Bob Hartley loves a challenge. If he didn't, he would have never left the security of his hometown windshield wiper factory some 15 years ago to chase his dream of becoming a professional hockey coach.

"A lot of my friends at work thought I was crazy to leave," Hartley said. "It was a good job and a tough decision, but I knew I had to go."

A lot of those same friends back in Hawkesbury, Ontario -- many of whom he still keeps in touch with -- probably figured Hartley was just as crazy to take on his latest assignment: coach of the stumbling Atlanta Thrashers. After all, they could reason, why wouldn't their old pal wait for a better opportunity to jump back into the cutthroat business of coaching in the NHL? A coach with a Stanley Cup on his resume could pick and choose his next job, right? Why rush down to last-place Atlanta less than a month after getting fired (for the first time in his coaching career) in Colorado?

"I saw Atlanta as a great situation and a great challenge for me," said Hartley, who was canned by the Avalanche on Dec. 18 after winning four division titles in as many years and capturing the Cup in 2001. "It's a chance for me to put another feather in my cap."

The Thrashers, who were 8-20-1-4 under former coach Curt Fraser and 4-5-1 with general manager Don Waddell behind the bench, are 4-1-1 in their first six games under Hartley. That record includes a 1-0 overtime win over the Canadiens in Hartley's debut, a blowout 8-4 victory over the powerful Blues and a come-from-behind 3-3 tie against the league-leading Senators.

Remember, this is the same Thrashers team that went oh-for-October. So, what gives? Why is this bunch suddenly coming together under Hartley?

Two words: credibility and accountability.

Hartley brings a Zamboni-load of credibility to a dressing room filled with baby-faced prodigies and journeymen minor leaguers and he demands each player be accountable to one another and the team.

"We all know what he did in Colorado," said 22-year-old Dany Heatley, last year's Calder Trophy winner. "So there's a huge respect factor when he comes in the room. We know it's his way or you don't play. His way works. We know that, we respect that and we're doing it."

Playing Hartley's way, the Thrashers have dramatically improved their team defense. They've allowed just 13 goals in their last six games, an average of 2.2 goals against. In their previous 43 games, they surrendered 3.8 goals per game.

"My first priority was to cut down on the goals against," said Hartley, who has benefited from some good goaltending by Pasi Nurminen while Byron Dafoe has been sidelined with a groin injury. "I told the players we are not going to have success in this league giving up four or five goals per game.

"But we want to play good defense without taking away from our offense. We had to be more accountable as a team. The players have to read off one another in all the zones, not just in the defensive zone."

Hartley has also been a calming influence behind the bench.

"We aren't having big emotional swings during games," said Heatley, who has a pair of hat tricks in his last seven games. "We aren't getting too excited when we get a lead and we aren't getting too down if we get behind. We're playing with more of an even keel."

Hartley also has impressed the club's other young superstar, Ilya Kovalchuk.

"He's tough and he knows how to win games," said the 19-year-old Kovalchuk, who leads the club with 28 goals. "He gives us the feeling we can win. I think he can put us in the right direction."

Needless to say, Hartley loves having two young guns like Heatley and Kovalchuk on his bench. He won't compare them to some of the superstars he coached in Colorado, but he feels they're on course to be big-time players.

"Heatley is an unbelievable player," Hartley says. "He's the total package as a hockey player.

"And Ilya is rewriting the book on how to score goals. He can make good goalies look like pee-wees. These two guys are going to be stars in this league for a long time."

For now, Hartley looks at each situation as a learning experience and wants his team to take something away from every contest.

"I just keep telling the guys to stay in the game," Hartley says. "If we're tied, I tell them that good teams find a way to win. If we get a lead, I tell them that great teams learn to play with a lead. As a team, you need to be comfortable in all these different situations."

Hartley's new boss, Waddell, is thrilled with his new coach. He believes that Hartley is a perfect fit for his team.

"First, he brings instant respect for what he has accomplished in this league," Waddell said. "And he's a guy who brings leadership and the ability to teach. He really loves working with our young players. He also brings a structure and discipline that we need."

Waddell said he didn't know much about Hartley when he started his coaching search on Dec. 26. In fact, he didn't reach out to Hartley until after he'd received two phone messages from the former Avs coach.

"He left me a voice mail to express his interest in the job," Waddell said. "Then, a couple of days later, he left me another more lengthy message to further express his interest.

"I was really impressed by his desire to get back into things, but I couldn't speak to him until I received permission from [Avs GM] Pierre Lacroix."

Once Waddell got the OK from Lacroix, he contacted Hartley and asked him to fly down to Atlanta. Waddell picked him up at the airport, but instead of driving to the Thrashers' offices, Waddell drove back to his home.

"I wanted to get to know him," Waddell said. "So, we sat down in my basement and talked for about three hours, then we went over to the practice rink and later went to dinner. We probably spent seven or eight hours together on that first day."

The two men clicked and the deal was done -- Hartley would take on the challenge of turning around the Thrashers.

Although the team is last in the Eastern Conference, Hartley isn't playing for next season.

"We were 20 points out of a playoff spot on Dec. 25," Hartley said on Saturday. "Today, we are 11 points out. Maybe we are a long shot and maybe we'll run out of time, but maybe we'll shock everybody in the East and make the playoffs."

That's Bob Hartley, who's got the biggest challenge of his coaching career. And he couldn't be happier.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.