From first to worst, Hartley takes over struggling Thrashers

ATLANTA - When Bob Hartley decided to give up a nice, secure job at the windshield factory for the chance to coach hockey, his co-workers pleaded with him to reconsider. <br> <br> He says, ``They told me, &#39;Don&#39;t leave. You&#39;re just going get fired.&#39; Well, they were right, only it took 16 years to happen.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> After an inspiring rise from blue-collar laborer to Stanley Cup-winning coach, Hartley got his first dose of reality last month when the Colorado Avalanche fired him just a week before Christmas. <br> <br> Never mind four trips to the Western Conference finals in his first four seasons. No need to bring up the Stanley Cup victory in 2001. When the Avalanche got off to a mediocre start, Hartley was ousted. <br> <br> A month later, he&#39;s back in the game. This time, however, he&#39;s not coaching a team loaded with future Hall of Famers. <br> <br> The 42-year-old Hartley decided to resurrect his coaching career with the Atlanta Thrashers, who&#39;ve been the worst team in the league for most of their four-year existence. <br> <br> From the penthouse to the outhouse, that&#39;s for sure. Still, Hartley had no reservations about coming to Atlanta. In fact, it was Hartley who called Thrashers GM Don Waddell -- not the other way around -- after Curt Fraser was dismissed the day after Christmas. <br> <br> His hockey career began innocently enough. He followed his late father, Royal, into a job at the local paper mill near Montreal. The pay was good, but the grueling workload ended young Bob&#39;s junior hockey career at age 18. <br> <br> When the paper plant closed, Hartley got a job in another factory, this time making windshields. But hockey was still in his blood, so he took a part-time job working with the goalies for the local junior team, then became head coach. <br> <br> He won two Canadian Junior Hockey League titles; a Quebec Major Junior League championship; and an American Hockey League crown with the Hershey Bears -- Colorado&#39;s minor-league affiliate. <br> <br> In 1998, Colorado coach Marc Crawford was let go during a contract dispute. Hartley got the job. Three seasons later, he won the Stanley Cup. But the flip side of coaching in Colorado is the high expectations. When the Avs got off to a 10-8-9-4 start this season, Hartley was fired. <br> <br> So far, so good. The Thrashers have won the first two games under their new coach -- 1-0 over Montreal and 3-1 Friday night over Boston.

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