The Curse of the European Experiment

Feb. 23, 2009: Tom Renney, NYR: 31-23-7, 69 points, winning percentage: .566

Feb. 15, 2009: Michel Therrien, PIT: 27-25-5, 59 points, winning percentage: .517

Feb. 2, 2009: Craig Hartsburg, OTT: 17-27-7, 41 points, winning percentage: .402

Nov. 15, 2008: Barry Melrose, TBL: 5-7-4, 14 points, winning percentage: .437

Four coaches. Four teams that started the season in Europe, two (Ottawa and Pittsburgh) in Sweden and two (New York and Tampa Bay) in Finland. Is it a coincidence? Probably. But it might not be.

A season begun in Europe means a lot of things. One positive thing Sens fans were looking for was team bonding, bringing a team that had a difficult year and some significant changes closer together under the team's banner. It also means, however, an unusually shortened training camp and atypical exhibition games. It means a circus-like beginning to the season, that cuts into the regular season, and certainly offers some distraction from the team's focus on the season. I don't know if any of that affected these teams' respective performance this season, but it's a very interesting coincidence.

Next season, four more games in Europe: Detroit versus St. Louis in Stockholm, and Chicago takes on Florida in Helsinki. Let's see how that goes.

Third jersey leaked

A "hockey consultant" at the gameworn.net forums has posted what is apparently most of the 2008-09 NHL third jerseys. Many are throwbacks. The Senators' jersey is a throwback to the time when you wish Nintendo made hockey jerseys and you wanted to display your rejection of the Sega Genesis by proudly wearing "SNES" on your chest. Mario Kart 4 Life!Why Lapointe was chosen for this example remains a mystery... Quick! Someone update wikipedia!

I love the Senators black jerseys in general, but I'm not exactly rushing to the store to pre-order this one. Making the text flow lower-left to upper-right will surely cause some confusion, but it's not too late to replace it with the badass "O" and put the text on the shoulders - get on it, marketing department.

A couple other cool ones below:














UPDATE: Thanks to Haggis for alerting us to the alternative and the accompanying petition, which I suspect many fans prefer. Badass!

Never ask, "Is there a game tonight?" ever again

(Gold is the Sens' schedule in November 2008, red is the Raptors - no overlap; perfect!)

I must admit that Google Calendar runs my life. If their server ever crashed, I would forget: to pay bills; to visit my parents; what to do at work; my name.

No lie: I have nine categories of my life being scheduled and tracked through my Gcal. Some are frivolous: "Heroes Premiere!" (Sept. 22 2008) and others are more serious "Exam!" (April. 15 2008).

One of those categories is "Ottawa Senators 2008-09 schedule". It's going to ensure I don't miss a Sens game all season - and I didn't even enter the dates.

Just google the above calendar in your Gcal search bar (search public calendars, then add calendar), and you'll be the one answer the headline question for uninformed chumps.

(Tip! Look for calendars that contain what station the game is on too. That makes the calendar much more useful.)

FINALLY!

Well it's about freakin' time!

The Sens finally got a win on this western trip from hell, beating the surprising Phoenix Coyotes by a count of 4 to 2.

Mike Fisher opened the scoring for Ottawa, tallying a short-handed marker in the first frame. Blake Weeler and Peter Mueller replied for the 'Yotes in the second, before Fisher scored his second of the night.

Dany Heatley then gave Ottawa the lead on the power play early in the third, and Antoine Vermette rounded out the scoring.

Very important win for the Sens in my opinion. They really needed to get back on track. An all-round impressive effort, save for the all-too-common defensive brain-cramps, notably from Christoph Schubert--whose gaff let Mikhal Hanzal in alone on Martin Gerber.

The Gerber, to his credit, had a great outing. He stopped 33 of 35 shots, including the breakaway where Hanzal tried a Marek Malik-esque between-the-legs move, but The Gerber simply did not bite.

Perhaps it would have been nice, to break a slump as the one Ottawa was in, to see them really dominate and run up the score a bit more. It was a hard-fought game against a surprisingly competitive Phoenix hockey club.

Phoenix is sort of like the Chicago team no one knows about. They are stacked with young talent, and are starting to get their act together. Especially impressive were the performances by Mueller and Hanzal.

Sens Third Jersey on the way?

The Sens may not be playing great hockey lately, but at least, they might look good doing it. Well, next year anyways, as apparently, the organization will unveil a third jersey to complement this year's RBK redesign.

There are conflicting reports as to what the jersey will look like. The strongest rumour I have heard was about a return of the black template, I presume with gold piping or something.

Another rumour has the Sens introducing (get this) a gold jersey, with "Sens" spelled out diagonally in front, Rangers-style. Scary.

I'd definitely be more in favour of a black uniform. And perhaps the Sens could use that mysterious redesigned 2-d logo that has only appeared on some Sens memorabilia so far...

An anonymous fellow blogger has a great website he set up called NHL Tournament of Logos. He started the blog to discuss the major make-over the league underwent this summer. You can view his blog (including an entry about said golden sens third jersey) right here.

Around the boards: Oct. 15

Since there's little to no Sens news, I'm going to try something new; a Northeast Division wrap-up, since I don't feel like doing the whole league! Sorry if you find them boring. Well, I'm not really sorry, but you know what I mean.



Ottawa Senators

• The Sens are gone on a team-building trip to the Muskokas or something. Must be nice. Apparently there will be some scrimmages while they're there, and some rounds of golf.
• Dean McAmmond participated in his first full team practice since the Steve Downie incident, which is awesome. The sooner Deaner's back, the better.
• According to Bruce Garrioch, the Sens are going to sign Randy Robitaille as soon as he is released from the Russian team he signed with. I wonder if they are as pissed at him as we were at Alexei Kaigorodov last year. Probably.
• Scott Niedermayer is coming to Otttawa. Don't ask me why or how, but if it happens, you heard it here first.
• Ray Emery's wrist is back in fine shape, apparently, so he's ready to dress come next game. I'd say Marty Gerber will start against Montreal on Thursday, but Emery might make his first start of the season against Florida on Saturday.

Toronto Maple Leafs

• If the trend oof inconsistency (OTL-L-W-L-W-L so far in the season) continues, the 2-3-1 Leafs will at least get a point against Buffalo tonight. While stranger things have happened, don't count on it.
• Andrew Raycroft is starting against the Sabres. If you ask me, goaltending was the least of Toronto's problems last year, and they just made it worse with the Vesa Toskala addition.
• After injuring his knee in a practice, Alexei Ponikarovsky is close to returning, but won't be rushed. He won't play against Buffalo.
• Now that Matt Stajan has scored a few goals, idiot Nick Kypreos wants to trade him for--get this--grit. This is why the Leafs are in the position they are in now; trading away young guys to get old men like Gary Roberts. And it's also why Ben still doesn't watch Sportsnet.
• Mats Sundin is on pace to get a career-high 137 points. I guess bringing in Jason Blake was a good thing. Plus he's playing incredibly well.
  

Montreal Canadiens

• Guillaume Latendresse, whom I thought was embraced as the francophone saviour of les Habitants, looks like he's worked his way out of the lineup (according to TSN). I respect Guy Carbonneau, but why would he bench fan-favourite Latendresse? This team is in a priveleged position of appealing to all francophone players not named Danny Briere if they market the team right. Maybe if he got more than 10 minutes of ice time a game and some powerplay time he'd be getting points, Carby.
  
• Speaking of Carbonneau and players who are being embraced as saviours by Habs fans, why isn't he giving Carey 'the next Patrick Roy or Ken Dryden' Price another start? Cristobal Huet is going to play Tuesday aginst Florida, but wouldn't the lowly Panthers present a pretty good game for Price to play in? I guess Carbs is saving him to play the Sens, including the three leading scorers in the NHL. That'll be great for his confidence.
  

Buffalo Sabres

• I don't know why I hate the Sabres so much, but I do. Probably as much as I hate the Leafs.
• Jocelyn Thubault is starting against the Leafs. That's a slap in the face if I've ever seen one. I hope Jason Blake gets a hat trick of hat tricks. Nothing against Thibault, but I see Buffalo as a bigger threat to Ottawa's Northeast Division title, plus Blake's a pretty respectable character.
• After losing the first two games the Sabres have won the following two by a combined score of 13-3. But they were against Washington and Atlanta, so do they really count? No. So maybe tonight's contest against Toronto will be close.
  

Boston Bruins

• Apparently the Bs are looking at, and possibly close to, signing Danny Markov. Word on the street was that Ottawa was looking at him in the off-season, but there's little to no reason to sign him considering the depth Ottawa has on D.
• Tim Thomas, the goaltender with the ugliest helmet in the league, has outplayed newcomer Manny Fernandez, and has so far retained the starting-goaltender moniker.
• Milan Lucic is playing well for the Bruins, and TSN.ca is reporting he's been promoted to the third line. I wish he was on Ottawa. His play in the Super Series against Russia was pretty stellar; he's the kind of left-winger I would like to play with Christoph Schubert. Or Daniel Alfredsson. I don't care.

And that's that. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. In other news, I love that the NHL made all team websites the same. No matter what the Detroit Red Wings say, it makes summarizing team news easier, so I don't care.

What is Ray Emery worth?

It's hard to say that the goaltender that brought the Senators to the Stanley Cup isn't worth as much as the one that's sitting on the bench, and I'm sure that's frustrating for Ray Emery.

Ray-zor is a restricted free agent this summer and another team could put together an offer sheet to draw him away from the Senators. What is he worth? $4 million? That's the number I've heard on the airwaves... and it's scaring me.

Everyone knows the solution to this problem: John Muckler has to move Martin Gerber. The only downside it that it will likely cost the Senators someone else. Namely, a player like Schubert or Eaves.

If Muckler can find a way to move Gerber then there's hope. If not, then the future of the Senators goaltending is as much in the air as it was when Gerber first dropped the ball (puck) at the beginning of this season.

Leave your clichés at home

Leave you "I believe" T-shirt at home. We already got more than what we believed in.

Head out to the bar tonight and just drink in the playoff atmosphere - that's what I'll be doing (and it's a pun, haha!).

Our Ottawa Senators have put on quite a show for us this past month, and we should thank them for it. I won't write one of those "look how far we've come" articles - you've seen 3 of them already before heading to this site.

What I will say is this: This year's Senators have changed the franchise, and indeed, the philosophy behind a successful playoff team.

No amount of success will change what some people call 'chokers'. That label is simply an indication of a person's insecurity in their own team. Instead, notice the change in the city of Ottawa; the pride exhibited at City Hall and on Elgin Street, as well as in living rooms across the province. If you thought every one of these people believed before the 3rd round, you are mistaken.

So tonight, leave that cliché at home, simply bring a smile and the knowledge that your team has accomplished what many politicians have merely attempted: they've inspired a city.

We need ideas people!

How would you solve the Senators scoring problems? Will they sort themselves out? It's just a few hours before game time, but I think we can get a few crazy suggestions to Bryan Murray before then.

My ideas:

1. Gerber starts in net, Emery plays left wing with Heatley and Spezza
2. The dramatic return of Alexei Yashin
3. If we're losing after 2 periods, Sens fans throw ducks onto the ice until the game is called off

So what do you think? Should we stay the course? I'll post the best answers on the front page.

"Le meilleur des mondes possibles"

We're all a little disappointed right now. Perhaps the more appropriate term is questioning. Watching the Senators in Games One and Two, I know that this is a better team than it looked like. Since the team is better than they appeared, I am going to assume there are a number of external factors that have led to Ottawa losing the first two games of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. I don't care if it's just the rose-coloured glasses talking, but I'm going to outline a number of factors that have resulted in the Senators losing their games:

1. Officiating

I can hear it now; everyone saying that it's useless to blame the referees, that the Sens have to adjust, and that it is the same ref for both teams. But you know what? To hell with all that. After the lockout, general managers in the NHL were instructed that there would be a crackdown on obstruction in an effort to increase goal scoring. This Ottawa Senators team was built around that guarantee, and now all of our hopes are being quashed by interference creeping back into the game.

As a few examples, watch out in Game Three for "incidental" contact away from the puck. The first coming to mind for me was Rob Neidermayer running interference on Daniel Alfredsson right off the faceoff in the first period, and then getting a scoring chance because Alfie couldn't get to the puck. A second was a so-called 'highlight reel' of Samuel Pahlsson which demonstrated four plays: a hook, a slash, an interference penalty, and then a shot on net. Want to know why he's been instrumental in shutting down the CASH line? It's because he's using tactics that are against the rules to slow them down. It shouldn't matter how many penalties have been called against the Ducks already, and it's unfortunate that it does affect how the game is called.

On the other side of the coin, what was the reasoning for a second-period penalty on Anton Volchenkov for finishing a bodycheck on Dustin Penner after Penner had turned his back to intentionally get hit from behind? Ridiculous. Perhaps an Ottawa Senator should keep an eye out for some Duck with his stick in the air, and then skate face-first into it to draw a high-sticking call. Another quizzical brainfart from the referees was blowing down the play to call a penalty on Anaheim when Alfredsson was in complete possession of the puck and about to take a shot from the high slot. What, did the rules change when I took a quick trip to the bathroom?

2. Greg Millen and Bob Cole

These guys are ridiculous. I am going to watch the rest of the games on NBC, and I don't care how many times they explain what an off-side is. It's not even enough to remember that they cut off an overtime game to show a pre-horse-race show, I don't care. Maybe it's Bob Cole commenting on Chris Kelly's beautiful hit on Antoine Vermette, or how he loves Sid the Kid Crosby so much that he brought his name randomly into the play-by-play, or Millen verbally blowing J-S Giguere, but there's something not right about these two.

I'm sure that the Senators, now composed of 61 per cent Canadian players (and 100% players playing in Canada), have heard new of the Canadian Broadcasting Network's representatives consistently sympathizing with whoever is playing against Ottawa, and that has definitely affected their play. I'm confident Ottawa can look past this indiscretion, however, and come out strong to turn every Canadian (except possibly Leafs fans) into a Sens Army recruit.

3. Ice conditions

Joe Corvo brought it up, and in Game Two I could really see what he was talking about. Bouncing pucks completely spoiling good scoring opportunities for the Sens, while the Ducks take advantage of their knowledge of the tendencies of vulcanized rubber on terrible ice surfaces. When the Sens return to Ottawa, and deal with decent ice conditions, we'll see what's what. Watch out, Anaheim.

4. The layoff

Before the series began, I didn't believe the layoff excuse. After Games One and Two, I'll take anything. In their neverending quest to appease American broadcasters and audiences (at the risk of disenfranchising Canadian ones), the NHL decided to wait a full week after the last semi-final ended to begin the finals. Players aren't used to that kind of crap, jackasses.

5. The game time

In the same way the NHL accomodated NBC for the layoff, they've also made every game at 8:00 EST. I guess that's just as much for the Eastern Canadian audiences, but it doesn't seem to be working, anyway. It results in messed pre-game rituals, and (as stated by Garry Galley) the presence of the dreaded Anaheim afternoon heat seeping through the doors and sullying the ice for the Senators.

6. TV time-outs

One time in the game, after the Ducks iced the puck, there was a TV timeout. If the purpose of penalizing a team by not allowing a change is to encourage defensive panic and to discourage a team from icing the puck to relieve pressure, there is no sense in going to a TV timeout. I'm positive the Senators would have scored off the ensuing faceoff had there been no break in play.

So I'll just wait for the bad luck to pass, remain hopeful that all of these factors--combining to form the reason behind Ottawa's two losses--will pass shortly, and assure myself that the Senators will win as soon as they do. In the meantime, I'm going to continue writing to CBC and demanding that they instate my NHL play-by-play dream-team, Galley and Jim Hughson.

Something's gone wrong

After the first period any sens fan could tell you that the Senators were not playing as if they wanted to win this game. Our best line in this game was Schubert - Saprykin - McAmmond... and that's not a good thing.

Where was Daniel Alfredsson? The man that we depend on, the man whom Ottawa has embraced as a city-wide hero was virtually absent from this game. Normally in these playoffs, Alfredsson at least bodychecks as much as possible; in this game, that aspect of his offense was missing... not to mention the passing and scoring.

Could it be that the Senators have relied on the Spalfedheat line so much that when they're missing, the rest of the team combined cannot muster a goal? I'm afraid it is the case.

From a fan's perspective I am extremely disappointed. There was more yelling and (angry!) cursing during this game than in any of the Senators previous playoff games. The Ducks were beating the Senators to the puck in nearly every situation, and, worse yet, the Senators were unable to strip them of the puck in the sens' end.

On a positive note, Ray Emery was outstanding and inserting Saprykin into the lineup was a stroke of genius by Bryan Murray. Despite these standouts the team as a whole did not show up for Game 2.

I said to my roommate during the second intermission that if the Senators did somehow win this game, they certainly wouldn't deserve it. Well they didn't win - so I guess they deserve that. From the way that they played, they set themselves up to lose the game. In order to win this series, something has to get this team out of the rut. Returning to Ottawa will help, of that I'm sure, but it will not cure the Sens problems.

There is no more 'laughing it off' anymore. There is a serious problem with the way the team is playing. Now, we only have 1 more opportunity to turn this series around. I didn't think this series would be easy, but the Senators are certainly making it alot harder for themselves.

Last, but not least: the Anaheim Ducks

Alright folks, here's your Sens Army Official 2007 Stanley Cup Final Series Preview, so buckle up:

This series marks the first Stanley Cup Final between two 90s-era expansion teams, and it sure looks like it will be a battle of the titans. A lot of professionals (and amateurs, no doubt) picked one or both of these two teams to face-off in the Stanley Cup Final, and now it's finally happened. I'm still in disbelief this time has actually come, so maybe it's not the best time to go over the series, but I'm going to anyway.

The key to this series, for Anaheim, is shutting down Spalfredheat. That has also been the key for Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Buffalo, but they haven't been able to. The only game in which that line didn't score a goal was the Sens' Game-Five loss to Buffalo. So who know what will happen is Chris Pronger or Scott Niedermayer (whoever plays against them) can keep them quiet?

For Ottawa, the problem will be finding a way around the big D of Anaheim, and then beating Jean-Sebastien Giguere. It has been said that Giguere has trouble moving side-to-side, and so the Senators must use their speed and passing to take advantage of that. As for the a lot of the defencemen, Ottawa will have to play their game wherever possible. If Christoph Schubert and Chris Neil, to name a few, are able to punish the defence, and Ottawa forwards are able to use their speed against slower D (Pronger and Francois Beauchemin), there is automatically an advantage that will add to the short bench that Anaheim employs.

One thing is certain: special teams will play a key role in this series. They always do. And while Anaheim had better numbers on both powerplay and penalty-kill in the regular season, Ottawa's running away with the playoffs. The Sens have a 20 per cent success rate on the PP, compared to 15.3 for the Ducks, and Ottawa has killed off 88.6 per cent of short-handed situations, against 87.5 for Anaheim.

Another key factor, of course, is depth scoring. If somehow the Ducks do find a way to keep Spalfredheat quiet, then Ottawa second- and third-liners including Mike Fisher, Peter Schaefer, Mike Comrie, Antoine Vermette, and Neil will need to step it up. I'm going to highlight Schaefer and Comrie especially, for really having slowed down (although Comrie did have a good first round). I'm also going to exempt Chris Kelly from that call-out, because he has so many other contributions (penalty killing, peer-interviewee, empty-net-goal scoring) for the team. On the other side of the coin, Anaheim has been dipping into their second line for scoring all year, and that will half to continue.

Finally, what factor will fatigue play? Steve Simmons, of the Toronto Sun as well as TSN's The Reporters, called the Ducks' roster “the shortest bench in hockey”; will that have a cumulative effect after a long regular season and a couple of playoff rounds? Probably. Especially when it's combined with the fact that these teams will be so screwed up after all the time-zone changes.

Regular Season:

Anaheim finished second overall in the West, three points behind Detroit with a 48-20-14 record for 110 points. Ottawa finished fourth in the East (48W, 25L, 9OTL, 105P).

Playoffs:

Ottawa: 15GP, 12W, 3L, 48GF, 31GA
Emery: 15GP, 1.95GAA, 0.919SP, 3SO

1. Heatley: 15GP, 6G, 15A, 21P
2. Spezza: 15GP, 7G, 13A, 20P
3. Alfredsson: 15GP, 10G, 7A, 17P
4. Redden: 15GP, 2G, 6A, 8P
5. Corvo: 15GP, 2G, 6A, 8P

Anaheim: 16GP, 12W, 4L, 42GF, 34GA
Giguere: 13GP, 1.87GAA, 0.931SP, 0SO

1. Pronger: 15GP, 3G, 11A, 14P
2. Getzlaf: 16GP, 5G, 8A, 13P
3. Selanne: 16GP, 5G, 7A, 12P
4. Pahlsson: 16GP, 2G, 8A, 10P
5. Perry: 16GP, 4G, 5A, 9P

Better Know an Enemy: The Fightin' Ducks!

Our friendly enemies at The Battle of California agreed to answer a few questions for us ignorant East-coasters. This way, we will know how and why the Sens are kicking so much ass.

Sens Army:
Although the Ducks are well known for their defence, who is their most consistent scorer? Are you worried that your top scorer is a defenseman?

Battle of California:
Hmm, putting answers in my mouth already, eh? Among the forwards these playoffs, probably our most consistent scorers have been the PPG line, or the "kids" (Penner, Perry, Getzlaf). Not so much in that they actually score every game, but they can be absolute monsters along the offensive boards each and every game. Partially what explains this is that the Selanne line naturally draws the best defenders, and the kids get to go nuts against lighter competition. Among defensemen of course it's Pronger--he runs the power play with Scott, and he gets enough touches at even-strength to get on the scoreboard regularly. Am I bothered by Pronger scoring as a defenseman? Hell no! Remember, the Ducks played against this guy in the WCF last year, and the difference when he's on your side is enormous.

2. How would you compare Giguere's performance this year as opposed to his Conn Smythe-winning year?

No comparison. 2003 was a story that even on his best night can't be replicated. They should take that footage of Giguere in the first three rounds and show it in history classes--sure he was a big goalie but he was in the exact right spot for every shot. And there were a TON of shots. Critics I think focus too much on his pads and ignore his positioning, and that year he had both going to their fullest. I don't want to knock this year at all, though. He's been great, but he also has a better team in front of him than ever before. Long gone are the 40-save days of yore. The real benefit I think Giguere gets these days is his defense controlling his rebounds--the Ducks are much better at it this year than in any Mighty year. Still, he's absolutely money in critical situations and is a real stabilizing force on the ice; he still is in my opinion one of the top five goalies in the league. I'll say this: if I had to choose between re-signing Selanne or re-signing Giguere (and this is probably a real upcoming scenario), I'd have to take Giguere. He guarantees that you won't fall apart at your most critical position.

3. Other than Giguere, who's having an outstanding playoff this year? Who's underachieving?

The checking line (Pahlsson centering Rob Niedermayer and Moen) has been outstanding--they are having a better playoffs than regular season, and I was damn proud of them then. They are essentially shadows that will take all the hardest minutes at even-strength and short-handed. The Spezza trio will definitely be seeing a ton of these guys. Quite simply, they have the ability to make guys disappear from the scoresheet--not always, but they can do it for stretches. Their real knack is making opposing scorers play defense, and they have been producing. Pahlsson is a +6 and is fourth in team scoring. Underachieving would probably be the top line, mainly Andy McDonald. Ever since I threw my hat on the ice in G1 against Vancouver, Andy Mac has been extremely quiet on the scoresheet--1 goal and 1 assist in his last 10 games. Sure the top line is always getting the attention of the opposition's best stoppers (and don't get me wrong--that in itself is pretty huge), but in the regular season they were able to overcome it and score like crazy. Last year in the playoffs, McDonald went through a slump like this one and later it was revealed he was injured, but I'm not sure that's the case this time--the line looks good despite not producing as much as it could, but I'll credit some great defenses and some great goalies for holding Teemu and Andy Mac in check. The top line lost Chris Kunitz for the playoffs in G1 at Detroit to a broken hand, but Todd Marchant has filled in smoothly.

4. How do the Ducks intend to shut down the top-scoring line in the NHL playoffs?

Tons and tons of Pahlsson. The checking line has been doing this exact sort of assignment since game one of the season. Carlyle mixes his lines every once in a while, but one thing that he refuses to touch is Pahlsson-Moen-Niedermayer. They have played all 82 regular-season and all 16 playoff games together without any line-juggling and without any injury, and they know their roles to a T. On the back-end, I'm unsure which pairing Carlyle will prefer. If it were me, I'd put Pronger and O'Donnell out--they are goal deterrents also. Detroit didn't score a single power play goal or even-strength goal with Pronger out on the ice. Even so, Carlyle often declines my advice and uses Scotty Niedermayer and Frenchie Beauchemin instead. Not a bad option, really, as Scotty brings a lot of recovery speed and puck smarts, and Beauchemin isn't any slouch either. I'm guessing you'll see these two against Spezza & friends, and Pronger can go frustrate somebody else.

5. Who is the Ducks' hidden weapon? The one that the Sens may not have heard of, but should watch out for.

You've probably heard of him, but watch out for Corey Perry. Sure, Getzlaf is all the rage and he's been playing tremendous hockey these playoffs. But Perry is the sneak, the whiner, the diver, and the sniper. He can dazzle with the puck, then get pulled awkwardly down into the goalie, then tie up a defenseman trying to get up, then snatch the puck and roof it. Opponents hate Perry, and probably rightfully so, but he can be damn effective. He can act with confidence, also, with the knowledge that he won't have to fight his own fights; these are the punch-loving Ducks, after all.

6. Who is on the Ducks' top scoring line? Are they significantly better than the other lines?

In the regular season and start of the playoffs, it was Selanne-McDonald-Kunitz. Replacing Kunitz now is Marchant. Teemu and Andy Mac are fantastic together; they really have that connection that Kariya and Selanne used to have--speed and space. They are fantastic at stop-and-start plays, and both can really turn on the jets. This playoffs, though, they haven't been better than the PPG line, or probably even better than the checking line. Again, though, they do occupy the opponent's best checkers, so there's still a contribution being made. And they are creating chances still--I wouldn't stop defending them by any means. The last time I really saw the top line struggle like this was at the start of the season. Teemu only got 1 goal in October, yet each line chipped in goals from different players and the team didn't suffer a regulation loss until its 17th game. And that's the same kind of team I'm seeing now, almost frighteningly balanced--the top two lines have 27 points apiece while the checking line has 26.

7. How would the City of Anaheim reacted if the Ducks had lost their series against the Red Wings?

Two ways to answer this question. First off, the city of Anaheim as a whole would be mostly oblivious--hockey here is still an underground sport shared among individuals. By no means would you go up to someone in Anaheim and assume they knew the Ducks were in the Cup Finals, but you could probably assume they root for Vlad Guerrero or Kobe Bryant. The market is coming along, though, and it certainly helps that the team is winning. For Duck fans, though, there's probably two teams we detest losing to more than any other--the Detroit Red Wings and the Los Angeles Kings. It would certainly have been a painful loss, tempered by the positives of reaching the conference finals again and losing to a 1-seed.

8. How much do you love Brian Burke? A whole bunch?

Hell yes, especially when I look around the league and see how other GMs mismanage their cap and rosters. Plus he's a really good personality to have in Southern California--a tough guy blowhard lawyer, a great fit! I will say this, though. In my mind, I've still maintained that Bryan Murray still retains the best GM in team history for what he did in 2003--everything he touched turned to gold that year. He acquired Adam Oates, Petr Sykora, Sandis Ozolinsh, Rob Niedermayer, and Steve Thomas over the course of the season and all proved critical in the team's cup run. When Oates retired and Kariya ditched the team after G7, Murray nabbed Fedorov and Prospal, probably the two best free agents available at the time, which I'll also give him credit for even though it didn't work out. Plus he drafted Getzlaf and Perry and signed the undrafted Penner. Sure, Burke has had his moments, but Pronger pretty much fell into his lap last summer, and he held Rob Niedermayer at the exact right moment to sign Scott. And he probably was more lucky than prophetic on the Selanne deal. But I got no qualms with Burke--he's molded his team and I like the results.

9. If the Ducks don't win the Cup, is Pronger's wife gonna be pissed and make him request a trade?

Hell, she might request it even if they win. Honestly, I have no insight into this, other than it's probably unlikely that they'd pull the same maneuver twice. Then again, nobody in Edmonton saw it coming, either...

Thanks to the Battle of California for the interview! Good luck in the Finals! ...no seriously, I hope they die.

Emery-ness is next to godliness

I wonder where the Senators would be this year if not for the outstanding play of Ray Emery. Sure, he's had plenty of help from his teammates, and the fact that his save percentage only ranks him 12th of the 19 goalies who've played in the playoffs, but the rest of his stats tell a different story. Even more important than statistics, however, is the attitudinal change that it seems Emery's play and demeanour have instilled in the rest of the team.

First, let's look at the really impressive stats Emery has compiled over the course of the playoff run:

1. Wins: Rayzor leads all playoff goaltenders with 12 wins. Obviously a deceptive stat in the playoffs since only two goalies can get that many, but still impressive.
2. Shutouts: Big Ray has three shutouts. So does Marty Turco. I picked both of them in one of my hockey pools, but I'm still not winning. Where's the justice? Anyway, one of the shutouts was in the series-clinching game against Pittsburgh, and the two others in that oh-so pivotal swing game, Game Three.
3. Goals-Against Average: While he's only 5th in the league, any GAA that is below two (and Emery's is 1.95) is pretty darned good. Also, in series-clinching games, Emery's GAA drops to 1.28.
4. Assists: Sure, this is a pretty meaningless stat in most cases, but Emery has as many assists as the rest of the goaltenders in the league COMBINED! Two assists. One assist came on the game-winning goal in Game Four of Round Two against the Devils--pretty good contribution--and the other was on the fourth goal of Ottawa's Game Two 4-2 victory against the Penguins.

The biggest contribution from Rayzor, though, appears to be that attitudinal change I was talking about. This team seems immune to all of the confidence-busting happenings of the past (knock on wood). Surrendering quick leads (happened in Game Two against the Sabres); marathon overtime games (also in Game Two of the ECFs); losing games they should have won (like in Game Two of Round One, when the Sens outshot the Pens 37-21); questionable hits resulting in dangerous injuries (like Colby Armstrong on Patrick Eaves in game three of Round One); plenty of people predicting impending collapse of the team; weaker-than-expected goaltending gaffs; the whole kit and kaboodle.

This team seems to have the same confidence that Emery exudes when he publicly declares that Buffalo is boring, or when he wears pinstripes, or unapologetically slashes someone in the face, or fights with one of the league's premiere heavyweights after pummeling the opposing goaltender, or wears more ice on his ears than there is on the ice, or consistently pisses of referees by intentionally placing his waterbottle away from the holder, or has a perfect 1-0 record after crashing his Hummer and missing the team charter, or any of the other crazy stuff Ray Emery has done in the last few months. It doesn't really matter what has happened in the recent past, the only thing that matters is the next game. And that's the exact mindset that every team needs in the playoffs, so hopefully it continues for the foreseeable future.

Sens face Anaheim for the Cup

I'm pulling the late shift here at the Sens Army blog. It was an exciting game between the Ducks and the Red Wings tonight, and I believe that this is the first time our blog has even acknowledged the existance of the Western Conference outside the playoff picks.

I was feeling pretty down about our chances against Anaheim until Detroit stormed back, scoring 3 goals in the 3rd period to make the game 4-3. I was thinking about the defence of Anaheim - Pronger, Niedermayer and Beauchemin. They will undoubtedly prove a challenge for the Spezza-Heatley-Alfredsson line. In goal, J-S Giguere, a goalie who has now twice proven himself amoung the elite of the NHL. On offence, before tonight's game, Pronger actually leads the team in points, followed by Ryan Getzlaf and Teamu Selanne.

An interesting side-note: Ducks' captain Scott Niedermayer barely acknowledged the Western Conference trophy following his team's win. This indicates a philosophical difference between the two teams: whereas Ottawa seems to be enjoying their ride to the Final, the Ducks seem determined to capture the Cup, and nothing less.

The Stanley Cup Finals start Monday... yeah, a freaking week from now - what was even the point of the sens winning their series in 5? It could have gone seven, and we'd still have 5 days off. I don't know the cause of this, but because I am Canadian I am going to blame it on those damned American television stations.

Playoff beard update - pre-Finals edition!
Although I haven't updated you all in a long, long time, I have resisted the urge to shave my beard and return from the wilderness. I have had to modify it at the request of certain parties, but the spriti of the beard remains - and it's not gone until we win the Cup!

Beard tips for those who want to take up the challenge next year:

1. You will be shunned, try to accept it as early as possible.
2. It is itchy at first but it goes away eventually.
3. Don't be afraid to modify - you gotta live life too.
4. Try to out-last a friend, I've had no one to complain with.

Finally, this being my first and only attempt at a playoff beard thus far in my life, know that when you stop shaving, all your dreams come true.

Apparantly the sens will have to make one more species extinct... GO SENS!

Put the cart before the horse

It's an inherent flaw in all of sports that the final score of the game determines how well the team plays. Wait, that's not right... but that's exactly how writers, journalists, and even fellow bloggers react. Look no further than sportsnet or TSN and you will find that the Sabres played a much better game tonight... but they didn't. You will find that the Senators showed more flaws than usual - but they didn't.

This is putting the cart before the horse - getting it backwards. From what I saw of the game the Senators were not playing as fast as they can - this, in my opinion, was their major flaw from that game. But the sens have flaws every game, but they're normally just paved over by some other factor that led to their win.

So let's just call this game for what it was, a slight advantage from a desperate Sabres team. But this has been the case since game 1. Simply, this game the bounces went in Buffalo's favour. What does this mean for the series? Well, it means the bounces have been going in Ottawa's favour 3 times as often as the Sabres, that bodes well for us. Essentially, keep up the good effort and the law of averages should kick in next game - and we will have our victory - not because of any extraordinary effort, simply by the best team winning.

So don't let the final score fool you, the Senators played the same game they always have in these playoffs, but this time the other team won.

It could be over! ...but maybe not!

That headline isn't mine, it belongs to Bob Cole... and he's a professional freaking broadcaster. He said that in the New Jersey series... idiot.

Anyway, it's been a rather unexpected series so far. Everyone's been saying how the Sabres failed to show up, and how the Senators have been dominating every aspect of the game, especially special teams.

Guys, let's keep this all in perspective. We won the last game by one crappy goal. One! Not four. So let's not say that we've been kicking their asses across the ice, because with a couple of changes, last game could have gone to the Sabres 3 - 1. Let that be a lesson for tonight's game: keep the pressure on the Sabres, and don't let them out of the trap that we've worked so hard to get them into.

I read an article in the Ottawa Citizen today about the way that Ottawa is celebrating our team's success. In Ottawa, there is no Red Mile. Yeah, there is no central place for sens fans to celebrate. But look where our arena is positioned! As shown in my sophisticated map - the freaking arena is an hour away from downtown! There isn't even a bar within walking distance of Scotiabank Place.

Ottawans (???) prefer to celebrate in their own ways. Bars are packed. Entire households stare for hours at their television, and the city becomes quiet during games. This is how we celebrate. Canada, get used to it. Also, there is The Market in downtown Ottawa that I hear is awesome to be at... maybe I should check that out. But I like the way I watch the game, two beers and a TV... sweet.

So keep up the awesome work sens! When we get into the finals, it may be the first instance of a crying high-five in my life.

A look at the past

TSN.ca is running a great series of clips that mark milestones in the Senators history. Although the series is called Ottawa's Cup Drive it's more about the past 15 years than the last 8 months.

You can see significant events that led to this year's sens. That includes the Yashin deal that scored the sens Jason Spezza and Zdeno Chara, as well as the Dany Heatley-Marian Hossa trade. So many of these deals had question marks, and they don't always turn out for the best, as the Alexandre Daigle clips will painfully remind us.

These clips are also a great reminder of hard-working Senators players who have left the team. Players such as Shawn McEachern, Shawn Van Allen and Magnus Arvedson. These are the players that brought the foundation of playoff success between 1998 and 2004 that the core of current Senators have been tasked to build on. I'll always remember the Damian Rhodes/Ron Tugnutt combo that brought the Senators their first taste of playoff success. These former Ottawa Senators are responsible for building the Ottawa fanbase and creating a winning franchise.

It's not just the long term trades that have brought the sens to within 2 wins of the Stanley Cup Finals, but also the signings of the past season. Players like Dean McAmmond and Joe Corvo brought a different perspective to the Senators - perspectives that apparantly were needed to help the team evolve.

To today's post isn't about trash talk, it's about retrospectives. Let's not forget how lucky we the fans are to have a great team, and we should remember that it's been 15 years in the making.

Justified! Sens lead 1- 0

Went to a bar to see this game and the place just exploded after Fisher scored the first goal, short-handed. It was beautiful. Maybe the underdog role does actually suit the sens... who knew?

Emery was great after taking some heat from the city of Buffalo. That's okay, Emery can take the heat and shine through it. He made a great shoulder save with only a few minutes left that allowed the sens to score the empty-net goal and seal tonight's win - mad props, mad props yo.

Tonight, I will be elated, and on Saturday I will wait with the same joyful expectation for another awesome hockey game... hopefully with the same result.

Booyah! Go sens!

Food for Fodder

Oh, hello there - I didn't see you come in. I was just examining my exact life-sized replica of the Stanley Cup. Oh it's such fun. You realize so many fun things, like how the Leafs haven't won in 40 years, and how the Sabres have NEVER WON THE CUP! Yeah, it's a fun activity...

I've been reading alot of smack over the past couple days about how the Sabres are better. Namely this turd and a couple others. Alot of people are picking the Sabres - and there's no reason they shouldn't... except for the fact that the Sabres will not win this series.

Canada's response was this article from Canada.com - 8 reasons the Senators will win.

Also, Sean McCormick from sportsnet.ca gets absolutely molested on his blog when he picks the Sabres to win - read the comments.

Let's not forget that many people picked the Penguins to beat Ottawa. The freaking Penguins! The Senators did away with them in 5 games. The Senators then faced what was supposed to be a challenge in the New Jersey Devils. Again, the opponent was dispatched in only 5 games. What's that Sabres? You needed 6 games to defeat New York? That's too bad - they must have put a little scare in your mind. Good, good - we'll use that.

Little reminder: the Senators just beat Martin Brodeur. Who is this Miller guy? Why should we care? The sens found holes in one of the greatest goalies ever. What chance have you got?

They call us a one-line team... then obviously they're not paying enough attention. The Senators second the third lines are the jabs before the knockout blow. They hit you - hard. They will get the Sabres running around in their own zone. Then, the Sabres are tired, they're hurting. Send in Heatley - the top scorer in the playoffs. Haven't had to deal with that yet, eh Sabres?

Let me leave you with one final thought. Remember Cam Ward? Yeah, he's back - in black!