Step up to the Mike

Senators 5 - 2 Canadiens

Sometimes you get all the bounces. The Habs hit a ton of goal posts and Ray Emery made a ridiculous save with hits right leg while flailing on the goal line. Dany Heatley even helped his Drive for Five-ty with a goal on an open net late in the third period. He now has 47 goals and 99 points. I'm ready to give Heatley the title of most consistent Senator this season - and he's played every game for two seasons now - very impressive!

What did I say about those Mikes?! The Fisher and Comrie each had 3-points last night against the Montreal Canadiens. I think these guys are going to be instrumental in the Senators upcoming playoff serie(s). Mike Comrie could very well be the best late-season acquisition that the Senators have made in years! ...well let's wait for the playoffs to declare that.

And it looks like my greatest fears are becoming reality - if the season ended today, the Senators would play New Jersey in the opening round of the playoffs. Wake me up when we're in the second round.

Injuries finally catching up to the Senators?

Reports are coming out of tsn.ca that Dany Heatley may miss Friday's game against Montreal due to an ankle injury. This will seriously hurt his Drive For Five-ty. Mind-you, in the big picture, it's better that he be injured now and be prepared for the playoffs.

In more painful news, Patrick Eaves got a puck right in the ol' bag of pucks the other night against Boston. With Redden missing the last game, it seems that the Senators will have to call in at least one of their reservists. That mens that Oleg 'freakin' Saprykin will have to strap on the skates for Friday.

This has got to be Oleg's last chance to show that he's a playoff player. If he shows nothing tomorrow night then you might as well wrap him in bubble-wrap and ship him to his next team right now.

...and as much as it pains me to say this, it must be said: The Senators need Wade Redden. Ottawa has won only 6 of the 18 games that he has not played.

And I want to do a live blog for the Senators' second-last regular season game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. So if you're watching that game on Thursday, April 5th, then log on to this website and watch me (and hopefully my friends) comment in (almost) real time as the game occurs. Should be fun!

One streak ends, another continues!

The streak that continues...

The Ottawa Senators have made the playoffs for a decade straight. That's pretty impressive no matter what team accomplishes it, but it should be extra special for the Senators who have not missed the playoffs since they first made it there in 96-97.

That's not to say that the team has gotten better every year, but rather that effective management has allowed the Senators to fill in the cracks relatively seamlessly. If not for the early-season collapse (better than a late-season collapse, I guess) the Senators would be first in the Eastern Conference right now, despite all they lost in the off-season.

The streak that ends... Bruins 3 - 2 Senators

The Senators lost in regulation last night to the Boston Bruins. This is the first time that the Senators have lost in regulation time (without getting a single point) in around 20 games! In the words of Bryan Murray, "We played so damn well on the road." Was the cursing necessary? Yes, it probably was. It's a great stat to fall back on when you consider that all playoff games are 5-on-5 20 minute periods - no shoot outs or 4-on-4.

The Drive for Five-ty

Heater picked up a goal last night and he's now on pace for 48 goals this season - not good enough Dany! If you don't make it to 50 this season I will photoshop whatever number you do get onto the back of your jersey - and you will have to live with that number until I find something more cruel to do! So just hit 50 goals this season and we can call the whole thing off.



Doesn't Mike Fisher look good with that 'A' on his jersey? He deserves it - not only is he Canadian, but I'm sure he has other good qualities too! The more people on our team named 'Mike' the better!

Who do you fear more?

It seems to be the question on every sens fan's mind right now: Who do you fear more? The youthful and offensively potent Pittsburgh Penguins or the stifling defense of the New Jersey Devils?

Personally, I fear the Devils. Not because of their defensive abilities, but rather because watching New Jersey games is about as exciting as watching soccer without the potential for a post-game riot. It's just boring!

The New Jersey Devils are everything that is/was wrong with the NHL. They don't score goals, they play the trap to death, and they're perfectly happy with a 1-0 win. They depend on Brodeur more than the 1998 Buffalo Sabres depended on Dominik Hasek.

So I say BRING ON THE PENS. I would rather see the Senators eliminated from the playoffs than sit through four or more games against the New Jersey Devils.

Sens clinch playoff spot by beating expansion brethren

Apres une longue journee de ski, c'etait super de voir les Senateurs gagner une partie. Tout le monde qui skiait a passe la fin de semaine a recuperer devant les parties de hockey...

Senators 7 - 2 Lightning

On Saturday the sens showed why some teams are starting to fear a playoff date with Ottawa. We've got a bona fide scorer in Dany Heatley, a goaltender that's scary-good when hot and secondary scoring on offense and defense to round it out. Joe Corvo picked up a couple points and showed how effective he can be as an offensive defenseman.

I'm starting to feel good about our chances in the playoffs - but I don't believe anyone in Ottawa has the same 'we're so damn talented' attitude, as was the case last year. I'm even starting to think that we have a chance of catching Buffalo - we're 5 points behind then with 6 games remaining... or am I just being overly-optimistic now?

In the Drive for Five-ty Heatley picked up two goals and now has 45 goals with 6 games to play. It looks like he's heating up(no pun intended) for the rest of the regular season. Right now, I would bet on it.

The sens' 6 remaining regular season games are against:

Boston
Montreal
NY Islanders
New Jersey
Pittsburgh
Boston

Much will be made of the late-season game against the Penguins, but I consciously choose to make nothing of that game because we never know whether the Senators in the playoffs will match the sens of the regular season.

Florida Panthers now extinct

Senators 4 - 2 Panthers

The sens got contributions from all sorts of players, first liners (Spezza and Heatley), 3rd liners (McAmmond) and pine-riders (Eaves), to defeat the Florida Panthers tonight. This means that the Ottawa Senators did not lose a game to the Panthers this year.

Ray Emery was both good and lucky - a potent combination.

With Partick Eaves getting a goal in this game and playing pretty solid overall, I wouldn't expect to see Saprykin any time soon. Why did they acquire that guy?!

Who thinks Dany Heatley will get to 50 this season? I was having my doubts earlier, but sometimes I think he can just score at will (and not just with the ladies). Heater needs 8 goals in 8 games - a reachable goal for a man who recently got something like 21 points in 16 games. In the tradition of Stephen Colbert naming segments that really don't need naming, I will call it: The Drive for Five-ty.

I'm going skiing for a few days, so I'll try to post something from La Belle Province this weekend - if not, I'm sure my fellow bloggers can hold down the fort. I'm looking at you, Scarlett Ice.

"The Heart and Soul of the Team"

...that's what my friends and I call Chris Kelly when we watch the sens. He has to be one of the most under-appreciated players on the Ottawa Senators' roster. The 26 year old man-boy kills penalties more effectively than Spartans kill Persians.

Formerly the captain of the Binghamton Senators, Kelly has settled into a very comfortable niche as the Senators' fourth line centre. He has become one of the Senators most defensively responsible forwards - perhaps second only to the Rt. Hon. Daniel Alfredsson, Prime Minister-designate of Canada.

In Wednesday's game against the St. Louis Blues, Kelly accumulated nearly 16 minutes of ice-time in addition to scoring a goal and notching 2 assists. His PK time in that game was second only to Chris "contact year" Phillips.

Exceptional performances from Chris Kelly and Antoine Vermette (along with a strange bout of temporary blindness from the referees) allowed the Ottawa Senators to win in St. Louis without either of the sens top two scorers recording a point.

If the Senators want playoff success, then they will need similar performances from more of their blue-collar forwards as spring approaches.

This has been Ben reporting live for the Sens Army Blog, in Ottawa.

Mid-game Blues

Currently tied 2 - 2, the sens are playing a hard fought game. Normally, this is good - except they're playing one of the worst teams in the league. The Blues sold most of their good players at the trade deadline for a bag of pucks, and due to injuries they are playing with minor-league defensemen.

Mike Fisher is having another kickass game (through the power of Jesus), and is leading the sens right now in face off percentage. Plus, he scored a short-handed goal.

Speaking of short-handed goals, I've gotta give a shout-out to Antoine Vermette, who just scored a short-handed goal himself. We should really take more penalties.

Where are Spezza and Heatley tonight? I guess when the 2nd and 3rd line are stealing the spotlight, someone has to be left out. They are coming off very impressive 15+ game scoring streaks, so we should cut them a little slack.

Gerber is playing pretty well, including recently saving a goal that was in the net! That's impressive.

Oleg Saprykin is playing in this game, but has been pretty invisible - I guess that's why he doesn't play very often. Eaves is sitting - would I rather have him on this ice? ...maybe.

I fully expect the Senators to prevail, and if they do not... then I suppose I will have to eat my own delicious words. Alphaghetti anyone?

Murray's Doghouse is more of a deep, dark pit

There is no escaping the doghouse of Brian Murray - and no one is safe. It's sometime like a black hole. Think of the players have had to deal with the malice of Murray:

Tyler Arnason - Playing 19 games for the sens last year, Arnason had 4 points. Murray scratched him for the entire playoffs.

Oleg Saprykin - correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this player was brought in TO PLAY. If Muckler thought the sens needed an asset that would have no effect on their game, then they would have kept the 2nd round pick! In 6 games with the sens this season, "Freakin" Saprykin has 2 points - what did the coach expect? He's not a point-per-game player, Oleg a third-liner.

Mike Comrie - One player now dragging himself out of Murray's doghouse is Mike Comrie, who has 4 points in the sens' last 3 games. He was getting used to being benched in the 3rd period, but recently has been playing 10+ minutes per game. Good on ya Mikey - just ask Martin Gerber how hard it is to get a second chance with this coach.

I think all this points to a philosophical disconnect between Muckler as GM and Murray as coach. Muckler brings in players that don't fit with Murray's style - with what Murray believes this team needs. All this should fuel speculation that one of these men won't return to the team next year - Murray has yet to receive an extension on his contract for next year.

Is this the end of the Murray/Muckler tandem? I suppose it depends on how far the sens go in the playoffs - and I would not bet my job on that factor. Let me hear what you think.

Blogosphere:

And a big THANK YOU to Sens Underground for the shout out! I practically fell out of my chair when I was listening to the podcast at work today. I gotta add them to the side bar - and send them an email - and give them a call - and listen to their show live... they just kick ass.

Easy Targets! or Ben eats his words in 5 days

Solid win against the Islanders. Although I did not like the fact that the last 2 goals of the game were scored by New York. The sens should know by now that opposition goals late in the game only LEAD TO MORE GOALS! I am now petitioning the team to not allow another goal this season.

I have got to say that I am liking the way that the next few days are shaping up for the sens. Taking on the Flyers Saturday night should be a confidence boost for the team. Let's face it, the Flyers are lame ducks this season - the only thing they have left to play (lose!) for is the 1st overall pick next year.

The game Sunday against Pittsburgh should be big, they are our competition for the #4 (home ice advantage) spot in the conference, and our most likely playoff opponenent. Unfortunately, this game will only be televised on pay-per-view, which I will henceforth refer to as 'extortion TV' or 'EXTV'.

The game Tuesday is against the St.Louis ...do they still have a team? Their homepage pretty much admits defeat, "working hard to win you back". Yikes. Thank god they got the #1 pick last year, or else I think we'd see their GM jumping out of a moving car by this point in the season.

The sens are only 7 points behind the Sabres for first in the division - they COULD pull it off and put another banner in the rafters, and after all the crap that's happened to the team this season, that would be of some consolation to the fans, if not the players as well.

Sens flying under the radar

"If there's another way to do it, you'd think I'd know by now" - Sloan

Everyone has had enough of the Ottawa Senators. They've had their chance. They're not as strong as last year. They choke. They have no grit. They're perfect.

Not one of the hockey pundits has picked the Ottawa Senators to win the Stanley Cup this year. For the first time in 4 seasons, they are the underdog.

That's why this is the perfect year for them to win it all. We are set up for the Cinderella story right now. An unproven goalie leading his team to the Stanley Cup finals? Unheard-of! ...unless you've heard of Patrick Roy or Cam Ward.

Look at the winners of the past few Stanley Cups, at least one of the teams in the final came from obscurity to grab the spotlight. Why the Sens this year? Why not?! They are taking the long road to the Stanley Cup, and I think it will only improve this team. Not only this year, but in seasons to come as well.

So don't get too down when the Senators lose a game, because they're taking the scenic route to the Cup. And if they do lose in the first round this year - so what? We're back on even ground with the rest of the league. Newsflash - 29 teams don't win the Stanley Cup each year. But this year could be ours. No longer powerhouses - now there's another way to do it.

Zdeno Chara - Human Cyborg (Sens Origins pt 1)

I wrote this article for the University of Ottawa's student newspaper the Fulcrum last year before the playoffs. They deemed it "too insane" to publish... I now present it to you as part of a 2-part series regarding the mysterious origins of the 2005-06 Ottawa Senators.

The Ottawa Senators have come a long way. Ever since their conception in the 92-93 season, the senators have had to deal with outside distractions such as building a new arena, changing ownership and a hockey-mad city. All teams have unique circumstances, but as the Senators look forward to the undoubted glory of their coming playoff run we should recall that many of the Senators got to this point through extraordinary circumstances.

Starting on defense, Zdeno Chara was built in 1998 – a human cyborg literally designed to protect the net from opposing players. Originally though, the ‘net’ in question was filled with fish, and the ‘opposing players’ were grizzly bears. Chara was programmed to protect the catch while the other ice-fishermen slept. One night, he defended the fishermen and their fish from a mother bear and her 3 cubs. When one of the cubs escaped before Chara could eat its heart, he chased it from the Czech Republic across the Atlantic Ocean to New York, where he was discovered by Islanders GM Mike Milbury. Chara was later traded to the Senators in exchange for the spawn of Satan known to this reality as Alexi Yashin.

If the readers of this blog also deem this article "too insane", then I refrain from posting the rest... I just thought it was funny.

Road Trip to TO for a little OT

Toronto: The Land of wasted Dreams.

It turns out that the whole world is warmer than Ottawa at any given time. If you get on the highway and drive in ANY direction, the temperature rises. Arriving in Toronto was nice, as the weather reached 8 degrees on our first day in the city.


My father and I parked downtown and went to the hockey hall of fame. Where, strangely, a side door was open and we just walked right in. We thought we were in the lobby... but they don't keep the Stanley Cup in the lobby - so it turns out we waltzed directly into an exhibit. Since we were so fortunate, we decided to take advantage of it and look through the place. My first time to the HHOF was cool, but probably not worth the $12 they would have charged us.

We checking into the hotel then went to the game, proudly displaying our Senators jerseys.

We had some pretty sweet seats. Walking through the ACC, we saw a fairly large contingent of Senators fans - they often wanted to be loud and proudly show their colours. We never got overly harassed by Leaf fans, most of it came after the game, and it was only a light ribbing. So not too bad - good on ya Leafers.

We were in the Senators' end, so we saw those awesome saves by Emery in the first period, as well as that wicked off-the-draw shot by Heatley (my dad missed it). Unfortunately, that also means that the third period collapse, as well as the overtime goal was right in our faces.

Overall, good trip, bad result.

It's hard dispute that Toronto is the hockey capital of the world. They have everything a hockey fan could want in that town (except a strong hockey team). Check out the Leafs TV - filming right in the ACC. Jody "didn't you used to be on Sportsnet?" Vance was flirting with this guy beside me, I guess your standards drop with your ratings (burn!).

Man.... shit man.... shit

Leafs 4 - 3 Senators

As stated in my previous post, I attended this game at the ACC in Toronto. It was a unique experience to see another team's arena.

During the second period, we were riding high - high-fiving our fellow sens fans. We were quickly humbled after that intermission by a series of disappointments, and another third period collapse.

There are no more excuses. But I do excuse a few people: Ray Emery and, Mike Fisher.

Rayzor kept us in the game in the first period. A number of glove, stick and toe saves kept this game from being a Leafs blow-out from the beginning... even the refs helped us out a couple times. Emery faced 45 shots this game, and our defense not only played weak, they even looked weak. Andrej Mezaros has to hit the gym, because he can barely outmuscle anyone - especially not Mats Sundin.

Mike Fisher plays without fear because he has Jesus on his side, and he played really well getting across the blue line and into the Leafs zone with ease.

Gotta go - pics tomorrow.

Into the Belly of the Beast

Tonight, I travel to Toronto to watch a game at the ACC as a Sens fan. Some call it 'insanity'. I call it 'retarded'. As in, 'why would I have tickets to a Senators game that's not in Ottawa?!' I'll try to find out that answer tonight.

I think it will be interesting to watch the game through the perspective of the visiting team. I'm not an ass at hockey games, I only yell when I see something good or bad happening - and I certainly don't pick fights.

How will the Leafers react?I'm not sure. I just want to have a good time at the game and not get hassled too much.

I'm going to find a camera and document my trip. I will be Jane Goodall, and they the gorillas. But I'm certainly not going to hide the fact that I'm cheering for the winning team. Now the ball's in T.O.'s court.

Leafs ground into a fine powder, then snorted.

Senators 5 - 1 Leafs

This game had everything the sens needed to get back on track, and they ended their losing streak in convincing fashion. The sens got another great game from Daniel Alfredsson - 3 assists, and he did alot of forechecking, which helped the sens keep the lead late in the game... which the Senators recently discovered is one of the keys to winning the game.

A great game from Dean McAmmond, often playing on the top line with Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza. The sens need a few more players to put in the same type of effort. One player who does put in that effort is Mike Fisher, who I believe made a conscious effort to hit some Leafs tonight.

Jason Spezza did provide the spark that we expected of him, and picked up 2 assists in the process. He did, however, miss one glorious opportunity to score where he had the net totally open, staring Andrew Raycroft right in the eye, and he passed to Heatley rather than take a shot on net. *sigh*

Ray Emery played a solid game which should restore the sens fans' confidence him, but perhaps more importantly, should restore Emery's confidence in himself.

That's all for tonight. Rematch on Saturday night - NOT ON PAY-PER-VIEW... greedy jerks.

Looking forward to the Leafs?!

Now on a three-game slump, the leafs could be just what the doctor ordered for the sens. The Leafs are a tough team, but the Ottawa Senators know they're capable of beating them, so I expect a slight morale boost, especially if Jason Spezza returns.

I know, I know. Spezza is known for his turnovers and Heatley often plays BETTER without him in the lineup - but could it be that the sens are simply not the same team without him? The Senators need Jason Spezza - strange, but true.

This is an odd revelation coming from the me, the man who once checked to see if www.tradespezza.com was available (it is!), but I think he's contributes slightly more than he detracts. Against the Leafs, the senators will need that edge.

Goaltending Issues

Let it be known that there is no goaltending controversy in Ottawa... but there should be.

Right now, Ray Emery is the #1 - there is no doubt about that. However, if Brian Murray were to put Martin Gerber in net against the Leafs, and he were to win (especially in regulation). Then we would have a rather pleasant situation on our hands.

Test the waters Murray! Gerber will never walk again, if he's not given the chance to crawl once in a while.

Sens vs Penguins - Another one slips through the cracks

Penguins 5 - Senators 4 (SO)

Anger!

This game just pissed me off. Where was the heart? How could this happen again?

I hope Murray kicks the sen's collective asses over this one. Because until the second half of the third period, this game was a done deal.

Once again, I am proven that Gerber's better than Emery at shootouts, and the sens need to practice them more, since so many points seem to depend on them now in the NHL.

Expect more commentary tomorrow. For now, good night.

Phillips' New Deal

Sens defenseman (and former #1 overall pick) Chris Phillips is reportedly about to sign a new deal with the Ottawa Senators for around $3.5 - 4 million per year.

Admittedly, he is having a good year, playing as the stay-at-home defenseman he was always meant to be - even chipping in a few goals just for fun. I wouldn't mind him sticking around, but on the same note, I would not mind seeing him leave!

One good (not great!) year does not make him a $3 million defenseman. Right now, I would say Anton Vochenkov is more valuable to our team - he does the same as Phillips, but for a fraction of the price, and he even body-checks people.

I think this signing is simply a lack of creativity on the part of John Muckler. Not only does it show through at trade deadlines, but now Muck's lack of creativity is in the signings as well. Trading Phillips is one deal that could have been made at the deadline to strengthen the team and dump an average, and soon-to-be overpaid, player.


On a more positive note, the sens take to the ice tonight to take on the Pittsburg Penguins. It should be a great indication of how the teams will fare against each other in the playoffs. Patrick Eaves is likely back in the game. For his sake, I hope he does something noticeable, or he may not see the ice again this month.


I have had enough of mediocrity. I hope Muckler is saying the same.

Sens vs Blackhawks - Sens: "Games last 60 minutes now?"

BlackHawks 4 - 3 Senators

The one that got away. Yes, there have been a few of them this year. What can be said about this game other than that last goal never should have happened.

You've read the game reviews, and likely watched the game on Sunday afternoon, so I won't bore you with a recap. However, I will bring some interesting observations to your attention.

Alfredsson played a really good game. Look no further than the 1 G 1 A, and 3 shots on net that he got in the game.

Gerber is good at shootouts - if only we could score one! I would also add that I think he's better than Emery at them. Anyone who has seen Mighty Ducks 2 with that blonde chick "The Cat" knows that you #1 goalie is not always your best choice. God Bless you Coach Bombay, you've taught us so much.

Havlat (the 6-million dollar man) did not have a big impact on the game, though he always (deservingly) drew plenty of attention when he had the puck, and Chris Neil hit him hard a couple times.

The Sens are facing their most likely playoff opponent the Pittsburg Penguins on Tuesday. Listening to the Sens Underground podcast today, one of the hosts admitted to fearing the fact that the sens will play the pens (expect to hear that sens-pens phrase alot) in the playoffs because Pitts recently acquired a whole bunch of tough guys (including Gary Roberts) to protect Sidney Crosby and generally kick ass all over the ice.

I do not fear the Penguins. They are too young and easily bruised. "Neiler, go get 'em!"

Expect Chris Neil to go after Crosby, then Laraque goes after Neil, then McGratton goes after Laraque - it's the hockey food chain! (The game is on A-Channel).

The Havlat Deal

The sens are playing the Blackhawks in 40 minutes, and I originally decided to post this following the game. However, after some inward reflection, I realized that this blog would have been tainted by the outcome of the game.

Thus, I present to you my analysis of the Havlat trade last summer.

What the Sens gave:

Forward - Martin Havlat

Forward - Bryan Smolinski

At the time, Martin Havlat was sending "sign me or trade" me signals to the Sens management - he was signed until the end of the 2006/07 season, and he was looking for a big boost from the 2.6 million he was making at the time.

If the sens had not traded him, undoubtedly, Havlat would have tested the free agent marked at the end of this season and the sens likely would have lost him for nothing. With their current cap space, the sens certainly would not have been able to keep him.

An interesting aspect would have been what they could have done with a bait like Havlat at this year's trade deadline. With Muckler's record, likely nothing, because he would have been more valuable in the playoffs. So in the end, we would have had him this year and lost him for nothing at the end.

Bryan Smolinski is a solid centreman with solid faceoff percentage - making 2.24 million per season. He was mostly a salary dump, but likely sweetened the pot for the 'Hawks.

(The Blackhawks resigned ol' Smoke for 1.5M for 06/07, and recently traded Smolinski to Vancouver for a conditional 2nd round draft pick)

What the Sens got:

Defenseman - Tom Preissing

Prospect/Forward - Josh Hennessy

Prospect/Defenseman - Michal Barinka

2nd round draft pick in 2008

Preissing has been a pleasant surprise this season, he's on pace for 39 points this season and is currently +33 (constantly amoung the top in the NHL this season). He's come into his own as a solid defender and something of an offensive threat. Making $600, 000 the man is one of the top bargains on the team (call him the anti-Redden). With his play this year the sens should be willing to hold onto him as one of their top 5 defensemen - probably with a boost to the 1.5 million dollar range.

Josh Hennessy has seen some playing time this season with the sens, but is mostly a work in progress - sharpening his skills with the Binghamton Senators this year.

Barinka is is rated by TSN.ca as potentially a top 4 defenseman, which bodes well for the young man.

The Low-down!

It's hard to say who 'won' this trade. The sens gained some nice prospects, but gave up a skillful sniper with amazing offensive prowess.

In short, the deal had to be done because there was no way that Havlat was going to sign with the sens. Did the sens get enough? No, probably not. For a player with 'Mach 9's' potential, they should have at least got a starting forward.

But this deal could very well lay the foundation of the sens team in the next 3 - 5 years. So talk to me then. For now, let's just watch the game... starting in 3 minutes.

Leave Us Alone TSN!

All I have heard on TSN for the past few days following the NHL trade deadline was that the Sens should have been more active in the trading market and that Muckler's open refusal to give up any players on his roster was not only a mistake but could cost us dearly come playoff time.

At the end of the day the only guy we picked up was Oleg Saprykin who is on pace to break 40 points this season... for just a 2nd round draft pick. Sure this guy isn't going to be heading to next year's all-star game but he is a solid 3rd or 4th line winger and we didn't have to break up anyone on our roster to get him. However my point here isn't whether or not Saprykin was a good pick up, I'll leave that for someone else to tackle... instead what I'd like to touch on is why I support staying the hell away from giving up roster spots for rental players, simply based on our past experiences and the lack of... success... they've brought.

Please indulge me for a moment as we take a trip through memory lane, below are a our trade deadline deals from the past years and an explaination of how the player performed for the rest of the year and during the playoffs....

2000 - Sent Ron Tugnutt and Janne Laukkanen to Pittsburg for Tom Barrasso.
(Barrasso went 3-4 in the final 7 regular season games and 2-4 in the playoffs.)

2001 - Brought in Curtis Leschyshyn & Mike Sillinger for 3rd round pick.
(Sillinger had 7 points in 13 final regular season games, and 0 pts in 4 playoff games.) (Leschyshyn had 5 points in 11 final regular season games, and 0 pts in 4 playoff games.)

2003 - Traded Jakub Klepis to Buffalo for Vaclav Varada.
(Varada has 8 points in 11 season games and 6 pts in 18 playoff games.)

2004 - We acquired Greg de Vries from the Rangers for Karl Rachunek & Alexandre Giroux.
(de Vries had 1 point in 13 regular season games and 1 point in 7 playoff games.)


2004 - Acquired Peter Bondra from Washington for Brooks Laich and 2nd round draft pick.
(Bondra played 23 season games with 14 points and had 0 pts in 7 playoff games.)


Of 6 players acquired at or near the trade deadline, arguably only one really went on to perform for the rest of the season AND the playoffs! (Varada)

So really TSN, your going to have to excuse MY interruption so I can tell you that, as a Sens fan, I don't give a crap that Muckler wasn't willing to deal our players. History shows that the chances of bringing someone in who will make a real difference for us come playoff time, someone who isn't used to our players, our routines or our coaching style... just doesn't pay off in the end. I have no idea if Saprykin is going to help us out, but frankly my hopes lay on the shoulders of the players who carried our team through the tough beginning of the season and who are going to carry us far into the playoffs!


For Sens Army Blog, I'm Kyle.

(Take that TSN!)

Watch Ray Emery Ruin Josh Gratton

Watch the smile on his face at the end, just like at the Buffalo game. Priceless.

Watch Emery Ruin Biron

Is Mats Sundin The Result of a Failed Experiment?

To follow up on a comment by Ben...

Quote: "Leafs suck.

...and I still believe that Mats Sundin is the ugliest man in the NHL."

Some of my housemates here in Kingston, Leafs fans included, are firm believers that a few years ago a mad Swedish doctors took a almost newborn child and, through a new form of genetic enhancement, stretched them by 6 feet vertically and 3 feet horizontally. Upon completion of the experiment the doctor mistakenly typed the child's name, formerly "Matt", as Mats on the new birth certificate (making the child not only have a ridiculous name but also 36 years older at the same time).

Can you see the resemblances... the baby teeth, the cheeks, the emotionless stare, the hair... oh the hair...

Redundant 2 Exciting

Now I full-well realize the purpose of such a place is to discuss issues relevant the Senators, however in the spirit of not boring anyone I am not going to talk about a notion that, frankly, has become over advertised and just down right redundant over the past few months, that of course being the Ottawa Senators winning.

No no, lucky for you I won't drone on about how great the Sens are, about the mounds of talent we have nor about my hatred for Wade Redden and Joe Corvo... all of which have been expressed to death. Instead I am going to VERY briefly touch on a subject that, in all reality, NEVER gets old and is in fact possibly more exciting than watching Ottawa win night after night.

In short...

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to miss the playoffs.... Again.

Let me leave you with a random picture I found on the internet and could possibly be breaking international copyright laws by reproducing here (as it seems that is what people do on these online internet ranting sites), not to fear as the site is under Ben's name and I will gladly provide the RCMP with his address.


Thoughts?

My favorite Podcast on Earth - Sens Underground!

Every person with an internet connection and is an Ottawa Senators fan should listen to the Sens Underground Podcast.

If you're not listening to it by the end of this sentence I will come after you.

...and now I'm directly behind you.

The opinionated hockey madness starts soon... BE READY!!!