a short coming-of-age tale....

There comes a point in every man’s life, whether you’re from Tuktoyuktuk or Timbuktu, when you need to ask the question… “are the Leafs really this terrible?” Many of those men (because the Leafs are the most watched team around the world don’cha know) are realising that yes, yes they are!

They are one of two teams yet to record a win, but the other team (the Islanders) has three OT losses to the Leafs one. They have also surrendered the most goals in the league. There are several teams who have SCORED less goals, including the Buffaslugs with a measly 4 goals in 3 games (but only 3 GA as well). For a team that was touting team defence and truculence galore, they’ve looked like an AHL club at best. With Tuuka Rask currently working on a career .667 winning percentage, and with more wins on his own this season than the Leafs, one has to wonder if he was the one that got away.

On a side note, Gustavsson’s groin issues (obviously tweaked when Alfie deked him out of his jock) seem to be better, according to FAN 590.

What does all of this have to do with the Sens? Sorry the NORTHEAST DIVISION leading Sens? Nothing at all.

Go Sens Go.

~MFP3

There's no place like home... there's no place like home...

So the Sens are about to kick off another home season tonight against the New York Highliners. Mr. Taveres will be in attendance, as will his supporting cast including that guy who scored that goal that one time, and that other guy who played on the other team last year. The Isles have tried to piece together a few solid prospects, including NCAA standout Kyle Okposo (not to be confused with Ogopogo), and the massively under-achieving Sean Bergenhiem.

With their squad being one of the weaker ones in the league, perhaps putting together back-to-back W’s could help our boys’ confidence as Boston, Montreal and Pittsburgh all lie ahead shortly. The game will be on SportsNet East tonight (probably not in HD).

On a side note for any fans actually in the Ottawa area, I have several pairs of tickets from my season package available if any of you want to go and see the team first hand. Drop me a line.

~MFP3

I love noogies!

Well well well… It’s always nice to break a funk (albeit only one game) at the demise of the Leafs. I have won myself three coffees this morning… woo! I was a little concerned when The Kuban Missile was suddenly scratched with a “lower body” injury. I personally believe that two left feet is something you can play through, but I guess the medical staff disagreed.

The game itself was pretty dull for the first ten or twelve minutes, and then the A-Train derailed Stahlberg and that seemed to put a spark under the boys. Shaun-Don potted a questionable one (god bless inconclusive replays) and then Mitch-a-lack has his lower jaw sawed off on the break. Was it a penalty shot?? MacT says ‘yes’ so I’ll go with that. I love CiCi throwing Alfie in there in that situation, as the Leaf fans hatred for him is awesome (and not at all debilitating). I think I heard my first real “go leafs go” chant around the 7:00 mark of the 3^rd, and it certainly wasn’t coming from the 3000+ empty seats in the 100 level (douchebags).

All in all, it was a solid, hard-fought victory. Coach CiCi did well, removing the kids from the D-rotation and allowing Phillichenkov and Carks+Camps to do their thing. Leclaire came up big when needed, and really, that’s all we want, everything else will flow from that.

Go Sens Go!

~MFP3

The boys over at 6thSens have a great post about the once fierce Battle of Ontario. I recommend you have a look at it certainly gives a Sens-eye-view on the matter. Yeah, the Leafs beat out the Sens in four playoff appearances HALF A DECADE AGO, and for a team with nothing to cheer for in 40+ years that may be important. It gives the wallowing hordes something to hold on to. I asked a bunch of the guys here at the office (right smack in downtown Toronto) what they thought, and here’s what I got.

“My opinion is yes, but not nearly as much as it did in the early part of the decade (2001-2004). For me, their games have less meaning because neither team is very good, there’s no bragging rights that come from beating a non-playoff team (especially if you are a non playoff team yourself) even if they are in close proximity.”

“As long as Alfredsson is on the team ,it’s a rivalry my friend…” to which I replied “Why Alfie?” … “I hate how he plays...don't like him he's a sneaky dirty player.”

I think that the first comment is (a) pretty well thought out for a LEAF fan, and (b) there is something to be said for self-realisation in a situation like this. The Yankees v. Red Sox (go SOX!) rivalry is still relevant because both teams are often fighting for tops in their division, and ultimately tops in the AL. The only sport where it seems like overall team quality DOESN’T matter is college football. One-off games each season like the Iron Bowl (Auburn v. ‘Bama), The Red River Shootout (Texas v. Oklahoma), and The Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe (Minnesota v. Wisconsin) all offer unadulterated hatred, of the fiercest (on field) kind.

Hockey has ebbs and flows just like any other sport. Is the passion to ignite this rivalry still there? Sure it is… all it takes is one blow out, cheap shot, or wrong thing said to the media… Enjoy, this could be the rekindling of something great.

~MFP3

Chemistry 101

If you go to www.OttawaSenators.com you’ll see the top headline saying “Sens Fall In Season Opener”. I don’t think fall is the best description of what happened. Perhaps “Sens trip all over themselves and make seemingly rookie mistakes in Season Opener.” There. That pretty much covers it.

On Saturday evening, I was sitting in my home with a bunch of friends (mostly Leafs fans) flipping between the Leafs getting their shit ruined by Ovie and the gang, and the Sens game. The odd thing was, we never saw any of the action as we flipped from game to game. If Brandon Dubinsky scores directly off of an Erik Karlsson misplay and I’m not there to see it, does it actually count? NHL.com says yes! The ice was always whiter in the other game (probably because it was in HD – stupid CBC).

So given the way the game played out in that 5-2 loss, I am going to talk about chemistry. Now I got a 68 in Grade 12 chemistry, so that this lesson for what its worth. My trusty textbook used to say that every element, solvent, solution, and base will have a reaction of some kind, no matter how minimal. Some will slowly dissolve into nothingness (Cheechoo), while other will explode in your face, torching you with multiple left crosses (Mike Fisher). What we need to discover is how to turn these reactions into positive energy. As SLC over at Five For Smiting pointed out in the Super-duper Game Day blog, Jonathan Cheechoo seemed nowhere to be found like salt in hot water. Filip Kuba was clearly mixed with acid, and turned into a melting pile of goo, and mixing Fishy with equal part piss and vinegar could have gotten Aaron Voros placed on the endangered list.

What we need to find now is the right BONDING agent. I know this is blathering jibberish, which means only Chris Neil will understand it, but perhaps a little more studying and a little less staying up late playing World of Warcraft (or whatever these kids are into these days) will help with the chemistry. I hope you enjoyed my day as your substitute chemistry teacher, Mr. Coach Clouston will be back in class tomorrow.

~MFP3

And so it begins...

Herr Doucheldorf made his Sharks debut last night. It was an awesome display. Here’s the line… (courtesy of NHL.com)

TOI: 21:32

G – 0

A – 0

-3 Rating.

Oh yeah!

~MFP3

I believe the children are our future....

With the news that yet another AHL prospect in the Senators system has requested to be moved for a better shot at NHL ice time, I think its time to study the changes that The Bryan has made in drafting policy. Given that there are several holes in the IIHF transfer policy, it is getting tougher and tougher for teams to get their Russian and Czech prospects to come to North America, especially given that the KHL is a financially viable alternative.

Bryan Murray has decided to keep his picks close to home, choosing only 4 players from foreign leagues since he was placed in the GM role before the 2007 draft. Of those four (all of whom are Swedish) two are already established with North American teams: Eric Karlsson, with the big club, and goalie Robin Lehner in the OHL with the Soo Greyhounds. This shift is giving the Senators a clear advantage by getting these players into the North American system early, and getting them used to the standardized ice, and styles of play. I am by no means anti-Euro from a player scouting perspective, but when both immediate and long term needs can be addressed by players who are already familiar with the style of play, and who have an attachment to the league already by watching it growing up, and know the systems in place.

Outside of the four Swedes, B-Mur has spread himself around, taking eight Tier 2/USHL kids (most of whom go on to the NCAA), two NCAA players, and a smattering of guys from the west and form the Q.

Local = Accessible.

Keep up the good work Bryan-san. No more Dmitri Megalinskiy’s, or Vitaly Atsushov’s I SAY!!!

~MFP3