Ottawa and Anaheim for Lord Stanley's cup

If you ask Ottawa's coach, Bryan Murray, if he is bothered with being the underdog in this series ? No, would be the answer. He could also shoot back and say '' weren't we in the last series ? '' We all know the result of that one.

Because of the regular season scheduling, these two teams did not play against each other this season. Ottawa needed fifteen games to get to round 4, Anaheim took an extra one. Let's take a look at their numbers so far in the playoffs.

On face-offs, the Ottawa Senators have a slight edge, winning 495 out of 941 , for a percentage of 52.6% , the Ducks, also won 495, but faced 991 face-offs, for 49.9%.

In the scoring and trailing first category,both almost have identical records.Ottawa has not lost a game when scoring first, and has a 4-3 record when trailing. The Ducks are 8-1 when scoring the first goal, and the same record as Ottawa when trailing.

5 vs 5, Ottawa has scored 29 of them and allowed 22, for a +7. Anaheim has scored 24 and allowed 20, for a +4. A slight advantage for Ottawa.

The powerplay, Ottawa overall is at 20% , with a whopping 31.2% on the road. Anaheim is at 15.3%, 17% at home. Advantage Ottawa.

The penalty killing, Ottawa is at 88.6% overall, at 92.5% on the road. Anaheim is at 86.8% and 90.9% at home. Again a slight advantage to Ottawa.

I will take Ottawa in 6, for a reason, that is the speed factor. In all of the series that the Senators have played, they have played against teams with good speed, while the Ducks faced less quicker teams. I feel, as the series moves on, Ottawa's speed will play a factor.

From Broke to Champions ? and...

The last time the Ottawa Senators participated in the Conference Final, the team had come close to filling for Bankruptcy months early. In late December 2002 and beginning of 2003, the Ottawa Senators franchise was coming close to going belly up. The League stepped in and found an owner and the team came a goal close to going to the Cup final that year.

Wayne Scanlan from the Ottawa Citizen asked club President and chief executive officer, Roy Mlakar, about that time, and Mlakar told him it was the lowest moment in franchise history, even worse then their first season in the league in 1992-93. Mlakar remembers having to tell the players that they would not get paid. How worse can that get ?

The article goes on with the ups and downs of the franchise, that brought it to a first cup appearence in mordern history and also the first since 1927, when the first franchise won it for the last time.

The Senators organization have been thru alot in the last fifteen years, a Stanley Cup championship would be dearly welcomed.

Wings veterans remain cool

On the plane bringing the Detroit Red Wings to Anaheim for game six against the Anaheim Ducks, the veteran players remained cool and collected and not worried, even for the first time in this playoff year they face seeing their season end. Daniel Cleary noted how calm, veterans Chris Chelios, Nick Lidstrom and Dominik Hasek were, despite that had lost a heartbreaker the afternoon before. Let's roll the tape back to 2002, the Wings are trailing the series 3-2 against the Colorado Avalanche with Patrick Roy in goal.

The Wings win game 6, on a blooper by the future Hall of Famer. Game seven, the Wings blow the defending Cup champions out of the rink and win 7-0. Could history repeat itself tonight ? In today's, NHL nothing is impossible.

Senators off to the Cup Final

Ten years after making the playoffs for the first time in mordern history and getting beat by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round, they returned the favor. The Gm of the Sabres at the time, was John Muckler. Muckler is going back to the Stanley cup final for the first time in seventeen years. He was the coach of the Edmonton Oilers, who were led by the captain of captains, Mark Messier and won the Cup in 1990.

The Senators will now wait for the winner of the Anaheim-Detroit series. After years of hearing people pointing the finger at him, Daniel Alfredsson, has mostly likely made himself the number one candidate for the Conn Smythe trophy.

Well Canada, for the second straight year a canadian team will be in the Stanley Cup Final.If we look back at the last twenty years, canadian teams have participated in a total of 6 Cup Finals and won 4 out of the 6, but don't forget that in 1989, the final was an all canadian thing. So the Ottawa Senators could make it 5 out of 7, not bad considering we don't get there often, but when we do,we make good of it. The last canadian Eastern conference team to make the Cup Final, won it, yes Ottawa's division rivals the Montreal Canadiens.

So folks in Ottawa, congratulations, savor the moment, but as former Montreal Canadiens coach, Toe Blake would tell his players,''until you lift the Cup, who have not won anything.'' Something to keep in mind.

Goals down this season

The NHL has seen goal scoring go down this past season compared to last. In 2006-07, 7082 goals were scored, last season saw 7443 goals scored, for a difference of 361. In 2006-07, the average per team for goals scored, was 236, in 05-06, it was 248.1.

Power play goals have also taken a drop, in 06-07, 2082 goals were scored, in 05-06, 2545, a difference of 463. The average per team in 06-07 was 69.4 in 05-06, it was 84.8.

In order to get goals,you have to shoot on goal. In 06-07, there were 72779 shots, for average of 2426 per team. In 05-06, 73751, for an average of 2458.

If goal production is down, naturally the goal per period will also take a hit. In 06-07, 1st period goals scored :2107/70 per team. 2nd period: 2465/82 3rd :2393/80 , goals in overtime : 117/4. In 05-06, 1st :2216/74 2nd : 2576/86 3rd:2514/84, OT: 136/4.53.

Hopefully this does not become a trend over the next few seasons.

Could this be Brière's last game as a Sabre ? and ...

Could this be the last time we see Daniel Brière in a Sabres uniform ? The possibility exist, as we know, in the cap world of the NHL, the Sabres may not be able to keep both Drury and Brière.

Both players could command alot of interest on the UFA market, and get top dollar, in the range of 6 million +. With the signings of high priced players that have not panned out in the last two years, some Gm's may not want to get into that kind of trouble, basing it on what is going on in Tampa with Jay Feaster and other places, where large salaries and long term contracts have not been good investments, the UFA market this year could take a hit, as the money may not be there, and I think that the cap could stay at 44 million again this year, which could call for caution by Gm's.

In the last years, the General Managers that made sound investments, could profit from bad decisions made by their collegues since the CBA was signed almost two years ago.

It will be interesting to watch the UFA market, espacially once the cap for next year will be known.

Hearing for Pronger incident to be held

The NHL has announced that it will hold a hearing in the Pronger-Holmstrom incident in game 3 of the Anaheim-Detroit series.

Sens close to a Sweep and...

The Ottawa Senators are one win away from a sweep in the Eastern conference final. On a bad bounce on a Heatley shot, Daniel Alfredsson tucked the puck behind Buffalo goalie, Ryan Miller, the only Sabre that came to compete, and it's a good thing for the Sabres and Lindy Ruff, as the Senators could of blown them out of the rink.

People in Buffalo watching this nightmare come true, must be wondering where did the Sabres team they saw dominate the NHL this season go. Ottawa Senators fans may show them tomorrow night, coming to Scotiabank Place carrying brooms.

Bucky Gleason from the Buffalo News has a good idea where they have gone.

While it's a totally different story as far as the Ottawa Senators are concerned. Ottawa Sun's staff writer, Bruce Garrioch, sees the Sens maturity coming at the right time.

Where would they hold the parade ?

Yes I am getting ahead of myself, but I'm wondering where the Ottawa Senators would hold an eventual Stanley Cup parade ? One scenario could be starting it at the Ottawa Civic Center where the dream started in October 1992 and finish it off at Scotiabank Place with an outdoor celebration for their loyal fans. I'm sure employers and teachers are wishing that happens on a Saturday, so they can attend also. Just a thought !

Eighty years is a long wait and ...

It has been forty years since the Toronto Maple Leafs fans have seen the Stanley Cup being paraded in their streets. What do they have to complain about ? The city of Ottawa has not seen an NHL based team win it in eighty years. Yes folks, eighty years, now that is a long wait.

I don't know too many people that remembers the last time the Cup was won by an NHL based team in Ottawa. The first Ottawa Senators franchise won it in 1920,21,23 and the last was in 1927, before moving to St-Louis in the 30's and eventually disbanding after only one season. Yes folks,there was NHL hockey in St-Louis before the Blues.

In that 1927 playoff year,the Senators of that era met the Boston Bruins for Lord Stanley's cup. Looking at the Bruins line-up of the time, only one player was a household name, Eddie Shore. On the Senators line-up, had some pretty well known names come up.I'm sure old time Leafs fans will remember King Clancy. Detroit fans will recognize Jack Adams, who went on to coach that franchise for twenty years,and then became the General manager.he was responsible for the rift between Ted Lindsay and Gordie Howe.

It's do or die for the Sabres

It's only game three of the series, but it's the pivotal game, one that the Sabres cannot afford to lose. It's also an important game for the Sens also, as they will want to continue on the same momemtum and have a chance to finish it the quickest way possible. In the last two series, the Sens have put out their opponents in less than six games, which seems to be beneficial to them so far.The legendary Scotty Bowman once said :'' if you a chance to win a series quickly do it, you will benefit from it down the road.''

Since I think the Detroit-Anaheim series will go seven, the Sens will be better off watching them and hope they beat daylight out of each other. But the Sens have to take care of the business at hand first. Not get over confidant, just play the dominating game they have played in the last two weeks. I'm sure coach Murray will agree with the latter.

The Sens take an another

The Ottawa Senators have taken a serious option on the series with a 4-3 win in the second overtime period. With about 10 seconds left to play, the Senators were coasting a win, but Buffalo's Daniel Brière had other plans and scored the tying goal that sent the two teams into overtime. I question that goal, if you look at the play before Brière scored, a Buffalo player was in Emery's crease and had made contact, if the rules are applied right, that should not be a goal.

Again officiating will be put in question, both referee's called some doubtful penalties on both teams. Since his team won, Bryan Murray will not make a case of it, but will surely bring it to the officials attention before game time tomorrow night.

Even down 0-2 early in the game, the Senators did not panic, they got back to work and took over the game and came back with three unanswered goals. Not withstanding Brière's goal late in the game, the Sabres lost the game by their own fault, too many penalties in the second period.

For the first time in a long time, the Ottawa Senators have won the first two games of a series. So an another monkey on their backs has vanished in this playoff year. During the game, an interesting stat was shown, that teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in a series, have won 87% of them, this does not look to well for the Sabres and their fans, espacially that Ottawa has only lost one game at home since the beginning of the playoffs.

Face-offs have been pretty even so far in this series. Ottawa has won 19 of the 37 in Buffalo's Zone. Buffalo has won 25 of the 46 in Ottawa's zone. Ottawa has a slight edge in neutral zone face-offs, 24-22.

Echos from the Game

Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News, mentions that the Sabres could use a gut check before flying to Ottawa for games 3 and 4, if they don't, to dust off the golf clubs. Complete story here.

Bryan Murray had this to say to Ottawa Sun's, Bruce Garrioch.
"I said that to them before the fifth period: 'We've shown character, keep working hard and something will happen'," said Ottawa coach Bryan Murray. "Definitely a big character effort tonight. I thought we hung tough. Our guys were positive and ready to go."

Sens win conference opener

The Ottawa Senators did what they needed to do, is steal a game in Buffalo, and it's accomplished, just as they had in the previous round against New Jersey.

They benefited from Buffalo's lack of energy and got off to a two goal lead, but then committed turn overs and before you knew it, it was 2-2, I'm sure fans watching in Ottawa, may have said to themselves, are the Sens going to buckle down ? No, they came back out skating and outshooting the Sabres and left the rink with a one game lead in the series.

If I'm Bryan Murray, I have to be more than satisfied at his team's efforts in the last two weeks. On the other side, if I'm Lindy Ruff I have to start to worry, if the wear and tear of chasing the President's trophy could be taking a toll on my team, who have not played good hockey in the playoffs so far, they should of blown the Islanders out of the playoffs. They blew a two game lead against the Rangers and won the series by the skin of their teeth. Last night, as Lindy Ruff mentionned, they looked rattled. They have blown one tire, it's a question of time before the other three go. It would be a kick in the teeth, if they head to Ottawa down 0-2, espacially how dominant Ottawa is at home.

NHL conference Finals

The conference finals start tonight. So let's see how the final four have done in the playoffs so far. As we all know, hockey is played 5 on 5. In that department, the Eastern conference regular season champions, Buffalo Sabres lead this category in the playoffs. They have scored 24 goals at 5 on 5, their opponents in this round, the Ottawa Senators have scored 20. Detroit has scored 12 and the Anaheim Ducks 10.

The Power play

On the powerplay, the Ottawa Senators have been the dominant force, with 22.7 %. Anaheim Ducks are at 16.4 %. The Detroit Red Wings are at 15.9%. The Buffalo Sabres are at 15.2%.

The Penalty Kill

The Anaheim Ducks fair well at 94.6%. They are followed by their conference opponents, the Detroit Red Wings are at 86.9%. The Sens are at 86%. Buffalo trails at 79.6%.

Goals by Period

In the first period, Detroit has 10, Ottawa 9, Anaheim 7 and Buffalo 6.
In the second, Ottawa and Buffalo both have 14, Detroit 10 and Anaheim 8.
In the third. Buffalo leads with 13, followed by Ottawa at 10, Anaheim and Detroit both have 9.

Face-Offs in round 2

Buffalo : 208/397 52.4%
Ottawa : 168/324 52%
Detroit: 170/318 53.4%
Anaheim :177/341 52%

Eastern Conference final

Well folks, this Series should be a dandy. I remember when I was a youngster, living the classic between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins, that went seven games. Sorry Don Cherry, but that was when you had too many players on the ice and Guy Lafleur scored the goal that killed you.

With the talent on both teams, we may just relive a similar kind of emotional roller coaster, as we did in 1979. It will be a barn burner folks.

I will go with Ottawa in 6 games. Why the Sens in 6 you ask ? It's simple, you look at both teams in the playoffs, the Sabres have been a so-so team, while the Sens have shown progression and the team chemistry is at it's best, and the best is yet to come. The Sens can play a defensive game as well as a an offensive one.

Even though I chose Ottawa to win, it could come down on how both benches are managed in key situations and how the guys between the pipes play in games 1 and 2. Defence will also be a factor, I feel that Ottawa has the advantage in that area. Both Coaches will experience what was legendary Scotty Bowman's biggest fear was, having the right players on ice at the right time. Any hesitation by either Murray or Ruff, could cost them the Stanley Cup.

Stay tuned! Game 1, will be here before you know it.

Sens move on to Conference Finals

The Ottawa Senators are headed to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in four years. Ironicaly, they beat the team they had met in the last conference final they had participated in. Ray Emery, who had made headlines before the game, when he missed the team flight because he had overslept and got in to a fender bender on his way to the airport, stood up and played the game he needed to and now everything will be forgotten.

The Sens will surely be watching this afternoon's game between the Sabres and Rangers. Even though they don't really care who they play in the Conference final, I'm sure that deep down, they hope that the Series goes seven games and is won in quadruple overtime.

Lou Lamoriello will have alot of explaining to do, for his decision to replace Claude Julien with three games left in the season. It's time for Martin Brodeur to take a lesser work load during the regular season. Playing 75 to 78 games a year is becoming too much, espacially in the more open NHL.

Finally, Sens play sixty minutes of hockey

For the first time since the playoffs have begun, the Ottawa Senators finally played a full sixty minutes of inspired hockey. Since the start of the playoffs,I have had a concern on how they where finishing their games. In two occasions, those concerns became fact. Game two of the Pittsburgh series, they blew two leads and Pittsburgh took that game. The same happened in game 2 of the present series.

I guess finally that coach, Bryan Murray, got thru to them and they played their best game so far, but they can't sit on this and say that it will be easy from now on, on the contrary, it's the begining of the quest.The Devils are not going to make it easy for you either, a majority of those guys were part of the last two Devils Cup winning teams. They know about the commitment it takes to get there.

So Boys, the road gets tougher from now on, it's up to all of you to show how much your commited in bringing Lord Stanley's mug back to Ottawa, for the first time in eighty years.

Ottawa's Blowing leads

Since the beginning of the playoffs, I have had a concern about Ottawa's play once they think they have blown their opponents out of the rink.If your a Sens fan you also should be concerned,Bryan Murray has yet to correct this, seems not to be worried about it. Well he should, because his job may weigh in the balance if he does not get this team to the next round.

In round one, first game against Pittsburgh,the Sens stopped skating and hitting and allowed them to comeback and give them energy for the next game, which Pittsburgh won.If they think they will get away with it this round, they are mistaken.The Devils are not Pittsburgh, they have won two of the five Cups awarded since the year 2000. How many has Ottawa won ? None, my point exactly.

Playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs, is all about your desire to win. The more you want it, the better chance you have at getting to the only goal you have seeked all season. This could be the biggest gut check the Sens have ever had in franchise history.Either they do or don't. we will find out very soon.

I have my doubts, prove me wrong boys.

Sabres go up 2-0 and Canucks tie Series

The Sabres take a 2-0 lead in the Series and with a lacklustre performance. The Rangers out shot Buffalo 13-4 in the first period and 33 to 18 overall, but could not score. TSN's Darren Dreger points out that the Rangers are going to need a bigger contribution from Brendan Shanahan. Game 3 goes tomorrow afternoon at 2pm in Madison Square Garden. It will be the Rangers biggest game of the year, they drop that one and we may start hearing the word ''sweep'' from the Buffalo fans.

Buffalo coach, Lindy Ruff, was fuming on a non call on an off-side, which TSN's Bob Mckenzie disagred with,and I agree with McKenzie, I saw the replay. Hopefully Ruff will have cooled off by the start of game 3.

The Vancouver Canucks have tied the Series with a 2-1 win in double overtime. TSN's Bob Mckenzie pointed out the inspired play by the Canucks. It was a team effort and the best performance by any team in the playoffs so far. I did not see the game, so I will take McKenzie's word for it.

Pointing the finger at Trotz and ...

Duncan Stewart from the Daily news Journal, is pointing the finger at Predators coach, Barry Trotz, for failling in getting his team past the first round for the third time. Trotz has been the only coach that Nashville has had since it came into the league eight years ago.

Trotz has been good at getting the team to progress, but it needs someone to take them to the next level and win in the playoffs. Stewart, blames Trotz for not getting his team psyched up and they come out flat and stay that way. He cites an example, using the Series they played against the Sharks to prove his point. He also blames Trotz and his players for a lack of an offensive strategy, and taking stupid penalties at the wrong time and breaking offensive momemtum. That sounds familiar, the team in Montreal has the same kind of problem, which cost them a playoff spot.

Stewart mentions, that it's time for a change in philosophy in Nashville. I agree Mr.Stewart, I have a candidate ideal for the job, he is a proven winner, no i am not talking about Mr.Bowman, but his last name does start with a B. Pat Burns is who I am referring to, give him a call he might interested.

Tampa Bay is looking to keep it's core players together,by trying to cut in the fat. Except the fat is your core players eating your cap space. The easiest to trade is your 50 goal scorer, his no trade clause will cease to exist after July 1st. A team with 13 million in cap space available over the next two years could pick him up. But what would be the asking price for him ? I know Montreal fans are dreaming of seeing Lecavalier in the red white and blue, but he said politely on Hockey Night In Canada, that he was not interested. Gainey won't bring him in at gun point either. Feaster could of avoided this situation two years ago, by refusing to give Martin St.Louis the long term contract he did. Feaster has only himself to blame for the situation he finds himself in.

All Set in the Ouest

The stage is set for a good Series in this semi-final. A well oiled veteran and puck passing team against a younger but physical team. Where will the difference be in this Series ? Let's take a look. The Sharks in there Series won 51% of their face-offs, The Wings won 55%, could be a factor in a tight Series. The Wings averaged a 42.5 shots on goal per game against the Flames, the Sharks had 32.6 against the Predators. The Wings had a 13.2 % on the power play, while the Sharks did poorly, with 6.7%.

Prediction : Detroit in 7

The Canucks will need to see their scoring improve in this Series to have any chance to beat the Anaheim team. The Canucks scored 13 goals in seven games against Dallas, while the Ducks got 12 against Minnesota. Anaheim won 49.2% of their face-offs, the Canucks got 46.8%. The Canucks power play did not fair well, as it got 7.9%, the Ducks were dangereous on theirs with a whopping 26.3%.

Prediction: Anaheim in 6

Set for Round two in the East

Will the third time be the charm for the Senators? This will be the third meeting between the teams in the playoffs.There first meeting was in 1998, the Sens took that Series 4 games to 2. It was the battle of the Jacques' behind the bench, Martin for Ottawa and Lemaire for New Jersey, which became the last series he coached the Devils. Not too many players are left from those rosters are still playing for the same team.

There second meeting came in 2003 in the conference final,which New Jersey won in seven games, and went on to win the Stanley Cup in Pat Burn's first year as coach. The core players in that series for both teams, are pretty much the same,espacially in nets for New Jersey, in Martin Brodeur. Ottawa's roster was in growing stages

Prediction: Ottawa in 6

Again the Sabres will be facing a New York area based team, this time it's the Manhattan gang. Jaromir and his boys will be taking their show to Buffalo and meet Brière and his boys. It should be a long and grinding series.

Prediction : Buffalo in 7

Do or die for the Lightning and...

Tampa Bay-New Jersey

The Tampa Lightning are on the edge of being eliminated in the first round for the second year in a row. Last year it was against the Ottawa Senators, this year , the New Jersey Devils could be their executors.

If Mr.Brodeur brings his A game to Tampa, that will be bad news for the Bolts. Lecavalier and St.Louis have done alot of the hard lifting so far, time for others to start contributing in game 6. We will find out around 4pm where the Lightning will be, the golf course or in New Jersey for game 7.

Dallas vs Vancouver

Other than game 1, this Series has to be worst to watch, low scoring and very tight defense. All three of the Stars wins in this series have come on shutouts, Vancouver's Luongo has yet to enjoy such a luxuary, it maybe time that the Canucks players give them and take the Series. It's do or die for both teams tomorrow night.

Calgary-Detroit

As Dallas, Vancouver and the Bolts, the Flames are in a do or die situation. Their lack lustre performance yesterday is not a good sign for tonight in Calgary. The Wings have been dominating in Detroit, but like the Flames, they have not have fared well on the road, will they turn they fortunes around and win game 6 ? We will find out later tonight.

Sens eliminate the Penguins

The Ottawa Senators eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games, and move on to round two and are waiting for their next opponent.Even if we are only in round one of the playoffs, I already have a candidate for the Conn Smythe trophy,his name is Ray Emery.

Emery was dominating and intimidating during the Series against the Penguins.If round one is any indication of what the rest of the playoffs will be,the possibility of seeing the Stanley Cup in Ottawa could start having people believing the dream can come true. Lord Stanley's cup has not been won by an Ottawa based team since 1927, so Leafs fans, you can console yourselves.

The Senators and the Rangers wait for their possible opponents. If the Sabres and Tampa win their Series, they meet in round 2. If Buffalo and New Jersey win, the Rangers will face the Sabres and the Senators will meet in round 2. So many possibilities still in the air.

Some Stats from the Pittsburgh-Ottawa Series.
Goals by period, Pittsburgh : 1st :2 2nd:2 3rd:6 for a total of 10 for the Series, Ottawa: 1st:4 2nd:9 3rd :5 for a total of 18.

Shots on goal
Pittsburgh:110/22 per game
Ottawa:151 /30 per game

5 on 5
Pittsburgh:6
Ottawa: 11

Face offs
Pittsburgh: 140/304 46%
Ottawa :164/304 53.9%

Do or Die for the Penguins

Tonight is do or die for the Penguins, they have no tomorrow if they lose.The Sens still have lives left, but I doubt they want to spend any of them. They want to finish it tonight, espacially that their possible future opponents, the New York Rangers have swept their Series.

Tonight, the game plan for Bryan Murray, is to end the series in 5 games. The Sens have to get a fast start and take charge of the game and stay out of the penalty box, as the Penguins power play can explode at anytime, no chances to take, finish it and quick.

Ray Emery has been outstanding thru out the Series, and has saved his team's behind on a few occasions. Fleury will have to pull out a Patrick Roy like performance to keep the Pens hopes alive, and get help from his friends.

Sens can finish it tomorrow night

The Ottawa Senators can put away the Pittsburgh Penguins with a win at ScotiaBank Place. The Sens played a good sound defensive game and closed down the Pens offense.

It's going to be a tough climb for the young Pens team to comeback from a 3-1 deficit, it's been done before. The 1975 Islanders, the 2004 Montreal Canadiens have done it, it's not impossible,but the Senators have been gaining strenght as the Series goes on,it will be a hard task.

The Sens must continue their strong play and close down any chance of a Pittsburgh comeback in the Series. Finish the Series quickly and get rest, it will be tougher as the playoffs move along. Legendary coach,Scotty Bowman once said, '' it's a good thing when you can finish a Series quickly, as it will be beneficial down the road.'' If there is anybody that would know that, it would be Mr.Bowman, after all he has coached three teams to Stanley Cup glory.

If the Sens win tomorrow night,a possible scenario for future opponents in the second round, the New York Rangers, for this to happen,Buffalo and Tampa have to win their respective series.

A Sens win and the Series finishes on Thursday

The Ottawa Senators have a chance to take a solid hold on the series with a win tonight in Pittsburgh.To accomplish this, they have to play good hockey, forechecking,bottling the Pens in their zone,be patient and score the first goal. It's been proven thru out the playoffs this year,that the team that scored first in the majority of times,have won their games.

The Sens must take advantage of Pittsburgh's weak defense and continue to shoot from every angle on Fleury, who was not as sharp on Sunday as he was on Saturday.

One thing that Bryan Murray should be concerned with, is the way his team has been finishing games. In game 1, the Sens stopped skating with a 6-1 lead, finished 6-3. In game two, blew two leads, finished 4-3 for the Pens. Game three, 4-1 lead, finished 4-2. In every game they gave the Pens a chance to start the next game with Momemtum. The best way for the Sens to change that, get a fast start tonight and take control of the game, from start to finish,do that and you can finish the Series on Thursday in front your fans.

Sens take lead in the Series

Sens take the lead in the series with a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens took the lead early in the game, then Ottawa took the game over and never looked back.

This series is becoming nasty, after crashing the net and bulldozing Ray Emery on Saturday, Colby Armstrong knocked out Patrick Eaves with a solid bodycheck, but Eaves had no way to defend himself. It was not a fair check and was not penalized. This is something that the NHL will have to look at, an the soonner the better, before someone gets badly hurt.

Sens Captain, Daniel Alfredsson scored two goals to lead the Senators to the 4-2 win over Pittsburgh. Game 4 goes tomorrow night in Pittsburgh. It should be a barn burner.

They Blew it Again

The Ottawa Senators had a chance to get rid of a monkey on their backs, and blew it. There is a saying in hockey, that you start your next game the way you finished your last, it holds true in this case.

After taking a commanding 6-1 lead, the Sens played too much defense and let the Pens score two unanswered goals late in
game 1. The Pens used that good finish and started game 2 roaring and never looked back. They came back twice and won the game 4-3.

The Sens let the young Penguins take the play to them instead of starting the game the same way they did on Wednesday in game 1. Good forechecking and intense play was not in the books yesterday and that is why they will be playing with immense pressure in game 3, which is a pivotal game in a series.

The Pens have the momemtum and will be playing in front of a highly pumped crowd, that will blow the roof of the Igloo in Pittsburgh. Bryan Murray and John Muckler will be nervous guys, as their fate lies in the hands of the 20 guys that will hit the ice this evening. The players have mentionned that have gained experience in the ordeal they went thru at the beginning of the season, Here is a moment where they will need to go to the well and feed off of that experience.

For Pens fans, this will be their first playoff game in six years and they will be loud and get louder when the Penguins hit the ice. It should be a dandy.

Pittsburgh vs Ottawa and...

In Game two of this series, I don't think the Sens should change the way they played in game 1. Stick to their game plan and make the Penguins ajust to them and not the contrary.

They should continue the physical play and take it to the Pens, disturb Fleury. No doubt Pittsburgh coach, Michel Therrien, will give Laracque a bigger work load than in game 1, Murray has the answer to that in Chris Neil. It will be a closer game then on Wednesday, but more physical and entertaining. Game time is 3pm this afternoon.

After three nights of playoff hockey, there has been 742 face offs, the visiting team has won 381 of them for a pourcentage of 51.3%.

Out of the 69 goals scored so far, 47 of them have come at 5 on 5. 21 on the specialty teams and one in an empty net.

First Round predictions

My first round predictions. The Eastern conference :

Islanders vs Buffalo
Buffalo in 4
Note :

Buffalo is just too strong for the Islanders, they are quicker, the fire power will be too much for the Islanders to handle. The Islanders have used up alot of energy in the last few weeks, i don’t think they have enough left to overcome the more talented Sabres. Sorry Islanders fans, but it’s the truth, but console yourselves, I would not of given any more chance to the Leafs or Habs to beat Buffalo.

Tampa Bay vs Devils
Devils in 7
Note :

For Tampa to beat New Jersey, they have a big obstacle, Mr. Playoff himself, Brodeur. One of the best money goalies in the playoff history. Brodeur is not unbeatable, but if he gets in zone, Tampa’s fire power could be in big trouble, along with their shaky and questionnable goaltending.

Rangers vs Atlanta
Rangers in 6
Note :

I mentionnned Brodeur earlier, I think Shanahan can be as much as a factor in this series as Brodeur in the Tampa-New Jersey series. He is also a three time Cup champion, he is the reason the Rangers were able to get in the playoffs. He takes off alot of weight off Jagr in the leadership department. Experience wise, the Rangers have the edge over first time playoff performers Atlanta.

Pittsburgh vs Ottawa
Ottawa in 6
Note :

The series I qualify as being the best in the first round. When Ottawa captain, Daniel Alfredsson, jumps on the ice and looks across at the Pittburgh team, he will see a Senators team ten years ago, when they made the playoffs for the first time. As in the Rangers-Atlanta series, experience will be the factor that will decide the series outcome. Both teams ride on a high octane offense, but good defence and goaltending will also have to be part of the main ingridient. In that department, Ottawa has the edge. Emery who has playoff experience under his belt, will have to outshine Fleury for the Sens to move on. It should be a good series.

The Western Conference
Calgary vs Detroit
Detroit in 7
Note :

This is a chance for the boys from Hockeytown to redeem themselves. They have only past the first round once since they won Lord Stanley’s mug five years ago under the guidance of a certain Scotty Bowman. It will be far from being a walk in the park for the boys from motown. It’s going to be a physical series, but the Wings in the end will prevail. The Wings have the advantage of having two goaltenders with experience and have won the cup in Detroit in the past, as the Flames solely rely on Kipprosuff. Detroit’s defence, is among the best puck moving ones in the league, also count on the experience of the best money playoff defenceman in Chris Chelios, and Lidstrom is no slouch either.

Minnesota vs Anaheim
Minnesota in 6
Note :

I think this series will be the shocker of the first round. Jacques Lemaire loves being in the underdog position. Lemaire is the most underestimated coach in the league, a tag he wore in his playing days in Montreal, and he feels fine with that. Lemaire does not wait until the playoffs to prepare his team, that starts the first day of training camp. He is demanding, but gets the results he is looking for. Lemaire knows he is facing a good team, but has experience on his side, and can match witts with anyone, after all he did learn from the master himself. Good defence and patience will be the order of the day for Minnesota to win.

Dallas vs Vancouver
Vancouver in six
Note :

Two things Gm Nonis did during the summer that changed the Canucks. One the Hiriing of Alain Vigneault, who came in and changed the attitude of the dressing room and the trade that brought Luongo to Vancouver. Those two factors have been the reason the Canucks are in the playoffs, and could go deep. Both Dallas and Vancouver are not the most offensif teams in the playoffs, but I think the Canucks have the edge, as they are a quicker team than Dallas, and that could be the difference. Turco may be the most experienced of the two goaltenders, but Luongo, has size and knows how to use it.

San Jose vs Nashville
Nashville in 7
Note :

As it is called in baseball, we call this series, the rubber match one. Both teams met last year in round one, and the Sharks won it 4-1. The Predators have changed since then. Arnott and Forsberg in and Perreault out. Gm Poile has put his neck on the line with the Forsberg trade, gave up alot his team’s future to acquire Foppa, so he will be looking for a good return on that short term investment. The other difference from last season for the Predators, is that they have had solid goaltending all season and can count on a better go around this time.

So folks there you have it, time for some real hockey to start. As Spector puts it, predictions are for gypsies, but it makes it more fun to watch. Enjoy the games and have fun.

The Leafs in, but ....

The Montreal Canadiens have only themselves to blame for their elimination from the playoffs. One, their downfall since December 23rd. Two, their dummy plays in the second period of tonight's game and let a 5-3 lead get out of their hands.

The Leafs are not in, but will be praying that Martin Brodeur plays, and that the Devils win. Does Lou Lamoriello feel in a giving mood, as in giving the Leafs a chance to make the playoffs, or will he decide to pull Marty and get bitched at by the Leafs organization ? You never know with Lou.

A knife could go into the Leafs fans heart's if Lou decides to rest Brodeur. After all, if the Leafs where in the Devils position, wouldn't they rest your work horse ? Yes. After all, Brodeur has had a better season then all the Leafs players put together, so chunk on that Mr.Maurice.

As I mentionned in my previous post, the most exciting series in the first round of these 2007 playoffs, will be Ottawa-Pittsburgh. Two high octane offensif teams, should be great. I will have the match up in numbers for you tomorrow.

Good Night !

The Ultimate Showdown and ...

The ultimate showdown will take place tomorrow night between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern conference. Both teams failled to gain ground last night, as they both lost to New York based teams.

The Canadiens failled in their miracle comebacks, and lost 3-1 to the Rangers. The Leafs did not look any better, as they also put on a poor performance and lost to the Islanders, who with that win, have stayed in the race.

Fans in Montreal, must be starting to think that the players seem to play better and more desperate hockey when their backs are against the wall and enjoy the drama of pulling themselves from the jaws of death. A very dangereous game to play fellows. As Bob Cole, from hockey night in Canada would say '' it will be a dandy folks''.

Lou Lamoriello pulled off a stunner this week when he fired first year coach, Claude Julien, who was having a good season behind the Devils bench. What does Lou have up his sleeve this time. I'm sure Julien would like to know.

If the Ottawa Senators lose to Boston and the Pitsburgh Penguins win against the Rangers, the series between both clubs will start in Pittsburgh either Wednesday or Thursday. If Ottawa wins and Pittsburgh loses or if they both lose, the series will start in Ottawa on one of the two nights mentionned. This should be the best first round series in the Eastern conference. Two teams that ride on high octane offense and can play good defence, but both have been seen as getting brain cramps from time to time, something that could become the difference in series when all is said and done. It's nice have veteran leaders on your team, but the leadership must start from behind the bench. Michel Therrien has limited playoff experience behind a bench, and has been known to go off the deep end at times, which could become a distraction to the team. Bryan Murray, the Senators coach, has many years of experience, but has failled to make it to the cup final. Murray, who has no contract for next year, needs to see his team make it to the conference final, anything less could cost him his job and that of his Gm, John Muckler. So alot is riding in this year's playoffs for both men.

The Eastern conference playoff race and …

The Eastern conference playoff race is getting wild. As I write this, (March 27th) we have six teams battling for seeds 6 to 8. The Rangers, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Islanders, Montreal and Toronto are in a race to the finish. Islanders could possibly tank, as they found out that Rick Dipietro is suffering from post- concussion syndrome, and maybe out for the remaning of the season. The Montreal Canadiens got some good news, Cristobal Huet will be able to return and play the rest of the season, but young Jaroslav Halak has saved the habs playoffs hopes by himself, it would be a bit risky to toss aside to let Huet Play, it will be Carbonneau’s call. It’s too close to call folks, we may have to wait until Easter Sunday to find out who is in and out of the 2007 playoffs in the NHL.

If you want to curb violence in hockey, take the instigator rule out. I rather see two guys duke it out, then watch two guys try to behead each other. It’s not fighting that the makes hockey a tough sell to the americans, but the caveman mentality due to the dumb instigator rule. It’s just like the shooting the puck over the glass in the defensive zone, all four on ice officials see everything, but last year all of them went suddenly blind in the Williams-Koivu incident. Get your priorities straight over the summer gentlemen, instead of getting better, the game is going down the tubes.

As we in pre-playoff mode, one key for success during the regular season and in the playoffs, it’s scorring the first goal of the game. Let’s see who has led this category so far this season. The five leaders all have pretty much locked in they playoff rights. The five best this season, are Nashville, Ottawa, Anaheim, Buffalo and Detroit. But you also have good come from behind teams, and they are Minnesota, Buffalo, Montreal, Dallas and Colorado.

To have success in the playoffs, you need to be stingy, when it comes to goals agaainst. At one time the vezina trophy was a team trophy, before becoming an individual one. When Scotty Bowman was coaching the Habs in the late 70’s , we would tell them ‘’ win the vezina trophy and you will win the Stanley Cup’’. The Vezina was given to the team with the fewest goals allowed. So stingy defense is one of the main ingridients to winning the Stanley Cup. Let’s see who has been stingy this year. Minnesota, Dallas, New Jersey, Vancouver and Detroit. Well look at this, four of the five leaders have a Montreal connection. Lemaire and Tremblay in Minnesota, once played for Bowman in Montreal. Bowman who coached Detroit and left his legacy. Julien in New Jersey and Vigneault in Vancouver.

A playoff preview

We are three weeks away from the end of the season and the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at some match -ups as if they started tonight (17-03-2007). I chose six stat categories, that will mostly come-up during the playoffs and compare the matched up pairings that could happen if they started right now. The categories are : 5 vs 5, Power play, Penalty kill, Goals for, Face-off % and ice time (19 mins + a game). Let's start with the Eastern Conference.(Teams in Red, winners of series)

8.Carolina vs 1. Buffalo:
5 vs 5 : Carolina ---- 124 (14th) Buffalo ------- 175 (1st)
Power play : Carolina --- 14.7 % (26) Buffalo ---- 17.4 % (18)
Penalty kill : Carolina --- 84.5 %(9) Buffalo --- 81.5 % (18)
Goals for : Carolina ---208 (14) Buffalo ---- 258 (1)
Face offs : Carolina---52.1 % (5) Buffalo---51.4 % (9)
Ice Time : Carolina --- 5 players at 19+ mins
Buffalo -----9 at 19 + mins

7. Islanders vs 2. New Jersey
5 vs 5 : Islanders ---- 136(6th) New Jersey ------- 114 (22nd)
Power play : Islanders --- 16.7 % (21) New Jersey ---- 17.4 % (17)
Penalty kill :Islanders--- 81.3 % (9) New Jersey --- 85.3 % (4)
Goals for : Islanders ---203 (17) New Jersey ---- 181 (26)
Face offs : Islanders---51.4 % (8) New Jersey---48.9 % (21)
Ice Time : Islanders---6 players at 19+ mins
New Jersey -----3at 19 + mins

6.Tampa Bay vs 3.Atlanta
5 vs 5 : TBay ---- 128 (13th) Atlanta ------- 134 (10th)
Power play : TBay--- 19.4 % (6) Atlanta---- 16.4 % (23)
Penalty kill : TBay --- 78.6 % (27) Atlanta --- 78.9 % (26)
Goals for : TBay ---215 (12) Atlanta ---- 217 (10)
Face offs : TBay---48.7 % (22) Atlanta---52.8 % (3)
Ice Time : TBay --- 6 players at 19+ mins
Atlanta -----7 at 19 + mins

5.Ottawa vs 4.Pittsburgh
5 vs 5 : Ottawa ---- 150 (3rd) Pittsburgh ------- 130 (12)
Power play : Ottawa --- 18.6 % (8) Pittsburgh ---- 20.2% (5)
Penalty kill : Ottawa --- 84.7 % (6) Pittsburgh --- 81 % (21)
Goals for : Ottawa ---244(2) Pittsburgh ---- 237 (4)
Face offs : Ottawa---52.2 % (13) Pittsburgh---47.1 % (30)
Ice Time : Ottawa --- 7 players at 19+ mins
Pittsburgh -----7 at 19 + mins

Western Conference

8.Calgary vs 1. Detroit
5 vs 5 : Calgary ---- 134 (11th) Detroit ------- 136 (7)
Power play : Calgary --- 18.8 % (7) Detroit ---- 17.7% (14)
Penalty kill : Calgary --- 80.3 % (24) Detroit --- 83.2 % (14)
Goals for : Calgary ---227(6) Detroit ---- 225 (7)
Face offs : Calgary---48 % (27) Detroit---53.6% (1)
Ice Time : Calgary --- 6 players at 19+ mins
Detroit -----5 at 19 + mins

7.Minnesota vs 2.Anaheim
5 vs 5 : Minnesota ---- 111 (25) Anaheim ------- 136 (8)
Power play : Minnesota --- 17.8 % (12) Anaheim ---- 21.9% (3)
Penalty kill : Minnesota --- 86.4 % (2) Anaheim --- 84.6 % (7)
Goals for : Minnesota ---195(19) Anaheim---- 229 (5)
Face offs : Minnesota---47.5 % (29) Anaheim---52.3% (4)
Ice Time : Minnesota --- 7 players at 19+ mins
Anaheim -----4 at 19 + mins

6.Dallas vs 3.Vancouver
5 vs 5 : Dallas ---- 101(28th) Vancouver ------- 107 (27th)
Power play : Dallas --- 18.4 % (9) Vancouver ---- 17% (20)
Penalty kill : Dallas --- 84.4 % (10) Vancouver --- 87.3 % (1)
Goals for : Dallas ---181(25) Vancouver ---- 191 (22)
Face offs : Dallas--49.6 % (16) Vancouver---49.1 % (20)
Ice Time : Dallas--- 6 players at 19+ mins
Vancouver -----5 at 19 + mins

5.San Jose vs 4.Nashville
5 vs 5 : San Jose ---- 121 (16) Nashville ------- 154 (2)
Power play : San Jose --- 22 % (2) Nashville ----17.6% (15)
Penalty kill : San Jose --- 83.9 % (11) Nashville --- 85.2 % (5)
Goals for : San Jose ---218(9) Nashville ---- 240 (3)
Face offs : San Jose---51.1 % (10) Nashville---50.3 % (12)
Ice Time : San Jose--- 5 players at 19+ mins
Nashville -----7 at 19 + mins

Around the NHL (25 2-07)

We are two days from the trade deadline, and another big name has changed teams. Keith Tkachuk was traded to the Atlanta Trashers in return for Greg Metropolit, the 1st and third round choice in 2007, and a second round choice in 2008. A conditional pick may be added if Tkachuck signs with Atlanta this summer. According to Andy Strickland of 1380 ESPN, the deal is being finalized. I think Atlanta paid way too much for Tkachuck, but Waddell will have to live with that choice I guess.

The Blues put an end to speculations to Eric Brewer's future in St-Louis, as they inked in him to 17 million $ 4 year deal, which comes on average to 4.25 million per season. This will have teams most likely putting their sights on Habs D-man, Sheldon Souray. Unless Gainey gets sweetheart deals like the Flyers for Forsberg and St-Louis for Tkachuck, I don't see Souray moving.

Just like Brewer, you can take Marco Sturm off the market, as he signed a 14 million $ 4 year deal, which averages out to 3.5 m $ per season.

So now I guess the two hottest commodities on the market now are Guerin and Souray. Two former New Jersey Devils draft picks. No doubt their value went up with the players above mentionned went off the market. So I guess Montreal's, Bob Gainey and St-Louis Gm, Larry Pleau sit and wait for offers. A weird fact here, you have two former Habs draft choices in Gainey and Pleau holding on to the two hottest commodities, which are two former New Jersey choices, with the history of those three teams in trading with each other, almost makes you wonder will this come full circle somewhere down the line ? We shall see.

Around the NHL (18-2-07)

Well the Forsberg saga finaly came to an end this week, when the Flyers traded him to the Nashville Predators for Scott Upshall, prospect Ryan Parent and 1st round pick in next June's draft. This move has had an effect on the teams who were in the running for Forsberg, and has left them scrambling and set their sights on other top potential candidates.

Fellow blogger Spector in his latest Fox column has a list of players that could be on the move. Among the names mentionned his article, you have Keith Tkachuk from St-Louis who would be willing to waive his no trade clause to go to a contender, the Blues asking will be pretty high, young talent and draft choices, a team seeking his services would have to clear at least 1.5 m in salary, if dealt at the deadline his cap hit for the remainder of the season would be about 1.2 + m. Spector also cites Bill Guerin as being available, his cap hit at the deadline would be more modest that his teammate's,figure around 500 k +.

The Ottawa Sun's hockey columnist, Bruce Garrioch, in a piece takes a stab at who will be buyers and sellers leading up to February 27th's trade deadline. Interesting and worth reading if you want to keep track of the comings and goings on that day. We could say it's the NHL's version of boxing day sales, we love them don't we ?

This week on Sportsnet, an incident happened, when the face of the well known anynomous hockey blogger Eklund, saw his face be revealed. Was it an accident or was it intentional, I guess you would have to ask the parties involved. Eklund has been subject of criticism about his connections and sources, but this week he batted a 1000 with the Forsberg deal, and had it posted on his site before the majority of the news web outlets did, so i have to say he his the real thing, but I would like to see him come up with a few more before i am totaly convinced.

Alot of rumblings coming the fans in Habland, they are not happy campers as we speak, just go visit some Forums, either in english or french, they are pointing fingers everywhere, either the players take the wrath or it's the management, starting with Gm, Bob Gainey and down to head coach, Carbonneau and his associates. I'm surprised they have not asked for the zamboni driver to be fired. As mentionned in the above piece from Bruce Garrioch, he mentions them as being buyers, this in light of the Huet injury and the six game losing streak, that has brought the habs from fourth to tenth place, that is incredible, seeing it being the 30th anniversary of the great season they had in 1976-77, when they recorded 60 wins and only lost one thenth of their games, a team on which Bob Gainey and Doug Jarvis played on. How times have changed in the land of Les Glorieux.

There seems to be a general consent among bloggers that Montreal's Sheldon Souray will be the menu du jour until Bob Gainey makes a public statement that he has no intention on trading his defenceman. An another loss tonight against the Blue Jackets could lead Gainey to decide to tank the season and become a seller rather than a buyer. Could underachieving Samsonov and fellow russian Kovalev be on the block, if such a decision is made ? My personal point of view, I don't think to many people in Montreal or other places that the Canadiens have a fan base, will be too sad to see Kovalev leave the Habs, my myself included. I think he is the source of the teams downfall since christmas, his attitude and not caring does not fall in to Carbonneau's or Gainey's play as a team philosophy. I think Gainey maybe a little more patient with Samsonov, because of the meeting he had with his winger,and he has played better and is working and seems to be more interested in helping the team get out of it's slump than before the meeting, but we will have to see.

That's all for now folks !

Forsberg and …

It’s time for Peter Forsberg to make up his mind, he either stays in Philadelphia or waives his no trade clause and picks where he wants to go. If he does wave it, most likely he will be traded to a western conference team, because i think the cup will be won by a team from that conference, for the simple reason that the top contenders are Detroit, Anaheim and San Jose, the Flames are a dark horse choice, but could move up if one of the above mentionned teams should tank in the first round. If I was a betting man, I would see Forsberg going to Detroit. I think it’s the best team suited for him, the wings are good puck moving team and have veterans that are hungry for an another cup, espacially after early exits in past years after their cup win in 2002. If Detroit does get Forsberg, no doubt they would have to find a team for Lang to clear up cap space.

If i am Doug Riseborough and Jacques Lemaire, I would go and scout Marco Sturm of Boston, he would be a Lemaire type of player and would fit well, and add some scoring punch, he could play with Brian Rolston on the penalty kill and maybe get a few shorthanded goals and help Minnesota move up a few spots in the standings.

Souray won’t be moved at the deadline, but most likely Gainey could trade him at the June draft and get something in return for him , the Habs retain his rights until June 30th. If he does go to LA, no Habs fans, Lombardi won’t trade Kopitar for Souray, but funnier things have happened in LA this season, after all they signed Cloutier to a contract, this same guy cost Crawford’s job in Vancouver. Crawford to Lombardi ‘’ could you tighten the nuce a bit more .‘’ A bit of humour folks.

Even if Gainey stated that he did not want to trade Ryder, who is a thirty goal a season player, the Habs Gm who always wears his poker face, would not hesite to trade his struggling winger for the right return. I concur with Spector on this, Ryder is playing his last games with the Habs. Still with the Habs, I think Gainey should look to try an acquire Gary Roberts, he is a proven leader and could take some leadership weight off of Koivu’s shoulders, I don’t think a team captain should be the one carrying all of that weight on his shoulders, not that I don’t Koivu is not a good captain and leader, but the majority of the players have heard the same message coming from different people, that it’s beginning to sound like a broken record, I think someone new with a different approach would be welcomed and possibly help save a season that seems to be on a free fall. I don’t see Roberts as a savior, but a breath of fresh air the Canadiens need in a big way. The Habs need to add size on the wings and a tough guy that can play and impose some respect, in the same way that Neil does in Ottawa.

If the Leafs miss the playoffs once again, JFJ will be packing his bags. The same could be said of Doug Maclean in Colombus. The Senators players hold the faith of Gm, John Muckler and coach Bryan Murray in their hands, anything short of a conference final appearence, could see owner, Eugene Melnyck clean house. A top a candidate for Muckler’s job is in my opinion, former Gm and Habs assistant Gm, Pierre Gauthier, after all he is responsible for drafting a good part of the Sens present line-up. If this happens Pierre, my two cents worth in a candidate, would be Pat Burns, he has the experience and won a cup with less talented team that you would inherite. In an interview on RDS, he mentionned that he would listen to offers if someone calls.

I enjoy watching Sidney Crosby play like everyone else, but one thing he will have to stop doing, is playing the wounded virgin, it will catch up to him in time, and nobody will believe him, starting with his teammates. Your paid to play hockey, so do that, the best way to answer to the hits, is score goals, that will sting more that anything you could receive.

That’s all for now folks !

Around the NHL (06-02-2007)

The New York Rangers traded Jason Ward and prospects Marc-André Clich and Jan Marek to Los Angeles for bad boy Sean Avery and a junior prospect, John Seymour. Avery has been known to be a distraction in a dressing room, but will have to deal with Brendan Shanahan, who seems to be the one running the show in the Rangers dressing room, maybe it might be what Avery needed.


Mike Chen in his latest blog spot on Fox, thinks it could be a good idea to shop Shanahan and get something in return and try to resign him as a free agent next season. It might not be a bad idea, if the Rangers have sank by the trade deadline.

The Sergei Samsonov saga is continuing in Habland, he cleared waivers and will not be sent to Hamilton. He had a long conversation with Gm, Bob Gainey and head Coach, Guy Carbonneau. Did he understand anything the two last captains to win a cup in Montreal had to say to him ? We shall see in the days to come. Stay tuned !

Will Jacques Martin, the Florida Panthers GM, trade Todd Bertuzzi ? Most likely, because he needs some kind of return to make the Luongo trade make some kind of sense in the long run. Gary Roberts, Martin Gelinas, Josef Stumpel and yes, Eddie the Eagle are also available. I wonder how many Gm's have Jacque's number on speed-dial, we shall find out soon enough folks.

The dummy play of the week or even the season has to go to Calgary's KRISTIAN HUSELIUS, on his shootout attempt, that has to be the dumbest thing any player to do, unless your talented enough to pull it off.

It should be an interesting next three weeks until trade deadline day. More and more rumours will be floating out there in cyberspace. Stay tuned folks !

Ken, How do we Thank you ? and …

Last Monday, the Canadiens retired Ken Dryden’s number 29. A goaltender that made his short career mean something. Dryden by his poise, thinking and play, made one of the biggest upsets in hockey history legendary. Even today, that story has made and still makes Harry Sinden believe that they were really ghost in the Forum at the time. Now, that his famous number 29 will hang from the rafters of the Bell Center on a permanent basis, it will be a constant reminder of that spring in 1971, and many others for that matter.

Those of us lucky enough to have seen him play that series against the Bruins that spring and many others after that, and saw and listened to Dryden’s address to the Canadiens fans last Monday, heard him say ‘’How do I thank you ? ‘’ on many occasions, and that reminded us of those great saves he made, that helped win those many Stanley cups during his short but very prominent career. I think the only thing we can do, is return that very question to him. To Dryden it needed no answer, he got it moments before when he got a standing ovation, he had anticipated the question, the same way he had made those scintalating saves, that the late great Danny Gallivan would often describe, watching Hockey Night in Canada on cold Saturday evenings in January as a youngster. Those of you lucky enough to have read his first book, ‘’The Game.’’ Know that it was written from scribbled notes, often written on pieces of napkins in hotel restaurants during team meals on the road, or sometimes on off days when just resting at home, a mental note was made, to remind him of either a bad home game or one on the road. So using that, hopefully I will be able to return his question to us back to him, which most likely, he will decline.

On many evenings, driving home, the radio blasting, the window of your car wide open, your arm out the window as you drove and thought of that bad goal you let in, and the fans giving you the bronx cheer. As you usualy did, upon a stoppage of play, you drew your stick in a position to lean and think, analyse what had just gone on. You did it and got better everytime, the bronx cheers went to ovations, more times that one. Having the knowledge to admit that you not only you let yourself down, you knew you also, you had let your team, fans, city, province and country down, but always knew, you could come back. How do we thank you ? You lifted us more than you let us down. Again, How do we thank you ? You made a team, an organization, fans, a city, province and country proud. How do we thank you ? A thank you, will never be enough, either it be from you and your family to us, or from us to them, we shall meet half way and shake hands. It answers your question, How can I ever thank you ? You did and we did, but, Merci Ken !

Yes the marketing of up and coming stars as Crosby and Ovechkin are good, but the NHL braintrust has yet to address the most important one, the constant questionning and critisizing of the on ice officials. They are part of the product you are trying to sell, if you are putting down your product in a way, why should as major network want to put that on ? You don’t the leaders of the other sports going to knocking on the doors of the major networks across the United States begging to have their product shown nationaly. They found ways to not belittle their product and it’s the major networks that are falling over each other to get that product on their time slots. I’m not saying that we don’t see bad calls made in the NFL, MLB or the NBA, but they are so few that they go unoticed most of time, but espacially we don’t hear a coach or manager critisizing on a constant basis the officiating. How do we fix it and make it more attractive to the major networks to have them broadcast them ? One step would be to include officials on the competition committee, i’m not sure it has one. The second could be to have officials travel as a unit all thru the season and create some kind of chemistry and hopefully consistancy in their calls. Giving more power to the line judges, not call penalties, but to bring one to the attention of one of the referees, a bit like they do in the NFL. Should the NHL adopt the challenge system also ? I say yes, but first address the question and see if it could work. I’m not saying the NHL should become the NFL on blades, but look at what is working for that league that could help better the product we are trying to sell. It’s a start, it won’t hurt, and it if helps the game in the long run, it will grow and for the good. In my opinion, Gary Bettman looks like a shoe salesman trying to sell used shoes. Gary, some advice, we can get them for free at the local salvation army, go back to the drawing board and find a way to make them look new.

I hope that Forsberg will make up his mind and decide to or not waive his no trade clause and put an end to the speculation once and for all. I figure that we could have alot of activity about 2 weeks before trade deadline. So this week may determine how it goes within that 2 week period. It will be interesting to see. We may get a surprise trade that throws a monkey wrench in the hole process.

Around the NHL (24-1-2007)

Well it's the All-star break and nobody is sturring, not even a mouse. All the Gm's are in Dallas, so we should be hearing some juicy rumours, but nothing yet, or at least something worth reporting besides league executives hoping to land Mr.Forsberg, who has said that he does not want to leave Philadelphia and hoping to return to Sweden and start getting his foot ready for next season.

No wonder Forsberg is in high demand, you have 8 of the potential 16 teams that could be playoff bound come April 9th searching for that extra push that could guarantee them home ice for a good part of the playoffs, espacially potential 4th seed teams in both conferences, like Montreal and Ottawa in the East, San Jose and Detroit in the West. A healthy Forsberg would be a good pick up, but would he be even at 75% ? No doubt, at 75%, Forsberg is better than alot of players at 100%, but is the future of your franchise worth a long shot like that ? In the NHL salary cap era all teams live in, it's a very big gamble.

Teams that we could we possibly see in the Playoffs for the East according to the rythm that they have maintained since the beginning of the season.
In The Eastern conference.
1.Buffalo 117
2.New Jersey 108
3.Atlanta 102
4.Montreal 99
5.Ottawa 95
6.Carolina 92 )(Defending Cup Champions)
7.Tampa Bay 89 (more wins than Pittsburgh)
8. Pittsburgh 89
We should have a great race in the East between, Montreal, Ottawa and Carolina for 4th seed and for the 7th and 8th and final in the East. Games between those teams will be like playoff games.

In the West, it could like this :
1.Nashville 119 (possible winners of the President's trophy)
2.Anaheim 111
3. Calgary 96
4. San Jose 110
5.Detroit 109
6.Dallas 101
7.Vancouver 96
8. Minnesota 90
The biggest battles in the west could be between Vancouver and Calgary for third place and San Jose and Anaheim for second place.

The scenario presented could be altered with the trade deadline and injuries to key players. An exciting end to the season in perspective for sure.

Stay tune Folks !

Around the NHL (15-1-2007)

Saturday, was Hockey day in Canada, the CBC posting a thirteen hour marathon of comments and NHL games opposing Canadian teams. In the first of three games, the most storied franchise in NHL history, the Montreal Canadiens were in the nation's capital to take on the Senators in an afternoon stint. The Habs simply did not show up, and the score after the second period was evidence enough. I think if the players had turned around and slapped Head coach, Guy Carbonneau, and associate coaches, Kirk Muller and Doug Jarvis in the face, the sting would have lasted a shorter time than watching their guys getting stung badly. Saturday's massacre was an insult to the guys behind the bench and the guy who gave them pretty good contracts. They had bled for the red white and blue and have cup rings and the scars to prove it . The Ottawa Senators brass had to offer apologies to Habs GM, Bob Gainey for a tastless clip that appreared on the scoreboard. As we know Gainey lossed his daughter in boating accident last month.


In the second game of the triple header , the Vancouver Canucks took on the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Center. Like the Canadiens in Ottawa earlier, Toronto was smoked 6-1. I'm sure that Leafs coach had plenty to say to his players after the game just like Carbonneau did. It stings more when it happens in your building. At least in the last game of the day, the Oilers showed some kind of opposition to their Alberta rivals.

Tim Panaccio from the Philadelphia Inquirer, notes that rival Gm's should forget about Peter Forsberg, he is going nowhere. He has a no-trade clause and has no intentions on waving it and claims that he owes the Flyers one year.That should not prevent Gm's from asking, espacially that they will know Forsberg's cap hit come deadline time and would make a good pick- up for a team looking to go deep in the playoffs. The phone lines in Philadelphia may burn up come February 27th.

Brett Hull made his debut on NBC's telecast on Saturday, as usual he spoke his mind. And it was not the blah blah you get from JR, but well thougth ideas and opinions. Also on the telecast, they introduced the Bellowing moose, who has kind of a blog thing going. On his last post, he mentions that Pittsburgh Penguins coach, Michel Therrien could be on his way out, and this before the end of the season. The problem is find a replacement at this time of the season, mostly likely one of his assistants could take over til the end of the season.

Around the NHL (7-1-2007)

Tis the season for trades ? A good question. It appears so, last week we saw the Ottawa Senators acquire Mike Comrie from the Phoenix coyotes. Petr Nedved finally landed in Edmonton, after speculation that Ottawa would claim him, that was the plan as far as the Sens were concerned, but the Oilers were quicker. As Scott Morrison from CBC's Hockey satellite hotstove mentionned last week on his blog, the Senators are better off with Comrie than Nedved.

Is Kevin Lowe looking to acquire Brad Stuart from the Bruins ? According to Bruce Garrioch from the Ottawa Sun, the answer is yes. He also mentions that the Sharks, Avs and Wings have also inquired about Stuart, who becomes an UFA at the end of the season, but the Bruins have started contract talks with his agent, and unless the B's tank from now to trade deadline, I don't see Stuart being moved.

In the same article, Garrioch mentions that a fire is lighting up under both Lightning Gm, Jay Feaster and Coach,John Tortorella to bring the team within playoff contention or we could see a major fire sale in Tampa Bay, as in major salary dumps, ie: Richards, St.Louis and Lecavalier. If Feaster was put in the situation of doing so, would he find a taker for one of those hefty contracts ? I think Richards would stay, but either St.Louis or Lecavalier will have to go. Who has the cap room to absorb the remainder of those contracts ? Lecavalier becomes an UFA in 2009 and St.Louis in 2011. Lecavalier would be the easiest to move. But for who ? We might find out soon enough.

Getting back to the Comrie trade. Garrioch mentions the real reasons that they traded the center, was money, what else is new. The Coyotes ownership wanted Comrie's salary off the books as they are not going to make the playoffs. It's believed that Nagy (3m), Nick Boyton (2.95m) and Dennis Seidenberg ($750,000) could be the next to go.According to Garrioch, the Habs, Hawks, Canucks, Rangers and Flames gave the Coyotes a call about Comrie's availability. I guess the call that Habs Gm, Bob Gainey gave, did not last long when he heard who the Coyotes wanted in return.

Speaking of the Habs, they have been hit by the gastro bug, and had alot of players out in their game vs the Rangers. It's not the only bug hitting the team lately. Their poor performances in the last few weeks surely must have Gainey and coach Carbonneau worried. Gainey is not the type of Gm to make trades out of panic. The poor play of his team and two wingers, Samsonov and Ryder, don't give him much options.