Gerber, Heatley Step Up For Senators

For the first time since early February, the Senators have put together two wins in a row largely thanks to some stellar goaltending from Martin Gerber (yes, I said it) and a revived power-play that went 2 for 3.

Gerber in particular made a stunning save on Phil Kessel which resulted in Dany Heatley scoring a huge goal moments later against Alex Auld.

Despite missing Daniel Alfredsson, the duo of Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley dominated the game at times during the power-play which can only be a wonderful sight for Bryan Murray.

The Bruins were without Zdeno Chara but it looks like Ottawa is starting to get their feel back. If Gerber stays steady and Heatley and Spezza get it going consistently, this team could really change the negative atmosphere that has been smothering them for months.

Murray is looking like a genius for stopping John Paddock's ill-advised "win and you're in" system and so far Gerber has rewarded him for that. Gerber certainly deserves the praise he is getting lately and it looks like Ray Emery will be waiting a lot longer to get back the number one position.

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No offense to Boston, but the real test for the Senators will be Thursday's matchup against Montreal where they have to face a hot goalie in Carey Price who is coming off a shutout against the New Jersey Devils.

Corvo Excelling In Carolina and More Emery Backlash

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.

Ottawa Senators All-Time Jersey Numbers

For some reason, the Ottawa Senators website doesn't have a feature where you can look up a jersey number and see which players have worn it in Senators history.

I have been slowly compiling a list when I've had the time and it is completely accurate as far as I can tell (although if I missed anybody, please drop me a line). Here are some of the players who have worn jersey numbers currently being used this year (not all are listed). The years indicate time spent with Ottawa and any jersey number changes are noted in brackets.

Jersey #1

STEVE WEEKS 92-93
CRAIG BILLINGTON 93-94 – 94-95
DAMIAN RHODES 95-96 – 98-99
JANI HURME 99-00 – 01-02 (switched to 35 in 00-01)
SIMON LAJEUNESSE 01-02
RAY EMERY 02-03 – Current

Jersey #2

RADEK HAMR 92-93 – 93-94 (switched to 5 in 93-94)
JIM KYTE 92-93
KEVIN MACDONALD 93-94
JIM PAEK 94-95
LANCE PITLICK 95-96 – 98-99
BOBBY DOLLAS 99-00
GRANT LEDYARD 99-00
CURTIS LESCHYSHYN 00-01 – 03-04 (changed to 7 in 01-02)
BRIAN POTHIER 02-03 - 05-06 ----------

LAWRENCE NYCHOLAT 06-07

LUKE RICHARDSON Current

Jersey #4

BRAD SHAW 92-93 – 94-95
SEAN HILL 94-95 – 96-97 (switched from 3 to 4 in 95-96)
CHRIS PHILLIPS 97-98 – Current

Jersey #5

KEN HAMMOND 92-93
RADEK HAMR 92-93 – 93-94 (switched from 2 to 5 in 93-94)
KERRY HUFFMAN 93-94 – 95-96
SAMI SALO 98-99 – 01-02
GREG DEVRIES 03-04
CHRISTOPH SCHUBERT 05-06 – Current

Jersey #6

GORD DINEEN 93-94
CHRIS DAHLQUIST 94-95 – 95-96
WADE REDDEN 96-97 – Current

Jersey #11

MARK FREER 92-93
JARMO KEKALAINEN 93-94
EVGENY DAVYDOV 93-94 – 94-95
DANIEL ALFREDSSON 95-96 – Current

Jersey #12

NEIL BRADY 92-93
GRAEME TOWNSHEND 93-94
DAVE ARCHIBALD 92-93 – 95-96 (previously wore 15. Switched to 12 in 95-96)
PAT FALLOON 97-98
DAVID OLIVER 98-99, 00-01 (Wore 21 during second stint with team in 00-01)
MIKE FISHER 99-00 – Current

Jersey #14

BRAD MARSH 92-93
JEAN-YVES ROY 95-96
DAVE HANNAN 96-97
RADEK BONK 94-95 – 03-04 (Previously wore 76. Switched to 14 in 97-98)

ANDREJ MESZAROS 05-06 – Current

Jersey #15

DAVE ARCHIBALD 92-93 – 95-96 (Switched to 12 in 95-96)
SHAWN MCEACHERN 96-97 – 01-02
PETER SCHAEFER 02-03 – 06-07 (Switched to 27 in 05-06)
DANY HEATLEY 05-06 – Current

Jersey #19

ALEXEI YASHIN 93-94 – 00-01
PETR SCHASTLIVY 99-00 - 03-04 (Wore 56 in first season. Switched to 16 in 00 – 01. Switched to 13 in 01-02. Switched to 19 in 02-03)
JASON SPEZZA 02-03 – Current (Wore 39 until 05-06 when he switched to 19)

Jersey #20

ANDREW MCBAIN 92-93 – 93-94
TRENT MCCLEARY 95-96
DENIS CHASSE 96-97
MAGNUS ARVEDSSON 97-98 – 02-03

ANTOINE VERMETTE 03-04 – Current

Jersey #22

DOUG SMAIL 92-93
NORM MACIVER 92-93 – 94-95
ANTTI TORMANEN 95-96
SHAUN VAN ALLEN 96-97 – 99-00, 02-03 – 03-04 (Wore 22 during both stints with team)
CHRIS KELLY 03-04 – Current (Wore 49 until switching to 22 in 05-06)

Jersey #24

ROBERT BURAKOVKSY 93-94
STEVE KONROYD 93-94
DANIEL LAPERRIERE 94-95 – 95-96
ANTON VOLCHENKOV 02-03 – Current

Jersey #25

TOMAS JELINEK 92-93
HERB RAGLAN 93-94
CHAD PENNEY 93-94
PAT ELYNUIK 94-95 – 95-96
BRUCE GARDINER 96-97 – 99-00
VIACHESLAV BUTSAYEV 98-99, 99-00 (Wore 7 during his first stint with team in 98-99)
CHRIS NEIL 01-02 – Current

Jersey #29

FRANCOIS LEROUX 93-94
PHIL BOURQUE 93-94 – 95-96 (Wore 27 until 94-95)
PHIL VONSTEFENELLI 96-97
IGOR KRAVCHUK 97-98 – 00-01
JOEL KWIATKOWSKI 00-01 – 02-03 ?
MARTIN GERBER 06-07 - Current

Jersey #37

YVES SARAULT 98-99 – 99-00 (Switched to 23 in 99-00)
DEAN MCAMMOND 06-07 - Current

Avery Soaks His Fans And Backstrom Soaks His Own Team

Strange Sunday in the NHL.

From the New York Post:

Sean Avery, apparently angered by a second-period penalty call against him during the New York Rangers ' 1-0 shootout victory over the Bruins yesterday at Madison Square Garden, hurled two water bottles from the penalty box, one of which whizzed by the heads of three small children seated behind the box.

That bottle smashed against a wall, soaking customers, and angering an unidentified father of two of them, who came down to the glass and demonstratively showed Avery the bottle.

The family - sought out by Avery after the period - was given one of his sticks and, according to Rangers spokesman John Rosasco, was satisfied with the response. The family left after the second period, and Avery was not available in the locker room after the game to comment.

From The Washington Post:

There are tough losses, and then there are heartbreaking ones. Somehow, the Washington Capitals managed to squeeze both varieties into the same weekend.

One day after blowing a late lead in Boston, the Capitals outdid themselves against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Verizon Center, where Nicklas Backstrom accidentally scored into his own net with 28 seconds remaining to deal his team a devastating 4-2 defeat in one of the most anticipated games of the regular season.

"That was officially heartbreaking," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I feel bad for Nick. He was doing everything that he could to prevent it and ends up shooting it in his own net."

The Chicago Blackhawks Are Back (Plus Sunday Vintage - Hawks Edition)

The shadow of tyrannical owner Bill Wirtz is gone. The team is much improved. The games are back on television and the building is starting to fill up.

The good times are finally back in Chicago. On Friday, the Hawks held a ceremony to honour the "repatriation" of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita back into the fold and it was a great moment for all hockey fans. The NHL needs the Blackhawks to thrive again.

From the Chicago Sun Times:

"At last, it was THEIR building, a hockey den dominated by their banners, their magnificent anthem, their heavy metal, their fans and their legends. The United Center once was known exclusively as the temple of You Know Who, but on a crackling Friday night in a city aching for warmth and change, the Blackhawks staged a hostile takeover that could last a while.

There was Bobby Hull, back from the darkness. There was Stanley Mikita, back from the cold. And there were the Hawks, the mighty Blackhawks, back where they belong in the bosom of Chicago sports on a memorable evening when an illustrious past was attached to a hopeful future....

Every seat was occupied in the big cavern. And every Hawks fan was standing, clapping, roaring, officially melding the 20th century with the 21st. ``In 1972, I left this wonderful city, thinking that I would never again be a part of this wonderful Blackhawk family,'' said Hull, his smile never wider and free of all bitterness. ``It just shows that you not only can have one kick at the cat, but if you hang around long enough, you'll get a second kick at it.''

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Sunday Vintage

Let's kick things off with an old Log Cabin Syrup commercial featuring Bobby Hull and son. No one seems to know if it's Brett or Bobby Jr. but it's worth a look anyways.

Here's an old team production, "Here Come The Hawks..."



There was no louder building in the world than the old Chicago Stadium. This was just the national anthem. Imagine if the Hawks scored a goal. Unbelievable.
From 1991.



Here's a Stan Mikita montage courtesy of ChicagoBlackhawks.com.



Have a nice Sunday.

Mouthy

Scott Cruickshank over at the Calgary Herald has a nice piece on the NHL's best trash-talkers.

"Ian Laperriere had it all figured out -- he would yap-yap his way through the National Hockey League....

"It comes with experience -- you think you're going to get away with stuff like that, like you do in junior," says Laperriere. "But here? These guys are men. You can't do that for a long time. If you want to have a short career? Go ahead, be my guest. But if you want to stick around, you've got to quiet down."

Asked who's talking trash nowadays, he doesn't hesitate.

"Alex Burrows, in Vancouver," says Laperriere. "He's the guy who will have the last word. But it's his second year in the NHL and at one point ..."

He finishes with a knowing nod.

A few days after Laperriere's comments, Burrows goads Detroit Red Wings' ruffian Aaron Downey. Part of the stick-jousting fracas -- in the warm-up yet! -- includes Burrows calling Downey "chubby" and teasing him about eating too many french fries."

Walk Away From The Ledge

They haven’t won a game yet on their four game road trip out West, but the Ottawa Senators are on the right track.

No one should be standing on a bridge giving their last salutes to the world just because the results are not showing up yet.

Truth is, playing on the road out West in a radically different time zone is tough, especially at this time of the season when everyone is already hurting.

There are many things that the Senators can take out of these last 3 losses. For one Martin Gerber, whom I have shown no faith in, has played better than he has in a long time. Against Los Angeles last night, he was the Senators best player and deserves some credit for not allowing any weak goals when the pressure was on like he did against San Jose. I’m still not convinced he’s the right option for the Senators (and like I said, I’ll eat my laptop if he wins a playoff round) but he has picked up his game.

The Senators, until last night in L.A., (the second game of a back to back) have shown some feistiness and emotion and look like a team who will start winning games once the goals start coming.

Jason Spezza is looking more like his normal self, despite being snake bitten, and he and Dany Heatley will get their share of points down the stretch.

If anything, this team looks fatigued and perhaps a little emotionally drained after all that has gone on this season. Bryan Murray will find the time to rest this team in between games and that will go a long ways to bringing things under control.

The Senators will still make the playoffs, despite dire predictions by some in the media, like Steve Ludzik. Maybe it will be a blessing for these guys to start the post-season on the road and away from the pressure packed expectations that will await them in their home arena.

Just put down the guns, the blunt instruments and the sleeping pills. Tough times on the road are all part of a long season.

Senators Setting Themselves Up For Failure With Gerber In The Net

Last night's soft overtime goal in a loss to the Sharks is just one more reason to convince anyone that Martin Gerber is completely suspect when under pressure. I find it hard to believe that Bryan Murray is truly convinced that Gerber should be the guy going into the playoffs. Perhaps he is merely giving Gerber a real solid chance to prove something but despite everyone cheering Gerber on, he is still coughing up rebounds and letting in soft goals every game (2 last night).

Ray Emery might be a "bad teammate" but every hockey person will tell you that he is a better goaltender than Gerber in virtually every facet of the position. Are the Senators willing to gamble their season because there is some resentment from management towards Emery? Perhaps they are and it is their right to do so. But it's not the right decision.

There is probably not one person who will agree with me on this but Emery should be given most, if not all the starts going down the stretch. He is still the same goalie who beat Martin Brodeur in last years playoffs and took the team to the final (with an injured wrist as well). If Martin Gerber can actually win a playoff series with that fragile head of his, I will eat my laptop.

The one good thing I see Murray doing here is telling the rest of the team that it's not just up to man in the net. By switching goalies every other game, the players can get the impression that the management is blaming the losses on the keepers.

Murray is a smart hockey man and he may ultimately come out looking brilliant by going to Gerber. But I sense another Patrick Lalime meltdown just around the corner. And don't say that the signs aren't there right here in March when the shit hits the fan in April.

One More Reason The Senators Should Play McGrattan Every Game

From the San Jose Mercury News:

"On an otherwise ordinary shift, Sharks main man Joe Thornton made contact with Montreal agitator Maxim Lapierre (the perfect name for a Montreal agitator, by the way). In response, Lapierre gave Thornton a borderline cheap knockdown shot directly in front of the Sharks' bench....

The next two shifts when Thornton came over the boards, he was not accompanied by usual linemate Milan Michalek. Instead, Michalek was replaced by Jody Shelley....

For those two shifts, Shelley skated alongside Lapierre. With both body and verbal language, Shelley informed the Canadiens transgressor that any more nonsense would have consequences.

"Do we talk in that situation?" Shelley said Tuesday after the Sharks' practice. "Yeah, we talk. He might say, 'It was a clean hit.' And then I say, 'I don't care.' He knew that shift was going to be uncomfortable for him and that if he got the puck, I was going to run him over."

Guess what? Lapierre was not a problem the rest of the night, giving Thornton his space. ..

"It was great," Thornton said Tuesday. "Everything kind of settled down after that. When Jody steps out there with you, you get just a little bit of extra confidence. He makes everybody feel about three inches taller and 10 pounds heavier." "

The Senators are looking for toughness, but their nuclear weapon is sitting in the press box every night. Now it looks like Daniel Alfredsson is a game-time decision for the Senators because Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin cross checked him in the ribs. That shouldn't be allowed to happen to your star players.

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Who do the Senators sit out? Randy Robitaille. No offense to Randy, but you don't win Stanley Cups with perimeter players like him. He's been better lately but he's still not a warrior by any stretch of the imagination.

2008 Free Agents

Over at the Score, they have a comprehensive list of all free agents this coming summer, unrestricted and restricted.

Here are some of the top flight unrestricted agents:

Bobby Holik

Ron Hainsey

Daymond Langkow

Jason Williams

Andrew Brunette

Adam Foote

Joe Sakic

Jose Theodore

Peter Forsberg

Niklas Hagman

Dan Cleary

Brad Stuart

Jay Bouwmeester

Pierre-Marc Bouchard

Pavol Demitra

Brian Rolston

Dan Ellis

Martin Erat

Miroslav Satan

Sean Avery

Brendan Shanahan

Wade Redden

Cory Stillman

Vaclav Prospal

Jason Smith

Radim Vrbata

Marian Hossa

Brian Campbell

Mats Sundin

Markus Naslund

Brendan Morrison

Cristobal Huet

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Ottawa might be wise to look at a big centre like Bobby Holik.

Did Adam Foote Threaten To Become A Disruption If He Wasn't Traded?

Followers of the Columbus Blue Jackets are still up in arms over the perceived "fishiness" of the Adam Foote trade to Colorado.

Many are claiming that Foote basically forced a trade back to the Avalanche by not only demanding a ridiculous contract but also threatening to be a "bad teammate" if he didn't get his way. Foote has denied this emphatically.

The Columbus Dispatch covers the story:

"It's believed that Foote and his agent, Rick Curran, set their contract demands at a height they knew the Blue Jackets wouldn't accept.

When Howson suggested to Foote that the sides continue negotiating beyond the trade deadline -- that the Blue Jackets' playoff hopes, faint as they are, deserve a hearty attempt -- Foote responded in a way nobody could have predicted.

According to numerous NHL sources, Foote threatened to be "a bad teammate, a bad captain and a bad player" the rest of the season if he weren't re-signed or traded to his preferred destination -- the Colorado Avalanche, where his best NHL years were spent.

The Blue Jackets made a final plea, urging Foote to consider all that the Blue Jackets' ownership group, the coaching staff and the fans had done for him the past three seasons.

Again, according to sources, he responded by saying that he "doesn't owe anybody anything."

Foote has denied saying he would become a distraction.

"I would never say stuff like that. I'm a professional," he said. "I've never been that way throughout my career. All I told them is it would be too stressful for my wife and I to stay without knowing for sure I was part of the future there. "

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Dispatch columnist Rob Oller certainly isn't bemoaning the departure of Foote:

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"Adam Foote cut a deal for himself, plain and simple. Deal with it. The NHL is a business, not a cozy cottage industry where every athlete puts team first.

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Foote took care of his own, knowing full well he'll have to face the Nationwide Arena firing squad the next time he shows up in town. It was a bush move, but it won't be the last time a Blue Jacket pulls a fast one.

Just be thankful Foote's departure didn't destroy the team's playoff chances. Honestly, trading him to the Avalanche actually could help the CBJ's cause.

If true that Foote threatened to quit on his teammates if the franchise didn't move him before last Tuesday's trade deadline, then better to be rid of him than risk poisoning the dressing room with his pessimism. Especially during this period of unparalleled optimism. "

Senators Pitched For Havlat As Well As Lalime

Jim Matheson at the Edmonton Journal contends that Ottawa GM Bryan Murray not only made a pitch to Chicago that would have seen both Ray Emery and Martin Gerber got to Chicago for Nikolai Khabibulin and Patrick Lalime, but that Murray also proposed another trade (page 5) that would have seen the Senators get an ex-pat back in their lineup:

"Give Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray marks for creativity, or maybe audacity, if the stories are true he offered his two goalies, Martin Gerber and Ray Emery, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Nicolai Khabibulin and Patrick Lalime, who was once run out of Ottawa, and also pitched forwards Antoine Vermette and Chris Kelly for Robert Lang and Martin Havlat. Your headaches for my headaches, and expensive ones, too."

Matheson also notes that Martin Havlat is going for another shoulder surgery:

"Martin Havlat has been damaged goods ever since he signed that three-year, $18-million deal with the Blackhawks. Two years in Chicago and he's played 91 games. Now, he needs shoulder surgery, again.

Havlat really is a support guy, and at $6 million for next year, he's virtually untradeable with his injury history. They'll keep trying, though."

Chris Kuc over at the Tribune has the full story:

"Looks like I'm going into surgery for sure," Havlat said after the Hawks' 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. "The shoulder doesn't feel that well."

Havlat dislocated his left shoulder for the second time this season during Wednesday night's game against the Phoenix Coyotes. He previously missed 22 games after suffering the same injury in the season opener.

Meet Kyle Beach - Super Pest

The 2008 Entry draft in Ottawa is coming up quicker than you think and all the buzz is about Steve Stamkos.

But there's a kid who plays for the Everett Silvertips in the WHL who should challenge Stamkos for that top spot. And it's not just for his scoring.

Going by the opinions of people who follow the WHL, Kyle Beach might be the next Sean Avery, Steve Downie and Esa Tikkanen all rolled into one with great hands on top of that.

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal reports:

Off the ice, he's polite; on it, he's probably the most hated player in the WHL.

"He's like Eddie Haskell," said one WHL observer.

"He's got a big mouth. He chirps. He plays on the edge and crosses the line, for sure ... his reputation for doing stuff goes back to bantam," said another WHL executive, who likes his talent, and his big shot, but admits he's got baggage.

"I saw Beach play awhile back and he scored a goal, killed penalties and speared a poor guy in the head," said an NHL front-office guy.

The Tri-City Herald out of Washington State broke down the best of the best in the WHL and Beach got some strong mentions:

Most irritating player: Kyle Beach. Does this one really need an explanation?

Best pro prospect: Beach. Size, strength, scoring ability and agitation. What more do you need?

Beach has 27 goals and 32 assists in 56 games so far this season and is a modest 6"3, 203 pounds.

Sportsnet Blows It Again

During last night’s Senators – Ducks tilt, broadcast locally in Ottawa on Sportsnet, the feed was suddenly switched with less than 5 minutes to go in the third period (at precisely 12:30) to some kind of poker tournament. If viewers did not have digital cable and were unable to figure out that they could watch the rest of the game on the time sharing channels in the 400’s, then they were out of luck.

I’m not sure what happened or if the cretins they hired to press buttons in Toronto like a pack of Pavlov’s dogs were drunk or blasted on Mandrax, but this just adds another check on Sportsnets list of inadequacies.

It’s stunning to see how utterly awful Sportsnet has remained. Compared to TSN, Rogers Sportsnet is miles behind in every facet of hockey coverage. Their one ace in the hole is their regional television deal with the league but there is nothing beyond this that merits praise.

The “hockey panel” is a miserable collection of B-grade commentators like Bill Waters, although Nick Kypreos has actually improved considerably from his earlier days. The fact that Kypreos is the best thing about the hockey crew is nothing for Sportsnet to boast about.

Sportsnet might be responsible for the worst day in Canadian television history when they polluted the airwaves last year with their 2007 Trade Deadline Day show. They treated it like a “party” which included balloons, streamers, Kypreos and Watters sitting on couches stuffing greasy pizza slices into their mouths while wearing jeans and relying on Eklund – The Anonymous Hockey Blogger to break trades for them. The only thing missing was Watters cutting a gigantic fart and Kypreos belching.

Their morning highlight show is pathetic with its forced “hip” attitude with announcers calling home runs as “slobberknockers”.

Memo to Management: The word “slobberknocker” is not cool. It’s moronic and retch inducing. It insults the intelligence of sports fans. We have long since passed the baby talk stage. It’s okay to call a home run a “home run”. We won’t change the channel because you’re not being hip enough.

Now the channel is heavily promoting “mixed martial arts” fights, which is basically on the level of snuff films for white trash, Dorito crushing losers. I’m not sure how you can describe roid-raged sociopaths trying to gouge each other’s eyes out in the “octagon” as a sport. What’s next? Dog fighting? Rooster fights?

Maybe they should just throw in the towel and televise those hot-dog eating contests 24 hours a day because if someone at the controls accidentally switches the feed to another program with 5 minutes left, no one will care anyways.

"Pittsburgh South" and the Rangers - Oilers Connection

After the huge Marian Hossa trade, the Atlanta Thrashers (who have lost 7 games in a row) now feature 6 ex-Penguins on their roster.

Colby Armstrong

Erik Christensen

Mark Recchi

Johan Hedberg

Chris Thorburn

Joel Kwiatkowski

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"You're not kidding," said Kwiatkowski, who was acquired by the Penguins at the trade deadline last year but played in just one game the rest of the season. ...

"When I saw them in the hotel, we just looked at each other and smiled," Kwiatkowski said. "For them, I think it was nice to see some familiar faces."

This got me to thinking about how certain teams tend to trade with one another and immediately, the New York Rangers - Edmonton Oilers connection tends to stick out. Now this is an unofficial list, but off the top of my head, the following players have played for both teams at one point in their careers:

Wayne Gretzky
Mark Messier
Doug Weight
Jari Kurri
Glen Anderson

Esa Tikkanen
Craig MacTavish
Jeff Beukeboom
Adam Graves
Don Murdoch
Anson Carter
Tom Poti
Kevin Lowe
Mike York
Petr Nedved
Marty McSorley
Todd Marchant
Greg DeVries

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I'm sure there have been others (and feel free to point them out) but those are the big ones. It would take some research, but I doubt that no two teams since 1980 have shared as many players as the Oilers and Rangers.

It’s All About Ray

The Ray Emery backlash is in full swing in the nation’s capital and across the league as ex-Senators coach John Paddock let it be known that he views his handling of Emery as the main reason he no longer has his job.

Even before Paddock broke his silence, it was somewhat predictable that this would happen. That’s just the way it goes in the NHL. When a coach gets fired, the blame is immediately placed elsewhere and it always falls on the players. Suddenly, the same people who have been ripping the coach all season long start feeling guilty about it and all his shortcomings are forgotten. In fact, in a lot of cases, the fired coach assumes martyr status and this is becoming the case where John Paddock is concerned.

Paddock had a lot to say about Emery, and most of it was justified. He clearly explained how Emery felt that the number one job should have been his when he returned from injury. Paddock agreed with this sentiment but pointed out Emery’s poor work habits as the reason for straying from the “unwritten code” that no one loses their position due to injury. Instead of being professional about it, Emery chose to sulk and let his unhappiness be known through sloppy practices. This is nothing more than a case of immaturity and Emery will have to face the consequences of that throughout his career. In the NHL, no one seems to forget bad behavior and Emery will have a hard time overcoming this reputation.

But it should be remembered that Paddock’s failure to handle the Emery situation was not the only reason he was fired, as Paddock would like us to believe.

The facts are clear:

Paddock burnt out his top line early in the season by playing them too many minutes which led to the complete absence of a fourth line. This robbed players like Dean McAmmond, Shean Donovan and Christoph Schubert of any sort of defined role on this team. This also led to the "fraying of the team concept" which are words Paddock used himself when talking about Emery. It’s no coincidence that these very players have been much better under the coaching of Bryan Murray.

Paddock also failed to ignite any emotion out of his team which led to embarrassing no-shows against teams like the Philadelphia Flyers even though the Senators were in the position to exact revenge against Steve Downie.

If this was all the fault of an immature Ray Emery, then this team is much more fragile than anyone knows.

Despite the hoopla about Emery and his easy status as scapegoat, the burden for Paddock’s failure rests on his own shoulders.

That should not be forgotten in this recent Paddock lovefest.

Sunday Vintage

Headshots are not a modern phenomena. Here's Mark Messier absolutely crushing Mike Modano sometime in the mid 90's to kick off what might become a regular feature - one day a week to feature all those old videos collecting dust on youtube. The craziest part of this video is the end when the ambulance guys actually drop Modano when he's tied down to the stretcher. An absolute classic.



Here's Steve Yzerman getting in to a scrap in the 80's that also features Bob Probert versus Tom Barrasso!



Here's the famous Steve Sullivan "karma" incident where he and a fan get into it pretty good.

Finally, Someone Throws A Punch

The Ottawa Senators lost the game last night against the Philadelphia Flyers, but they went a long ways in getting back their fighting spirit.

Coach Bryan Murray was standing up and screaming at the referees from the bench on numerous occasions, nearly having an embolism when Jason Spezza was tossed for butt-ending a Flyer with his stick. Mike Fisher filled in Steve Downie late in the game and the rest of the team was in a surly mood - certainly a nice change of pace from the comatose Paddock era.

From the Ottawa Citizen:

"I thought they worked real hard," Murray said. "I wanted them to play with real energy, and for the most part they did.

"We have some things to clean up, no question, but, from an effort and attitude point of view, it was very good. It's just disappointing we can't score more than one goal in the game."

Ray Emery was strong in the nets, and most surprising of all, the Senators rolled four lines and got feisty games from players like Dean McAmmond, Christoph Schubert, Shean Donovan and Chris Kelly.

McAmmond and Donovan in particular looked like new men and Schubert was running Flyers through the boards when he wasn't ripping slapshots on Martin Biron. Schubert ended the game with a team high 5 shots. Donovan had 3 shots which is most likely close to a season high for him.

It's interesting to note that Murray immediately addressed the major problems of the Senators in only one game: emotion from the bench (which led to emotion on the ice), physical play, a role for a fourth line and a better distribution of minutes.

Donovan played 10:53 and McAmmond racked up 12:20 of time on the ice. Granted, that might be a little high for McAmmond because Spezza was kicked out of the game early, but it certainly looks like Murray wants to spread the ice time around.

Another move Murray made was re-pairing Wade Redden with Andre Meszaros. It didn't seem to pay off as Redden was -2 and Meszaros was -3. But logically, it makes sense to have Meszaros playing more minutes than Mike Commodore. It's all about roles and Commodore might be miscast as a second unit defender. He might succeed more as the 5th guy. Meszaros and Redden have had moments in the past where that pairing has worked so expect Murray to be patient.

It pains everyone to see it, but it's become obvious that Luke Richardson is having trouble in his own zone right now. It might be a good move to call up Lawrence Nycholat from Bingo and let Richardson get some more rest so that when he does get in games, he's more effective. Alternating Nycholat and Richardson every other game may be an option that works.

Bigger Bluelines - Less Offsides

What’s the most annoying facet of an NHL game today? My first thought would be the never-ending offside calls that halt all momentum for fans and players. The league will never get rid of the offside rule, but maybe there are ways to make them less common.

Here’s the idea:

Double the width of the bluelines, making them 24 inches instead of the current 12 inches (that’s what she said…).

The extra 12 inches of blue paint should be in the offensive zone, thereby giving skaters an extra foot when going into the offensive zone, either carrying the puck or accepting a pass. Most offside calls nowadays are made in those 12 inches that this extra width would cover, so in theory, this should cut them down a fair bit. Remember, I said in theory. The dimensions of the offensive zones would stay exactly the same as well but simply have an extra foot of blue paint in them that would mean nothing when coming out of the zone.

The only drawbacks to this might be that, in theory (and total ice surface) this will increase the size of the neutral zone by two feet (24 inches). It’s deceptive because the neutral zone will look exactly the same, and in fact be the same 50 feet between the bluelines. But, of course the extra width of the bluelines would expand it nonetheless.

The first season back from the lockout, the league reduced the neutral zone from 54 feet to 50 feet to offset the neutral zone trap that many teams were using. By making the bluelines bigger they might be helping one problem (too many offsides) but adding to another (more space to implement trap).

The other argument against this is that offsides won't be reduced because players will still cheat to the edge of the line as much as possible, making this change useless.

I’d like to know what you think.

Feasible?

More Paddock Fallout

The firing of Ottawa Senators coach John Paddock has seemingly woken the local reporters out of their year long slumber.

In today’s Ottawa Citizen (which has much better coverage of the firing than the Ottawa Sun), Ken Warren has written his best piece all year, detailing the slow unraveling of Paddock as head coach. Warren is the first local reporter to deeply analyze how the team has played this season through its systems, its allotment of ice times and its emotional character. Great reading and hats off to Warren who has always been a good columnist.

I’m not sure why Warren didn’t write any of this stuff earlier in the year, as it is evident by reading that he knew of the malaise long before it reached epidemic level, but hey, better late than never. Even his analysis of the Ray Emery situation is reasoned and probing instead of overly emotional and sensationalistic which is something Warren’s “professional” colleagues could take a cue from.

From the Ottawa Citizen:

“The early victories led to increased expectations, and Paddock continued to lean heavily on his top players, particularly Alfredsson, defencemen Volchenkov and fellow defenseman Chris Phillips. It wasn't uncommon for Alfredsson to receive 24 or 25 minutes of ice time in November and December. That ice time came at the expense of third- and fourth line players, who often played little or not at all in the third period of games. At that time, complaints from those on the bottom end of the roster were pushed aside because of the team's success.

Then came the burnout. The dominating speed of the top line has disappeared. In fairness, Alfredsson had a hip injury and Heatley missed a month with a separated shoulder, but it's simply not the same dominating line that it was when the season began. Fatigue has unquestionably become a concern, raising questions about whether on-ice breakdowns are resulting from mental mistakes. …

The lack of success resulted in constant line juggling by Paddock, searching for answers. However, with players moving around so often, little chemistry has developed. …

If players continue to make mistakes and continue to play, jealousies and animosities develop. Through all this, the Senators have created no fourth-line presence whatsoever. "

Paddock Fired

It became official sometime around 3:45 this afternoon.

There's no reason to further bury John Paddock in this space as I've written all season long why he should be fired. The commentary will be coming thick and fast from the local press who completely ignored this story all year until it came up and bit them in their fat arses. Just read the posts below for my perspective.

It's unfortunate that things didn't work out for Paddock in Ottawa but Bryan Murray made the right decision at a crucial time for the Senators.

He will indeed be the head coach as was expected.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is assistant coach Ron Low getting fired as well. I had actually speculated not too long ago that Low might get a chance at the head coach role when/if Paddock was let go. Not to be.

No word yet if Murray is planning to bring on an assistant. He already has two "Reggie Dunlops" on the team now in Luke Richardson and Martin Lapointe so a further hire may not be necessary.

Fallout and further commentary to follow...

The Fans Knew Long Before The Press Even Woke Up

They might be feeling queasy about it, but the Ottawa press is now being forced to do their homework on a rapidly declining John Paddock. Must be tough doing all that investigative journalism stuff, eh boys?

The Ottawa Sun's Chris Stevenson wrote his first article all year where he actually questioned the tactics of Paddock and made a mention of something that fans and bloggers have been harping on all year - first line burnout.

Stevenson even brought the goods with an anonymous quote from a Senators player.

From the Ottawa Sun:

"Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley, upon whom Paddock leaned so heavily earlier this season, have been playing like they are burned out lately. Alfredsson topped 26 minutes in five games as the calendar turned to December and played more than 24 minutes in 10 of the first 17 games.

"I could have told you this was going to happen back in October," said one player the other day. "

Not to bury the local beat writers, but they have been woefully inadequate in their analysis all season long and for some reason have largely went for the soft touch. It actually took TSN's Brent Wallace to break the story that the coach had "lost the room", even though guys like Stevenson, Bruce Garrioch, Wayne Scanlan and Allen Panzeri have been as close to this team as anyone over the past decade. (Don Brennan might be the only writer to have addressed any of these issues all season long.)

The fact that Stevenson is now reporting dissension in the room feels at least a month too late. Even then, Stevenson felt it more important to go after the easy scapegoat in Ray Emery. Quote:

"This next point benefits from hindsight, but Paddock also has to take his share of responsibility for allowing Ray Emery to get away with his lack of work ethic earlier this season, which now seems to have buried the goaltender in a hole from which he appears incapable of escaping. In the process of coddling Emery and looking the other way for his transgressions, the Senators have likely alienated Martin Gerber. "

It seems way too convenient to blame a team's woes on an immature 24 year old who can't find his game. If Stevenson really believes that this is what brought Paddock down then he's just being intellectually lazy. It might be easier to write yet another Emery bashing piece but even just a casual investigation would reveal that the coaching tactics of Paddock are the real culprit and have been all season long.

This year, the local writers were living on an island, ignoring growing fan unrest and content to write pieces straight from the template where it is gospel that if the team is playing badly, it must be that they're not working hard enough, or it's a Stanley Cup hangover, or it's one players fault etc. etc. Perhaps it was the reporters who were hungover.

It seems evident now that players were complaining to the writers but they didn't report on it.

For guys who work in an industry that is being threatened by other, more immediate forms of media, they certainly have a lackadaisical approach.

I also fail to see any mention of how Martin Gerber dressed down his defenseman Anton Volchenkov in front of the bench and on the ice for daring an attempt to block a puck for him. Volchenkov has been sacrificing his body all season long for Gerber yet no one raises an eyebrow when the goalie has a meltdown and castigates Volchenkov in front of his teammates.

Instead, we are supposed to feel sorry for how Paddock has "alienated" Martin Gerber.

Someone get me a barf bag.