shades of patrick lalime

I'd like to preface this post by stating that I do not actually think that Pascal Leclaire is as bad as Patrick Lalime.

As with many other Senators fans, the memory of Lalime's game 7 meltdown is still, and will always be, fresh in my mind. But like the Afghanistan vet who returns home and winces every time a car backfires in the grocery store parking lot, I can't help but feel as though I've seen some scary "flashes from the past" with Leclaire in the net the past few days.

This man, remember, was supposed to be the long-awaited answer to the problem that's seemingly as old as Frank Finnigan himself. He had the talent of Emery, without the attitude problems, the style of Hasek, without the unreliability, and held as much as promise as Lalime did before Joe Nieuwendyk fired successive beach balls between his legs.

I'll admit that, in giving up Antoine Vermette to get him, Bryan Murray wasn't exactly selling the club short. Vermette was going nowhere with the Sens and, thanks to a change in scenery, has managed to turn things around in Columbus this season.

But still. Come the fuck on. This is just getting ridiculous.

I was a skeptic about the acquisition at first but quickly had my mind changed by Leclaire's stellar play early in the season. Then he gets the flu. Then his save percentage drops below .900 and, while, here we are.

I think what is most frustrating about this is the fact that Leclaire could be so good. He displays flashes of brilliance all the time. Without him, the Senators would be even more mediocre than they are right now.

Is it so much to ask for the Senators to have a reliable goaltender for once? Someone who shows up to practice on time, gives his team a chance to win, and doesn't let in the softies.

And the fact that Ray Emery was at the other end on this one - while I just can't think of a more ironic kick in the fucking balls.

paging alex kovalev

I've got to agree with this assessment.

This bullshit, in tandem with abhorrent comments from the Oilers regarding NHL players jumping the H1N1 vaccination queue late last week, make it a must-win situation at the bank tomorrow.

I'd say I hope the likes of Carkner and Neil kick their teeth in, but then I'd be forgetting about how all their stupid fucking penalties ruined our chances saturday night.

Either way, something's gotta give here. The ref's have got to start calling the games better, or these guys are going to have to smarten up and start playing a cleaner game.

Oh and it would be nice as well if Kovalev were to try doing that thing where you use force on your hockey stick to push the puck towards the goal. A shot, I think they call it. And if Cheechoo...well where do you start with that guy?

I'm okay with being patient when it comes to slow starters, and hey we all knew going into the season what kind of stuff we'd have to put up with from Kovalev. But as this stretch of poor play continues to wear on, these guys are going to have to start stepping up soon. It's early, but the clock is ticking and no better time to start than against the d-bags from Edmonton tomorrow.

Regardless, I'll be watching intently.

three cheers for the most selfish assholes in canada

I guess any semblance of women and children first is a notion that most hockey players don't really buy into.

This week, it was revealed that the Calgary Flames hockey team got their H1N1 shots ahead of those designated priority groups by health officials. Children, health care workers, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems all took a backseat to boys in black and red.

Some may be willing to excuse the behaviour of these primadonnas, but I for one am not. Their behaviour is shameful, and I personally couldn't give less of a shit if they were 'only following orders.' These people should know better.

Now, I'm not one to place hockey players (or any athletes or politicians for that matter) on a higher moral plane than the rest of us, but I am frankly surprised that there isn't even some sense of moral decency in the dressing rooms of the NHL.

And then - AND THEN - when crosstown rivals the Edmonton Oilers were given the opportunity to take a wack at their opponents this week, F Sam Gagner took this attitude:

"The fact that we're together so much, we're using the same water bottles, we're around each other all the time - we're a pretty big risk factor."

Other Oiler "role models" echoed the comments.

What. The. Fuck. Seriously, Sam?

You spend a lot of time travelling together? What kind of a bullshit excuse is that for your own selfishness? There are thousands upon thousands of people who play hockey, go to school together, and work together who do have the exact same thing to worry about.

Here's a thought: you could do what every minor hockey player in the Ottawa area is doing and get your own fucking water bottle. Lord knows you can afford it.

This goes to show just how fucked up these guys are in the head. They play a boy's game for a living, make millions doing it, and all of a sudden any notion of equality between them on the ice and the people in the stands who pay their salaries is thrown out the window.

Fuck you Calgary. Fuck you too Sam Gagner. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Not only have you proved to me that you aren't worthy of being role models, you should be treated with more scorn than Dany Heatley and Mike Duffy combined.

so brian, was it worth it?

Phil Kessel played his first game in a Leafs uniform tonight, collecting 20 scoring chances and 10 shots on a goal. An impressive debut for the much-touted blue-and-white offseason acquisition. Ultimately though, the Leafs lost out yet again to the Bolts in overtime.

Let this be a lesson for present and future Senators GM's: Brian Burke still looks like the NHL's biggest fucking idiot.

The Leafs are headed for dead last in the league, meaning that one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference will have first crack at the slew of young talent coming into next year's draft.

If they tank again next year? The first sweater they'll be handing out will be black and yellow for the second time in a row.

Let this be a case study on how not to run a hockey team. If you're planning on rebuilding, THEN FUCKING REBUILD. Don't pussyfoot around with a foot in either stream.

This relates back to yesterday's post. You can endure some truly awful years in an effort to bring a Stanley Cup to the city and ultimately be rewarded for it. Or you can pull a Brian Burke and ensure your team is headed for .500 hockey for years to come.

going down swinging

Thank you!

At least someone is refusing to take this bullshit lying down.

At the very least this will take some of the jump out of that d-bag's step.

constant mediocrity

What is Bryan Murray doing?

Seeing as how the Senators are in the midst of a 4-day layoff and have now dropped four of their past five, perhaps it's a good time to be asking this question.

Now, I have no problem with signing "character guys" to contracts. We all know it was heartwarming and shit like that to see Matt Carkner sign a major league deal after toiling away in the minors, and what heartless son of a bitch wouldn't feel at least a tinge of happiness at Five for Smiting's report that Peter Regin is being told to buy a house in the city?

There were also reports last week that the GM's office is in talks with Anton Volchenkov to sign him to a long-term extension as well.

These are all good players. But I really don't get the strategy here.

Murray has surprised many in past years by giving big long-term deals to role players like Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly because, gonsarnit, they've just worked so goshdarn hard over the years that they clearly deserved it.

The only problem is that these big long-term deals are eating up a lot of the flexibility that a GM needs under the modern salary cap system. Think of the Ottawa Senators like a donut. Murray started putting it together from the outside, but by the time he got to the middle there was nothing left.

Another problem with this approach is that it's really inflexible. Players get injured or have really fucking godawful seasons (exhibit a: Fisher and Kelly in 2008/2009). Because they're locked in for long-term deals, the team can't do anything about it.

The thing with role guys like these is that they're expendable. There's always more of them coming up through the Binghamton pipline or available through free agency.

Pretty soon, the Senators are going to caught in the purgatory of the hockey world. Constant mediocrity. Instead of taking the time to rebuild and retool around a set of core guys (Fisher and Kelly are not core guys), this team will be permanently hovering around the .500 mark, sometime sneaking into the playoffs but never really competing.

In an era where players reach free agency at a younger age than ever before, wouldn't it make sense to build your core guys and then add the Mike Fishers, Chris Kellys, and Anton Volchenkovs when you actually have a chance to win?

Just a thought as we wait to see what November has in store for a team that is sliding closer and closer to .500 hockey.

karlsson demoted

"The 19-year-old defenceman, who didn't speak to the media, didn't take the news well, said Murray." -The Citizen

I've never been to Binghamton. In fact, before it was named the home of the Senators' minor league affiliate, I didn't even know Binghamton existed.

For whatever reason, players don't seem to want to play in Binghamton. Maybe it's the simple fact that would-be NHL-ers are bummed they won't be able to play in the big leagues. Maybe the water tastes funny. Maybe there aren't any good bars.

Regardless of whether or not any of these things are true, the future anchor of the Sens defence doesn't seem happy. Should that be a concern for the Senators? Who knows. I guess it ultimately depends on Karlsson's character as a hockey player and person.

Clouston made the right decision on this one. The small 19-year-old wasn't ready for life in the NHL. That was compounded by the fact that, with Kuba's return imminent, the Senators now have a loaded back-end, not to mention the fact that an older and more mature Brian Lee is waiting in the wings. He's shown enough potential that he's going to come around one of these days.

He'll also learn a lot more playing hockey in Binghamton than watching the likes of Phillips, Kuba, Volchenkov, Campoli, Picard, and Carkner from the press box.

All I'm saying is that a lot of good and not-so-good players have departed the Sens' rosters under Bryan Murray's watch.

The one that's currently pissed off about riding the bus in the AHL? He's going to be a good one.