Entries with the tag: ottawa+senators

Jason Spezza Conference Call Transcript

by Alanah on 02/11/08 at 05:40 PM
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Earlier today Jason Spezza was named “First Star” for the week, after recording 11 points in three games, including a career-high six points against Montreal this past Saturday night.  Jason is second on the Senators and fifth in overall National Hockey League scoring with 71 points on 23 goals and 48 assists. 

Q.  Jason, you guys, you and Alfredsson and Heatley back together again, obviously in that 6-1 win over Montreal, what was the feel that you three had?  There was talk of possible rust.  What was the feel that you guys had right away in that game?

JASON SPEZZA:  Yeah, we had pretty good chemistry together, and we practiced the day before and practiced that morning together.  You know, it’s a pretty natural fit for us.  We’ve played together now for a couple years, so there’s not too much getting used to each other again.  You put us in with same line mates, we read off each other pretty good.  I think more than anything I was fired up because it was a big game, Alfie was fired up because he was coming back, and Heater was pretty excited because he just came back the night before, so it was pretty good circumstances for us to play well. 

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Alfredsson Having Fun

by Alanah on 01/26/08 at 03:51 PM
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From David Shoalts in the Globe & Mail blog,

“The game itself is the most fun,” he said on Friday. “Skills competition, I can’t say that I enjoy too much because I’m not really good at anything. The game is the most fun.”

Even more fun, Alfredsson said on Saturday, is just being at the game.

“It’s an ego trip, to be honest” he said. “Everyone tells you how great you are.”

more... on the skills event and thoughts on showboating.

note: a reminder that Steve will be hosting a LiveChat when the skills competition starts.

Alfredsson Interview

by Alanah on 01/08/08 at 03:49 PM
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The Ottawa Senators’ Daniel Alfredsson gave a long interview to NHL Live on XM Radio today. With thanks to XM radio (which streams live from this link M-F from 12-2pm ET) here is the audio of that conversation.

powered by ODEO

Losing As A Team

by Paul on 12/03/07 at 09:17 AM
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

“It’s not fair (to blame the goalies). It’s not the goalie’s fault,” said Senators centre Jason Spezza.

“It’s all of our faults. It doesn’t matter if you’re getting points or you’re playing well. It’s every forward. It’s every defenceman and it’s both goalies.

“We’re in this together. I’ve said that the whole time. The only way we’re going to win is if everybody plays well and plays better. We’ve just got to raise our level of play so that we’re a better hockey club.”

read on

Volchenkov Suffers Hand Injury

by Paul on 11/30/07 at 07:45 AM
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from the Ottawa Sun,

To make matters worse, the Senators’ injury list is growing. Defenceman Anton Volchenkov could be out for an extended period after leaving the game with a hand injury after blocking a shot on the first shift.

While the Senators are fortunate Christoph Schubert was able to slide back and play on the blueline, losing Volchenkov is costly. He logs a lot of minutes and is usually assigned the job of shutting down the top players in the league with Jaromir Jagr and the New York Rangers visiting tomorrow at 2 p.m.

more on the Senators/Predators game last night…

update 10:33am, via TSN,

Sources tell TSN Anton Volchenkov suffered a broken finger last night when he blocked a shot and it’s expected the Ottawa Senator defenceman will be sidelined for four weeks.

OK, Who’s Stealing The Sens Identity

by Paul on 11/29/07 at 10:23 AM
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We have had people saying they are hockey players, now we have teams saying they are the Ottawa Senators…

from the Detroit Free Press,

Detroit’s second permanent luxury casino hotel opens this afternoon, and early tours Tuesday showed off the funky flair of the MotorCity Casino Hotel that contrasts nicely with competitor MGM Grand Detroit’s smooth elegance.

The permanent casino complexes are part of the required payback for the money Detroit’s three casinos take in (more than $1.1 billion in the first 10 months of this year). The hotels were required as part of the agreements that allowed the casinos to open in temporary facilities at first....

It’s not a coincidence that two of the hotel’s confirmed guests are the Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators hockey teams.

read more about the hotel, but the Sens don’t visit Detroit this season, unless, of course, it is in early June…

thanks to Snapshots for the pointer to the story…

Everyone Likes Comrie

by Paul on 11/29/07 at 08:35 AM
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from Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun,

The Senators joined the New York Islanders winger for dinner Tuesday night because they apparently really do like him and not because there might have been a chance to see Comrie’s squeeze, singer/clothes designer/teen idol Hilary Duff.

“I’ve got a lot of friends in the NHL now,” joked Comrie, who made the Islanders his fifth NHL organization in seven years when he signed here as a free agent during the summer.

more on the Sens…

Line Of The Day

by Paul on 11/26/07 at 11:05 AM
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For all of you waiting for trades to happen…

via the Ottawa Sun,

“Having an extra Top 6 forward allows for injuries and allows for a lot of things that happen like (Eaves and Alfredsson) being out,” Murray told the Sun. “That’s always the ideal scenario to be able to do that and we’re going to pursue that, without a doubt.

“However, we know full well that until teams are eliminated from the playoffs, we’re probably not going to be able to make many deals for that quality of a player.”

Money Lost

by Paul on 11/26/07 at 10:32 AM
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from Rand Simon of the Hockey News,

If Alfredsson does play under his contract through 2011-12, he will have earned a total of $26.6 million in salary (less any escrow) over the seven seasons since the lockout. Without the 24 per cent rollback, Alfredsson would have received $35 million during that time frame. So, including the $5 million lost from the 2004-05 season, the lockout cost Alfredsson $13.4 million in salary.

On top of that, Alfredsson has signing bonus payments in his contract and the lost rolled back amount is another $1.155 million.

In total, Alfredsson is potentially down more than $14.5 million. To make matters worse, it is worth pointing out that in August 2004 Alfredsson was getting $1.31 Canadian for every U.S. dollar earned and not the 98 or 99 cents he gets today.

read on

Paddock On His Goaltender

by Paul on 11/25/07 at 09:22 AM
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Senators coach John Paddock on the goaltending of Martin Gerber last night…

from the Ottawa Citizen,

“I didn’t like the goals, it’s that simple,” he said, also referring to the sharp-angle goals from R.J. Umberger and Scott Hartnell earlier in the game. “Those kinds of saves have to be made. Routine saves have to be made. He has been doing that all year, he has been dong a good job for us all year and he has also made the spectacular saves. He’s just like half a dozen other guys on the team right now. He’s just not getting it done.

“I’m not happy with it at the moment, but I’m not overly concerned. You don’t go from having 13 wins and (one of the best) save percentages and just become bad. Those things happen. That will be turned around for sure.”

more on the Sens…

Shot To The Ribs

by Paul on 11/24/07 at 08:57 AM
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from Red Fisher of the Montreal Gazette,

Now that Ottawa has lost a fifth game, isn’t it about time talking heads on radio and television stop making comparisons between them and the Canadiens team of the late 1970s, which lost only eight games in 1976-77? Yeah ... Martin Gerber and Ken Dryden; Wade Redden and Larry Robinson ... Guy Lafleur and any of the Senators’ forwards.

Alfredsson Suffering With Sore Groin

by Paul on 11/23/07 at 01:47 PM
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via the AP,

Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson has a groin injury and isn’t expected to play Saturday against Philadelphia.

Ottawa’s top scorer was injured during Thursday’s shootout loss to Pittsburgh. He had three assists in the game, but wasn’t able to take a shootout attempt.

Senators coach John Paddock says his captain is day-to-day, but “I don’t think that day-to-day includes playing tomorrow.”

Moving Emery

by Paul on 11/20/07 at 09:01 AM
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from The Good, The Bad And The Duthie at the Ottawa Citizen,

I got a 2-hour sermon on how Gerber is the greatest thing out of Switzerland since Roger Federer, and how Ottawa will trade Emery, get after another big-time scorer, and win the cup without breaking a sweat. (These, of course, are the same guys who would have traded Gerber for a Gatorade last season.)

They insist the “trade Emery” talk is serious water-cooler material in Ottawa (Assuming people actually still talk at water-coolers, which I highly doubt). If that’s the case, it’s time for a reality check.

more

Spezza Plays His Trump Card with Sherwood

by Alanah on 11/19/07 at 11:22 PM
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From Allen Panzeri at CanWest News,

To get Sherwood-Drolet to keep making his sticks in Canada, Spezza had to play his trump card as a longtime, valuable customer. He has been using the company’s sticks since his final years in junior hockey, and he’s also featured on the company’s home page.

“I made it clear with them that, if I was going to continue using their sticks, I wanted to make sure they were still made in the same place they’ve been made for the last seven, eight years,” Spezza said on Monday.

more...

Spezza goes through 300+ sticks a season.  As mentioned recently, Sherwood will be discontinuing its production of wooden sticks in Quebec, and having them made in China and Estonia starting in January.

The Home Team In Prague

by Paul on 11/18/07 at 08:33 AM
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from the Blueshirts Blog at Newsday,

The papers haven’t been signed yet, but the Rangers are all but signed, sealed and delivered to Prague to open next season with a two-game series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

And that pair of games will only comprise half of the NHL’s season-opening plan for 2008-09. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators are expected to open their season with two games in Stockholm.

continued (permalink is not working for the blog, so off you go to the homepage)…

The Battle Of…?

by Paul on 11/17/07 at 12:52 PM
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from the Toronto Star,

They are the games that get fans talking. The ones circled on the calendar as soon as the schedule comes out. The game that proves your team is – once and for all – better than your team’s bitter rival, until at least the two meet again.

Like when the Leafs face the Ottawa Senators in the Battle of Ontario or when Calgary faces their provincial rivals in Edmonton.

If you could pit one rivalry against another, which one would come out on top?

continued

Gerber is #1

by Alanah on 11/16/07 at 05:30 PM
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From Chris Yzerman at CP via Yahoo,

The confidence of goaltender Martin Gerber is also sky high and, after a difficult first season in Canada’s capital, the 33-year-old has emerged as the surprise No. 1 netminder on the NHL’s hottest club out of the gate.

“I think we’ve had a good thing going since training camp started as a team and kept really building from it. Personally, I got my game back and feel more comfortable in there,” says the 33-year-old native of Burgdorf, Switzerland, who will be in goal Saturday when the Senators visit the Air Canada Centre to face the Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET).

With a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night, Gerber recorded his league-leading 12th victory of the season against just one defeat.

more... on Gerber’s career rebound

Not All About The Money For Alfredsson

by Paul on 11/15/07 at 08:14 AM
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from Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun,

Daniel Alfredsson may very well be the best all-around player in the NHL, but in collecting a salary of $4.338 million (all terms US), he’ll be just the fourth- highest-paid Senator this season....

“I’m not going to renegotiate my deal,” said Alfredsson, who shrugs at not being the highest-paid player in his dressing room. “That’s the way it goes. There’s a lot of facts that go into it. I signed before the lockout and took a 24% cut right away. I was part of the process, to do that deal. Both me and Billy Guerin thought about it, we both had just signed long-term deals ... you’re going to lose a lot of money ... and that’s a big part of it. You put another 24% more on my contract and it’s not a bad deal at all.

more

Emery Tweaks His Back

by Paul on 11/13/07 at 07:54 AM
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from the Ottawa Citizen,

Ray Emery has been thrown another curveball in his attempt to earn more ice time in the Ottawa Senators’ net.

Emery, already in coach John Paddock’s doghouse for questionable work habits during practice, left the ice early yesterday because of back spasms that he said originated when he was playing baseball during an off-day on Sunday.

Emery says something happened when he bent over to throw pop-ups.

continued

Spezza Still Has Some Pain

by Paul on 11/13/07 at 07:06 AM
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from Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun,

Spezza said he’s still experiencing some pain, which can’t be a good sign. At least he’s got another couple of days before he’ll have to make a decision on the Buffalo game.

“The groin was a little bit sore as practice got going, but (my) wind felt pretty good. If I can take a positive from it, it’s that my wind hasn’t really left me. It hasn’t been that long off so I don’t anticipate that being a problem.”

Senators coach John Paddock isn’t sold yet.

While encouraged to see Spezza make it through practice, he said skating in practice and skating in a game are two different animals.

more

Alfredsson Now A Complete Player

by Paul on 11/12/07 at 08:05 AM
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from Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun,

In an interesting self-observation a couple of minutes later, as we talked about Alfredsson playing the best hockey of his career at a time when many other players begin to wane, Alfredsson said he used to be his own worst critic, but had eased up. The philosophy he had come to adopt for himself was the message he gave his teammates Saturday.

“I might look back at a game and I might have played well, but I misread that play or I did that wrong,” said Alfredsson. “Where I’ve gotten better is I used to take that too hard, then try and make it up and try to do too much. I’m smarter now about how I play the game and that allows me to be more effective.”

more

Sens May Open Season In Sweden

by Paul on 11/10/07 at 08:48 AM
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from the Ottawa Sun,

A league source confirmed to the Sun last night that the Senators are negotiating with the NHL to open the season Oct. 4-5 at the Globen Arena in Stockholm.

Reports in Swedish newspapers yesterday indicated the club’s opponent would be Sidney Crosby’s Penguins, but negotiations are ongoing with the NHL.

While the Senators had been linked to a game in Prague, it’s believed the NHL has turned its focus to a Lightning-Rangers matchup because of the Czech connection with New York’s Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka.

more

Spezza Still Out

by Paul on 11/10/07 at 07:49 AM
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

Jason Spezza, who was hoping to play today, didn’t take part in the Senators’ workout, and is now aiming to return to action Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. “He wouldn’t be playing if this was a playoff game,” said coach John Paddock. “I thought there might be some consideration (to him playing today) based on how he was thinking ... Until he can practise with the team for 60 minutes hard then he’s not close to playing. I hope he’s on the ice with us Monday or Tuesday at the latest.”

more on the Sens…

Emery Goes Into Quiet Mode

by Paul on 11/08/07 at 03:57 PM
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

The Senators goaltender instituted a new policy today of not speaking with his good friends in the media on game day as he prepares to start tonight against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Place.

Emery, making only his third start of the season, has to win tonight if he is going to have any chance of wresting the No. 1 job from goalie Martin Gerber, who has emerged as the club’s clear-cut top man in the net so far this season.

“I don’t care what (Emery’s) like to you guys (in the media),” said coach John Paddock this morning at the Senators’ game-day skate. “The people he’s responsible to are his teammates and the organization. You have a certain standard you have to live up to, but who says that has to be happy all the time ... It’s good to be surly.”

read on

Can Canada Support More NHL Teams?

by Alanah on 11/06/07 at 03:05 PM
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From TSN,

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk thinks Canada could support more NHL teams.  Speaking at a press conference in regards to the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship, Melnyk shared his thoughts, citing Winnipeg as an example.

“I’m a big fan of the province of Manitoba… and I know there are some really great fans there. The problem is; what do you do?” Melnyk said. “Do you build a 15,000 seat stadium and fill it, which is a success, or do you build a 20,000 (seat) stadium that has 10,000 people?

“It’s a shame to see Quebec City have to move and then go on to Colorado and if you recall, that was one of the reasons I was really upset when I heard the Senators may leave Ottawa.”

“I think there’s more room.”

continued...

Sens Shooting For History

by Paul on 11/06/07 at 12:51 PM
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from Tim Wharnsby of the Globe and Mail,

The Ottawa Senators are aiming to make some NHL history tonight when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A victory, whether in overtime or a shootout at Scotiabank Place, would improve the Senators red hot start to 13-1 for 26 points and give them the highest point total after 14 games in league history. The 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings set the best mark at 12-1-1 and the Buffalo Sabres matched the 25 points in 14 games last season when they began the year at 12-1-1.

continued

Update 10:39pm ET: (Alanah) And the Sens do make history—a 5-1 score over the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, setting a new NHL record for the highest point total ever after 14 games. 

Who Is On The ASG Ballot

by Paul on 11/06/07 at 12:05 PM
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from NHL.com,

A League-high six players from the defending Eastern Conference champion and 2007-08 top-ranked Ottawa Senators have been named to the ballot in XM/NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by 2K Sports, which opens Nov. 13.

The Senators, off to the League’s best start with a 12-1-0 record, are represented by forwards Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson, the League’s top-scoring trio in both the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs in 2006-07; defensemen Chris Phillips and Wade Redden, teammates on the Senators blueline since 1997-98; and goaltender Ray Emery, who is making his first appearance on the All-Star ballot after backstopping the Senators to the Stanley Cup Final last season.

continued & uh-oh, no Homer Detroit fans....

Redden Willing To Take Less To Stay With Ottawa

by Paul on 11/06/07 at 06:40 AM
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from the Ottawa Sun,

“I would feel real good leaving next year and see them win the Stanley Cup,” he said, sarcastically.

So, with that in mind, Redden admitted to Sun Media he would consider taking a pay cut from his current $6.5 million salary to stay....

Redden has no idea how much he’s willing to leave on the table to stay and be a part of what is going on here. He’ll have to talk to Meehan about that, he said. But that should be encouragement enough for Senators GM Bryan Murray to be proactive—as he has been so far—to keep Redden.

more

Update 12:42pm ET: (Alanah) Some Senators/Redden salary cap math from Mike Chen a few days ago.

Sens Should Forget Foppa - Get Sundin Instead

by Paul on 11/05/07 at 06:54 AM
Comments (4)

from Ken Campbell of the Hockey News,

If you had your choice between a broken-down, unreliable Forsberg and a rejuvenated Sundin playing his best hockey in years, which one would you want? In fact, any team that is considering picking up Forsberg at this point must also consider making a pitch for Sundin. The Leafs are still in the playoff picture only because they’ve played more games than anyone else in the Eastern Conference, but it’s not likely to last.

There’s no way Leafs GM John Ferguson would be willing to make a trade for the long-term future with his immediate future in so much doubt. That’s why until the Leafs either fire him or give him a long-term extension, the team’s board of directors should be the ones mandating personnel moves. This is one they should make for the good of the franchise.

more

Motivating Ticket Sales

by Alanah on 11/03/07 at 04:19 AM
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From Ken Warren at The Ottawa Citizen,

On Thursday night against the Atlanta Thrashers, Ottawa Senators right-winger Chris Neil crossed the fine line he skates as a member of the NHL’s agitator/enforcer class.

It wasn’t the first time, it won’t be the last and, even though Neil was widely criticized for showing off to the crowd while fighting the Thrashers’ Eric Boulton in the second period and for taking a double minor penalty late in the third period, during which Atlanta scored twice—he says he won’t change how he plays the game.

“I’m here, I’m a motivator,” said Neil, taking issue with observers who claimed his WWE-style antics in waving to the crowd during the fight had no place in the game and served to inspire the Thrashers. “I get the fans going and that’s part of my job. That’s a trait I do (during) fights at home games. I don’t do it on the road. It’s for our fans. We don’t sell tickets on the road. We sell them at home.”

continued...

Report- Sens Sign Spezza To Extension

by Paul on 11/02/07 at 11:27 AM
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via TSN,

The Ottawa Senators have indicated they will make a significant announcement this morning and sources tell TSN centre Jason Spezza has been signed a multi-year contract extension. More details to follow.

update 11:38am, from Bob McKenzie of TSN,

Jason Spezza has a new seven-year contract extension worth $49 million with the Ottawa Senators.

Spezza will get $8 million in each of the first five years of the contract and $5 million and $4 million, respectively, in the final two years. The cap hit will be $7 million per year for the Senators.

more

Senators’ Spezza Possibly Out

by Alanah on 10/31/07 at 05:26 PM
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From CBC,

Ottawa Senators star Jason Spezza missed practice Wednesday, and might miss Thursday night’s game against the Atlanta Thrashers because of a slight groin pull.

He sat out practice after suffering the injury during Tuesday’s skate. He has one goal and 12 assists in 10 games, the second-highest points total on the team.

“It happened yesterday [Tuesday] and right now it doesn’t feel that good,” Spezza told reporters Wednesday. “We’re just going to kind of take it day by day.”

Meanwhile, veteran forward Dean McAmmond declared himself fit to play. He has missed all 10 games this season while recovering from a concussion and shoulder injury suffered when Philadelphia Flyers forward Steve Downie ran into him in pre-season.

continued...

Sens Need A Game

by Paul on 10/31/07 at 06:39 AM
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

While Neil was chirping at winger Dany Heatley for a hook during a 1-on-1 drill and then winger Brian McGrattan near the end of the workout, Emery was screaming expletives at winger Patrick Eaves for getting a shot up high early in practice.

Once Emery took that shot to the mask and chewed out Eaves for it, nobody dared shoot high the rest of practice because there’s no question that Emery is one of the club’s toughest customers.

read on

Ottawa Playing to Win

by Alanah on 10/30/07 at 10:45 AM
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From Allen Panzeri at the Ottawa Citizen,

Ottawa Senators coach John Paddock never would have predicted that his team would zip through the first 10 games with a 9-1 record.

He won’t predict the pattern is going to continue, either. The Senators are not going to finish 72-10. The National Hockey League is just too good for any team to do that.  However, if it did, if it continued to play at this opening level for the next 72 regular-season games, Paddock would be a happy man. After all, that’s the goal of any hockey team: to win every game it plays.

“If you’re not trying to be 82-0. “you’re not trying,” Paddock said yesterday.  “Dany Heatley’s paid to score goals, yes, but, really, he’s paid to win, and so are all the players. That’s their job.”

continued...

Country Time Over For Sens

by Paul on 10/24/07 at 06:38 AM
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

It might not help them win any hockey games, but the Senators enjoyed their three-day bonding session in cottage country.

They fished, golfed, played cards and watched Monday Night Football during their togetherness session.

continued

No To Foppa

by Paul on 10/23/07 at 02:10 PM
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from Ken Campbell of the Hockey News,

Why the Senators would want anything to do with Forsberg in the first place is mystifying because – read this out loud a number of times if you have to – Forsberg is nowhere near being the player he once was. He plays on the perimeter and while his vision and passing skills are as sharp as ever, his body is broken down and he literally cannot be counted upon from one game to the next.

read on and a it looks like Belfour has some back problems again…

Panthers’ Booth Leaves Game on Stretcher

by Alanah on 10/20/07 at 09:26 PM
Comments (1)

From The Sports Network,

Florida Panthers left wing David Booth was removed from the ice on a stretcher during the second period of a game against the Ottawa Senators Saturday night.

Booth was in the offensive left corner when he was checked from behind by Ottawa defenseman Anton Volchenkov with 15:12 left in the period. Booth’s head went flush into the boards and he remained on his back until medical personnel assisted him to the stretcher.

Volchenkov was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct.

Update 10:45pm ET - George Richards at On Frozen Pond

Booth has been taken to the Ottawa Civic Hospital, said to be alert and moving around. The Panthers are optimistic doctors at the hospital will release him and he’ll be able to make the charter flight home. [...]

The hit by Volchenkov may have been in retaliation for a similar hit just moments earlier. There, Florida defenseman Branislav Mezei sent Nick Foligno into the boards. Foligno had to be helped off the ice…

Mike Foligno Loved The Leap

by Paul on 10/20/07 at 07:41 AM
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from Bruce Garroch of the Ottawa Sun,

It was 2:30 a.m. yesterday by the time Foligno pulled into the driveway of his Sudbury home after the Wolves made their way back from a game in Brampton and his wife, Janis, had the VCR cued up so the father of Senators winger Nick Foligno could see his son in action.

The former NHLer had already heard Nick paid tribute to him by leaping in the air after scoring his first goal in the club’s 4-3 victory over the Canadiens on Thursday, but the elder Foligno couldn’t wait to see it....

“I really thought the jump was great. You know, I thought it was nice that the Senators allowed him to do that. They are such a class organization because they respect the tradition. I really think whenever somebody scores in the NHL, that’s the one time that you’re allowed to be a kid again.”

read on

Spezza Searching For Goal Number One

by Paul on 10/17/07 at 08:20 AM
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from the Ottawa Sun,

Going into last night’s games, Spezza led the NHL in assists with 11 and sat second in scoring, behind Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg, who’s had five goals as part of his 13 points.

Spezza was the only player in the league’s top 44 scorers that has yet to light the lamp.

Also baffling to Spezza is the fact he’s 11th in shots, with 24. Last season, he had the league’s second-best shooting percentage behind Pittsburgh’s Jordan Staal, scoring 34 times on just 162 offerings for a 21% connection rate.

read on

The Diplomatic Response

by Paul on 10/16/07 at 07:02 AM
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from Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun,

Ray Emery , the only goalie to take Ottawa to the Stanley Cup finals, is finally ready to return from wrist surgery and reclaim his No. 1 job.

Martin Gerber, who in 12 months has amazingly transformed his game from shaky to steady to sometimes spectacular, has zero interest in giving up the position he’s held since the season began.

Both men said all the right things yesterday. Both want to play, both are content to let the chips fall where they may, both want what’s best for the team.

more

Sens Interested In Robitaille

by Paul on 10/13/07 at 09:08 AM
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

Randy Robitaille may be coming home.

The Senators are looking to sign the 30-year-old Ottawa native to a one-year contract, the Sun has learned. The New York Islanders have also shown a mild interest in Robitaille’s services....

A source said the Senators’ deal for Robitaille, who would be joining his ninth NHL team, was still being worked out late yesterday.

more

Vyborny Still Using “Old School” Stick

by Paul on 10/13/07 at 08:30 AM
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from the Columbus Dispatch,

And then there are David Vyborny’s sticks: short, stubby, all wood and spray-painted black.

It’s like wandering into Circuit City and finding a shelf stocked with 14-inch, black-and-white televisions. Forget high definition. In the world of hockey innovation, Vyborny isn’t even cable ready.

“I’m an old-style guy,” said Vyborny, a right winger and the franchise leader in assists and points. “When I find something I like, I want to keep using it.”

more

Neil Ready To Play Broadway

by Paul on 10/13/07 at 07:50 AM
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ott