SENShobo
Next entry: Gearing up for camp, gearing down Kovalev expectations
Previous entry: Hearts go out to man of compassion
Optimism in spite of the pain
by SENShobo on 09/02/10 at 09:01 AM ET
Comments (0)
An update on Dr. Chow, ex-Sens still job hunting, and the base hope for the season, but first…
From the Ottawa Senators, on television coverage,
For the first time ever, all 82 games are being made available to Sens Army faithful living within the Senators’ broadcast territory [...]
“It’s great for us,” said Senators president Cyril Leeder. “For our fans, we’ll have every game televised this year, so there will be more games available to more fans. It just speaks to the fact that Senators games are in demand by the networks, the fans and the advertisers as well.”
For a moment, the eyes lit up, and still clouded over just as quickly.
Last season, there were but a couple games that could not be found on television to enjoy; taking that through to a full slate should spur pride and joy, should it not? For me, it’s a double-edged sword. To get the full slate, you still need to have CBC, TSN, and Sportsnet on order, but even that’s not a complete picture; you need them from Peterborough on East. For someone located in, oh, some crazy place like Waterloo, it means that you’ll actually get less than half these games thanks to blackouts and local precedence. That chalks up one part of my Christmas wish list that still remains unfulfilled, in spite of the wonders of cable, satellite, and NHL GameCenter LIVE.
From the Ottawa Sun, an update on the Senators’ Dr. Chow,
Four days after he was thrown from his motorcycle on Fisher Ave., Dr. Donald Chow remains in critical condition Wednesday in the Ottawa Hospital’s intensive care unit.
“I know that there were other news reports, but they were erroneous. He remains in critical condition,” said hospital spokeswoman Allison Neill.
As yesterday, as always, Dr. Chow and his family are in my thoughts and prayers.
From the Ottawa Sun (and KK), on ex-Senator unemployment,
After accepting a deal to play in Finland, Donovan was told the contract has been put on hold.
[...]
The Finnish offer was attractive because he didn’t need to report until mid-October and could accept an NHL deal.“I’m just going to have to wait for something else,” said Donovan. “I’m going to have to regroup. It’s not the end of the world. I knew I was going to have to wait until NHL teams go to camp.
“I guess I’m just back to the point where I’m going to have my agent talk to some teams. There has been some interest (from NHL teams), but nothing has been 100% like I thought (the Finnish offer) was.”
[...]
Former Senators defenceman Christoph Schubert, 28, who finished last season with the Atlanta Thrashers, has been skating in Ottawa and is looking for work.
With neither former Senator having a great season at the top of their resume, you get a sense that the new CBA won’t be as clear-cut a divide as owners vs. players.
From the Ottawa Senators, on the hope for the new season,
“We have a good hockey team,” Murray told reporters earlier today. “I think we’re a contending team in the East. There are a number of good teams, mind you, (but) I suspect we’ll be better than last year. Some of our young players, in particular, should be better. Nick Foligno, Peter Regin, Erik Karlsson — people of that nature — have a chance to take a big step forward.
“You pair that with the veterans coming back and continuing the kind of play they’ve had and we should be a good hockey club.”
Of course, that’s always the hope; there was hope for a stop in the decline of Meszaros, later for an upswing from Foligno and Lee, but it’s the continued success, not the hope for the new, that should be the base foundation, and that’s where you find yourself looking to the newest Senator. You know his upside, you know his downside, but how do you really feel about Gonchar taking Volchenkov’s spot as a fixture on the Sens’ blue line?
You know what you’ll miss. You’ll miss the excitement of waiting for the next board-rattling hip-check. There won’t be the same confidence that someone will take a bullet from the point for Leclaire and Elliott. Alfie may well be the only player in the opening lineup sporting a wicked scar or piece of patchwork, unidentifiable, I’m-determined-to-play protective equipment to inspire fans and teammates with. There won’t be the same shutdown tandem for Clouston to confidently throw over the boards against one line teams. You’ll miss a player whose point total never mattered to you. There will be one fewer player that you will never have to worry about giving a bad quote to the newspapers.
You know what you’ll gain. The thrill of wondering how the puck will wind or whip its way up the ice. There will be a new confidence that the power play will be better engineered (most of the time). Alfie may not be the only player heading into the dressing room who showed that you still have a lot to leave on the ice in your mid-30s. Clouston will have far better options to throw over the boards against lines that foolishly iced the puck. You’ll look forward to a player who’s never contributed less than .75 points per game since the lockout. There will be one more player that you might just get an interesting quote out of for the newspapers.
But the base element of making this switch? Think back to the successful seasons for the Senators. Yes, there has always been the steady presence of Phillips, and until now the impressive play of Volchenkov, but of late we’ve been missing the punch that backstopped those successful years: good offensive numbers from players like Redden, Chara, Pothier, Preissing, and even fan less-than-favourite fodder Andrej “Mez-aster” and “Uh-Oh” Corvo.
For all the begrudging that came later, they are what has been missing from this Senators team (along with, in earlier years, forward depth thanks to the Hossa’s and Havlat’s that wouldn’t leave a mock expansion looking to Kovalev to fill out the protected list). Look down the list of quotes from Murray, and ever since the Cup run he’s been talking about puck-moving defence men. He traded for Commodore and Sutton, but he signed the likes of Kuba, Campoli (after a trade), and Gonchar, and drafted Karlsson and Wiercioch, while trading for Rundblad. Even Cowen has the potential to be more than the big body he’ll likely be asked to be come training camp.
If Gonchar can impart any of his acumen over the next three seasons, it will be worth it. Next season, at least, it will also serve to help out a particular under-valued Senator. But more on that tomorrow.
Filed in: NHL News, NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
Tags: Dr.+Chow, Sergei+Gonchar,
Comments
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Can Ottawa Build Key Organization & Roster Element This Week?
As Fisher’s Character Departs, Ottawa’s is Revealed
Hockey Blogging Leading to Hockey Engineering
Heatley’s “Homecoming” Must Be About The Message As Much As The Man
In Case You Wondered About My Absence
Ottawa Strolls Into Contender’s Clutches
Senators Run Out Of Gas Against Canucks
Canucks Offer Ottawa’s First Stern Test
About Kukla’s Korner
Kukla’s Korner is updated around the clock with the work of our own talented bloggers, plus links to the best hockey writing around the internet. We strive to bring you all the breaking hockey news as it happens.
The home page allows you to see the latest postings from every blog on the site. Subscribe here. For general inquiries and more, please contact us anytime.
Get the top online sports betting bonuses available to sports betters!
When learning from experts it’s best to learn personally from them, or from their blog. We can provide that with poker lessons blog, your home to learn poker personally.
Do you get shocked from the luck in the game of poker? Stop getting shocked and start being a Poker Shoker.
As well as reading about hockey games, you can also find info about poker like which poker sites accept American Express or which are the best Canadian poker sites and also find the top rakeback sites at rakeback.net.
Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.