Joe "Uh Oh" Corvo (as famously dubbed by Ottawa Sun columnist Don Brennan) is surging in a Carolina uniform since being traded, along with Patrick Eaves, to the Canes for Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore.
Since the trade, Corvo has 11 points in 12 games and is absolutely crunching the minutes along with blueline partner Frankie Kaberle. He also has 6 power-play points.
On the other hand, Patty Eaves has 3 points in 6 games for Carolina after getting back in the lineup from an injury he sustained while a Senator.
Those numbers might make Senators fans weep for what could have been (especially with the Senators looking like a collection of old pack mules on the powerplay) but the trade will still turn out to be a good one for the Senators, even if they lose in the first round of the playoffs.
The salary-cap relief is the biggest plus for the team and that's enough to show for a guy (Corvo) who didn't even want to be in Kanata.
Emery Backlash Rages On
As predicted, the wrath of hatred towards one Ray Emery is flowing unabated here in the capital and across the league by pundits who watch his every move at practice. When Emery stops for a drink, it's front page news that he's being lazy.
The big news in the past day is that Emery finally spoke about fired coach John Paddock (something the fans and media have been lambasting him about not doing). Now that he offered his views, people have the hacksaws out again.
I don't think I've ever seen such an overblown emotional reaction by either the fans or the media towards a player who is simply having a few maturity problems. .The "moral outrage" surrounding Emery is amusing but I fail to see how throwing a goalie the calibre of Emery under the bus will do anything for the franchise. It will actually set the team back about five years in the development of a number one goalie.
Behaviour can be modified. Skill is something that people are born with. Emery is way too valuable for the future of the Senators to run out of town for immaturity.
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I know that fans are emotional etc etc. But get some perspective.
3 comments:
Would the backlash against Emery be as vicious if he was white?
Malcp,
I get your question and I don't want to duck it, but I'd rather leave that one alone. Even if it were true, no one would admit to it and thus any kind of discussion would just get too crazy as it tends to do when the race card is played.
I think it might have more to do with his personality. Ray is out there a little bit, and people in Ottawa are quite conservative. That's why guys like Mike Fisher are heroes. Nothing against Fisher, who is a class individual and a great hockey player but Emery would be appreciated more in a market like New York where he would come off like Mother Teresa compared to some of the athletes who have played in that town.
So I'll pass on commenting but thanks for reading the blog.
If anyone else has an opinion, please keep it respectful, yo.
I hear what you are saying. I am an avid Sens fan in the UK. Been to Ottawa twice (seen the Sens once, last season), love the City but know what you mean about it being conservative with a small 'c'. But I have to say that I have been appalled by some of the coverage of Ray Emery in the media. If any British paper - even some of our more vitriolic tabloids - had treated a black athlete the way he has been treated, the furore would have been huge. I am a fan of Emery, but also delighted that Gerber seems to have hit his groove again. Great blog by the way - very thoughtful.
By the way there is a small but perfectly formed group of UK Sens (and hockey in general) fans on Facebook. Look us up.
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