Thrashers gained a mentor in Mathieu Schneider

Mathieu Schneider offers 19 seasons and more than 700 points worth of experience to the Thrashers' promising kids. Debora Robinson/NHLI via Getty Images Darren Eliot's Mailbag Darren Eliot will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

On the surface, Mathieu Schneider going from Anaheim to Atlanta is a business transaction that helps both clubs. The Ducks freed up the requisite dollars to sign Teemu Selanne to a two-year deal and the Thrashers got offensive skill that should help on the ice and experience that should prove valuable to youngsters Tobi Enstrom, Zach Bogosian, Arturs Kulda and Boris Valabik in the dressing room. After all, Schneider is entering his twentieth NHL campaign and over the last couple of seasons he has served as mentor while being paired with up-and-comers Nik Kronwall and Brett Lebda in Detroit and Kent Huskins in Anaheim.

Just below the surface, though, Schneider ending up in Atlanta is intriguing. It coalesces the efforts of a hockey family in a southern hockey locale. That's the first thing I thought of when the distinctive New York accent on the other end of the phone intoned, "Darren, I haven't talked to you in a while, but I see you now have my boy under your thumb down there. Call me back when you get a chance."

It was Mathieu's dad, calling late last Friday night after Thrashers' GM Don Waddell completed the transaction that acquired his blueliner son. The excitement in Sam Schneider's voice was touching. After witnessing Mathieu make it to the NHL and become a Stanley Cup-winner with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, perform for four Original Six franchises -- including the Rangers in New York where he was born -- play in two All-Star Games and represent the USA at the Olympics in 1998 and 2006, Sam is still a hockey dad.

And, in this case, one of his sons was moving to a market where his other son, JA, already resides and coaches a fledgling junior team. Sam has spent a great deal of time in Atlanta over the last several years staying with JA and helping the youngsters on the ice. You can't keep Sam out of the rink. That's where I got to know him -- watching youth hockey games. We are both denizens of the rink and I always enjoyed his colorful commentary, intriguing insights and sometimes-outrageous opinions.

When I called Sam back, I asked if I'd see him more regularly now that Matt was a Thrasher.

"I would think so," he replied. "I'm up here in Vermont right now. Spent the summer in California with Matt and his family. His boy Matt Jr. is playing and the little guy Micah is just now starting to like the game."

That's been my experience with Sam. It's all about the kids. It's all about developing fundamentals and a love of the game. In fact, Mathieu said, "My Dad's great at teaching the kids. I haven't spent much time on hockey with my eight-year old, Mathieu Jr., so I had my dad come out and get on the ice with him for a couple of weeks."

And now the Schneider scene shifts to Atlanta, a destination that shocked the veteran. "Three teams were in the mix," he said, "but Atlanta sort of came out of nowhere. I was excited when (Ducks assistant GM) Bob Murray said I was going to Atlanta. It's the closest I've lived to my brother since I was 19 and playing in Cornwall and he was across the border playing Tier II junior in Messina, NY."

As with any deal, change is the only constant. "My wife (Shannon) is flying in tomorrow. We have to find schools for the kids and get situated. On the ice, it will be a bit different, too. I've been in the West so long, I'm not as familiar with the Eastern Conference."

Schneider's savvy and seniority should make the West-to-East transition a relatively easy one. And with a brother's support locally and a still passionate hockey dad analyzing every move -- Sam coached Mathieu right up until he moved to Rhode Island to play for Mount Saint Charles Academy -- Schneider's assimilation into the Atlanta landscape should go just as smoothly. And like his father and brother, he'll be helping to develop young players.

The Thrashers are counting on it.

Darren Eliot has been the Thrashers' TV analyst since 1999-2000 and overseen the organization's community hockey programming efforts for six seasons, including the groundbreaking Jr. NHL All-Star tournament that accompanied the NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta.