Posted by Gord Wilson on April 21, 2008

Greetings, all, from nowhere in particular... certainly not at a rink at the time of this writing.  Just  sitting in the basement following the Canadiens'  5-0 win over the Bruins in Game 7 of their Eastern  Conference series.

Anyway, thought I'd just jot down a few thoughts on the season that was... for the Senators, and obviously, a season that  was... not meant to be.

We  can talk all we want about the terrific start to the season the Senators had but the  bottom line is, this team limped into the playoffs, perhaps didn't really deserve to be there (based on how they were playing over the final  month or so) and couldn't  muster enough to find any consistency to their game.  At the turn of the new year, I think I could count on one  hand the number of solid, full team games the Senators were able to play and win the way they were supposed to. Jan. 12 against Detroit  was one of those  games...  a 3-2 Ottawa win. Two more came later on against  Montreal...  a 6-1 win on home ice and a 3-0 win in Montreal. I believe that game was played March 13 and was Ottawa's third straight win.  We left the  rink that night thinking wow, this is the Senators team that played so well the year  before and maybe, just maybe, they had turned the corner. But the very next game, Ottawa  lost  5-1 to Carolina and the team never looked the same.

I had a great one-on-one talk with Daniel Alfredsson following Ottawa's series loss to the Penguins. He said he could sense something was amiss at about the 25-game mark. He mentioned that  his  teammates  were so worried about the so-called Stanley Cup hangover that they did everything they  could to start the season well. 13-2 through the first 15 games was indeed outstanding. But then little  things started to creep into players' games. There wasn't as much sacrifice, not nearly enough  desperation and in some cases, not enough effort.  As Ottawa's game went the wrong way, other teams started to find theirs.  Teams most anticipated would get better, like Montreal, Boston and Washington,  did just that.

Alfredsson wondered about the team's conditioning and while the players were in great shape, perhaps he was referring to their mental state. Clearly, the willingness to  "pay the price " was not as evident this year as it was last.

All that being said, the defending Cup champs lasted just two more games than Ottawa. Take a look at  history over the last eight years and you'll see this is a common theme.  The two teams to advance to the Stanley Cup final one year rarely do well the following year.

So that means it will be another off-season of change for the Senators... starting with the coach. Certainly, lots of names are being  bandied about, which will make things very interesting for Bryan Murray. Remember, he won't be afraid to go outside the box in hiring someone.

Player personnel changes are also in the offing. I found it interesting to see just how many new faces  played for the Senators this past year. I counted at least nine, on a semi-regular basis.

Change is necessary and in a salary cap world, change will always be a part of any team's off-season (just look at the  NFL).

Bottom line for the Senators  is, they have a core group of players still intact and signed to long-term  deals. That core simply can't underachieve at the wrong time next year.

If you don't mind, I'd like to continue writing this blog from time-to-time during the playoffs...offer  some opinion and maybe a  little story or two on those making headlines.

Much thanks for tuning in and reading my stuff. I'm sorry I rarely responded back... forgive me, I'm kinda new at this.

Have a great off-season, everyone, and we'll see you at the rink in September.

Cheers,

Gord Wilson

Posted by Gord Wilson on April 16, 2008

Greetings, all, from Scotiabank Place, the site of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarter-final series  between the Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins. Right of the  get-go, let's state the obvious. A must-win situation now for the Senators, who find themselves in a deep hole, down 3-0. Only  twice in the history of this game, at this level, have teams ever come back from being down 3-0. The last time it happened  was 33 years ago, in 1975, and the time before that was 1942... a 33-year gap.   

Clearly, the Senators won't worry about history being on their side tonight... they simply have to play a  better game than the ones they've played so far. Give credit where credit is due... the Penguins are  playing  lights out hockey right now and clearly deserve to be up three zip. But they have shown signs of  weakness and the Senators must capitalize on that.

For me, play in the neutral zone will be key tonight. Of the five goals Ottawa has scored in this series, only one has come off the rush, after a quick counter in neutral ice. Then take a look at all the Penguin  goals. Almost all of them have resulted from great speed through the neutral zone, and then flying into the Ottawa end. Control the ice between the two blue lines and you stand a pretty good chance of controlling the Pens.

That being said, the Senators must find a way to score some goals. And in an effort to do that, watch for Heatley, Spezza and Alfredsson to be reunited  tonight. And the Big Three must find some immediate  magic.

Game 3 saw the crowd provide instant energy to the Senators. The building was loud and energetic and it must be the same tonight.

Game time tonight is 7 o'clock. This one, as always, can be heard all along the Team 1200 radio  network, with  yours truly and Dave Schreiber with the call.

Enjoy everyone,

cheers, gord

Posted by Gord Wilson on April 14, 2008

Greetings, everyone, from Scotiabank Place, site of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarter-final series between the Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins. A series that Pittsburgh leads 2-0 following 4-0 and 5-3 wins in Pittsburgh last week.

Here in Ottawa, the Senators are clearly hoping their hometown fans can provide an extra little boost to a lineup that could use all the help it can get. Undermanned, the Senators got some good news today in that Jason Spezza will play tonight. He saw limited ice time in the third period of Friday's game and  didn't practice with the club over the weekend, but he took the morning skate today and declared himself ready to go.

And of course, there's been much speculation here in the rink, and likely now throughout the city, about  the possible return of captain Daniel Alfredsson.  He apparently skated yesterday and it will be decided  later today if he'll suit up for tonight's game.  He didn't skate with his teammates this morning, but was  at the  rink for treatment.  As I said in my game preview for the big screen tonight, we'll see soon enough.

Bryan Murray ended Friday's game in Pittsburgh with these line combinations. They will be, of course,  subject to change  tonight...  15-20-61... 10-37-25...  71-19-28... 5-58-27.

If  11 plays, then put names into a hat and go from there.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, here are some behind-the-scenes pictures I've managed to take over the last few  days with my  camera phone, the LG Shine, all powered by Bell.

Game time tonight is 7 o'clock... hope you're part of the noise. If not in the building, then scream at your TVs or radios. Yours truly and Dave Schreiber with the call, all along the Team 1200 radio network.

enjoy the game everyone,

cheers, gord

Posted by Gord Wilson on April 10, 2008

Greetings, everyone, from  Pittsburgh, where Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs continues Friday night, with the Penguins leading the Senators 1-0 following their 4-0 win on Wednesday night.

To me, that wasn't a 4-0 game but at the same time, the Senators didn't do themselves any favours in  helping themselves to a win. When you finish the game with as many missed shots at the net as you did, with shots that hit the net, then you're not making life too difficult for the opposition goalie and Marc-Andre Fleury wasn't overly tested. He still could turn out to be a factor one way or anothe in this  series.

	That being said, both teams had practices on Thursday. Penguins went on the ice first and were without the two-goal man, Gary Roberts. He actually went for a light skate by himself before the Penguins practised. Roberts will play in Game 2. In fact, there aren't expected to be any lineup changes.
	Sidney Crosby addressed the media after practice and he fully expects the Senators to play a more desperate brand of hockey.
	As for the Senators, well, the good news is they expect to have Anton Volchenkov back for Game 2. He missed the better part of Wednesday's game after blocking a shot with his head. He was cut for 15 stitches and there's a lot of swelling to his forehead, but he is hoping to play. Line combinations at  practice looked  like this... Heatley-Spezza-Lapointe, Foligno- Vermette-Stillman, Donovan-McAmmond-Neil and Schubert-Bass-Robitaille.
	Martin Lapointe hopes to provide a little grit to the Spezza/Heatley combination.
	Watch for the Senators to try to simplify their power play as well. Going 0-for-7 in Game 1 with two lengthy 5-on-3s doesn't happen very often in any game and not capitalizing on them has not sat well with anyone.

All right, that will do it for another day. I hope you're enjoying the  pictures, compliments of the LG Shine™ camera phone, all powered by Bell. This thing is a tonne of fun to use.

cheers,

gord

Posted by Gord Wilson on April 8, 2008

Greetings, everyone... all right, as promised, behind-the-scenes pictures of the Senators and their  playoff run and the fun begins today here in Pittsburgh. Senators arrived here around 5 on Tuesday afternoon with a full complement of players ... yes, even the injured players have made the trip.

Armed with the LG Shine™ camera phone, compliments of Bell, I hope over the next few months  to bring you some behind-the-scenes  looks at what the Senators and their opponents  go through in their attempts to win the Stanley Cup, the trophy that has become the most difficult to win in all of  professional sports. It's an eight-week grind that brings all hockey players to new and exciting levels.

Remember, you earn your pay during the regular season... you earn your reputation during playoffs.

Round 1 here in Pittsburgh. Enjoy, everyone.

All right, that'll do it for Game 1 of the playoffs. Stay tuned for more  "behind the scenes" looks at the  Sens and Pens during this first round, all powered by Bell.

cheers, gord

Posted by Gord Wilson on October 28, 2007

Three words come to mind following the Senators' 4-1 win over the Devils on Saturday night.

Depth, belief, and trust.

Trust in each other, belief in the system and depth in scoring.

To me, all three words summed up the win in Newark, and perhaps all three words sum up this team's best start in franchise history.

9 and 1 through the first 10 games is, in fact, the best start this team has ever had through 10 games.

Nothing to sneeze at, considering the schedule.

Seven games in the first 11 days.

Three games in the next 18.

Through 10 games, we've seen a little of everything from the Senators.

What comes to mind first is consistent goaltending.

Daniel Alfredsson said to me earlier in the week that he thought Martin Gerber might be this team's best player so far.

After Gerber's performance against the Devils, especially in the first period, he might be right.

Gerber has been good. In fact, real good. And in the first period of Saturday's game, when the club showed signs of being rusty, Gerber bailed his teammates out, stopping all 18 shots he faced.

Going into the 2nd period, here's where the words depth and belief came into play.

Coach John Paddock was not afraid to start juggling lines in an effort to generate a little more offence.

For the first time this year, the trio of Alfredsson, Heatley and Spezza were not producing as much as would be expected.

Paddock put Chris Neil with Spezza and Heatley, and five minutes into the 2nd, the game's first goal was scored.

Meszaros was initially credited with the goal, but I'm sure that will change. Neil did a great job fighting off a Jersey defender to get position in front of the net, and it appeared he got the shaft of his stick on the point shot to redirect the puck.

1-0 Ottawa, 1-0 Paddock.

More line juggling produced the game-winning goal in the 3rd, with Shean Donovan getting a chance to play wing with Kelly and Vermette.

Here's where depth comes into play. As this game went on, players like Vermette, Kelly, Fisher and Eaves, I thought, really rose to the occasion.

In other words, they got the job done.

The third period belonged to the Senators. The Devils hardly got a sniff, because of the belief the Senators have in their system and in themselves.

This team was 10-22 in one-goal games last year.

Different story through the early stages of this year.

So now it's another few days of practice following a day off Sunday.

When the Thrashers get here Thursday, coach John Paddock will remind his players of three things.

Trust, belief and depth.

talk to you Thursday.

cheers, gord

Posted by Gord Wilson on October 22, 2007

Greetings  all, and  greetings not  from the  beautiful  Muskoka's, but my  beautiful  office  in  suburbia-ville, 20 minutes  southeast of ScotiaBank Place.

With  the  team  gone for the  next  few  days, and  not  much happening  from a  Media  standpoint,  like you,  I'll rely on the  3 newspapers to bring  me  what  info  might  be available  from the Senators, while they  enjoy their  time  on  " the retreat."

Believe me, with an   8 and 1 record, the last  thing this  team needs, or  wants, is a  7 day layoff  between games.  But  the schedule is what it is, and  now its up to  John  Paddock and his staff to make sure  the team  doesn't  lose  whatever  it  has, that  has them at  near a  perfect record.

And  while play  has  not  been  completely  near  perfect,, the  record, like the  schedule, is what it is, and its  what  the Senators deserve.

The  Senators  deserve  an  8 and 1 record  for  a  couple of reasons..

1.  Goaltending has been  outstanding.  Martin  Gerber  looks  relaxed, comfortable, and confident. As  a result, the team in front of him has  looked  the same.

-Ray Emery, and  Brian  Elliott  have  each played a game, and each have  not  missed a beat.  ( be advised to keep an eye on  Elliott's progress  in  Bingo...he's  got  wonderful  upside.)

2... the  senators  best  players, have been their  best. And  there's no questioning  this.

If  Daniel  Alfredsson isn't  the best   2 way player in the game today, I don't  know  who is. (  with apologies to  Zetterberg fans.)

This guy is in a  different  stratusphere.

On  a different  hockey planet.

Add to his play,  the play of  Spezza, Heatley, Fisher,  Phillips, and Volchenkov, and the Senators  are in  no  way  shape or  form, suffering from any   Stanley cup  hangover.

And  lets  throw in an honourable mention to  Redden, and  Mezaros,  both of whom  struggled at times this year,, both of whom have  bounced back  big time.

Kelly and Vermette... maybe the best  one-two  penalty killing tandem in the nhl. And the recent  pk  stats  perhaps  bare that out.

Overall, at the   one-eighth  turn of the  season,  the  Senators  are the  team to beat.

My  guess is, the  next  few days in the Muskoka's  will  simply re-inforce  that  belief.

cheers, gord

Posted by Gord Wilson on September 20, 2007

Game  day ... game  2 of the  pre-season and first at home.  Good news for the Senators yesterday and today.

Ray Emery was on the ice  yesterday with teammates and  while he wasn't  stopping much with his  surgically repaired left wrist, he did say afterwards that he was feeling  great and on schedule.

Mike Fisher the same. He  wanted to skate with linemates and  did so today. He, too, hopes to play a few  exhibition games next week.

cheers,  gordo

Posted by Gord Wilson on September 18, 2007

Well, here we are just a little over three months since the last time we watched the Senators play, and now it's time to get back at it. And I for one, cannot wait. Hi everyone, and welcome to my one and only BLOG. Please don't ask me what the word means, or how to spell it for that matter. What matters is, with this little space provided on the internet, I hope to provide to you as much 'behind the scenes' inside information throughout this season as possible.

When the Senators approached me about writing something this year, I immediately began thinking the way a fan thinks. Thinking about what information I'd like to see and get on a regular basis, from someone who's at the rink just about as much as he is at home.

Well, beginning this week, I'll be at Scotiabank Place on a very regular basis, and will be able to provide you with all the little things I get to see that I think you might find interesting.

Things like practice drills, line combinations, starting goalies and injuries.

I'll write about a player's equipment preference, and why. You'll find out that Patrick Eaves will be wearing a new type of helmet this year... one with a little more padding, because of the concussion he suffered during the playoffs last year.

I'll write about things that interest me as a fan, that I hope will interest you as well. And if they don't pique your interests, then by all means, let me know. This blog will give you the opportunity to offer your opinions as well.

And speaking of opinion, let me offer mine, on the off-season that was.

Certainly not a lot of 'player' activity from the Senators over the past three months but then, why should there have been?

The Senators had one of the best records in the second half of the season last year, and fully deserved to get to the Cup final. Keeping the core of the team intact was vital, and that has been done.

The change in management is one that I think we all knew was coming sooner or later. In Bryan Murray, the Senators have a wealth of experience and to his credit, Bryan has not made significant change. His biggest challenge when he became the GM was to get key players signed. Emery, Kelly, and Schubert were key restricted free agents that this team needs under contract. Those signings were done seamlessly.

The transition for John Paddock from assistant coach to head coach has also happened seamlessly.

John certainly knows this organization and the players, and now it's up to them to respond to whatever changes he implements.

As for the players, well, the big question is, can they duplicate what they did in the second half of last season, get into the playoffs, win the East, and then win the Cup? ( I said it was a big question!).

If the season were to start today, we'd likely see Heatley and Spezza starting with Patrick Eaves or Chris Kelly.

Mike Fisher would centre Antoine Vermette and Daniel Alfredsson. (how much fun would this trio be to watch?).

Dean McAmmond in between Shean Donovan and Chris Neil could make for a pretty good energy line, and then a fourth line could feature Brian McGrattan, Danny Bois, and maybe Niko Dimitrakos.

Your six defencemen are obvious ones right now.... Phillips/Volchenkov, Redden/Meszaros, and Schubert with Corvo. But don't count out veteran Luke Richardson, who will push for a spot.

I think the rookie camp left all of management feeling a little better about certain draft choices, and the health of the minor league team in Binghamton. Remember, this team had to be rebuilt.

Nick Foligno and Brian Lee will be fun to watch when they're on the same ice as Alfredsson, Spezza, and Phillips on an everyday basis. Any rookie will be hard-pressed to make this team this year, but anything is possible. So is a trade or two, or perhaps a last-minute signing of a veteran player still available.

Camp is short this year... we're less than a week away from the first pre-season game. Like this BLOG, it all adds up to getting down to business as quickly as possible. I hope you enjoy the read throughout the season. I look forward to your feedback.

Cheers, Gord Wilson