Sens give the Blues the... erm... blues (shit!)

The really shitty part about living in TO and NOT having centre ice is that there are about 5 Senators games on TV this season. That being said, I have become a fan of online streaming. Last night was one that I had been looking forward to, as my Alfie 3^rd jersey AND my David Backes Blues jersey both arrived within the last week. This Blues team is a VERY young team, who make a lot of rookie mistakes, but mark my words, in a couple seasons this division will be the most competitive in hockey, and damn they are just fun to watch. Last night, those rookie mistakes came back to haunt them as the Sens walked out of the Scottrade Centre with a hard fought 3-1 victory.

THE APPETIZER:

The Sens are trying to keep momentum up as they make their push to the playoffs. You could see the intensity in their skating during the warm-up, and you just KNEW they were piecing this thing together. Three months too late, but it’s a start.

THE MAIN COURSE:

Since it seems to finally be in season, I’ll have the FISH please, with a healthy side of TOI and the rosemary potatoes. Fishy Fishy Fishy, where have you been all season dude. You have the ability to be one of the best two-way threats in the league. 20 goals, and a Selke nomination year in-year out should NOT be out of the realm of possibility. Two goals including a shorty, and more intensity than I’ve seen from the ENTIRE TEAM on some nights, I hope you can keep this up.

DESSERT:

Well done Pete. Good hustle, good hands, you’ve got a future here kid.

HAIR IN THE SOUP:

Why do the D-Mean need to take a nap for the last 5 minutes of the 2^nd EVERY night? They clearly need to go to IKEA, where all Almtorp mattresses and frames are on sale.

So there you have it. Next up, the BJs in C-BUS (or however you crazy kids say it these days…)

~G

Red rover, red rover, let THAT GUY come over!!

Everyone play fantasy manager at some point in the hockey season. Whether you have a pool (I’m second in mine right now), or play NHL09 for Xbox, or what have you, we always want to have our favourite players, or the BEST players on our team. With the trade deadline a little over a month away, maybe its time to have a little fun of our own. I am going to go through the other 29 teams, and take ONE player who’s OFF the radar as far as hype, and stardom (and more than likely All-Star votes, except for when I get to Montreal, where EVERYONE got All-Star votes). If you’re a hockey fan, you’ll know most of these guys. Remember, this is only my wish list, feel free to add your own. Let’s start in our home conference, the NORTHEAST.

Boston Bruins – Milan Lucic – F

This kid made his name at the 2007 Memorial cup, helping host Vancouver win the title against new rival Medicine Hat. This was his second season with the Giants after helping them to a WHL title in 2006. He was drafted by Boston in 2006, 50^th overall. The kid’s got a pretty deft scoring touch for a guy who could also lead the league in penalty minutes. He’d slap your mother around if he thought it would help the Bruins win. Many liken him to former Boston great Cam Neely. Could Lucic score 50? Doubt it, but can anyone outside of the big three do it either? GRADE: A

Buffalo Sabres – Tim Connolly – F

Second line centre anyone? Tim has proven to be a wizard with the puck, when he’s healthy. He has a pretty good scoring punch, when he’s healthy. He’s a proven vocal leader in the locker room, when he’s healthy. When healthy, he could be a point per game guy, but ever since Pistol Peter Schaefer smoked him coming across centre ice, he’s never been the same. I’d like to see him back at full capacity with the red and black on. GRADE: B-

Montreal Canadiens – Tomas Plekanec – F

He could slide his way onto the first line to provide a little speed, and event things out a little. He’s quick onto the puck, but when there’s contact involved, he’s also quick onto his belly, in that oh-so Marty Havlat kind of way. That being said, you can’t ignore his offensive abilities, now if you could just get him to come back inside his own blue line, all would be dandy in the world. GRADE: B+

Toronto Maple Leafs – Tomas Kaberle – D

I loathe having to make this pick. Yes, I hate the Leafs. Aside from that, despite the standings, this Leaf team is still fucking terrible, and Kaberle is the best they have to offer. Yes he can move the puck, which w could REALLY use right now, but he can be a bit of a liability in his own end (which we already suffer from). Ultimately, he’s the only choice that would make any sense off this team, save a shot at Mikhail Grabovsky, who Montreal is ruing getting rid of. It hurts my teeth to even do this, but… GRADE: C+

So there is one division down, up next, the Atlantic division, where up is down, and where hookers disappear like Leafs from the playoffs.

~G

You know what REALLY grinds my gears? SENS 3 - CAPS 2

When I was in 2^nd year uni, I took an intro psychology course thinking it’d be a bird (and that I would just con the girl next to me to give me her notes from any class I missed). Neither of those things happened, which is why I still can not explain what is happening inside the heads of our beloved Janitors. They came out flying in the first. They were in control of the puck, weren’t taking too many stupid penalties, and were holding the Caps stars, especially AO in check. Heater potted a pair hopping back up on his horse as one of the pre-eminent snipers in the game, and then they went all Keyser Söze on us, and disappeared.

t frustrates me to watch this. Anyhow, here is your game recap:

THE APPETIZER:

It’s the GREAT ‘8’. We win, awesome, we lose, awesome. I feel privileged (as much as you CAN at $50/seat) to get to watch this guy play. I love the vigour, I love the energy, and man he comes up with some pretty shit, even if it doesn’t go in.

THE MAIN COURSE:

Two from Heater in the 1^st should have it under wraps right? RIGHT? The scrubs pulled this one out of the hat. Brendan “Get your runs from the border” Bell comes up with a HUGE PP goal before we inevitably lose in a shootout. Peter Regin looked good tonight. Lots of spunk (which I expect from a 21 year old), and I really think he brought up the play of Fishy and Little Nicky, as they has to bust ass to keep up with the kid. That being said, each of them took STUPID penalties. Fishy, I love you dude, but this isn’t RED ROVER, and Nick… Sergei Fedorov has perfect hair, you helping him comb it with your blade isn’t gonna help.

THE DESSERT:

Belli looked pretty good. Yes, he need to work on his rebound control, but his athleticism is keeping him in the games… sound familiar? Don’t flake on us kid, ask Comrade Emery how that’s working out for him. I love how the bald cyborg spends two and a half periods pointing out Belli’s flaws, and then he’s THE MONSTER, HE’S THE MONSTER I SAY!!!

HAIR IN THE SOUP:

As we have seen many times this year, no lead is safe, especially the dreaded 2-0 lead (which Ottawa has now blown 9 times this season (winning 5 of those games).

Up next – the ALL-STAR EXTRAVAGANZA !!!!

Waterjug Chatter

I bumped into a former (fairly) high profile NHL GM going for coffee this morning. I have seen him hit up my Starfucks every morning at 10:00am, but today I decided to talk to him, so I asked (out of nowhere) “what do the Sens need to get this thing turned around?”. He was sort of taken aback, since I’m guessing he thought his NHL logo ball cap was keeping him anonymous (and I didn’t bother to introduce myself, or ask his approval for the question). To no one’s surprise I’m sure, he said “a puck mover”. I figured he answered me, so I might as well press my luck. “Are there any $2 mil or less guys to be had? Who’d you get?” It seemed like a water jug talk with that creepy secretive guy from the 5^th floor, but whatever. Here’s what he said. “Outside of Doughty, any of the Kings young guys can be had for the right return, and it’s nowhere as high as you’d think.”

Now I am not trying to be Eklund or any of those twits, I’m just stating what was said to me by a guy who says these things on TV a lot. I’d love to pluck one of those young guys out of LA, that would be super, and if it costs me an Ilya Zubov or a Peter Regin and pick, then so be it.

Any requests for questions should I meet up with him tomorrow?

~G

And I might have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for you meddling kids…..

I must confess that I did not see the loss to the Habs. I was driving back from Buffalo to Toronto in a pseudo-blizzard, and fearing for my life as the idiots driving around us were all over the friggin place, but I digress. I’ve been to this game many times before, especially this year. Sitting calmly in section 323, Row M, seat 16 watching all the fans wearing another teams jersey invade my section, my row, or sitting right beside me, and extolling the virtues of how great their team is, and how shitty mine is. They seem to forget how things used to be. They never used to show their faces around here, but now they feast upon the already injured beast, and swoop in for the kill. To that end, I say fuck you HABS fan, so watch some soccer and leave me alone. I say fuck you LEAFS fan, you’ll be dead LONG before your team wins a cup. Fuck you PENGUINS fan, your team is barely winning now, wait until all those juicy contract are up in the next couple years. Am I bitter? Hell yeah I’m bitter. I expect more from this team, especially given the talented players that are still here.

As far as the game is concerned, there’s nothing for me to say that the OBC hasn’t already covered. So I will say only this. We have a few young players in VERY key positions. Whether they are NHL ready or not, they are here… and they need our support.

BLee – you played well, I know you’re trying out there every night playing hard when others aren’t. Keep your energy up, and your turnovers down, and you and I are good.

Belli – Relax. See the puck. You’re a damn fine goaltender. I know you’ll make mistakes, we all do. I own a Yankees jersey (go SOX!)

Keep on keepin’ on lads.

~G

This one time, at band camp....

Okay. It’s nearly the weekend. You and your boys (and if you’re REALLY lucky, your girls) are going to hunker down at home, or at a bar and watch your favourite professional hockey team try to string together their third straight win, or skate skate skate towards that 1^st overall pick possibility… Are they winning and everyone is happy??? Are they getting killed and you’re bored to tears??? In the case of my boy SLC over at www.fiveforsmiting.blogspot.com , is there booze around??? Then let me enlighten you my fellow friends and drunks, with the greatest drinking game of all time. Now now LEAF fans, I’m not here to steal your thunder and let everyone in on the Bryan McCabe Turnover Game… that one belongs to you.

This game was created one booze filled evening at the Brig down in the market. Those of you knowing the exact place I am talking about will shake your heads and say “Oh Christ, I can see where this is going…” It’s very similar to Around The World. You know, where everyone shows off their knowledge of geography by rhyming off names of countries in alphabetical order. Yup, we’ve all tried to impress some beautiful woman (or some drunk chick) by coming up with Oman, or arguing that because Ossterreich is Austria in German that it should still count for ‘O’.

There are really three levels to this game.

(1) BEGINNER: You only use currently active NHL players. Yeah yeah, guys on two-ways who have played (or at least made one TSN NONOUR ROLL this year count. Bonus points can be given out however you see fit. We like to give bonuses for DOUBLE letter names like Andrew Alberts. Usually a time frame of 5 seconds should be sufficient, but I am not very lenient. You get to drink every time you fuck up, and after each alphabetical round, the round’s ‘loser’ drinks again.

(2) INTERMEDIATE: Current players AND former players count. Again, bonus points can be doled out for pretty much anything. Par example, last time, even though I missed ‘K’ and stumbled on ‘Z’ in the fourth round, I received a pass for getting Lou Franceschetti. That’s right – Lou Franceschetti.

(3) EXPERT: Former players ONLY. If you have to resort to HALL OF FAMERS like Gretzky, Richard, Orr, and so on, it should DEFINITELY be held against you and you should be ashamed of yourself. Again, bonuses for Bob Beers, or Zarley Zalapsky are encouraged. This particular evolution of the game was created on the drive home, and my driver and I played from the off-ramp to Kemptville, to the west side of Peterborough. Impressive. Just ask Scott Scissions.

I hope this little adventure gets you right shitty sometime in the near future.

Cheers,

~G

Anyone know the words to that "Nah Nah Hey Hey Goodbye" song?

Ah the "Gerbil" has finally taken his last stroll down the clear plastic tube of Scotiabank Place (I've been down there, and my description is totally somewhat accurate). Many saw this coming, and even more hoped it would be a hell of a lot sooner. That being said, the guy was a good team player about the whole thing. He knows deep down he stole Ray Emery's job, so in a pair of tits for tat, he had Alex Auld and Belli come and steal his. It happens, just ask Mike Dunham.

See you later Gerbs, no longer shall I see you scurrying around the crease, and the incessant noise from your rusty wheel will no longer keep me awake at night. You're buried in the back yard along side, Tugger, Hasek, The "Limey", Razor, and the rest of the "saviours".

~G

Are we human? Or are we denser?... probably...

I’m so glad this whole moustache thing is done. Some of the guys looked absolutely terrible. Now don’t get me wrong, team building is VERY important, especially when your confidence is so fractured that you could pick up one of the pieces and stab yourself in the eyes with it. That being said, everyone growing moustaches together (as opposed to playoff beards, which I also grow, to my bosses delight) could be one of the worst ideas ever. Blee can’t even grow one yet you bastards!!! Talk about outside looking in!! Not to be exclusionary, but the NEXT time you guys decide to do this, Chris “VOTE FOR PEDRO” Kelly, and “Creepy Uncle” Antoine are banned. The only person in this league who is allowed to keep a moustache is George Parros. Back to a KILLERS music video with the lot of you!!!

After last night’s surprising come from behind shocker, I was going to lay low for a few days, and enjoy the crisp winter smog down here in T.O. – but alas no luck. I intend to continue my review of the upcoming draft, especially after the CHL prospects shenanigans last night.

Y’all come back now.

~G

Once is chance, two is conincidence...

Well well well. 3-2 Sens. I am somewhat impressed. The Bryan throws down the gauntlet, threatening jobs, and roster spots if they don't start to show up, and I'm sort of conflicted. If the point standard for the 8h spot is at least 90 points then the lads need to win around 30 of the remaining 40 games... for 8th. Fine. I know the best thing for them is to ride this thing out, finish in the bottom 5, get a great pick, and slice off the fat in the off season. But MAN! I love watching these guys win like I know they can.

That being said, most of this team looked good tonight. The two Thrashers goals were off defensive miscue which left Elliott one-on-one with Kozlov (he may be old, but I'll take Kozlov most days), and a terrible rebound that Elliott SHOULD have eaten up. Two noticeable mistakes. Two. I'll take it.

THE APPETIZER:

The Sens started the game flying. This was surprising especially after getting off the plane after last night's game at 4am. All four lines got a shift in the first 3 minutes of the game... and man did they all roll.

THE MAIN COURSE:

Ottawa had only one ONCE this year after giving up the first goal. ONCE. Not tonight. They had an answer for every Atlanta move, every goal, and every shot after the whistle. All four lines rolled, including a great stretch pass from Ruutu-D2 to Deano, and Blee making about a half dozen really nice breakout passes reminiscent of the Powder Prince in his heyday.

DESSERT:

When Elliott needed to, he shut the door. That makes four NHL starts, and four SOLID games. I like this kid a lot, and so does the bald cyborg, making no less than 117 references to Elliott being drafted 291st overall. Go get 'em kid.

HAIR IN THE SOUP:

No one wants to hit opposing players as they slid across the top of our blueline. I want A-TRAIN back. Now.

Up next: Montreal @ Ottawa - Saturday

See you all then.

~G

BTW - for a great daily wrap of all things awesome, checkout these guys...

http://senatecommittee.blogspot.com/

Well F#@K me sideways....

Well well well, a 5-1 Janitors win. I'm not going to lie... I was shitting my pants. There is no reason this team should be fearing the 8th place Blurricanes, but there we were. And with "Uh-oh" Joe in the lineup, who knows what might have happened.

The boys looked great from beginning to end (aside from about five minutes worth in the second. Belli and Blee both looked great, with Fishy, Deano, and especialy the Big Rig potting one towards the end, it was the feel good game of the season. On a sad note, my dreams of a big 6'4 Swede donning the red, white, and black may take a short hiatus, until we et back onto the losing streak we've come to know and love lately. As is is... here is my synopsis.

The Appetizer:

Heater scores early on a great spinning feed into the sot from Dr. Giggles (surgical precision that is) and buries it upstairs, taking Cam Ward's unibrow with it.

The Main Course:

5 Goals. 5 mutherf#%@ing goals.

Dessert:

Did I Mention 5 goals??

Hair in the Soup:

Goddamn Joe Corvo with a PP goal. Oh for the days of Steve Duschesne....



Hope yo all enjoyed it s much as I did. Tommorow against the Splashers in the next game... can this team push for two?

~G

"Breakfasts come and go Renee, but Hartford... the WHALE, they only beat Vancouver once, maybe twice in a lifetime"

Up in a couple hours time, our lads take the ice against the Blurricanes.

CAROLINA - 21-17-5 - 2nd in SOUTHEAST - 8th in the EASTERN CONFERENCE
OTTAWA - 13-26-4 - 5th in NORTHEAST - 14th in the EASTERN CONFERENCE

As if. Hopefully "Uh-oh Joe" is out with the flu, as he has owned our ass.

MOMENT I WOULD MOST LIKE TO SEE:

"Uh-oh" give it away to Alfie through the middle with 1:24 to play for the game winner.

Good luck lads - back with a recap tomorrow.

~G

Man! It's drafty in here!!

Now that we have reached a a point in the season where it's clear that at best, we will struggle for the 8th spot, and at worst, we'll slide right on down to the 30th spot (may Jeebus be with you) It's time to look beyond the shit storm right in front of our face, and ahead to a breath of fresh Kanata cow patty air. That's right... the 2009 NHL Draft.

I would love to see those silly bitches in Montreal with their Stanley Cups (praise be to him), and their Hall of Famers, and their poutine, and their crazy women (and drivers) do one over on the festivities the great city of Ottawa held last year. It was madness, it was mayhem. There were trades, and picks flying every which way, and through the middle of it all, the Sens moved up to the 15th spot and took a little 5'11 IKEA lamp name Erik Karlsson.... and the crowd went silent. I thought to myself what the fuck?

Then, 6 months later I sit in the corner of the Powerade Centre in Brampton, 10th row, and watch this kid absolutely dismantle the Czech defense. He moves the puck like Paul Coffey, skates like our beloved captain, and can see the play develop in a split second like a sub captain at periscope depth. He was fucking brilliant. It made me think twice about what I had felt at the Salmon Can back in June. I renewed my faith in what has been a wavering scouting system, and draft day moves.

Now to this year. Ottawa looks like they are destined for a top-10 pick, and EVERYONE is talking about Tavares and Hedman, but this draft is a little deeper than some may think. Once Atlanta takes Hedman, and the Islanders set up another great North American kid to wallow in the wasteland that is LONG ISLAND (sorry Isles fans, but at least you don't have to go to Newark), you still have 217 OTHER picks.

So now what? You are the Bryan, and you, little Lord Fondle Roy, the Euge, and several of your finest are there at the table with your 7th over all pick (because I assume the Leafs will still do worse than we will). At the end of November, ISS released their Top 30 rankings, so lets have a look shall we? Beyond JT and MH, there are very interesting prospects within Ottawa's reach, including a couple home-grown talents, and a couple guys we saw on losing sides in the WJCs over Xmas.

Ranked 4th - Matt Duchene - C - 5'11/196 - OHL Brampton
** Matt is a solid playmaker down the middle, and after finding his scoring touch last year with 30G/20A, he has taken on more of a sharing role with 20G/30A through 32 games.

Ranked 5th - Magnus Svensson-Pääjärvi - LW - 6'1/205 - SweE Timra
** this kid was balls through the WJC . He may have only had 5 pts in 6 games, but he was one of the very few Swedes who didn't come away from the tourney looking like douchbags (ahem Markstrom)

Ranked 8th - Evander Kane - 5'11/160 - WHL Vancouver
** This kid reminds me so much of Ray Ferraro, how he bounces around the ice following the puck, and rolling through anyone who gets near it. As an energy guy, should he be ranked this high? who's to say

Ranked 10 - Brayden Schenn - 6'0/196 - WHL Brandon
** Man, we loves our WHL D-Men. Think his big brother is doing alright in Toronto? think of how good the BETTER brother could be with a little seasoning.

Almost makes me wish the season was over now.

Next up for the Janitors, The Hartford Wha... shit, the Carolina Blurricanes tomorrow night. Good luck boys.

~G

...and so it begins.

So this is it. I have sat by long enough. I have filled myself with enough anger and frustration that I need to let it out somewhere. So what better place, than the oasis of unsolicited opinion, the ocean of op-ed myopathy... that's right... the good old interweb. So this is the intro to what will hopefully be a long and successful run ranting and raving about my team, and if you are reading this, probably YOUR team. Les Senateurs d'Ottawa.

Just to give you a bit of background, I am not mindlessly blogging out of misguided rage. As a fellow blogger in the list to the right call them, the "mouth breathing troglodytes" have no domain here. What I will try to give you is my honest ideas about where, why, and how this team is going where it's going.

So enough with the blah blah blah. I'm a diehard, season ticket holder living (and more than likely dying) in Toronto. I am surrounded by Leafers, and idiots, and the dregs of society. More than anything, I long to be with my lady at the Kanata Salmon Can, watching my boys take the piss out of anyone who;s willing to show up. Sadly, those days have vanished for now. For now, but mark my words bitches, the red white and black attack will be back, and sooner than most of you may think.

~G