What it Means to Compete

April 20, 2008 - 7:30 PM | Permalink

In the last few days since the Sens' season came to an expected, whimpering end, there have been all the prerequisite articles from all the typical sources about what happened to the Sens this season. Instead of adding to the pile, I thought I'd write my season finale about what I've seen while watching other playoff series. Interestingly, what I noticed lead me back to the pile and taught me a lot about the disaster that was the Sens' season.

Doing this podcast means I watch all 82 regular season games, plus pre-season, plus playoffs, short as they may be. Combine that with show writing, research, podcast night and the rest of my life, it doesn't leave me with much time to watch the games of other teams. The first thing that struck me as I watched the other series was how bad the hockey I've been watching since December has been. When it comes to entertainment value, we Sens fans have been royally ripped off this year. Yeah, I know that few teams play as hard in the regular season as they do in the play-offs but I'm willing to bet they came a lot closer to it than our boys did this season.

But when it comes to the post-season, you cannot even compare the quality of play the Sens achieved to the other playoff teams. For me, what explains this discrepancy more than any other reason that the pundits have punded is simply the will to compete.

What does it mean to compete? I never played NHL hockey so it may seem that I have no right to comment on the Sens' ability to compete because I've never been in their skates and have no clue what they went through. Fair enough, but I do have eyes that mostly work and I can see Jerome Iginla rampaging like a bull through defensemen to get to the net. I can see Patrick Marleau destroyed by a massive body check, get up and keep going even though it looked like he was seeing three pucks. I can see the Boston Bruins refusing to give in to a more talented Montreal team, repeatedly fighting back against all odds and very questionable officiating. I saw a third period and OT in the Philly-Capital series that may not be surpassed in terms of intensity again this year. Certainly, some of the saves Huet and Biron made in that game will stand as the best we'll see.

Then I look back at our sweep and realize that the Sens, the ones not named Gerber, Alfie or Volchenkov, simply did not seem to understand what it means to compete at this level. I heard Jason Spezza swearing in a press conference when asked about his team's desire to win but perhaps no one else on this team is more guilty of not being able to compete at that special level than he is. I know he was hurt but that trait was very evident in his play long before he suffered that injury.

We all thought that the whipping they took from the Ducks last season would better prepare them for the seemingly endless battle that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs but you'd have to say that they seemed more daunted by the prospect of another long fight than inspired to return to one. As Shredder and I sat in our seats at the final game and prayed for some kind of miracle, it became very obvious this team had no fight left in them.

Now, this is where we end up back at that pile. Why did they have no fight in them? What sucked the desire to compete at or above the level of their opposition out of them? I'll leave that to the podcast finale due out this week. Murray has a huge job ahead of him this summer. Contracts, free agents, Dasani sponsorships, etc, but perhaps nothing he'll do will be more important than identifying what it is that kept this team from being able to impose it's will over it's competition when it mattered most.

The talent was there, but that will to compete was not. Where do you find it? The answer would seem to be within and that's where Murray needs to start looking. Who on this team has it in them to leave it all on the ice, to rise above their opponent despite the costs? It's time to start building this team with these kind of players and give the fans of this city a team they can say competed until they had nothing left. That's all we ever wanted.

Comments (1)

Leave for 2 weeks and the Wheels Fall off!

April 14, 2008 - 12:22 PM | Permalink

Plug your ears kids cause all I have the say here is WHAT THE HECK!

Honestly, before I left for a relaxing 2 weeks in the Dominican Republic the Sens were sitting in 5th place and showing small signs off coming together. Sure this season has been a mess; but the tempo and effort just seemed to point this fan in the direction that felt they were tired of the regular season and needed to just get into the post season.

Fast forward to today and when I get home; we barely squeak in finishing 7th, Fisher and ALFREDSSON are out indefinitely because Mark Bell is a dirty blow hard typical leaf and a Goaltending situation is the ONLY SOLID and positive thing about the team.

AM I TAKING CRAZY PILLS! Heatley and Spezza have 1 freaking point!

ARRRGGGGGGGG! Who scripted this thing! How is it possible that the Sens are now sitting in a place that has them running from a broom versus the Penguins and the TEAM is flatter then Ray Emery's tires when he parks in a public lot in Ottawa.

NOW! What next, where are the positives? Well for me I have yet to witness a game and am still excited AND!...

No series is over until a team loses @ home and Ottawa has yet to do this, now we just need to deal with Gary Roberts, AGAIN! BAH!

Comments (23)

The Weather - Sens Fans

April 11, 2008 - 3:47 PM | Permalink

The weather today in Ottawa is miserable, and I think it's safe to say that "miserable" is the perfect word to describe how Sens fans feel at the moment. It seems like it's taking forever for spring to arrive but for Canadians, and hockey fans in general, spring arrives when the Stanley Cup Playoffs arrive and you know what? The playoffs HAVE ARRIVED!

I know the sun hasn't been shining much on our beloved Senators lately (or at all this season) but I think we Sens fans are not helping the cause. All we've done is bitch and complain about this team all year long. Granted, the Senators haven't given us many reasons to be proud but the fact of the matter is, they've played well enough to earn a spot in the playoffs and it's time that we all start sending a little love their way. Okay, I've done my share of complaining as much as the next fan but maybe we've become part of the problem. Who are we, Sens fans, to accuse this team of mailing it in when in turn, we're doing the exact same thing - incidentally, there are tickets available for games 3 and 4 in case you're interested. It's a known fact that players feed off the emotion of their fans and right now, all we can do is support our team as much as we possibly can. Get the car flags out, cheer loud, be proud and let's start making some FREAKEN' NOISE!

If we as Sens fans can help trigger some emotion amongst the players, then we're doing our job. The Sens may get bounced in the first round, there's nothing we can do about that... but if we don't want them to go down without a fight, then let's not just sit on our hands and watch the sinking ship! We all have a part to play - play it.

Even though the forecast doesn't look good, we all know how quickly the weather can change.

Shredder

Comments (1)

Sens Underground Playoff Pool

April 7, 2008 - 10:43 PM | Permalink

Let's get it rolling folks, no time to lose!

First off, congrats to Greg "Icedog" Babstock for his convincing win of the regular season pool. For his efforts, Greg wins an official Sens Fan Pack, courtesy of the Ottawa Senators. Included in the pack is a Sens One Mission 2008 playoffs T-shirt, Sens Army car window sticker, Sens hockey cards, a Sens lapel pin and a pretty little Sens pom pom. Now, how do we get the box from here...to Newfoundland? Ok, break into teams!

The playoff pool will be just like last year's. Pick any 20 players, no goalies. 1 point will be awarded for each of the following: goals, assists, game winning goals and short handed goals. Most points wins something but as Greg can tell you, it's the bragging rights that really matter.

Please send your teams to russell@sensunderground.com by 7:00 pm Wednesday, April 9th. It's free to enter and will be posted on www.officepools.com.

Good luck and GO SENS GO!

Comments (1)

And So it Begins

April 6, 2008 - 9:43 PM | Permalink

It has been suggested on our show that maybe the funk the Sens have been in is partly due to the Sens just looking forward to getting the play-offs started. I don't know if that's true or not for the players but it sure is for me. There's nothing I'd love to do more than just forget about the last 4 months and start fresh in the post-season. Yep, I'd love to... but not so fast.

We now know it will be Pittsburgh that we roll up against in the first round. What do I think of the match up? Honestly, I really don't care who they play nor do I think it really matters. After all the frustration and struggles we've endured at the hands of our team this season, I'm really just thankful we made it to the post season at all. Watching the free fall has been painful and disheartening to say the least, so I'm really just taking anything else as gravy.

I know I sound pessimistic but I tend to think of it more as realistic. I just can't bring myself to believe that all the troubles that have befallen the Sens are magically going to disappear just because the regular season has come to an end. I have to believe that the Sens' problems go much deeper than that. After all, this has been going on for 4 months now and that makes it more than just a blip on the screen.

But back door or not, we're there and as we all know, in the play-offs anything can happen. We have said on our show numerous times that hockey is one of those games where the unlikely happens on a regular basis. Just when you think you have a handle on things, it throws you for a loop. (Ok, except for the reffing and the Leafs; They always suck.)

Our boys will be going up against Crosby, Malkin and Hossa with a team short on defensive conscience and a compulsion for generosity with the puck in their own end. That's not a good combination. Throw in average goaltending in the playoffs, where goaltending is everything, well, you see where I'm going with this.

The Sens have relied on scoring their way out of problems this year but as we all know, the play-offs are a completely different beast where goals do not come easy. And now, they have to do it without the Golden God himself, Daniel Alfredson. (By the way, at the risk of sounding like a homer, if you still think that wasn't an elbow Bell threw, you're on crack.) No offence to Heatley and Spezza but Alfie is the fuel that makes this engine run. Throw in the loss of Mike Fisher, arguably Ottawa's best play-off style player and you have a team that is even more of a one-line team than they've been all year. With all due respect to a red hot Antoine Vermette, the Sens simply do not match up offensively to the Penguins. Want some more to chew on? Gary Roberts is back. Take that for what it's worth but it certainly gives us something else to think about.

The Pens, it can be argued, may have goaltending issues of their own and do not have a rock solid D either and maybe that's our chance. If our guys can just get back to playing solid defense, a simple, aggressive forchecking game, and get stellar goaltending from Gerbs then maybe they can last long enough to get Fish and Alfie back in the line-up. Then, it's more of a fair fight. Considering how things have gone so far this year, that's a lot of ifs.

Could the Sens accomplish the miraculous and instantaneously turn their whole game around? Hey, anything is possible but are you going to bet the mortgage on it? Me either. But let me say that should I prove to be totally wrong on all this and the boys show me that I have sold them way too short, I will be more than happy to come on here and admit I was wrong, wrong, wrong!!!

All that being said, I will still have my Sens goggles on, I will still taunt Leaf fans unmercifully and I will be there, with beer in hand, until the very last, bitter moment. And I will never, EVER, stop loathing Mark Bell.

GO SENS GO!!!!!!!!!!!

Comments (1)