...we now have a new way to mask and/or hide reality from NHL fans.
Don't get me wrong - I have immense respect for Ted Nolan - I met him in person at the Chateau Cartier resort last summer when his QMJHL team was in town for a playoff series against the Hull/Gatineau Olympiques. In the few moments I got to talk to him I expressed my shock at how long it had been since he had been coaching at the NHL level and how he had to be due.
In almost no time flat, the New York Islanders hired him! Thanks, Ted - just leave me a couple passes at the door the next time you come to Ottawa!
Anyhow, I marvelled a few weeks ago when XM Radio host Phil Esposito said that Nolan absolutely had to be a finalist for the Coach of the Year award. I thought to myself that it would be ironic if he won it this year, for it would be back to back wins for him... only spaced what seems to be an eternity apart.
Two weeks or so ago his star goalie (who is in the first year of a fifteen year contract) got crushed in a game and had to head to the lockerroom. When asked the next day how he was doing, Ted Nolan announced that he would be day-to-day due to "general body soreness".
It seems like only yesterday that some Einstein of a coach decided to coin the phrases upper body or lower body injuries. The reasoning behind it is that when opposing players know that a given rival has a bad wrist, knee or ankle, they will focus on it and attempt to injure it further. Use of these phrases were, at first, limited to playoff time. In recent years it has even been used in training camp.
When Ted Nolan talked about "general body soreness" someone commented on how this was a "new one". I was annoyed and glared mightily at the radio. Time passed by.
This afternoon, upon hearing what roster changes would affect the Ottawa Senators lineup against the St. Louis Blues, I heard Sens coach Brian Murray quoted as having said that Christoph Schubert would be out due to "general body soreness". Not you too, Brian.
I get it - at work I have to make sure that I try to mitigate any chances that the agency be exposed to liability of any sort. NHL players are assets that belong to their respective teams. At some point, however, something has to be done to ensure that we the fans be allowed to know as much as possible about the players that some idolize.
That hockey is a business can sometimes be taken too far. I'm going out now, to see if I can find a get well soon card for Christoph - I hope his body feels better tomorrow.
Sheesh.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
Oops! They did it again!
This one's going to be short and sweet. It's been what, now, 4 out of the last 5 games where the Sens have blown third period leads? What's in the water or Gatorade they're serving in that dastardly second intermission?
The Ottawa Senators were like rocks in recent years when playing the third period. If they had the lead once the second period ended, you could put it in the win column, writing it in permanent marker if you so chose. Nowadays, you need buckets of whiteout if you try that trick.
Here's hoping this is yet another example of adversity the Sens will overcome on their road to the Stanley Cup playoffs. We've been criticized for charging towards a President's Cup, only to fizzle days or a couple of weeks later. We've been criticized for exerting so much energy in the weeks leading up to the end of the season in order to eke out a few more points to pad the totals, only to waste that energy on meaningless games.
Now we're mired in a curious slump that cannot be explained. The early season slow start is but a memory at this point. That memory has almost been erased by the fact that the Ottawa Senators were the best team in the NHL from Christmas through to the All Star break. A few wins in a row will quiet the fleeting fans who jump on and off of the bandwagon with alarming frequency.
Perhaps this year we'll take advantage of the post trade deadline unlimited roster size and sit some of our stars in the final games. Baseball teams do it all the time. Shawn McEachern and Wade Redden would have been spared from injuries in years past had we done so.
Here's hoping that if the Sens have a lead of any size this week, that they hold on to it. If not, who knows what will happen. It's virtually impossible to not make the playoffs right now and while I suppose we could fire the coach and/or GM, short of that, nothing can be done. Players can't be traded.
Relax, everyone, we're going to be OK.
I hope.
The Ottawa Senators were like rocks in recent years when playing the third period. If they had the lead once the second period ended, you could put it in the win column, writing it in permanent marker if you so chose. Nowadays, you need buckets of whiteout if you try that trick.
Here's hoping this is yet another example of adversity the Sens will overcome on their road to the Stanley Cup playoffs. We've been criticized for charging towards a President's Cup, only to fizzle days or a couple of weeks later. We've been criticized for exerting so much energy in the weeks leading up to the end of the season in order to eke out a few more points to pad the totals, only to waste that energy on meaningless games.
Now we're mired in a curious slump that cannot be explained. The early season slow start is but a memory at this point. That memory has almost been erased by the fact that the Ottawa Senators were the best team in the NHL from Christmas through to the All Star break. A few wins in a row will quiet the fleeting fans who jump on and off of the bandwagon with alarming frequency.
Perhaps this year we'll take advantage of the post trade deadline unlimited roster size and sit some of our stars in the final games. Baseball teams do it all the time. Shawn McEachern and Wade Redden would have been spared from injuries in years past had we done so.
Here's hoping that if the Sens have a lead of any size this week, that they hold on to it. If not, who knows what will happen. It's virtually impossible to not make the playoffs right now and while I suppose we could fire the coach and/or GM, short of that, nothing can be done. Players can't be traded.
Relax, everyone, we're going to be OK.
I hope.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Pay per view - good or bad?
I've given the Ottawa Senators thousands of dollars over the years. I have purchased ticket packages of various sizes (including a full season's ticket for three years), various souvenirs, almost a dozen jerseys (none with a price under $100) and have likely spent a few thousand dollars on concessions, parking and 50-50 tickets that benefit the Ottawa Senators Foundation.
I had to give up my season's ticket after the 2004-05 season because I had to save up for a June 2006 wedding. I didn't get a package this year because I was still feeling the after-effects of the wedding in September (and beyond!) but I have managed to see a couple games in person.
What I have done to make sure I see as many Senators games as possible (not all games are televised locally) is invest in the NHL Centre Ice package with Rogers Cable. It costs about thirty dollars a month and, while the cable companies and Centre Ice officials state that the original purpose is to make "out of market" games accessible to fans across North America. I'd buy that, but for all intents and purposes, all televised games are accessible through this package.
The Ottawa Senators decided to jump onto the "pay per view" bandwagon this year, joining some western Canada teams in yet another ploy to siphon more money out of fans' pockets. The problem? The four or five games scheduled to be broadcast on "pay per view" were already scheduled to appear on NHL Centre Ice, which again, I pay around thirty dollars a month to get.
While people outside the Ottawa viewing area will get to watch the Sens play the Leafs tonight on regular TV or with NHL Centre Ice, we're expected to fork out an additional $10.95 plus taxes for the privilege of watching the game. The Centre Ice feed will be blacked out. Will I get a refund? Of course not, because officials will fall back on the old excuse that the package wasn't made available so I could watch the Senators every night.
Ordinarily I would most likely pay the fee to watch the game or get a few friends together and watch it elsewhere. The catch tonight? I have a meeting to attend, resulting in my getting home some time around 8:30 or so - or mid-way through the second period. I have no intention of paying the full fee to watch half a game I've already paid dearly to see through regular cable charges and a fairly expensive sports package.
The straw that breaks the camel's back is that the Ottawa Senators foray into PPV is effectively preventing thousands of people from watching a game against of one of the Sens' biggest rivals. It makes sense from a business perspective as it is less likely that people would fork out their money to watch the Senators play St. Louis... but from a fan happiness perspective, I don't know.
I was once a rabid fan. I learned during the lockout that there are other things to do on Thursday and Saturday nights. While I have almost as much enthusiasm for the Sens as I always have now that the lockout is a fading memory, I will sit by the radio and listen to Dave Schreiber on Team 1200. The Senators can keep their pay per view game - I don't want it.
I had to give up my season's ticket after the 2004-05 season because I had to save up for a June 2006 wedding. I didn't get a package this year because I was still feeling the after-effects of the wedding in September (and beyond!) but I have managed to see a couple games in person.
What I have done to make sure I see as many Senators games as possible (not all games are televised locally) is invest in the NHL Centre Ice package with Rogers Cable. It costs about thirty dollars a month and, while the cable companies and Centre Ice officials state that the original purpose is to make "out of market" games accessible to fans across North America. I'd buy that, but for all intents and purposes, all televised games are accessible through this package.
The Ottawa Senators decided to jump onto the "pay per view" bandwagon this year, joining some western Canada teams in yet another ploy to siphon more money out of fans' pockets. The problem? The four or five games scheduled to be broadcast on "pay per view" were already scheduled to appear on NHL Centre Ice, which again, I pay around thirty dollars a month to get.
While people outside the Ottawa viewing area will get to watch the Sens play the Leafs tonight on regular TV or with NHL Centre Ice, we're expected to fork out an additional $10.95 plus taxes for the privilege of watching the game. The Centre Ice feed will be blacked out. Will I get a refund? Of course not, because officials will fall back on the old excuse that the package wasn't made available so I could watch the Senators every night.
Ordinarily I would most likely pay the fee to watch the game or get a few friends together and watch it elsewhere. The catch tonight? I have a meeting to attend, resulting in my getting home some time around 8:30 or so - or mid-way through the second period. I have no intention of paying the full fee to watch half a game I've already paid dearly to see through regular cable charges and a fairly expensive sports package.
The straw that breaks the camel's back is that the Ottawa Senators foray into PPV is effectively preventing thousands of people from watching a game against of one of the Sens' biggest rivals. It makes sense from a business perspective as it is less likely that people would fork out their money to watch the Senators play St. Louis... but from a fan happiness perspective, I don't know.
I was once a rabid fan. I learned during the lockout that there are other things to do on Thursday and Saturday nights. While I have almost as much enthusiasm for the Sens as I always have now that the lockout is a fading memory, I will sit by the radio and listen to Dave Schreiber on Team 1200. The Senators can keep their pay per view game - I don't want it.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Two and three goal leads not good enough?
Many have said that the Senators' struggles early on this season might be a valuable experience in preparing them for the playoffs. I can't help but wonder what these last few games are doing for team confidence.
Three games ago a one goal lead was lost to the Atlanta Thrashers. Ottawa was up two after the second period on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks and ended up losing in a shootout. Another way to blow a lead was found today with the Sens starting the third period up by three goals. What's next? Being up 6-2 against Toronto on Thursday and losing 8-6 in the dying seconds?
The good news tonight is that the Senators did get a point in today's match against their conference rivals in Pittsburgh. The bad news is that their lead over the Penguins has dwindled from two points to one.
The post-season is about a month away and the heat is being turned up. Will this latest setback firm up the reserve of those who will lead us through the Stanley Cup playoffs? What impact will it have on fans? If the people who were asking what was wrong with the Sens yesterday keep it up, the lines will be buzzing on Team 1200 starting right about now through to Thursday afternoon. Two nights from now the Senators play the hated Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Leafs pull off a victory over the Sens, take cover - the stampede to jump off the bandwagon will claim a few victims.
I don't know... it is hard to be an Ottawa Senators fan because if the Sens start buckling under pressure before it really builds up, it's hard to believe they'll have the mental strength needed to win sixteen games in April, May and June. I so desperately want to believe in them - but they haven't done well under pressure.
Here's hoping that Martin Gerber can impart some words of wisdom and calm the troops down. After all, he did watch his team win Lord Stanley's Cup last year. Whether it's on the ice, in the dressing room or at the end of the bench, the ring on his finger should make the boys think that anything is possible. All it takes is hard work.
Hard work gets teams through spurts like this one. Will the Ottawa Senators work hard enough? Time will tell, as it always does. Go Sens! Please!!!
Three games ago a one goal lead was lost to the Atlanta Thrashers. Ottawa was up two after the second period on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks and ended up losing in a shootout. Another way to blow a lead was found today with the Sens starting the third period up by three goals. What's next? Being up 6-2 against Toronto on Thursday and losing 8-6 in the dying seconds?
The good news tonight is that the Senators did get a point in today's match against their conference rivals in Pittsburgh. The bad news is that their lead over the Penguins has dwindled from two points to one.
The post-season is about a month away and the heat is being turned up. Will this latest setback firm up the reserve of those who will lead us through the Stanley Cup playoffs? What impact will it have on fans? If the people who were asking what was wrong with the Sens yesterday keep it up, the lines will be buzzing on Team 1200 starting right about now through to Thursday afternoon. Two nights from now the Senators play the hated Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Leafs pull off a victory over the Sens, take cover - the stampede to jump off the bandwagon will claim a few victims.
I don't know... it is hard to be an Ottawa Senators fan because if the Sens start buckling under pressure before it really builds up, it's hard to believe they'll have the mental strength needed to win sixteen games in April, May and June. I so desperately want to believe in them - but they haven't done well under pressure.
Here's hoping that Martin Gerber can impart some words of wisdom and calm the troops down. After all, he did watch his team win Lord Stanley's Cup last year. Whether it's on the ice, in the dressing room or at the end of the bench, the ring on his finger should make the boys think that anything is possible. All it takes is hard work.
Hard work gets teams through spurts like this one. Will the Ottawa Senators work hard enough? Time will tell, as it always does. Go Sens! Please!!!
Monday, March 5, 2007
"What's wrong with the Sens?"
It's tough to be an Ottawa Senators fan.
I've been a dyed in the wool Sens fan since they hit the ice against Montreal all those years ago. I own more than a dozen jerseys, my office is decorated in all sorts of Senators paraphernalia (much to the chagrin of my Leaf loving wife!) and when the Sens are playing at this time of the season, very little keeps me away from watching the games.
Earlier this evening I was asked by a fellow bowler: "What's wrong with the Sens?" That figures. Nobody was asking that last week.
When the Sens lost two games ago to Atlanta, Dean Brown pointed out that it was only the fourth time since December 23rd that the Senators had lost. In that stretch, the Sens earned 80.7% of all possible points... quite a feat considering what other championship teams in the NHL and other sports manage over complete seasons.
But they lost a third period lead and ended up losing the game. What happened?! They lost. It happens. In the previous six weeks, that happened less than twenty percent of the time!
Then came Sunday against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks. Ottawa lost yet another third period lead (they finished the second period up 3-1) and coughed up another loss in a shootout. They did get a point for their efforts, and this three point game was against a western conference team so not all was lost.
"What's wrong with the Sens?"
Doesn't everyone remember what kind of role the Ottawa Senators played at this time of the year ten or so seasons ago? Spoiler. The underdog always comes out gunning hard for the frontrunner. When the Sens were in Chicago this past weekend, don't you think that Martin Havlat and Patrick Lalime were bearing down for what might be (to them) one of, if not the most meaningful game left this season? Sure they were.
So the Senators have lost their last two games. There's sixteen games left to play and nobody or nothing is on fire. People are looking for bridges to jump off of... fleeting fans are jumping off the bandwagon. But wait - if the Sens put together a two or three game winning streak starting tomorrow against Pittsburgh, these same people will start plotting the Stanley Cup Parade course.
Come on, folks, relax. It's not like we're down 3-1 in a playoff series against the Maple Leafs... yet!
Anyhow, the intent of this third blog of mine is to simply chronicle my thoughts as a rabid Senators fan who, for the most part, has had nothing but unwavering supportive thoughts when it comes to anything Senators-related. I live with a Leafs fan and one of my best friends is one of the biggest skeptics out there. I endure taunts at playoff time and ridicule at just about any time... just for being a Senators fan.
One of these days it'll all pay off. Just when that'll be, however, remains to be seen!
I've been a dyed in the wool Sens fan since they hit the ice against Montreal all those years ago. I own more than a dozen jerseys, my office is decorated in all sorts of Senators paraphernalia (much to the chagrin of my Leaf loving wife!) and when the Sens are playing at this time of the season, very little keeps me away from watching the games.
Earlier this evening I was asked by a fellow bowler: "What's wrong with the Sens?" That figures. Nobody was asking that last week.
When the Sens lost two games ago to Atlanta, Dean Brown pointed out that it was only the fourth time since December 23rd that the Senators had lost. In that stretch, the Sens earned 80.7% of all possible points... quite a feat considering what other championship teams in the NHL and other sports manage over complete seasons.
But they lost a third period lead and ended up losing the game. What happened?! They lost. It happens. In the previous six weeks, that happened less than twenty percent of the time!
Then came Sunday against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks. Ottawa lost yet another third period lead (they finished the second period up 3-1) and coughed up another loss in a shootout. They did get a point for their efforts, and this three point game was against a western conference team so not all was lost.
"What's wrong with the Sens?"
Doesn't everyone remember what kind of role the Ottawa Senators played at this time of the year ten or so seasons ago? Spoiler. The underdog always comes out gunning hard for the frontrunner. When the Sens were in Chicago this past weekend, don't you think that Martin Havlat and Patrick Lalime were bearing down for what might be (to them) one of, if not the most meaningful game left this season? Sure they were.
So the Senators have lost their last two games. There's sixteen games left to play and nobody or nothing is on fire. People are looking for bridges to jump off of... fleeting fans are jumping off the bandwagon. But wait - if the Sens put together a two or three game winning streak starting tomorrow against Pittsburgh, these same people will start plotting the Stanley Cup Parade course.
Come on, folks, relax. It's not like we're down 3-1 in a playoff series against the Maple Leafs... yet!
Anyhow, the intent of this third blog of mine is to simply chronicle my thoughts as a rabid Senators fan who, for the most part, has had nothing but unwavering supportive thoughts when it comes to anything Senators-related. I live with a Leafs fan and one of my best friends is one of the biggest skeptics out there. I endure taunts at playoff time and ridicule at just about any time... just for being a Senators fan.
One of these days it'll all pay off. Just when that'll be, however, remains to be seen!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)