Senators to trade Emery?

Rumour has it that the Ottawa Senators may in fact be close to trading 24-year old goaltender Ray Emery to a Western Conference (apparently, the Los Angeles Kings) team along with forward Patrick Eaves and a prospect coming up from the Sens' farm club in Binghamton (suggested to be Josh Hennessey) in exchange for a goaltender and player.

Kevin Lee from Hockeybuzz, posted this on his blog yesterday and fans are anxiously awaiting to see if it's true or not.
To add more flame to the fire, GM Bryan Murray was reportedly in Binghamton last night to watch the prospect involved in the deal play, again, according to Lee.

Oh boy, this is interesting, is Emery on the way out? Already?!
He led his team to the Cup Final last season, was locked up to a big deal and is still young.

Have the Sens given up on him? Already?!

Interesting indeed,

-BBeR

Out-of-Sync Gadget Transformed Into Defensive Machine

After the Rangers collective contraption blew a gasket against the Ottawa Senators on October 13, when they gave up 3 goals in 52 seconds, I described them as being “like a rich kid’s rendition of an out-of-sync gadget thrown together for a science class project”. Link to October 13 article.

This description* actually made a Philadelphia Flyers fan (JD FLYGUY) write: “You have no idea how much that made my day. I think I have a new favorite quote. That's pure genius”. Link to JD FLYGUY’s quote (in comments section).

The irony is that after shutting out the Flyers 2-0 tonight, the Rangers seemingly out-of-control science project is beginning to resemble a defensive Frankenstein, which was masterminded by a mad hockey genius.

Having given up only 2 goals in their last 4 games, 8 goals in their last 8 games, and a league low 23 goals in 14 games, the Rangers find themselves as the league’s top defensive team with a GAA of 1.64.

The Rangers, who’ve amazingly also scored a league low 1.78 goals per game, have obviously found the answer to their season-long offensively offensive woes—the best offense is a good defense, combined with a royal goalie (King Henrik Lundquist).

Humorist’s Hindsight: In the NOT DEAD YET category, Brendan Shanahan is trying to bury the October 17 pronouncement by myself and former Rangers statistician, Nomar Goles, that his goal scoring ability is “dead”. Shanahan has scored 3 goals in his last 4 games, including resurrecting his patented one-timer against the Flyers tonight.

In figuratively trying to stay off the “corpses’ cart” that was immortalized in the classic film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Shanahan has not only proclaimed his goal scoring as being “not dead yet” with his recent surge, but he was also overheard after tonight’s game saying, “I feel happy. I feel happy”.

*The original quote that JD FLYGUY responded to was “like a rich kid’s rendition of a gadget thrown together for a science class project”. I later added “out-of-sync”.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

Spezza ices huge contract with Senators!

Breaking news in the nation's capital, as the Ottawa Senators finally got a deal done with their superstar-in-the-making Jason Spezza yesterday night, agreeing to a new 7-year/$49 million contract extension according to Bob McKenzie over at TSN.

Spezza and Murray have yet to announce anything to the media, but McKenzie did a good job and got the details as to how Spezza would be paid over the course of the next 7 years:

08-09: 4 M signing bonus, 4 M base salary = $8 million
09-10: 4 M signing bonus, 4 M base salary = $8 million
10-11: 4 M signing bonus, 4 M base salary = $8 million
11-12: 2 M signing bonus, 6 M base salary = $8 million
12-13: 2 M signing bonus, 6 M base salary = $8 million
13-14: no signing bonus, 5 M base salary = $5 million
14-15: no signing bonus, 5 M base salary = $5 million

For a total of a whopping $49 million.

Spezza's deal is similar to his linemate's Dany Heatley, who also signed a massive extension early in the new campaign.

The 24-year old has 1 goal and 12 assists in 10 games with the Senators so far, and he likely sat out last night's game vs the Thrashers to finalize this deal with his agent.

This signing may mean the end of the Wade Redden era in Ottawa, as the veteran blueliner is eligible to hit the unrestricted free-agent market and it's unlikly Sens GM Bryan Murray will be able to live up to yet more pressure from the fans and keep the pricey Redden in the fold.

The Missisauga native was due to become a restricted free-agent this summer, and given the recent situations that have unfolded during that period with offer sheets being thrown around (see Dustin Penner, Tomas Vanek, Ryan Kesler), Spezza would've been an attractive option to teams salivating for that God-like player.

-BBeR

-BBeR

Combustible Chemistry Causes Rangers to Self-In-Sen-erate in 52 Seconds

NEW YORK — In one of the oddest reported occurrences of spontaneous human combustion, 19* men simultaneously blew up in front of over 18,000 horrified witnesses.

Although the entire explosive event took less than a minute, one scientist, who happened to be on hand, had a handle on how it happened.

“Whenever you combine very potent and efficient Canadian firepower with MSG ice, sloppy defensive play and too many new player combinations, there is always a small chance of having this kind of freakish result,” said Korean chemical engineer, Yu B. Sik.

Fortunately, since the fireworks finished so fast, the fire department never had to be called. Although Ranger head coach, Tom Renney, was unavailable for comment, Brendan Shanahan took “a shot” at giving the players’ explanation for the Manhattan Meltdown. Unfortunately, like all of his other shots this year, Shanahan was off target with his comments—missing the microphone by a good two feet.

Amazingly, despite the horrific happenstance, all 19* players survived and are expected to be in the lineup Thursday against Atlanta.

*I gave backup goalie, Stephen Valiquette, an exemption because he didn’t play. However, this is only an honorary exemption, because had Valiquette been in net, things might have gotten worse yet.

Humorist’s Hindsight: Let’s face it. Even if the Rangers hadn’t self-imploded by giving up 3 goals in that minute of misery, they had no chance against the vastly superior Senators. Ottawa was so clearly the better team in every phase of the game. This includes being bigger, faster, more skilled, quicker to the puck, more physical, having a better transition game, etc.

At this point Ottawa is like a well-oiled, fine-tuned industrial machine, while the Rangers are like a rich kid’s rendition of an out-of-sync gadget thrown together for a science class project. It seems hard to believe that in the next 6 months the Rangers are going to be able to catch up with their Canadian counterparts.

It also doesn’t help that the Rangers have next to nothing left in the salary cap kitty (sorry tdr) with which to purchase any meaningful machine parts before the trade deadline.

At the moment, I can only think of 2 funny aspects to the Rangers slow start to the season:

1) That anyone could have seriously believed the Rangers were Stanley Cup contenders, given that they will almost certainly have to get past Ottawa in the playoffs, and

2) That Glen Sather shelled out over $5 million to Brendan Shanahan this season, believing that he was still a formidable goal scorer—despite all the contrary evidence over Shanahan’s last 38 regular season games of 2006-2007. Details of Shanahan's "sinking ship of a scoring shot" from last season are found in the middle of this August 3rd article.

With 5 more goalless games to start this season, Shanny’s Fanny is going to get an “old” fashioned, verbal butt kicking by the Hockey Humorist in posts that will appear sometime before Thursday’s game in Atlanta.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

What Do You Think?

As you probably have heard or read, in the Flyers vs. Senators game last night, Flyers rookie right wing Steve Downie absolutely crushed Senators veteran left wing Dean McAmmond. Unfortunately, I had to miss the live broadcast because of class, but replays have been clogging highlight reels since. My reason for saying this is that I didn't get to see the context of the hit (which team was in possession of momentum at the time, etc.).

I've gotta be honest, I think it was a pretty dirty, bad hit. I don't necessarily think it was blatant, because I believe Downie was merely trying to give his team a boost in a visiting setting - plus the fact that he apologized immediately afterwards. He's an agitator, and that's his game. I'm not a fan of agitators in general, but I understand their part in the game. Don't get me wrong, I love a good hard hit here and there - it shows energy and drive to win. It's just I'm not a fan of their style in general (hit first, score second). I'm a firm believer that a good "stick-it-to-em" strategy relies on hitting AND scoring.

From what I can tell he hit him with his shoulder, but it also seems evident that he left his feet in order to make the hit. I'm a Flyers fan to the um-teenth degree, but I really have a problem with dirty players representing my team, my city, and my fellow fans. I have a feeling that if he makes the NHL club he'll be penalized by the league, and the next time he plays against Ottawa he might want to watch his back. From what I've heard, Brian McGrattan has quite the vendetta out right now. What do you guys think? I can't be the only one with an opinion on this one.

Here's the video so you can all see what I'm talking about.

Penner's new deal with Oilers an ominous sign for NHL...

Various media sources are reporting the Edmonton Oilers have officially signed former Ducks forward Dustin Penner to a 5-year/$21.5 million contract.

The young sniper played in all 82 games for the Stanley Cup champions Ducks last season, scoring 29 goals and adding 16 assists for a total of 45 points and 202 shots on goal.

The signing occurs a few weeks after Lowe made a bold move in signing the Sabres' Tomas Vanek to a $7 million per season offer sheet, only to see Buffalo GM Darcy Regier match within 19 minutes.

The 6'4'', 245-pound Winkler, Manitoba native just scored big time in the bank, and the NHL should be worried.

A few years down the road, maybe, just maybe he'd be worth the money he just got from a desperate Kevin Lowe...but at this point in his career? A 24-year old sophomore with a season and a quarter under his belt making a little over $4 million per season seems too much like the old NHL, where GM's paid wildly for any hint of talent available to them.

Scott Hartnell, who recently signed a similar pact with the Philadelphia Flyers, belongs in that pool of "paying for potential, not production" players. Both Penner and Hartnell will earn $4.2 million annually for the next 5 and 6 seasons respectively.

So what does this mean for the future RFA market?

For starters, teams may be tempted to sign future restricted free-agent Jason Spezza to an offer sheet next summer, and with the Senators trying to hold on to potential unrestricted 50-goal man Dany Heatley as well, someone may very well succeed in prying him from Sens GM Bryan Murray's hands.

But not so fast, this signing of Penner is also an ominous sign.
A sign that the NHL is heading back to its old days of overpriced free-agents and overrated players...I'm starting to wonder why we lost a complete season of hockey and why Gary Bettman and the NHL are so STUBBORN not to realize what's going on.

It was a mistake to make the cap rise again to $50.3 million, if the NHL knows what's good for their league finances and fans, they'll lower that number to $45 million next year and leaves GM's little room to spend the $7 million Chris Drury got, and the $10 million Dany Heatley will likely get if this continues next year.
They won't lower the cap, so scratch that.

If they actually used their brains, they'd finally figure out that the more the cap raises, the more salaries for elite players will go up, and the more we'll be drifting back to the pre-lockout era and a potential lockout/labour dispute again.

This signing not only makes the RFA market a whole new attractive destination for GM's, and a headache for the NHL, but it also marks the end of the Brian Burke-Kevin Lowe friendship, at least according to Burke's recent harsh words to the media.

-BBeR

Senators swap Schaefer for B's Donovan...

Our amigo Eklund is reporting this deal as an "e5", which means it's infallible and that the deal will be posted soon, and quite frankly, Sens fans should really shut their eyes and not read the innuendo that follows.

In one of those rare inter-division deals, Boston sends the 32-year old Shean Donovan to the Senators for winger Peter Schaefer.

Donovan had 7 goals and 11 assists in 76 contests for the Bruins last season for a total of 19 points, mainly as a 4th liner while his counterpart, Schaefer, more than doubled his point total, scoring 12 goals and adding 34 assists for 46 points in Ottawa.

Boston just fleeced Bryan Murray so badly, they dumped a declining checking line player, who seems to have lost that offensive spunk he showed with the Flames a few years ago, and got back a quality secondary scoring player, who can bring a consistent offensive game to the table.
Schaefer was long rumoured to be on Byran Murray's chopping block, but one couldn't imagine him giving up a decent scoring liner for a mediocre and borderline NHL player, even if it meant dumping an annual salary in the area of $2.3 million over the next few seasons.

But on the other hand, Murray had his reasons for doing this.

As Darren Dreger so gleefully pointed out last week, the Senators still don't have Jason Spezza and perhaps more importantly, 50-goal scorer Dany Heatley under contract for the 2008-2009 season, making them potential restricted and unrestricted free-agent in less than 365 days, respectively.
Heatley is expected to break the bank for whatever teams signs him, whether it's Ottawa or someone else while Spezza's current $5 million salary could take a serious hike should he elect to go to arbitration.
The enigmatic and ever-frustrating Wade Redden will also be able to hit the open market, and he would surely be an attractive defenceman to own for many GM's, even if his game isn't what is was 2 years ago.

So, in short, Murray got fleeced, but he gave up a good 2nd liner in hopes of retaining an elite 50-goal scorer, an all-star centre and...Wade Redden, not to mention the many restricted free-agents he has to deal with such as Antoine Vermette and Patrick Eaves.

The move clears up more than 1 million in cap space, still a small step, and don't be surprised if Murray makes any other eye-shocking deals to save his team's core (Spezza, Heatley, Redden) sometime this season.

--BBR

New Senators logo leaked by official website

Don't fret Sens fans, it's not a bad change or even a big change at all for that matter.

The Senators' official website leaked the team's new alternate road logo for next season through an advertisement banner.

Observe the difference between the current Senators logo and their newly tweaked one:

CURRENT ROAD LOGO:


NEWLY TWEAKED LOGO:



But hey, in my mind, I bet you Ottawa's team of designers should target their current primary logo, which looks ridiculously like the Trojan brand of condoms, I guess they want to distance themselves from it as much as they can, and this new logo of theirs does just that.

I personally like it, but forget about what I think, what do you all think about it?

--BBR

8 questions with a Senators fanatic...

Seriously, how can Bryan Murray make the Sens better? They're already light years ahead of most teams when it comes to talent and finesse. You won't find guys like Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Wade Redden (?) and Ray Emery on most other teams.

Sherry, the Sens' beat writer on this blog and over from the always zealous Scarlett Ice was kind enough to be answer 8 burning questions about her Ottawa Senators.

Enjoy, and Habs fans should wait for a surprise that might come later.

1) First off, I know this is kind of old, but how do you feel about the Sens' loss to the Ducks in the final? What went wrong, is there someone in particular that needs to be blamed?

Well, at first I sort of felt calm. The truth is I was expecting it. The way they were playing they didn't deserve to win. I was disappointed, but I kept on trying to tell myself that making it to the finals is a huge accomplishment and I shouldn't let losing overshadow what a great season they had.
But then after the dust settled I started to make myself look closer at what happened. As a fan, I was mad that my team didn't show up in the final. They did a lot of great things but it obviously wasn't enough.

As for what went wrong, I think they were just out of their depth. They didn't really have any trouble handling opponents in the playoffs until that point and the Ducks were just a stronger, grittier team.
I don't think anybody can be blamed solely for it. The top line, asides from Alfie, completely disappeared and the lack of secondary scoring was exposed. Muckler got the boot because coaching wasn't the reason they lost but something had to be done.

2) The Sens have had terrific players and terrific seasons for too long now, what needs to change? Was John Muckler really the one that deserved to go?

I think the poor start this past season was really beneficial to their development, and getting hit with all of those injuries, they really learned to play as a team. Murray was a coach that they were willing to play for; they really wanted this for one another but also for him.

As far as change, I think the younger players need to develop in a positive direction and try to find the role which they fit. For example, everybody had high offensive expectations for Antoine Vermette, yet he turned out to be a great defensive player. Same with Mike Comrie. Spezza and Heatley need to continue to develop their defensive sensibilities. They're moving in a very positive direction and I think more size and sandpaper will help. Muckler really enjoyed skilled, finesse players yet as we saw in the final, it might not be enough if you're going to be wallpapered into the boards.

I think if you look at Muckler's track record, one might say he didn't deserve to go but as I said before, the Senators have had the same story these past couple of years and still haven't won anything.
Melnyk and Mlakar couldn't keep on motoring ahead with the status quo, and since coaching wasn't the problem and Murray, being a free agent had more negotiating power, Muckler was the one who took the fall.

3) Bryan Murray's the new Sens GM, in what way do you think he'll be different from his predecessor in John Muckler?

Hmm, well if you believe the reports that came out, Muckler and Murray had a very different view of what the team needed. Murray has had experience as a GM before, and they both have a very keen hockey sense.

I think Murray is a lot less gun shy about making the necessary moves. He's not afraid to use players in a very limited role if he feels they aren't contributing and I'm sure he won't be as reluctant to part with assets if it means bringing in somebody that could help the team. Not that

Muckler was, but during his tenure, you always got the sense that maybe he was waiting for a payoff with his current squad that just wasn't happening.

You can see from the draft already that Murray wants more size and grit from this team. He had a large hand in putting together a lot of the assets on the Ducks squad that won the Cup this year and a lot of the players he drafted and signed were big guys who had a really complete all-around game.

4) Tell us about the Senators' impending UFA's, what's their plan?
Who should be retained and who will walk the plank?

Well, the Senators only have a couple of notable UFA's.

The one I really wanted to keep the most was Dean McAmmond, and he was luckily signed to a new 3 year deal recently. The others are Mike Comrie and Tom Preissing.
Both of whom I would like to keep for a realistic salary.

The truth is Comrie and Preissing will both most likely be asking for huge raises and in a salary cap world, it would probably best to let them walk and use the money somewhere else.
Comrie and Preissing both have a lot of potential and a lot of upside but at times what they provide can be very limited.

For the most part, the Senators will probably try to retain both and maybe create cap space via trades. But Murray will hardly be reluctant to let them walk if they can't realistically fit under the cap.

5) How should Ottawa handle the Wade Redden saga?

Here's one I'm personally interested in.

It's hard to say.

I think the poor guy is having a lot of pressure on him from playing in a market like Ottawa and it's even more magnified because of the size of his paycheque.
He's got one more year on his contract before he's a UFA again and he has a no trade clause. Edmonton has been famously trying to lure him over there and he's come out publically to say he's not interested.

I think that means a lot to the Ottawa fanbase, even though we are the ones who are giving him the roughest time.
As a fan, it's frustrating to see him struggling the way he is because you know he's capable of so much more. A lot of people will point to his disappointing season as a sign that we should have signed Chara instead, but he's hardly been earning his paycheque over in Boston.

I think it would be a lot easier to just cut him loose and use the money somewhere else, but I feel like no matter who we trade him for, or who we use his salary to sign, it just wouldn't make up for what Wade Redden is capable of providing.

It's a big 'If', but Redden is somebody who is very important to the Senators franchise and the Ottawa community. He's a sentimental favourite, he's grown up in front of our eyes. I think as it stands, the Senators should keep him, at the very least until the trade deadline. He only has one more year and the upside of him having a horrific season is that it'll be more realistic to sign him for less when his contract is up for renewal

6) Now onto more frustration, how exactly do you feel about Martin Gerber?
At first sight, his overall numbers aren't terrible, but that's probably deceiving.

You know, when Gerber came to Ottawa, I was somebody who was very excited that we were finally getting a number 1 starter.
His numbers this season are almost exactly the same from his numbers in Carolina. The difference of course being he had 38 wins in Carolina.
I think his psyche was really damaged from having to start in the series against Montreal [mouhhahahaha] when his health wasn't 100% and I was very adamant in defending him, but there's got to be a time where you say enough is enough.
He played well during the end of the season, but there were just times where you held your breath and wondered if he was going to make that save. [sounds like Jose Theodore]

I would like to keep him, because as a back-up he's better than some teams have.
But as it stands, you don't want somebody on the bench with that kind of contract.
Gerber's been a great team player for this squad and he has said that he likes Ottawa, but understandably as a goaltender, you want to go somewhere where you can play.

I think he should definitely be traded, but I'm not in any rush to see him go.
I'm willing to wait until after the season starts or until the trade deadline even, seeing as how Emery recently had wrist surgery and we won't know how he'll be coming back.

7) Who do you want the Sens to go after in this year's UFA crop?

I think the Senators need to get a veteran.
Everybody was talking about how they needed to get Gary Roberts. Roberts was on the Pens but couldn't help them past the first round.

I think getting a gritty veteran who's also been to the big dance before will help, but you have to make sure he's somebody who can help.
The Senators need help with secondary scoring, so somebody who can provide both will be helpful. It's completely unrealistic and will never ever happen, but I love what Chris Drury brings to a team. Maybe even a Bill Guerin or Paul Kariya.

These are guys I would LOVE to see in a Senators jersey, but again, just a pipe dream, haha.

I also think the Senators need to get a bigger, more physical D. Volchenkov and Phillips are a great shut-down tandem, but asides from them we have a lot of puck moving offensive defensemen whose defensive abilities are questionable at times.
If Preissing does end up leaving, Schubert will most likely go back to playing D.
He's the type of defenseman who we need more of, but he still has a bit of a way to develop so as to make smarter decisions and not take stupid penalties.

8) You guys were all drooling over the possibility of having Alexei Kaigorodov as the team's 2nd line centre, I was worried he might become another lethal force at centre, such as Jason Spezza, and end up hurting the Habs badly.
Now he's in cold Russia, what exactly went wrong with him?

I think nothing went wrong with him per say, except for the fact that we built up unrealistic expectations of him.

We had these hopes that he would become the second line centre we so badly needed, yet he came over here and fell flat.

Yet, if you think about, if you're pulling a kid out of Russia, a second round draft pick who has never played the North American game before, you can't possibly expect him to perform right away, yet we heard all of the amazing things he could do and put too much pressure on him way too early.

Muckler did the right thing by wanting to send him down to Binghamton. A spell in the AHL never hurt anybody, but Kaigorodov refused. I guess it was a pride issue but the Senators had no choice but to trade him. I think Kaigodorov can play in the NHL.

Phoenix has his rights now and he could be really useful for a team in their situation.

--BBR

The Senators Will Rue This Day

I guess every franchise goes through this. The resident genius leads the team to the promised land and then his eccentricities lead him out the door. It has happened all over the place. Here in Buffalo it is an all too familiar story... Bill Polian anyone? You're welcome Indianapolis Colts!

The Senator's decision to move on without John Muckler didn't surprise me. He has had a history of being cantankerous and difficult to work with from a management perspective. He also had been whispering retirement out of one side of his mouth while espousing plans for the future on the other side. Remember, this is the man who hired Ted Nolan, a man who resurrected a flagging Muckler built team in Buffalo, only to turn and try to slit Nolan's throat when Nolan asked for more juice.

I suspect much was the same in Ottawa. It seems that Muckler had his hands tied by Eugene Melnyk when it came to bringing Dominik Hasek back for another run. In my opinion Muckler was forced to go with Emery and Gerber and then had his hand forced by Emery with his superb play. Never one to forget a slight I can surmise that Muckler used his current possible retirement scenario to try and gain some leverage on Melnyk. Instead, Ottawa decided to move him out rather than have a Buffalo like controversy on their hands. In short, Muckler picked a fight with a billionaire owner and got swatted down for his trouble. Bryan Murray is the big winner as he comes out golden for simply having his talented group of players finally play to expectations.

Sadly, as in most cases. A man like Muckler isn't easily replaced. He has made all of the right moves since coming to Ottawa and the team's success is directly attributable to Muckler's leadership. Not that I blame Melnyk, he is a shrewd businessman and Ottawa's true rise also coincided with his appearance on the scene. This team of strong egos led to a dynamic and successful organization. Unfortunately, I doubt that the Senator's will maintain under Murray's watch half as well as they did under Muckler's. It should be interesting to see in 5 years if this is the day that Sens fans point to as the day it started all coming apart.

John Muckler's days numbered?

According to this article by the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch (who for some reason, appears here in a Winnipeg newspaper), the Senators could be close to firing general manager John Muckler, and this is indeed a big surprise.

The Ottawa Senators could announce, as early as tomorrow, that GM John Muckler has been fired.
While Muckler wouldn't comment yesterday, referring all questions about his future to team owner Eugene Melnyk, two senior NHL executives told Sun Media they believe Melnyk gave Muckler his walking papers on Friday.

I guess someone needs to take the fall for the Sens losing out on the Cup, and Eugene Melnyk may have decided that it's his general manager's doing.

Hehe, the Martin Gerber signing really ticked him off...

Let's wait and see...

And if this does happen, then I'm telling you right now, Bryan Murray will be the first man Melnyk turns to.

--BBR

The Ducks Got it Done

Last night had a lot of firsts. My personal favorite thing from the night was seeing Scott Niedermayer get the Conn Smythe. He deserved it...he held his team together and he did it in the classiest manner there is. He never complained, he just lead his team because that's what he is good at. He was the only one on the team who had a Stanley Cup Ring *well he actually has three*
Seeing Scott hand Lord Stanley to Rob also was amazing...

Then there was Teemu who finally got to hold the Cup. Seeing him so overcome with emotion you couldn't help but be happy for him. He deserves this. His wait is over. Congrats to the Anaheim Ducks and to the Anaheim Ducks fans for proving that people in California know their hockey also.

Expect a better post later...but for now this is all I have.

ANAHEIM DUCKS WIN THE STANLEY CUP
FINAL SCORE 6-2
SERIES 4-1

Pronger Suspended Again?

Should Pronger be suspended AGAIN for this?


Thanks to Kukla's Korner for the picture.


UPDATE Pronger was suspended for one game...way to take care of the repeat offender NHL. Article and Interview with Carlyle

Mega Post: It all comes down to the masked men...but who's better?

It's so tough to decide who's been the better goalie in this 88th version of the Stanley Cup Final, featuring the Ducks' Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Ottawa's "Sugar" Ray Emery.

How about we let the photos decide who's been the better goalie and who will win the series?!

Just for fun though...

Game I. Hmmmm, the weird position battle

Jean-Sebas Giguere, in full gear, chats with Martin Gerber who's in his street clothes on the bench during practice in Anaheim.

Man, Gerber musta said something funny to make Giguere laugh like that:

"What does stopping a puck feel like again? It's been so long since I've done that, I don't even know why I bother growing this beard?!!"

Giguere probably said: "Grow some hair on your head before letting your beard get long, and then I'll show you the basics."

"Oh wait, is Ray calling me?"

"I think I'm growing some hemorroids, it would help if my teammates didn't completely let me down in games so I wouldn't have to flop around everywhere to make a damn save, you Marty, quick laughing with the enemy and get me some cream."

Haha, both look funny but Giggy wins this one, just because he's talking to Gerber who's in street clothes, come to think of it, Gerber does look kinda bemused right there.

1-0 J.S. Giguere

Game II. The Battle of the Masks

Now, who has the nicer mask?
I wonder if Emery can match his excellent taste in clothes (we'll get to that later) with his goalie mask.

Tough one.

Giguere has the "Pond" nicely made on the lower part of his mask, right under the cage, with a half-robot/half duck emblazoned on his head with an overlaying Ducks webbed logo spitting out lightning.

That's will be tough to beat Ray.

Then again, that "Mike Tyson" type boxer that caused SOOO MANY problems with the Sens' staff earlier last season is really just unforgetable, but is the SENATORS streak across his left cheek and the Trojan Senators Logo on the chin enough to beat Giguere?

Nope, sorry Ray, your mask lacks a little bit of zip, J.S beats you here again.

2-0 J.S. Giguere leads series

Game III. The Person on the Outside

This really should be no contest, but nevertheless, it's part of this little featurette, so, let's get to it!

Here's Ray Emery's closet featured on TSN with the always funny James Duthie.

And let's take a look at the great JS, whose 2-0 lead in the series may be in jeopardy.

No tie, conservative and typical black and white with no spice or zest whatsoever, sorry Gigg, there's no doubt who takes it here, too much damn black!

2-1 J.S. Giguere leads series

Game IV. The Goalie Pads/Equipement

Back in the old days, goalies would just slap on bare-leathered pads with strings flinging out from every corner, today, equipement manufacturing gurus are set with an annual task of bringing out a new style, a new pad design while maintaining the piece's "revolutionnary" aspect.

Behold, the 2007 version of the pro NHL Reebok pad, nicely rounded and very very cleanly formed.

Giguere is one of many goalies to wear this type of RBK pad this season, others include Cristobal Huet, Marc-Andre Fleury, Mathieu Garon, Marty Turco, Wade Dubielewicz, David Aebischer and Roberto Luongo.

I am a goalie as well and I have RBK pads, and I can tell you, they are probably the best ones out there, they're nearly flawless and as far as I can tell, the most durable I have ever had.

Ray Emery has nearly the same pads he wore with the Senators since his debut a few seasons ago, Brians has fallen off the chart in the goalie pad industry but they still remain a solid but pricey option, Emery's Ottawa emblazoned star-like colours are intriguing, but Giguere's modern-looking RBK pads take the cake.

3-1 J.S. Giguere leads series

Game V. The Spectacular Save

You know, this is probably one of the most ignored facts by today's hockey fans, most SPECTACULY WOOOWWWWW WHAT A SAVE OOHHHH!!!!!!! saves of today's NHL are basically a result of a goaltender being out of position and being force back into his crease in an uncanny but OOHHH!!!! WHAT WAS THAT!!! manner.

Behold Ottawa's Ray Emery, who's on the verge of losing the Cup, down 3 games to 1.

A typical flip-flop save by Sugar Ray, man I remember thinking to myself:
"Emery has done all but stand on his head"
Diving stops by Emery are becoming a trademark in the Rayman's portofolio.
A terrific stop nonetheless, Emery has just challenged his counterpart JS Giguere, let's see what the Quebecois 'tender will present us with:

Man, the Sens really got stoned on that 5-on-3 PP in the first period against the Ducks, and here's one of Giguere's calm but explosive saves.
Here he, in direct fashion, stones Jason Spezza in the slot, extending his pad to deny the Senators of potentially scoring their first goal of the game, well, turns out Giggy shut them out.

I woulda picked Giguere, but Game V is all about the most spectacular stop, and Emery definitely wins this one with this quick sprawling painting, yow, imagine the adrenaline running through his body right there at that exact second.

3-2 J.S. Giguere leads series

Game VI. The Numbers...do they really tell it all?

Now, there's a saying that common hockey fans refer to as "The Numbers Tell it All"

Not in this case.

Here is Exhibit A, the game log of Jean-Sebastien Giguere through 2 Stanley Cup Final Games.

ANA-Giguere
Game 1: 18/20 saves 2 GA, .900 SPCT, 2.00 GAA, 0 SHO W 3-2
Game 2: 16/16 saves, 0 GA, 1.000 SPCT, 0.00 GAA, 1 SHO W 1-0

He looked shaky early on in Game 1, but rebounded and made many key saves to lead his team to a 3-2 victory, not his best performance though.

Game 2 was a different story, although he only made 16 saves in a 1-0 shutout win over the Slumpin Sens, Giguere was simply fantastic in every aspect of his game, he played at the peak of his capability and the Sens might've won had it not been for Giguere's infallible play, his most notable stops came on that famous 5-on-3 Sens powerplay in the first, as he stoned Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Wade Redden, Mike Comrie and Dany Heatley in less than 2 minutes.

Those are some pretty big names, but will Giguere's lack of business come back to haunt him, and allow Emery to send this one to a Game 7?

Presenting Exhibit B: Ray Emery in numbers.

OTT-Emery
Game 1: 29/32 saves, 3 GA, .906 SPCT, 3.06 GAA, 0 SHO, L 2-3
Game 2: 30/31 saves, 1 GA, .968 SPCT, 1.01 GAA, 0 SHO, L 0-1

Heading into his first ever Stanley Cup appearance along with nearly everyone else on this year's Senators team besides Oleg Saprykin and Martin Gerber (haha), Emery was under hot pressure by the media and fans alike to produce, and to play well, to excel.
Emery answered in a remarkable way, he has played extremely well for Ottawa and got better as the game went on, he faced 30 more shots than his opponent JS Giguere, and has many many more spectacular saves, he's the reason Ottawa lost 1-0 and not 9-0, he's giving his team a chance to win night-in and night-out, it's now time for his teammates to WAKE UP and repay him the favour, to support him, otherwise, they're just plainly and without using any fancy adjectives: LETTING HIM DOWN.

Emery has just carried the Senators into Game 7, and a chance to win hockey's revered trophy, and to disprove to Don Cherry's proud fact that "No European captain has ever won the Stanley Cup."

3-3 Emery and Giguere tied

Game VII. The Words...wow, what words...

And here we are ladies and gents, Game 7 we will play once more, your Ottawa Senators facing your Anaheim Ducks, winner take all, loser goes home crying.

Passions and emotions run high during playoffs, many unforgettable words have been spoken, and some pretty damn good ones have beeen spoken about this year as well.

We start with Jean-Sebastien Giguere:

Obviously, everybody takes pride in being good at home, and they're going to do that. They worked too hard all year, I'm sure, to just let it go. So we're going to have to match their intensity and their desperation to have a chance.

Ooooh, that really was good, their "desperation" part was really wicked.
Giguere is one of the few left who really expresses what he feels, unlike the others who repeat the same stupid phrases EVERY SINGLE GAME!

Giguere says the Sens work too hard, and frankly, that is very classy of him, acknowledging that the Senators are a good team, and that he doesn't put them down by using big words that on the outside are compliments, but on the inside are just insults galore.

Now, the moment you've waited for by reading this long and tiring post of mine:

What's Ray Emery's comeback to that?

I think we're comfortable playing in this rink [Scotia Bank Place]You take your nap in your own bed. You're just comfortable. There's that, and just the emotion of the fans. Home-ice advantage is what it is.

"Take a nape in your own bed"

Ladies in gentlemen, I think we have a winner and a worthy loser, the 2007 Stanley Cup Champions...OTTAWA SENATORS, led by goaltender Ray Emery and his fantastic performance in a stunning comeback.

Give credit to Giguere though for his outstanding show as well, but, when all's said and done, Don Cherry: hahahaahaaa!!

Daniel Alfredsson: First ever *Don, stop crying* European captain to win the Stanley Cup!

I had fun, I hope you did reading this too.

--BBR

Game 1: Step Away From the Ledge!

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals is in the books with the Senators coming up short 2-3 against Anaheim. Admittedly, there were moments in the game where it was clear that the Senators were simply overmatched. It reminded of game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, except this time with the Senators playing the ones being feasted upon.

It's easy to assess what the Senators did wrong. They were being out-hit and out-muscled. They thought they could match the Ducks' tight physical style with their flair and the run-and-gun offensive playmaking style that they were known for, not expecting the Ducks to shut down their extra-pass at the offensive blueline and cause a rush going the other way.

I was reluctant to say it, but it's true. This team really does rise and fall with the play of their captain Daniel Alfredsson. He didn't have a solid game last night, giving up on plays too easily, being outmatched physically and having trouble controlling the puck. That being said, he was hardly the weakest player on the Senators squad last night as most of the team, save for Ray Emery and Mike Fisher, couldn't find that extra gear.

Clearly, it didn't work and I have faith that if anybody can turn their play around, it'll be the Senators. They've responded very positively to all of the adversity they've faced so far this year and I trust they will do the same. Scrap the cute extra passes, stop trying to gain the zone by yourself. Chip the puck in, use your speed to beat your opponents and fight for it. Nobody said this was going to be a cakewalk and after 9 days off, I suppose it's expected that the intensity level was a bit of a shock to the system.

To be fair, the Ducks only had about two days less of a break than the Senators did and it sort of showed as well. The Senators came out strong in the opening minutes of the game but eventually ran out of steam after they realized that they were being dominated and couldn't find enough gas in the tank. It's there! It was just hidden a little bit.

I'll be the first to admit that there are Senators fans that can be quite fickle and are quite liberal when it comes to hitting the panic button. Let's just sit back and take a deep breath and try to have more faith in our squad. They've earned that very least from us. Don't make me create a Playoffs Edition Panic Metre. Let's hope we are never in need of one!

In the meantime, if you're looking for something to fill the days in between, or if you're a Devils and/or Sharks fan who wants to see your teams in the finals for something, I suggest you head on over to Mike Chen's blog for the Rawk the Puck '07 Final and place your vote!

Sabres Left Wondering What Should Have Been

When Daniel Alfreddson beat Ryan Miller in the overtime of Game 5 Saturday it was an anti-climatic finish to a wild Sabres' ride. There is little solace in the two overtime losses, nor a feel good spirit about the fight the Sabres showed at the end. All that was left, in everyone's mouths, was the bitter taste of failed expectations.

Make no mistake about it the better team won. The Senators were simply stronger on the puck, more focused, hungrier and better prepared than the Sabres for this challenge. The loss highlighted some simple truths for the Sabres. Though a supremely talented team, they lacked the grit to compete against an equally talented opponent. Coaching also failed this team in the areas of special teams. The loss of Scott Arniel to the Manitoba Moose was a much bigger loss than anyone could have foreseen. While the Sabres have historically been an average power play team they have consistently been a tremendous penalty killing team. That simply was missing this year. While the players should accept much of the blame there is no way to excuse Darcy Regier, Lindy Ruff and the coaching staff for these failings.

This loss also put many players squarely at the crossroads of their Sabres' careers. Dimitri Kalinin, who has been enigmatic throughout his career, finally wore Lindy's patience to a nub. Though dressed, Kalinin hardly played in the final two games. Likewise, Ales Kotalik and Jaro Spacek played sparing minutes and performed at levels far below expectation. The two captains Danny Briere and Chris Drury may have played their last games in a Buffalo uniform. There are rumours flying around the media that tell me that Drury has already agreed on a contract with Buffalo and it is commonly thought that Briere is as good as gone.

Topping all of this off is the fact that Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff are unsigned as well for next season. I would like to have the quiet confidence that all will work out and they surely will return, but I have been burned too many times before. My gut feeling is that this team will return nearly in tact from this season. I expect Briere, Kotalik, Numminen and Kalinin to be gone and replaced by Drew Stafford, Dan Paille and some players to be named. I think it is likely that Danius Zubrus will return for a mid-level contract though it is far from a guarantee. Regier, assuming he returns, has always done his best work in the off season and there is little reason to believe this year will be any different.

The hope here is that the lessons learned from this gut-wrenching loss to the Senators will drive the Sabres to victory much as the Sabres victory over Ottawa did last year. Lindy Ruff very likely earned his second straight Adams trophy for coach of the year, but next year will be his biggest challenge as he has to re-gear this team to play in a different NHL that the league started as this year. This tougher, somewhat slower game is not one the current roster likes to, or is suited to, play. It will be interesting to see how he devises a way to keep this run and gun squad interested.

The one thing this loss doesn't do is diminish how good this Sabres team was. It was an outstanding and entertaining team for much of the year. Unfortunately, as is seemingly always the case in the NHL, entertaining does not equal Lord Stanley's Cup. They may very well be the second best team in the league, but as we in Buffalo know, second just isn't ever good enough.

If history repeats itself, no Stanley for Senators...

Yep, it's sad for us bandwagoning Canadians, but it's the obvious truth.

No team from north of the border, has won hockey revered prize since mes Canadiens did it back in 1993 against the Los Angeles Kings.

Not saying that this is going to happen, I said IF history repeats itself.

Now you ask, what is this history?

2003-2004: Tampa Bay Lightning defeat Calgary Flames in 7 games
2005-2006: Carolina Hurricanes defeat Edmonton Oilers in 7 games
2006-2007: ------------------- defeat Ottawa Senators in 7 games ?

For the past 2 finals, Lord Stanley's Cup has been lost twice by two Canadian teams, the Edmonton Oilers last season to the Carolina Hurricanes, and the last pre-lockout season when the Calgary Flames came up a game short against the then-powerful Tampa Bay Lightning.

The history would scare any Sens fan away, but, here's another interesting tidbit that completely debunks my outrageous claims above:

The modern-era Ottawa Senators have never made it to the Stanley Cup Finals

so, we can never know how they'll perform?

Will they suck?
Will they be awesome?

God only knows.

Until yesterday at around 6:30-7:00 PM EST, that idea was still in play.

No more though.

I wish you Sens fans all the best, it must be great having a dominating team heading into the Cup Finals for the first time, while we Canadiens, Leafs, Oilers, Flames and Canucks fans can all but sit and watch on our Plasmas, LCD's or some crappy 90's box.

Now the question of the post: Who do you prefer? Detroit? or Anaheim?

--BBR

P.S. The Ghost may come out of his tavern and post a little something on those defeated and depleted Sabres later.

Hockey Night Online: It's Called Character

It goes without saying that I am absolutely in love with my team and some might say that I'm perhaps overly emotionally invested that it is no longer healthy. However, when you follow the team closely and get to know the characters involved, it's simply hard not to be.

AQG has a nice collection of fun anecdotes involving the Ottawa Senators including the fact that nobody in Ottawa actually has any idea who Tom Preissing is.

I can only imagine what a Ray Emery architectural wonder would look like.

If you watch the post-game show for Hockey Night Online for game 3, you can see Daniel Alfredsson with his 4-year-old son Hugo on his lap during this press conference. If you watch afterwards, you can also hear Elliotte Friedman gush about how they have the exact same eyes and an adorable story from their Headliner filming. You can watch the Headliner segment they're talking about here under 'Archived' and it is about 15 minutes into the Game 2 video.

I'm not worried about them losing. Were it any other squad from year's past, I may have had reason to be concerned but this team has shown that they're mentally tough and can survive a few bumps on the road. Their fate is still in their own hands.

GO SENS GO!

Miller Makes The Save and The Sabres Live to Fight Again

The Sabres led by a desperate spirited effort and a marvelous game by Ryan Miller beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 to bring the series back to Buffalo. The Game was highlighted by the fastest goal in Sabres playoff history when Derek Roy and Chris Drury capitalized on an Andrei Meszaros turnover to score 9 seconds into the game.

The Senators played hard but, for the first time in the series, looked mortal. The Sabres penalty killing was sensational killing off consecutive penalties in the third to preserve the lead and win. Of course, most of the success in the third was due to some world class goaltending by Ryan Miller. On the other end of the ice Ray Emery looked shaky despite only giving up 3 goals. He fought the puck all night and Chris Drury's eventual game winner was an extremely week goal.

The Senators also exhibited a lack of discipline that they had not shown the entire series which cost them when Buffalo scored their second goal with a two-man advantage. also, the senators by, Versus Television's count, shot wide on 17 scoring chances in the game. It was an uncharacteristic effort by this Ottawa team.

In any event the Sabres have a pulse and that is all we can ask now. The Senators best close this series out Saturday afternoon in Buffalo or things might start to get scary.

News and Notes:

Danius Zubrus did not play at all in the second or third period in Game 5. He is apparently suffering from an injury but it has not yet been disclosed. There were pictures of him being given smelling salts on the bench which would lead me to believe he has a concussion-type injury.

Dmitri Kalinin played only 4:31 in the game. He was effectively benched for periods two and three. The Sabres basically went with 4 defenseman as Jaro Spacek's ice time was also significantly limited, though it increased as the game wore on.

And...save by Chris Dury, what a stop with the glove hand!

You read the title right, Chris Drury is now stopping pucks.

And this is how the Buffalo Sabres are supposed to improve their powerplay, and likely, their morale heading into Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final tonight.

So is Derek Roy

And Nathan Paestch

Oh, let's not forget Brian Campbell too

Miller looks on, wondering if his Sabres can pull off a "Red Sox" miracle.

Sorry fellows, I don't think you'll be any better than Ryan Miller soon.

--BBR