“Perhaps the Ottawa Senators, like their fans, believe that getting into the playoffs will cure everything.” - Mar 7, 2008
The axe is at the ready and getting ready to cut off each of the heads of Cerberus that guards the path to hell which I like to call reality. Last year I posted that the Senators had a far cry to reach the playoffs and though I was wrong about making it, I was right that they will not fare well. Swept in four games, the Ottawa Senators went to an early summer break to retool the team.
RETURN OF THE HOUND OF HELL
Last year we heard the team, the fans and even ownership talking about how things will change in the playoffs. Sadly, it did not. This year the fans and ownership are both touting the same line with the players less optimistic. However, the reality is that as each game passes the hound gets closer to being destroyed.
The Ottawa Senators only need to lose nine games to be out of playoff contention. Considering the history of the past calendar year it is highly unlikely that they will muster what it takes in order to hit the eighth spot. Even if they did hit the eighth spot they then have to face the number one seed ... a team that will have a scoring touch and we all know how likely it is the Sens would be facing a deficit early on and how less likely it is they will bounce back.
TANK OR NOT TO TANK
Any club that purposely tanks is poorly run. I do not care who the first overall pick is you simply do not do it. That said, the Senators will need to draft well if they plan on being a contender in five to seven years. Personally I would rather that we draft a high pick goalie and a D man. The Senators need a franchise goalie and Elliot needs to prove that he can be that guy. However, we need to replenish our pool of goalies in Bingo and continue to develop young, strong and talented netminders. Consider how many we have traded for, traded away or bought out in the club’s history.
- W
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Seven of Eight into the Break
Unlike my fellow bloggers, I decided not to go on the Bell tag line. Not to say it is a bad line, but rather that is overplayed. Yes, Bell’s goal was great, but it was also lucky and comes off of him being scratched for a few games prior to last night.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND PIERRE
I did not want to lead off my first little blurb about Bell, but the goal was lucky and decent. However, I wanted to avoid the topic of Pierre McGuire from TSN and Alexander Ovechkin like the plague. Sadly with all the talk about it I simply cannot.
McGuire is, by all accounts and somewhat rightfully so, enamoured with #8; I can’t blame him. He is the most exciting and electrifying player to lace them up since Gretzky ... at least to Pierre. He is star struck by him and it showed last night as he kept riding the wagon around his reporting on the game even to the point of asking him if he was OK after a high stick clipped his visor.
That said ... people need to understand that McGuire is being paid to say the favourable talk. He works for TSN because he does his job well and right now the Senators are not in favour with the sports world regardless of getting seven of possible eight points in the past four games. The Senators may not have started a comeback by most, but they certainly enter the All-Star break on a great starting point. A huge part of that is team play and secondary scoring.
GROUPTHINK
For once it is nice to sit here on my laptop and write about the positives of the team play. Sure, it was not as fantastic as it could be and there were some things to keep working on, but again it was a great step toward the strong play Hartsburg’s system preaches. The more the media hounds the Senators for stalling and falling flat the more the players appear to come back with a bit of a vengeance to play better. This begins with the coaching staff ... and Hartsburg commented on the lag in the standings well before beating Washington with just one word: consistency.
VERMETTE VS HEATLEY
Last night Heatley put on a shooting clinic to get two goals and Bell put the nail in the coffin, but for me it was all about Antoine Vermette. An assist on all three goals when just a few weeks ago we wanted to see him traded away for a bag of pucks. If you ask me, Vermette was more key to last night’s game than Heatley because he was hounding down the puck and making the plays to get the puck to the right spots for a second pass or a shot on goal.
PAT BURNS
TSN is reporting that Pat Burns, former New Jersey Devils Stanley cup winning coach, has now going through his third bout with cancer. My heartfelt thoughts go to Burns and his family and I wish him a speedy recovery.
W.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND PIERRE
I did not want to lead off my first little blurb about Bell, but the goal was lucky and decent. However, I wanted to avoid the topic of Pierre McGuire from TSN and Alexander Ovechkin like the plague. Sadly with all the talk about it I simply cannot.
McGuire is, by all accounts and somewhat rightfully so, enamoured with #8; I can’t blame him. He is the most exciting and electrifying player to lace them up since Gretzky ... at least to Pierre. He is star struck by him and it showed last night as he kept riding the wagon around his reporting on the game even to the point of asking him if he was OK after a high stick clipped his visor.
That said ... people need to understand that McGuire is being paid to say the favourable talk. He works for TSN because he does his job well and right now the Senators are not in favour with the sports world regardless of getting seven of possible eight points in the past four games. The Senators may not have started a comeback by most, but they certainly enter the All-Star break on a great starting point. A huge part of that is team play and secondary scoring.
GROUPTHINK
For once it is nice to sit here on my laptop and write about the positives of the team play. Sure, it was not as fantastic as it could be and there were some things to keep working on, but again it was a great step toward the strong play Hartsburg’s system preaches. The more the media hounds the Senators for stalling and falling flat the more the players appear to come back with a bit of a vengeance to play better. This begins with the coaching staff ... and Hartsburg commented on the lag in the standings well before beating Washington with just one word: consistency.
VERMETTE VS HEATLEY
Last night Heatley put on a shooting clinic to get two goals and Bell put the nail in the coffin, but for me it was all about Antoine Vermette. An assist on all three goals when just a few weeks ago we wanted to see him traded away for a bag of pucks. If you ask me, Vermette was more key to last night’s game than Heatley because he was hounding down the puck and making the plays to get the puck to the right spots for a second pass or a shot on goal.
PAT BURNS
TSN is reporting that Pat Burns, former New Jersey Devils Stanley cup winning coach, has now going through his third bout with cancer. My heartfelt thoughts go to Burns and his family and I wish him a speedy recovery.
W.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Down and out?
A lot of buzz today about a possible shake up from management on down to coaching.
As SensChirp.ca reported, Melnyk may be entertaining bringing in a couple of big names in the hockey world to revitalize the franchise. Chief among these names was Steve Yzerman and Pat Quinn. Although Quinn is hot off of the heels of winning gold as the World Junior coach -- a position Craig Hartsburg held twice previous to Quinn -- I don't believe he would be an ideal fit in Ottawa. Like I have said before ... he is just another moderately successful coach that the Senators players would look down on instead of up to. Would he better here with a more youthful team? More than likely, but we have enough long term contracts to prove that youthfulness is in short supply.
As for Yzerman there is a certain giddiness I feel when I read something like that. I live a few kilometres away from the Nepean Raider's home ice in the Yzerman rink. He is a walking legend in the Ottawa area, but he also spent his entire career with Detroit and has a winning formula there. There is no doubt in my mind that Yzerman would be a great fit here in Ottawa, but not until the 2010 Olympics have concluded and that is contingent on Detroit.
Are there any trades coming? Rumours are abound about Vermette and Schubert as the Spezza bashing dies off. I still don't think Spezza is playing a full 60 minutes, but it only took less than one minute to pull the Sens within one of the Sabres yesterday. If #20 and #5 were to be dealt it would have to be for a pucking moving defenceman, but Murray is not in a prime buyer's position. He will end up getting less than what he is willing to give ... Then again, if we go back to last year and look at Corvo -- who did not want to be in Ottawa anyway -- and Eaves for Commodore and Stillman we can see that Murray is not afraid of risks and failures.
- W
As SensChirp.ca reported, Melnyk may be entertaining bringing in a couple of big names in the hockey world to revitalize the franchise. Chief among these names was Steve Yzerman and Pat Quinn. Although Quinn is hot off of the heels of winning gold as the World Junior coach -- a position Craig Hartsburg held twice previous to Quinn -- I don't believe he would be an ideal fit in Ottawa. Like I have said before ... he is just another moderately successful coach that the Senators players would look down on instead of up to. Would he better here with a more youthful team? More than likely, but we have enough long term contracts to prove that youthfulness is in short supply.
As for Yzerman there is a certain giddiness I feel when I read something like that. I live a few kilometres away from the Nepean Raider's home ice in the Yzerman rink. He is a walking legend in the Ottawa area, but he also spent his entire career with Detroit and has a winning formula there. There is no doubt in my mind that Yzerman would be a great fit here in Ottawa, but not until the 2010 Olympics have concluded and that is contingent on Detroit.
Are there any trades coming? Rumours are abound about Vermette and Schubert as the Spezza bashing dies off. I still don't think Spezza is playing a full 60 minutes, but it only took less than one minute to pull the Sens within one of the Sabres yesterday. If #20 and #5 were to be dealt it would have to be for a pucking moving defenceman, but Murray is not in a prime buyer's position. He will end up getting less than what he is willing to give ... Then again, if we go back to last year and look at Corvo -- who did not want to be in Ottawa anyway -- and Eaves for Commodore and Stillman we can see that Murray is not afraid of risks and failures.
- W
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A 60 minute game
Sometimes I believe I am a collector of cliches. The new cliche that the Ottawa Senators are tossing around is about the sixty minute game. Obviously they are lacking the full definition and as a result were downed by provincial rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
TO's Goals
Moore's equalizer was poor on the defence, but also on Gerber. The defence were lazy on the puck and Gerber was lazy on his goal. Fundamental goaltending teaches a player to always be alert to where the puck is and expect a shot on net regardless of who is carrying it. I'll get back to this. However, the puck getting to Moore behind the defence in tight on the net is just inexcusable.
Ponikarovsky's goal came from Kubina's exit from the penalty box and the Senators defence completely unaware of the time on the clock. Schubert skated back to Kubina to attempt to strip the puck, but with lazy back checking from his parter on the line led to an easy pass to Ponikarovsky and Gerber was beaten by a text book 2 on 1 by the Leafs. Schubert, neither taking the puck nor the man, also did not get his stick into the passing lane to help prevent the scoring chance.
Blake's goal was off of a rebound that he carried behind the net and beat Gerber on the stick side without Gerber moving much at all. Not only did he lose sight of the puck, but he appeared to assume his player had it and did not cover the side. This is where I get back to the fundamental goaltending ... Watch highlights from any of the starting goalies in the National Hockey League. You will see them covering the angles even when the opposing team is changing and their guy is carrying the puck uncontested. Why? Funny things happen in the NHL, but moreover it is good practise for that one time you'll need it. Gerber needed it there and late in the third period it lead to a 3-1 win over the Sens.
No Offence, but passion either
I am starting to believe that whenever the Sens show a little bit of annoyance on the ice that they are penalized by the coach too. Sens and Leafs games always have the potential to boil over, but when the Sens are skidding out of control the last thing they need to do is take stupid penalties and get torched for it on the bench. A couple of times coach Hartsburg was reaming them over for different issues, but I believe that this game could have been cathartic had the coach let them get their frustrations out.
Looking ahead: New Jersey
Today the Sens play the Devils in Newark. The Devils, without Brodeur still, are not about to sit back and let the Sens build momentum off of them. This will be the toughest game of the season for the Ottawa Senators because of the lack of consistency shown from the Oilers to the Leafs game. If they want to be successful tonight they must get back to the basics and play with passion. Moreover, coaching should be left to the simplest of tasks on the play book and let the players work out their frustrations. If they want to scrap then let them scrap. Let the players be accountable for their actions and show to their fans and to their teammates that they give a damn. Will it happen? We'll see.
TO's Goals
Moore's equalizer was poor on the defence, but also on Gerber. The defence were lazy on the puck and Gerber was lazy on his goal. Fundamental goaltending teaches a player to always be alert to where the puck is and expect a shot on net regardless of who is carrying it. I'll get back to this. However, the puck getting to Moore behind the defence in tight on the net is just inexcusable.
Ponikarovsky's goal came from Kubina's exit from the penalty box and the Senators defence completely unaware of the time on the clock. Schubert skated back to Kubina to attempt to strip the puck, but with lazy back checking from his parter on the line led to an easy pass to Ponikarovsky and Gerber was beaten by a text book 2 on 1 by the Leafs. Schubert, neither taking the puck nor the man, also did not get his stick into the passing lane to help prevent the scoring chance.
Blake's goal was off of a rebound that he carried behind the net and beat Gerber on the stick side without Gerber moving much at all. Not only did he lose sight of the puck, but he appeared to assume his player had it and did not cover the side. This is where I get back to the fundamental goaltending ... Watch highlights from any of the starting goalies in the National Hockey League. You will see them covering the angles even when the opposing team is changing and their guy is carrying the puck uncontested. Why? Funny things happen in the NHL, but moreover it is good practise for that one time you'll need it. Gerber needed it there and late in the third period it lead to a 3-1 win over the Sens.
No Offence, but passion either
I am starting to believe that whenever the Sens show a little bit of annoyance on the ice that they are penalized by the coach too. Sens and Leafs games always have the potential to boil over, but when the Sens are skidding out of control the last thing they need to do is take stupid penalties and get torched for it on the bench. A couple of times coach Hartsburg was reaming them over for different issues, but I believe that this game could have been cathartic had the coach let them get their frustrations out.
Looking ahead: New Jersey
Today the Sens play the Devils in Newark. The Devils, without Brodeur still, are not about to sit back and let the Sens build momentum off of them. This will be the toughest game of the season for the Ottawa Senators because of the lack of consistency shown from the Oilers to the Leafs game. If they want to be successful tonight they must get back to the basics and play with passion. Moreover, coaching should be left to the simplest of tasks on the play book and let the players work out their frustrations. If they want to scrap then let them scrap. Let the players be accountable for their actions and show to their fans and to their teammates that they give a damn. Will it happen? We'll see.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Which is more likely; a Trade of Coaching change?
A lot of rumbling around the blogs and sites the last couple of days about what should be done with the Senators. The discussion on Jason Spezza is divided, especially after his game against Edmonton, but he remains the number one pick for a trade so far. There are other rumblings about possible trades involving Vermette or Volchenkov, but neither of these seem to be a viable option. As for the coaching change the Canada World Juniors toppled the powerhouse of the United States under coach Quinn. As the rival to the Ottawa Senators for so long with the Maple Leafs, Quinn would be an ideal choice for many because he is familiar with this market. Which is more likely then?
A blockbuster trade would not signal a run for the cup, but rather that the Sens are admitting that this season is lost. I have had my issues with Spezza's play over the last couple of years, but I am not ready to say he should be traded. Vermette is an option to trade out, but we would not see a return on him even though a change of scenery may help. Volchenkov, when healthy, is tandems with the best shut down pair in the NHL that hold the blue line and there is no way he would be leaving. Goals against, overall, have not been a huge issue this season and it has to be the first time I have ever written or said that our defence is not the problem. That said, the rumblings seem to be focused primarily around Spezza and I can see how this trade would benefit the Senators, but like the Chara release it could come back to bite us.
What about the coach then? I was never a fan of bringing in a junior coach on board to the Senators. It seemed very counter intuitive to me that we would watch the boys go to the top of the pile and lose to the Ducks only to hire the assistant coach who had no backbone and then wind up with a junior success. Perhaps this is why the players are having issues? Maybe they see Hartsburg as more of a small fry in a big potato field. He is a good coach, for sure, but this is a team that believes they should be back at the cup within the next two years and unless they start playing for the logo and their coach the situation will not change. That said, when players stop listening to the coach in the NHL, the coach always gets the boot.
Quinn is a good option for coaching young players, like Hartsburg, but let's face the reality; in 15 playoff appearances he has two conference champs and no Stanley Cups. He knows how to win, but only to a certain extent. For the Ottawa Senators they may be looking to Bryan Murray to hire someone who has the experience in the playoffs and has won the big hardware. Hartsburg, no matter how many international championships and junior league titles to his credit, simply does not have the experience and Quinn is a 15 time loser on the big stage. Who are my options?
My least favourite pick is Bob Hartley, who has a cup ring with Colorado in 2000-01, but has an up and down record with Atlanta where he was fired from last year. John Tortorella is also up there who can be a pain in the ass to players and media, but won the cup with Tampa in 2003-04. He is also great for young upstarts who refuse to play quality games and can condition players to a system. However, my favourite is Pat Burns. Yes, the Pat Burns. Prior to his pulling out of the game he won a cup in 2002-03 with the Devils, but he has been looking to return to coaching the last time I had checked. Burns had health issues that we are all aware of, but has managed to overcome them and is an inspiration to the hockey world. Not only that, but he has been around the league a long time and has a firm understanding of the game where as my other candidate choices have not.
What remains to be seen is what Ottawa will do come the end of this road schedule. There is little doubt in my mind Murray is working on something, but I do not think he will lift a finger until the Senators come back to Ottawa in a week's time. However, by mid-point in January we should see what Murray feels about this club. Either there will be a trade, a coaching change or he is willing to ride it out and start over again in the summer. That remains to be seen.
A blockbuster trade would not signal a run for the cup, but rather that the Sens are admitting that this season is lost. I have had my issues with Spezza's play over the last couple of years, but I am not ready to say he should be traded. Vermette is an option to trade out, but we would not see a return on him even though a change of scenery may help. Volchenkov, when healthy, is tandems with the best shut down pair in the NHL that hold the blue line and there is no way he would be leaving. Goals against, overall, have not been a huge issue this season and it has to be the first time I have ever written or said that our defence is not the problem. That said, the rumblings seem to be focused primarily around Spezza and I can see how this trade would benefit the Senators, but like the Chara release it could come back to bite us.
What about the coach then? I was never a fan of bringing in a junior coach on board to the Senators. It seemed very counter intuitive to me that we would watch the boys go to the top of the pile and lose to the Ducks only to hire the assistant coach who had no backbone and then wind up with a junior success. Perhaps this is why the players are having issues? Maybe they see Hartsburg as more of a small fry in a big potato field. He is a good coach, for sure, but this is a team that believes they should be back at the cup within the next two years and unless they start playing for the logo and their coach the situation will not change. That said, when players stop listening to the coach in the NHL, the coach always gets the boot.
Quinn is a good option for coaching young players, like Hartsburg, but let's face the reality; in 15 playoff appearances he has two conference champs and no Stanley Cups. He knows how to win, but only to a certain extent. For the Ottawa Senators they may be looking to Bryan Murray to hire someone who has the experience in the playoffs and has won the big hardware. Hartsburg, no matter how many international championships and junior league titles to his credit, simply does not have the experience and Quinn is a 15 time loser on the big stage. Who are my options?
My least favourite pick is Bob Hartley, who has a cup ring with Colorado in 2000-01, but has an up and down record with Atlanta where he was fired from last year. John Tortorella is also up there who can be a pain in the ass to players and media, but won the cup with Tampa in 2003-04. He is also great for young upstarts who refuse to play quality games and can condition players to a system. However, my favourite is Pat Burns. Yes, the Pat Burns. Prior to his pulling out of the game he won a cup in 2002-03 with the Devils, but he has been looking to return to coaching the last time I had checked. Burns had health issues that we are all aware of, but has managed to overcome them and is an inspiration to the hockey world. Not only that, but he has been around the league a long time and has a firm understanding of the game where as my other candidate choices have not.
What remains to be seen is what Ottawa will do come the end of this road schedule. There is little doubt in my mind Murray is working on something, but I do not think he will lift a finger until the Senators come back to Ottawa in a week's time. However, by mid-point in January we should see what Murray feels about this club. Either there will be a trade, a coaching change or he is willing to ride it out and start over again in the summer. That remains to be seen.
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