The Long Strange Season Continues....

The Rogers House Telethon that took place during the Senators - Penguins game tonight gives us an opportunity to dig out one of my favourite quotes from the late Roger Neilson. He once said, "There are two things I don't want to know - how they make hot dogs and what goes on in the NHL office." That little nugget seems more relevant today than when he actually said it. Truly one of the great characters the game has ever known. Ottawa was lucky to have him around for the last few years of his storied life…… Speaking of characters, and as a tribute of sorts upon his return tonight to Ottawa (where he was so dearly loved) here's some precious Alex Kovalev footage in the locker room after winning the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in his second season. He had an obsession with those weird little troll dolls that were popular back in the early nineties and still receives them as gifts from some of his fans. I wonder what Mark Messier thought of those trolls? Probably just stared them down until their hair wilted.…



...There was a strong chorus of boos for Kovalev when he touched the puck early in the game, but Kovie shouldn't get too upset about it. After all, Sens fans lustily booed franchise player Jason Spezza during last years playoffs, so it was inevitable Kovalev would get his share as well. Strangely, Kovalev was given a round of applause during a break in the first when they showed a tribute video. Then he was booed next time he carried the puck. Play-by-play man Dean Brown said at one point that he didn't understand the booing because it's not Kovalev's fault he was traded. Some fans would say it was Kovalev's fault Murray had to trade him, but let's not get into that.....Which makes me wonder - if Chara had railroaded Kovalev into a stanchion instead of Max Pacioretty, would Senators fans be as outraged as everyone else? Or what if it was Dany Heatley? It's a fair question....

.....Say it ain’t so, Winnipeg. According to NESN, if the NHL were to return to Winnipeg, they wouldn’t be called the Winnipeg Jets. They would be called the Manitoba Moose. Groan. That would have been like the Ottawa franchise calling themselves the Ottawa Beavers upon their return in 1992. Well, not quite. The Moose brand has been a smashing success in the AHL, but it just doesn’t seem right not to call a returning franchise the Jets. But I’m guessing the Winnipeg fans will get over it if they actually get NHL hockey back. It would also be weird if they decided to retire some jerseys from their first era. Do they retire Teemu Selanne in a Moose jersey? For the love of everything good and decent, just call yourselves the Jets if you get the chance…And if the Jets do come back, wouldn't it be nice to see them wearing something vintage like this? Or this? And especially this.  Hopefully not something like this. Or this. Now for something completely weird. A group of Jets drinking Moosehead beer. Coincidence or mind-blowing precognition? Actually, I think it's a case of Photoshop. And finally, Tie Domi....

.....I like what the NHL has done the past two days in response to the outcry about concussions in hockey. The “Five Steps” outlined by Gary Bettman make a lot of sense and they should help immediately and down the road without taking the needless step of penalizing all or “incidental contact” with the head, something that will never be eliminated from the NHL as long as you’re allowed to actually touch another player. The most promising aspects are the ones that look at equipment and the playing surface itself. Get those stanchions more heavily padded or out of the way completely. Make the dasher’s soft, get rid of the seamless glass and soften the “body armour” these guys wear. The NHL also came out today and said they will more strictly enforce charging and boarding infractions, which makes sense since they don’t have to create any new rules. Again, a sensible and responsible approach.

The perfect balance the NHL is trying to achieve is a fast, physical game with very few career jeopardizing injuries. It’s too bad you can never eliminate concussions from a contact sport, but you can’t change the integrity of the game in an effort to make it completely safe. The governors understand that fact and are faced with a difficult and thankless job, despite everyone sitting on their couch thinking it should be easy. At some point, those people who are so horrified by the game of hockey are going to have to start watching another sport. It’s not for everyone and it never has been. I don’t watch Mixed Martial Arts because it’s too violent and I can move on with my life just fine. The NHL shouldn’t have to continually apologize and try to appease a vocal group who want to make the league as clean and politically correct as lawn bowling. We can all agree that reducing concussions is important. How the league goes about that is another thing. So far, they’ve made a reasonable effort and they shouldn’t let an angry mob change the prudent course they’ve started…

...What the hell is Eugene Melnyk talking about? We all know the lovable owner of the Senators has a tendency for hyperbole (“Fasten your seatbelts! We’re going all the way!”), but his comments that players delivering headshots should be “banned for life” is a bit of a clanger due to the timing of his extreme views. The NHL has made some progress on the issue in the past two days but Melnyk felt he had to toss a grenade into the process for some reason. It just doesn't make any sense to toss out an extreme view when the NHL has actually created some goodwill by their recent actions. A week ago would have made more sense, but today? Is he trying to upstage Bettman here? Melnyk admits he’s as “far to the right wing on this issue as you can ever get”, but he’s certainly got a lot of little right-wingers supporting his cause if any of the comments under the article indicate. Melnyk's heart is in the right place, as is his commitment to the community in Ottawa. It's also refreshing to hear an owner speak his mind, but he does tend to get carried away in front of a microphone like he's Gilbert Godfrey or something. What’s clear from his eye rolling comments is that “head-shot mania” has gotten completely out of control in the fanbase and the media to the point that “oversaturation” doesn’t do it justice. Now we hear that fans in Montreal are protesting outside of the arena? Over a hockey game? I wonder if any of them could muster the courage to get out and protest for a cause that actually matters. You have to wonder if these are the same people who loot stores and try to burn down the city after Montreal wins or loses a playoff series. Good on Bruce Boudreau for also speaking his mind and adding a little more spice to the game against the Canadiens. Boudreau may be the only guy making sense nowadays. I wonder if any Montreal fans called 911 on him?...

...The game itself was a barn-burner between the Caps and the Habs. While it's been fun to watch the Senators start competing again, nothing can compare to two playoff level teams throwing everything they have at each other in a loud and hostile atmosphere. The speed is faster, the hits are harder and the fans are louder.The Caps look incredible right now and the Habs have played with heart and guts all year. It looks like the Habs will draw the Bruins in the first round, and that will be a must watch series. But a Montreal-Washington series would be almost as good, except for store owners on Saint Catherine Street.....