Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The playoffs...

It has been a long time since I have posted. I doubt many read this to begin with, but for you few who longed for my long winded opinions can rejoice.

The Ottawa Senators are in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Stealing the first game in the Melon put Crosby and his squad on notice, but the Penguins have stormed back to take a 3-1 strangle hold on the series. The Senators are now facing a do or die of exceptionally epic proportions.

Consider that the Stanley Cup has some pretty amazing legends, but one of the most astonishing is that of the deficit wins. There have, to date, only been 20 instances where a team has trailed 3-1 in a series to come back and win the series. The number that have gone on to win the Stanley Cup is dwindled dramatically less than that. The last time was in 2003.

The Ottawa Senators, for whatever reason you wish to blame, have fallen short of fan expectations. However, perspective needs to be levied. The Sens were not picked to make the playoffs by anyone in sports media and only one person picked them to go on and beat the Penguins that I can think of (thank you Kelly Hrudey). All told, the Sens making it into the playoffs this year is something of a minor miracle and speaks of the future being a bright one.

However, there are a few things the fans, media, ownership and players need to start doing for this series and the rest... First, stop buying into your own legends and hype. Celebrate the team, absolutely, but there is a line to be had. The second you raise anyone onto a pedestal and they falter, the illusion is destroyed. Second, support the team. Right or wrong, these are the players you have. While the media attempts to influence the decisions made on the squad, the reality is we fans have the humble task of taking what we get. Take a page out of the -- I cannot believe I am about to type this -- playbook of the Leafs or Habs fans and be loud and proud. Show up to every game you can and stay for the whole time! Let them know you support them. Finally, muted criticism. I seriously need to practice this one a lot more, but we should all just accept the sport as something that ebbs and flows. Don't gloss over realities, but don't go all harsh on a point that has been overstated.

Cool? Cool.

Go Sens Go!