SENShobo

History Will Be Made?

by SENShobo on 05/14/10 at 10:12 PM ET
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In round one, if you were in the West, being the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th seed meant you won. In the East, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th seed meant you lost. In round two, if you were in the West, home ice advantage meant you won, and the original 1st and 2nd seeds advanced. In the East, home ice advantage meant you lost, and the original 7th and 8th seeds advanced, also marking the first time in NHL history that a Conference Final featured the 7th and 8th seeds, or so I hear from Versus. Not one team has known their coach in these Conference Finals for more than two seasons.

The President’s Trophy winners were felled by the Canadiens, and then the Stanley Cup winners fell too. The Flyers were down three goals to none in game seven, just as they had been down three games to none in the series; in both cases, rare series and game seven comebacks happened.

Whether you love seeing a season’s hard work prevail, or an end of season push triumph, intrigue remains this spring, and the NHL commercials indeed had it right. History was made.

Filed in: NHL General | SENShobo | Permalink

Who Wants The Cup?

by SENShobo on 04/15/10 at 02:49 PM ET
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A fun trip to shop.nhl.com, thanks to the Sens Underground podcast for the pointer (specifically StooLi at 44m25s), reveals much to anyone’s surprise that while 16 teams have yet to hit the links this spring, only 15 of them actually want the Cup.

I’m sure there’s an explanation for this somewhere. But they will be “available soon.”

Filed in: NHL General, NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
Tags: Ottawa+Senators,

Where I’ve Been

by SENShobo on 11/26/09 at 12:10 PM ET
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In case you’ve come here and wondered where the posts have gone, I’ve come across a very busy time at work.

As well, I have been pondering what I want to do with this blog, wondering what you readers have taken from it as I ponder where to take it in a way that won’t tax too heavily my schedule.

Expect for an absence during this busy end of year time, with perhaps unfortunately sporadic posts, and feel free to leave any comments you have about the blog, they’ll be taken to heart.

...also seemed that my absence, up until Wednesday but rectified Thursday, had a good effect on the depleted team. Coincidence?

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Clouston’s NHL Career Turns 50

by SENShobo on 11/12/09 at 08:56 AM ET
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Should Leclaire’s goaltending be questioned, is Emery really the focus the team needs tonight, and a little more love in the Senators’ organization, but first..

From the Ottawa Citizen, on Clouston’s “50th,”

“I think the biggest thing I’ve probably learned is how difficult it is to win, that any win is a good win, even though you may not have played as well as you possibly could have,” he said in an interview Wednesday.

“You’ve got to make sure that you appreciate the wins and take the positives out of that, and work on the things that need to be improved on, because it is such a tough league to win in.”
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To say winning has always come easily to Clouston is a little misleading. His Western Hockey League, American Hockey League and NHL squads have never posted a losing record in eight years, so it certainly looks that way.

But you don’t pick up various coach-of-the-year awards and get to be the second-youngest active head coach in the NHL because you’re lucky. Clouston’s willingness to work harder and longer than the next guy has been the secret to his success thus far.

The man who hired him and saw him pull a few all-nighters at Scotiabank Place, Senators general manager Bryan Murray, can vouch for that.

A bit of self-congratulation? Maybe. But there’s a bit more to Clouston’s performance that’s assured him the opportunity to prove himself.

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A Class That Embodies The Real Lesson

by SENShobo on 11/10/09 at 01:40 PM ET
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You could see a great many stories about the Senators today, from their unfortunate status as the most penalized team in the League (SENS), Murray’s desire to add at least a player (HC), the Oilers who Heatley kept in Edmonton rolling into town (OS), and Emery’s first game hosting ‘a team he used to play for’ (OC).

But, after last night’s Hockey Hall of Fame inductions, perhaps a little more reflection on the organization would be diligent.

Filed in: NHL General, NHL News, NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink

Third Time’s The Charm

by SENShobo on 11/06/09 at 09:22 AM ET
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Ottawa’s goal ‘luck’ returns, how to lay a clean hit, H1N1 hits the organization, and the can’t miss $4 million hockey cards, but first..

From the Ottawa Sun, on Ottawa’s 3-2 OT win over Tampa,

Returning to the lineup after missing two games with what’s believed to be a back/groin injury, the Senators centre fired his first goal of the season past Antero Niittymaki at 4:17 of overtime to give Ottawa a 3-2 win over Tampa Bay at Scotiabank Place.
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“To get one in overtime, get the win and get my first is always nice,” said Spezza, who hadn’t scored since April 11, in the Senators’ season-ending game — against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“I felt pretty good about my game going into this. I just wasn’t getting any bounces. It’s nice to get one — that’s for sure.”

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink

Sens Need Mending

by SENShobo on 11/05/09 at 08:56 AM ET
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Face off woes, flu shot ponderings, Binghamton’s visit, possible rookie camp move, and prospect updates, but first..

From the Ottawa Sun, on Spezza’s back problems,

“I felt pretty good. I got through the whole practice and I didn’t have to leave. The rest has definitely helped it, but the only way you can tell how it’s going to be is by skating,” said Spezza, who is still looking for his first goal, but has eight assists in 10 games and has been good at both ends of the rink.

“It hasn’t gone away completely, but it’s been better. It’s a positive sign. It’s been hampering me all year. I just got to the point where I didn’t feel I could go on much longer without taking a bit of time off. Hopefully, we’ve got it under control now and it doesn’t become an issue for me.”

Whether or not Spezza plays tonight (and with Volchenkov still sidelined), the real team need is consistency, in all areas. Update - 2:20 p.m. - (OC) Spezza, Fisher, Leclaire are in, Donovan and Winchester out.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink

Sens’ Final Resting Place

by SENShobo on 11/03/09 at 08:59 AM ET
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Melnyk looking to stab back at Heatley, Kovalev supposedly needs to improve, and some injury updates with shocking schedule realities, but first..

From the Ottawa Citizen, on Elliott’s future prospects,

Like Elliott, Leclaire has another year left on his contract. At that point, the Senators will have to decide whether they want to re-sign Leclaire and/or Elliott or whether they want to trust their future to Swedish goalie Robin Lehner, who is playing very well this season for the Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Greyhounds.

Cory Clouston, who coached Elliott in Binghamton before both of them were parachuted into Ottawa, has no doubt Elliott will be a No. 1 NHL goalie. It’s a matter of finetuning.

“I think the structure of his game and his positional play is a lot better,” said Clouston, who was promoted to Ottawa after the firing of Craig Hartsburg in February.

Going 2-1-1 with a 3.20GAA and .892Sv% won’t convince anyone that last season’s end wasn’t a fluke, but there’s much more still to come.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink

Ottawa Narrowly Edges Florida

by SENShobo on 10/29/09 at 08:37 AM ET
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Struggling Sens on and off the ice, scary personnel losses, praise for Clouston and Kovalev, some mild skepticism, (update) and lineup notes for tonight, but first..

From the Ottawa Sun, on Kuba’s successful return,

In his first game back after missing eight with a groin injury, Kuba assisted on two goals and was a plus-2 as the Senators dumped the Florida Panthers 4-3 last night at BankAtlantic Center.

Kuba said he felt “rusty” and that it was “like the beginning of the season for me.”
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While the Senators converted their one and only power play of the night, it was the Ottawa “killers” who shone brightest. The Panthers were allowed only one goal on seven power plays.

“I thought we battled hard,” said coach Cory Clouston. “When you have to kill that many times, it’s tough on guys. It’s really hard to get momentum. I thought each time we killed, two or three shifts later we ended up gaining the momentum back, but the next thing you know we were in the box.”

There will always be positives to find in victory. Yes, even against a .250 team.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink

Karlsson Down, Kuba In For Sens

by SENShobo on 10/28/09 at 09:23 AM ET
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Lineup returns, cementings, equipment changes, and flu scares, but first..

From the Ottawa Citizen, on Karlsson’s demotion,

On the bright side, at least nobody said, “this is a men’s league and he’s still a boy.”
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Karlsson survived the late September cut, but not the contractual trigger deadline nine games into the season. The 19-year-old was stung, breaking down with emotion in the office of Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray.
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Spezza, drafted by Ottawa second overall in 2001, famously went down to Bingo with the “this is a men’s league” quote from Jacques Martin ringing in his ears, back when Marshall Johnston and Martin were GM and head coach of the Senators, respectively. Truthful, but blunt, and not exactly what a future star wants to hear.

For all the hope and promise, it was bound to happen, and it’s for the best.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink

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Who is SENShobo?

Fully addicted to hockey, Andrew Dodds finds it safe to live in the alleys, considering his allegiance to the Ottawa Senators in the middle of Leaf County. He tries to bring you as many worthwhile Sens stories as he can find, along with his musings on the team and the NHL in general; musings indeed since he is but a humble hockey hobo.

If you have any general comments, questions, suggestions, or concerns about myself or my blog and its content, you can post them publicly here, or drop me an email.

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