tallon's done a wonderful job getting some good, young players, but also patching it around with some really good players.

"Take Patrick Sharp. He really came from nowhere. That's good for the scouts and good for Dale to find a guy like that who scores a lot of goals, and out of the blue, really.

"They had to go through some tough years. If you had asked Dale how he felt about his team 21/2 years ago, probably not as warm and fuzzy as he does right now. But they did stick with it and they've done a wonderful job there."