Now I realize this may seem a little far-fetched to those of you that feel the season is lost but I really do feel like ultimately, cooler heads will prevail. The two sides got too close to let it all fall apart now. There will be NHL hockey this year. There has to be. Right?!
With that in mind, a few thoughts on the Ottawa Senators in a shortened season…
- Jared Cowen's hip surgery means he's lost for the entire season and his absence leaves a significant hole on the Sens blue line. While there are young guys hoping to fill that spot, MacLean won’t have the luxury of letting a rookie defender adjust on the fly. The Sens will go with the hot hand here which means Patrick Wiercioch and Andre Benoit, who have both looked good in Bingo, should push for spots. Karlsson, Phillips, Gonchar, Methot and Lundin are the locks. Someone will need to step up and fill the 6th and maybe 7th positions.
- The “riding the hot hand” approach applies to goaltending too. Craig Anderson is still this team’s starting goalie but he’ll have some rust to shake off after such a long break. Meanwhile, Robin Lehner and Ben Bishop have both played extremely well on the farm. If Anderson struggles out of the gate, MacLean will not hesitate to go with one of Lehner or Bishop.
- Mika Zibanejad’s name always comes up as a guy that could push for a spot with the big club. I still think that’s true but I’m just not sure it happens in a short season. Zibanejad has had his issues adjusting to the North American game and has missed a significant amount of time with injuries. If the Senators are looking to a young guy to fill a spot in their top six, it’s far more likely Jakob Silfverberg steps up. He has looked good in Bingo so far.
- The good news for Sens fans is the team’s top players have been staying sharp in Europe and should have no problem getting up to NHL game speed. Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson, Kyle Turris, and Milan Michalek will be expected to carry the offence over a shortened season and all have performed well during stints in Europe.
- Injuries are going to be a factor across the NHL. With a shortened camp, players will be expected to get into top physical condition a lot faster than usual. This is where the strong start in Binghamton helps the organization in a big way. Luke Richardson has that team playing some solid hockey right now and you can bet there are a number of guys that will be ready to answer the call, should a regular go down with an injury.
- Oh and the first home game at Scotiabank Place- I’ll be there. I understand fans that will take a stand and stay away from SBP for a while but that really feels like misdirected anger to me. The Senators didn’t cause this lockout. The NHL did. The Senators aren’t a poorly run operation. The NHL is. The Senators don’t continue to disrespect their fans. The NHL does. While I fully respect the decision to stay away from NHL hockey games during a shortened season, it won;t be my approach. See ya at the Bank in January!
'Fool me once....' etc.
Like I said, I get that. And based on what I've read in the comment section, there are many others who feel the same way. Just won't be the approach I'll be taking.
I'm with chirp on this one, I'd be way too excited for me to boycott anything, love of the game I guess
http://www.senatorsextra.com/main/ottawa-roots-store-removes-leafs-merchandise-after-senators-fans-complain
Quoting senatorsextra.com:
Nice to see the Roots Bayshore location has reacted in removing the Toronto Maple Leafs display.
GO SENS GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!
Are the ads displaying properly? Should be one across the top and then two on the right hand side. Just want to make sure everything is functioning properly.
Thanks!
Hey chirp, I can see all 3.
Thanks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPxmyCAhZcY&feature=youtube_gdata
All it will take for things to correct themselves is empty seats in these arenas. It's time that the fans be heard and our refusal to spend will hopefully wake the NHL up.
Looks good to me. But the SensChirp logo on the top left is still cut off down the middle if I use Firefox.
I hope you all realize that if the owners had simply played under the current CBA, the players would have gone on strike right before the playoffs. Now that would suck even worse in my books!
Reality is, this should have been dealt with well in advance of the previous end date and the nhlpa was unwilling to move on it. For anyone following along, NHL is asking for a 10 year agreement which would finally result in some stability and the players are current are opposed. This should be a major red flag to anyone throwing all the blame on ownership.
Lastly, people are people and they will do what they have to within the limits of the rules in order to ice the best team. Currently those rules favor the lucrative markets like Philly, Toronto and NYR. Say what you will about the challenges with the last CBA, NHL was well aware it would take more than one CBA to get things to where they need to be otherwise they'd have missed two seasons.
Regardless, this shit show is almost over and my life will go back to normal when I'm choosing my lineup for the senschirp hockey pool!
Reality is the NHL owners should have settled this back in 2005 when they got their salary cap. Instead of acting as "partners" they try to screw each other. The out of whack salaries started when the Oilers offered Vanek that stupid contract and conitiued on to the idiotic contract offer by the Flyers for Shea Weber and finally ended with the ridiculous offer by the Wild for Suter and Parise.
This is why the NHL and it's owners are bush. In the NFL the owners are true partners. In the NHL they try to stab each other in the back and smile while doing it.
Jason Spezza Swiss League(NLA)
25 gp, 8g, 18a, 26p
Erik Karlsson Finnish League (SM-liiga)
27 gp, 7g, 17a, 24p
Kyle Turris Finnish League (SM-liiga)
21 gp, 7g, 12a, 19p
Milan Michalek Czech League
15 gp, 7g, 9a, 16p
Colin Greening Denmark
12 gp, 10g, 11a, 21p
Erik Condra German Leagues
Germany2
9 gp, 10g, 5a, 15p
Germany3
7 gp, 8g, 11a, 19p
Zach Smith Denmark
3 gp, 1g, 2a, 3p
Mike Lundin Sweden (Allsvenskan)
5 gp, 0g, 3a, 3p
Sergei Gonchar Russia (KHL)
29 gp, 3g, 20a, 23p
Kaspars Daugavins Russia (KHL)
28 gp, 4g, 6a, 10p
Peter Regin Swiss League (NLB)
4gp, 2g, 3a, 5p
However, I will not be buying any tickets to games this season, and possibly next. Melnyk is by far one of the better owners, but he was part of the group that voted for this lockout. I will watch games, follow the stats like an obsession and cheer for the Sens, I just will not spend any extra money on it until I feel the NHL has shown they deserve it again.
I will say however, if this 5% variance rule for contracts stays that low, I believe it's going to create a lot of expensive 2nd contracts as they will no longer be able to increase a 5yr contract drastically in years 3-5, so the players will want that 3-5mil a year from the start of the contract instead of getting there progressively over the entire term. Just a thought, but I think it could be one of those things that sounded better on paper for the owners then it will be in practice when they have to outbid each other.
You sucked before. What, you think you DON'T suck now because you admitted your sucky move?
EFFFF right the hell off, you false-Canadian, American-owned, leafs-loving, made-in-china, over-priced, tourist-trap, shit store.
~Peluso
Most of you on this site are probably in your 20's or 30's with many, many years left to watch NHL hockey.
I'm not so fortunate -- being up there in age to have that much time left. I'm not going to take from myself something I love with a passion and boycott games to prove a point - even though I'm mad as hell at both sides.
Some may agree, some may not.
The Owners caused this mess with their stupid contracts. Yeah the Sens contracts to Kovalev & Gonchar were not the best.. but they have never done a 10, 12 or 14 yr contract to anyone.. and those are the ones with the issues.
I'm glad a lot of Sens players are playing overseas or wherever, as IF (big if) the season starts.. a lot of the team is prepared. However I read on GM Hockey that Turris is leaving Finland to come back to Ottawa. I read somewhere else that Spezza will be coming back to Canada after the Spengler Cup..
The Owners also have to realize that the right thing to do is to ensure the players get every cent of the contracts they negotiated in good faith. Each team should take care of their own. If they finish in 4 or 5 yrs paying out the old contracts.. then better for them. If some teams take 10, 12 or 14 yrs to payout those contracts then serves them right for doing them...
In turn, the players have to realize a long term CBA is the way to go.. for the benefit of everybody.
Also 5 yr contracts -- just can't see that. Make them 8 yr max with a tight variance.. and get back to playing.
Go B-Sens -- get the win tonight.
you could not be more wrong... all the empty seats will do in Ottawa will spell the end of a small market team.
It all boils down to whether or not you care enough to have a team in your city.
I for one, really do. It is so counter productive to stay away, but expect the owner to shell out contracts for better players.
Really not sure where some people will expect the revenue to pay the players will come from if people stop going to games.
Isnt it ironic that there was never any lockout or strikes when the players were paid a normal wage, and most had two jobs.
Sad to see what too much money will do to people...
The only way for fans to voice their displeasure is to not purchase tickets and merchandise.
The lack of respect from both sides towards the public is disgraceful. I have been a hockey fan for almost 50 years and even though it pains me, I am done for this season.
Thats ok if you really want to hurt the Sens Franchise, b/c that is the only one that will suffer from that. Not the NHL and NOT the players, they will still be paid
How,exactly will an empty SBP hurt the NHL and the players. The only one who will pay will be Melnyk and in turn our Ottawa Senators.
Yes I do agree with you all that we all have every right to be more than pissed off.
Question, will Brad Pitt, and Columbia studios stop making money b/c you stop watching their movies?
No they will continue, but you local movie theatre will shut down if the city stopped supporting it.
Dont penalize the Senators, for what the NHL and the players are doing, it is really counter productive and hurting yourselves... IMO
I have discovered that I care too much about the Sens to let this crap bring me down. I let that prick Fehr drive baseball out of my city Montreal and now it's gone forever. Let's not allow this turd to drive hockey from Ottawa- if I lived in Ottawa I'd go to 10-15 games a year for sure. as it is now I make it to at least 2 games a year.
+ The Sens are about to be dominant and it would be a shame to miss out on that, plus isn' t Erik Karlsoon the most exciting player ever to wear a Sens jersey. Go Sens Go!
http://www.iheart.com/live/1453/?autoplay=true
wont work outside of the US, any ideas?
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bsenshockeylive
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/senshockey
This one is working :) Is this the new bsenshockeylive stream?
Find it very ironic that they won't let Zibanejad play in WJC because he will miss 3 weeks of not playing in N.A, despite already missing 3 weeks of no playing in the AHL.
found this gem on twitter:
http://sens.6te.net/
its a page containing all our prospects up to date stats
With that in mind Sens fans, choose your protest wisely.
~Peluso
A very interesting link - MoeDozer delivers again.
THANKS !
...:(
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/senshockey
I really hope he can play for the devils in the future in a top 6 role.
Lots of offensive upside, and I really think the best is yet to come for this squad.
Side note - the Crunch cheerleaders were fat hogs. I'm not trying to be derogatory, I'm just saying that they were everything that you could imagine that could go wrong for a cheerleader. Just Heinous.
go fuckin Sens.
~Peluso
Well said!
We're the ones that got screwed. To just rush back like nothing happened is wrong. They need to suffer some consequences for what they've done.
I for one, will not be stepping a foot into any NHL arena this year. Just imagine if fans across the league actually started to build a campaign around boycotting games this year. Just imagine arenas across the NHL being empty when the season starts. Just imagine how powerful a message that will send. Maybe I'm an idealist, but heck I hate being taken for a fool and I wish somehow fans could send a message to the NHL (players and owners): enough is enough!
My question is this - which team will you support if everyone does that, and the Senators fold? Who do you cheer for then from your living room?
B-Sens lose.. now 5 pts behind the Crunch in the division..
Lockout talks going nowhere. The NHL is still with the same offer last week.. a take it or leave it. They would not negotiate today and the players are pissed off.
Bettman wants Fehr to do his own take it or leave it offer to the Owners -- but that will never happen.
So they are at a standstill -- blind to damage they are doing.
Do the players go the route of decertification or disclaimer now.. and what mess will that create? What it will do is guarantee no season.. if it gets to court.
And for both sides to even consider another lost season and what it would mean to the sponsors and the fans... is just plain greed and stupidity.
I guess if the NHL is about screwing fans while they make a buck (or actually a few billions bucks) then I don't support the NHL, even if that means hurting the Senators in the process. But, I think the sens will be fine...if the whole NHL is hurting because fans actually boycott games, do you think the sens are the only team who might be in trouble. What about places like Dallas, Phoenix, Florida, Colombus and so on...The NHL would have to deal with a league-wide problem and rest assured there is too much money to be made for the league to just allow teams to fold.
He troubles me...Read on another site that there is some speculation around re-occurring concussion issues and the Swedes are saying he wasn't released due to health problems. I think if the right deal comes along that fits with our long term plan, I'd trade him...
I guess if the NHL is about screwing fans while they make a buck (or actually a few billions bucks) then I don't support the NHL, even if that means hurting the Senators in the process. But, I think the sens will be fine...if the whole NHL is hurting because fans actually boycott games, do you think the sens are the only team who might be in trouble. What about places like Dallas, Phoenix, Florida, Colombus and so on...The NHL would have to deal with a league-wide problem and rest assured there is too much money to be made for the league to just allow teams to fold.
I won't feel any better if the Sens leave, but Florida does as well. Look, you're kidding yourself if you think you're not still a fan, and you're kidding yourself if you think the Sens aren't reliant on strong gate receipts as a small market.
This is already a complacent market. The last thing our favourite team needs is to have their own fans boycotting.
The teams need some feedback from fans and if SBP has 13,000 for a few games instead of 18,000 so be it. There are enough young people (and older!) that feel a loyalty to the team that the place won't be bare. The Senators have already said (see last Sunday's Sun) they expect significant economic fallout from this...
It's ok to vote with your feet and then come back later. Really it is.
Also, the restaurant anology is bad. This isn't a divorce, it's more like the diner owners want to keep more of the customer's dollars and the servers want more base salary or perhaps even tips back. Either way if So Good closed for 3 months I'd be back because Peter is beast, but if the local Subway closed for 3 months well adios...