Hockey News

Donovan McNabb and T.O.

2006-02-05T14:55:00.000-05:00

I know this is a bit off topic, but....for most of the football season, Terrell Owens has been villified as this awful person, who is one of the worst teammates who ever lived. No doubt, T.O is high on himself, as are alot, if not most pro athletes. However, in reality, maybe T.O. was simply speaking the truth, Donovan got tired at the end of last years SuperBowl. I'm sure that there were other teammates who felt the same way. Since the blowup, which resulted in T.O. being dismissed, I have felt that Donovan is a punk, meaning he's not the QB to lead a team. My opinion has only been reinforced since then, here's the evidence:
1) The Eagles season has now been over for a few weeks, yet McNabb is still granting interviews in which he talks about how he felt slighted by T.O. (grow up and go get ready for next season)

2) McNabb's comment, about T.O agreeing to a comment that the Eagles would be better with Brett Favre as there QB (hell yeah). I quote "It was like black on black crime". Talk about playing the race card. T.O did not comment on his race, just his skills as a QB and a leader.

3) Hugh Douglas (who's the guy that T.O got into the fight with in the dressing room), said in multiple interviews this week, that he felt that McNabb needed to be a better leader (I guess, or T.O would still be on the team, and maybe they would have a SB ring).

What's kind of ironic, T.O will end up in a great situation next year, maybe in Denver, and McNabb will still be a punk.

Weekly Rankings

2006-02-04T17:14:00.000-05:00

This is my weekly ranking of the top teams in the league. I'll rank in terms of record, but also in terms of potential for playoff success:

1) Carolina....They were already a top team, with depth, who had proven that they could beat Ottawa. The Doug Weight trade only makes them, that much better.

2) Detroit.....Great goaltending, excellent forwards, and a strong and experienced defense, which is a huge factor in the playoffs

3) Ottawa.....Great goaltending, good forwards (after the top 3 or 4, there's a serious drop, losing out on Weight really hurt), great defense....probably one of the top 3 in the league.

4) Dallas....Great goaltending, and they just seem to find a way to win the close games.

5) Calgary....like most top teams they have great goaltending. They're also a very hardworking team and they have a great defense, like Ottawa, they're also in my top 3.

6) Philadephia.....good goaltending but not at the same level as the other top teams, however they do have excellent forwards, assuming Forsberg can stay healthy. They're defense is above average and good sized, but maybe a little slow.

If Pigs Could Fly

2006-02-02T18:12:00.000-05:00

If the Senators, or your team, if you're not a Sens fan, could get any player in the NHL, who would you want? I would want a really strong centreman, and since this is pure fantasy, a gritty winger who can also put the puck in the net. Yes, the Sens are already very talented, but they're not a deep team. Anyway, here's my wishlist:
1 - Joe Thornton.....strength, a great playmaker, all-round offensive skills and a leader. Can you imagine a line with Thornton and Alfie, and another line with Spezza and Heatley. If your an opponent, who does your checking line play against?
2 - Alexander Ovechkin
3 - Jarome Iginla
4 - Vincent Lecavalier....tell me that fight between him and Iggy in the finals, last NHL season, wasn't something special
5 - Eric Staal
6 - Brendan Shanahan....an older player, but he's proven that he can still bring it

I know, I know, this will never happen, no team would be dumb enough to give up a star player. Oh, but wait a second, Boston already did, so I will continue to dream the impossible dream.

What's wrong with the Sens?

2006-02-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

As I'm watching the Senators stink it up against the Devils tonight, I realized that something hasn't seemed quite right with this team, for a few weeks now. At first everyone attributed it to injuries, especially the injuries to Spezza and Redden, but now that both players are back, the team is still inconsistent. One game the look great, and the next game, they get shut out by Boston.
Could it be chemistry? I don't think so, we've heard that everyone in the dressing room gets along. Could it be talent? Probably not, Ottawa has a plethora (don't you love that word) of talent......can you say Alfredsson, Spezza, Heatley, Chara.....and you know the rest. Could it be goaltending? Well, the backup goalie has kind of stunk lately, but the starter has been, on most nights, his usual Dominator self.
Personally, I think there's two problems. First, everytime I see them lose a game, it looks like they're getting badly out-worked. How do you fix that? Is it a coaching issue? Second, and I know that this won't make me popular with other Sens fans, but the guys who get the bulk of the ice time, seem to lack grit. Sometimes I'd like to see a few less fancy passes, and a little more, shooting the puck, and crashing the net, even if you run the goalie.....acccidentally, of course.
Whatever the problem is, they better identify it and fix it before the playoffs!

Fantasy Fun

2006-01-31T19:20:00.000-05:00

This year I've discovered a new addiction, it doesn't really cost anything, except time, and I don't get a hangover. Just sore eyes, from spending so much time researching which player to pick up, next. Yes I confess, I'm a full-fledged Geek.....a sports lovin geek. Is that so bad?
These days my fantasy hockey team is occupying alot of my free time, I had an awful draft. I didn't figure out the importance of adequately pre-ranking players, until it was too late. So, I've had to build my team thru trades and free agents. I think it should really be called Fantasy Hockey GM, because it's not really fantasy hockey....in my hockey fantasy, believe me, I'm doing ALL the scoring.
I have a co-worker who also has a team in the same league. He's already beat me in fantasy football, this year, so this is for office bragging rights.
My plan is to take home the championship!!

What about Chris?

2006-01-31T19:10:00.000-05:00

Has anyone noticed that whenever Canadian Olympic defenceman are being discussed, Chris Phillip's name is never mentioned? I keep hearing Bouwmeester, Dan Boyle, Phaneuf and others. Phillips was one of the best defensive defencemen(maybe even, in the whole tournament) when Canada won the World Championship during the lockout. I guess the powers that be expect to always be in the other team's end.

Redden or Chara?

2006-01-30T22:03:00.000-05:00

This is the big question facing the Senators. I've heard that Muckler has said that he'll try to sign both, but that just doesn't seem reasonable. Some team or teams with more cap room is going to come along and offer 7 million or more to at least one of them. Personally, I think the best bet would be to try to sign them now, and if it's not possible....make a trade, so that you don't end up with nothing when one (or both) leaves as an unrestricted free agent, this summer.
Assuming that it's financially possible to sign one player, but not both, then the question becomes.....which one. Redden is a solid 2-way defenceman, who is said to have the best "first pass" in the league. He's also very good on the power play. Chara is one of the premier "shut down" defenceman in the league, he has offensive skills and that killer shot, but the real meat in his game in his own end. Next Senators game that you see, make a point of watching Chara, you'll see him take away more than one good scoring chance from one of the opponents top offensive threats. So, obviously my choice would be Chara, but my feeling is that he'll be able to get more on the open market, so the Sens probably have a better chance of signing Redden.

Young Guns

2006-01-30T20:42:00.000-05:00

This season has been really interesting, a few hall of fame type veterans have left the game....Lemieux, Hull, Stevens, and I've been sorry to see them go....however we've really seen some exciting first and second players make their mark too. First there's the usual suspects (in the rookie class), Crosby, Ovechkin and Phaneuf......but there's also been a few other guys who have excelled. Petr Prucha and Marek Svatos are two of the most hungry young goal scorers that I've seen in a long time, and Ottawa has an up and coming defenceman named Meszaros, who is going to be a stud in this league. In the second year players, we've seen guys like Spezza and Staal, elevate their game to another level, both are definite all-stars for years to come, and both will most likely, only get better.
The new NHL seems to just like Mario said in his latest :-) retirement press conference.."it's a young guys game". There's definitely still room for good veteran players who can provide leadership, and experience, but watch out for the young guns!!

Possible trades for the Sens

2006-01-30T19:42:00.000-05:00

Hey...Welcome to my blog. This is the first entry of many more to come. Anyway, on to the real story....Can you believe the Doug Weight trade today.....seems like a pretty steep price to pay for a rental. He's already said that he really likes St. Louis, and could very well re-sign with them in the off-season.
Now that he's off the market, the next best available player, for the Senators, would most likely be Mark Recchi, he has tons of upside....plays either wing, gritty, a proven playoff performer, would give Ottawa a very strong second line, and would give the team alot of flexibility with their forwards. There's also the bonus that he comes at a relatively inexpensive price, the Sens would be on the hook for a million or so for this year, and then his contract calls for a club option at 2.4 million, or a player option at 1.2 million.
Brendan Witt is also available but the Senators don't especially need a defenceman....right now, so he would more fit in the category of "nice to have".
The next month or so should be really exciting if you're a Senators fan, or just an NHL fan, for that matter. Don't be shocked to see a player like Mats Sundin moved......stay tuned!!