May this be the last emotional return of a former fan favourite. At least for a Little while.
With this moment, with the return of Jean-Gabriel Pageau in a New York Islander uniform, Sens fans can officially close the book on one of the most unpleasant stretches in the history of the franchise. Maybe not close the book but finish the chapter anyway.
In the last three years, we have watched a steady stream of stars walk out the door, headed for greener pastures. And while in each of those cases, things have actually worked out okay for the Senators, it’s a period that has tested our patience as fans. It has forced us to either take a leap of faith, to believe that better days are ahead with this current batch of prospects. Or to be angry, all the time.
It hasn’t been easy. And we’ve lost some good fans along the way. But tonight, when Pageau returns to Ottawa and fans chant his name one last time, we’ll all be moving on. We’ll be moving on not just from Pageau…but from Zibanejad, Duchene, Hoffman, Karlsson and Stone.
Or trying to at least.
The Ottawa Senators play host to the New York Islanders tonight at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Welcome back, JGP.
It will probably take them a couple years to realize but the fact is, Jean-Gabriel Pageau will never mean as much to the Islanders as he meant to the Ottawa Senators. Not gonna happen.
Don’t get me wrong. Pageau is a hell of a hockey player. As dependable as they come in his own end of the rink and more than capable of chipping in offensively.
But the magic of Pageau, the real mystique, was about a handful of moments unique to the Ottawa Senators. It was about his hat trick against the Canadiens, his four-goal night against the Rangers. It was about the Pageau chant and just his general torment of the Montreal Canadiens.
The Islanders paid $30 million dollars in hopes of claiming some of that magic and making it their own. And I just don’t think it’s going to work out for them.
You can’t buy someone else’s memories.
Looks like Artem Anisimov is out tonight while Anthony Duclair returns. A best guess at tonight’s line up.
Tkachuk-Tierney Brown
Balcers-White-Ryan
Duclair-Paul-Hawryluk
Boedker-Peca-Sabourin
Chabot-Hainsey
Reilly-Zaitsev
Englund-Jaros
Craig Anderson is the likely starter.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:30 PM. The game is available on TSN5 and RDS2.
Oh and because we own the Islanders draft pick and because they suddenly look like a team that might never win again…
GO. SENS. GO.
***
Before we bask in the beauty of another HEAD2HEAD table. A quick thought on yesterday’s episode of As the Sens World Turns. Days of our Sens Lives? The Young and the Sensless? There it is.
Anyway, I don’t give a shit.
Actually, no. That’s not right. I’m just a little bit tired of my hockey-watching experience being polluted with stuff a fan shouldn’t have to care about. The business side of a pro sports franchise is supposed to happen behind closed doors. Yet because of the general incompetence of the Owner and because of a string of bad hires, the spotlight continues to shine on the worst part of the organization.
Fact is, the business side of the Ottawa Senators is such a mess that it was naive of us to think Jim Little, or any other CEO hire for that matter, was going to make a lick of difference. I don’t have enough years left on this planet to spend ’em worrying about how they’re going to clean up that mess. I hope they do. The long-term viability of this franchise and hockey in this city depends on it. But it’s just not something I can concern myself with on a daily basis. Unless they want to hire me as CEO, I guess.
Frankly, the idea of having a guy like Jim Little, with zero hockey background and limited knowledge of the market, as “the face of the franchise” (his own words) wasn’t sitting right with me anyway. This franchise is in need of an overhaul and we all know it needs to start at the top.
The good news is, the thing that matters most right now is getting the hockey side of the house in order. We are still systems go on that front.
Best of luck, Mr. Little. Hope to fuck you find a fucking landing spot that let’s you be your fucking self.
Okay. here’s the table.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 35-22-8 (78 pts) | 23-32-12 (58 pts) |
| Goals For | 2.77 (22nd) | 2.69 (24th) |
| Goals Against | 2.75 (7th) | 3.37 (20th) |
| Power Play | 17.7% (23rd) | 15.0% (29th) |
| Penalty Kill | 80.7% (15th) | 77.1% (23rd) |
| Shots For | 29.3 (29th) | 30.4 (24th) |
| Shots Against | 31.3 (16th) | 33.7 (29th) |
| 2020 1st/2nd Round Picks | 0 | 7 |
| Leading Scorers | Barzal- 56 pts Nelson- 52 pts Bailey- 41 pts |
Brown- 41 pts Tkachuk- 40 pts Duclair- 37 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Semyon Varlamov 19-13-5 2.56 GAA, .916 sv% |
Craig Anderson 9-16-2 3.35 GAA, .897 sv% |
