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They Looked Good In Europe, Time To Prove It In Ottawa
by SENShobo on 10/11/08 at 09:30 AM ET
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This morning’s Ottawa Senators stories:
- Alfie’s two week recovery an early test for Sens.
- Fisher returns to help carry the load.
- Heatley to wear Alfie’s ‘C’.
- Have the Leafs shown us Detroit’s weakness?
- A sit-down chat with Heatley.
- Alfie’s absence means our team has to prove it knows that word well (Ottawa Sun, Ottawa Citizen).
“Every team in this league is going to go through it,” he said. “You miss good players for games, but you know, that’s the thing we’ve been talking about since training camp began. We need to be a team and certainly we’re going to miss Alfredsson. He’s out of our lineup and obviously we’re a better team when he’s in our lineup.
“But it’s a great opportunity for us to prove, to prove we’re different this year. This is a group that wants to take great pride in being a team and doing whatever it takes, and it’s an opportunity for some people to step up and get an opportunity to do more.
“We don’t need to change our plan, we’re not going to change anything, but this is a good challenge for us and it’s a great test right off the start to see how we react to it.”
You could say that Alfie is precisely what makes this team run, and without him they have a lot to prove. 3-8-1 in his absence last year, Detroit might make his seat in the press box a little less comfortable, but the team has to be able to rally around itself. Ruutu will take Alfie’s spot on the top line, so it won’t be easy for the Wings to try and push Heatley and Spezza any further than Alfie’s absence already has.
Decried for not playing his physical game last year, Neil was spectacular in his role in Stockholm, possibly because many other Senators were playing their own gritty version of his game. Even Heatley showed how to go all in, blocking a blast from the point in Sunday’s game. If the team can rally around that all for one attitude, Detroit might find tonight no easier than their opener. Of course, boisterous fans will help with that too, so bring cough drops.
- Fisher’s return will give team a boost, maybe help that balanced scoring we’re looking to establish (Ottawa Sun).
“I felt good and it’s the hardest I’ve gone. I did some good things and I felt good out there,” Fisher said after practice. “I feel like I’m ready to get going.”
Fisher won’t put any extra pressure on himself to be a scorer just because Daniel Alfredsson is out.
“It’s a tough break losing Alfie, but if we continue to play as a team and I think if everyone chips in and keeps going the way we’ve been going, then we should be fine,” said Fisher. “Regardless of whether he is in or out, for me I just had to make sure I felt good and that I was going to be able to have confidence.”
Undoubtedly Fisher will help the team prevent Detroit from trying to take too much advantage of our misfortune. Centering Foligno and Neil, they should provide a good mix of scoring ability, between hard-fought and net-crashing goals, and a good physical edge without the puck. If anyone doubted the scoring potential of the team, Heatley-Spezza-Ruutu, Foligno-Fisher-Neil, and I assume Kelly-Vermette-Winchester should give us exactly the opportunity we need to prove them wrong.
- Heatley steps up to lead the team (Calgary Herald).
Ottawa Senators head coach Craig Hartsburg says he doesn’t want Dany Heatley to play any differently just because Daniel Alfredsson is out of the lineup.
Hartsburg does, however, want the Calgary product to take every opportunity to expand his leadership responsibilities. That’s why, he made him the acting captain in Alfredsson’s absence, expanding on the alternate captain’s position Heatley was given at training camp.
“Dany has been, for me, again . . . the reason he got the ‘A’ was because of the way he started training camp. His work habits, the way he has approached things, has been great,” Hartsburg said.
Did you miss Sunday’s game last week? Where Heatley was throwing checks, blocking shots, yelling from the bench to motivate his team? Amidst the quiet leadership of Alfie, Phillips, and ex-Senator Redden, Heatley’s louder voice should be a good counterpoint to keep the team steady and motivated.
Ever since he brough up increased responsibility and involvement with the team in his and Hartsburg’s first phone conversation, Heatley has shown that he can and will increase his game to live up to his ‘A’. If Sunday’s show was partly thanks to that ‘A’, I for one am quite curious to see what power the ‘C’ might give him.
- If the Leafs can beat Detroit in their first game, we can find a way in our third (Ottawa Citizen).
There’s no need for the Ottawa Senators to look beyond Toronto’s 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday to see what their game plan should be for tonight’s meeting with the Stanley Cup champions.
The Maple Leafs’ aggressive forecheck, which disrupted Detroit’s vaunted breakout game, is something the Wings can count on seeing all season.
“They kept us in our end a lot,” Wings goalie Chris Osgood said. “That’s the key, teams keeping us in our end.
“It’s like football; if we’re not in their end, we can’t score. That’s (an opponents’) best defence, to keep us in our end.”
19. No, I’m not talking about Spezza. That’s how many turnovers Toronto pulled out of the Wings. I talked about it yesterday and in my game preview: Detroit can be beat. Hard work, few pretty plays that will likely wind up in our net, and the same tenacity Toronto showed, and you’ve got a good shot. Well, Detroit’s completely fired up, so maybe not as good a shot as we would have had if they’d been riding in high off a blowout, but it’s our turn now.
- Heatley sits down to better acquaint Ottawa with their newest leader (Ottawa Citizen).
Wayne Scanlan: You’ve talked this fall about being more of an all-round player, taking on more responsibility. Where does that motivation come from?
Dany Heatley: I think it’s from being here a certain amount of time. I look at my three years in Ottawa—the first year I was just kind of getting used to it, the new city and teammates, and the second
year was obviously great for everybody, going to the finals. It was kind of a whirlwind three years, with different things going on. I had a long summer to think about things, and with the long-term deal I know I’m going to be here for a while, and I just felt I wanted more for myself and to give more for this team.
Plenty more from Heatley, on Senators, hockey, and personal thoughts. Always nice to know they’re human, and see that there is a person under there, and it’s not just a hockey robot you’re watching on tv that won’t let you see their human side. Take note here, Corvo.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
Tags: Daniel+Alfredsson, Dany+Heatley, Mike+Fisher,
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