NHL’s Atlantic Rich with Talent and Troubles

 It’s a relatively quiet time in the National Hockey League. Late August. Camps still a few weeks away. Outside of a Laine trade here, a Blues-Oilers offer sheet tussle there, not a whole heck of a lot rocking on. Hence, the dawning of the month-of-the-lists. TSN’s been at it. So

What’s the Real Story Senators? Maple Leafs?

 Another sampling of little ideas that just didn’t quite grow into big ones. Minor columns that just couldn’t sprout into big ones. Why not. Have at it and enjoy your week.   HALLOWEEN, OR NOT? The guys on Sportsnet brought this up this week – not that it’s anything new,

Tire Fire Reaches Halfway Point

 Fire the general manager, get stiffed on a first-round draft choice, see a top forward sent to NHL purgatory for half a season, put the torch to the inflammable head coach, reassign your flagging goalie coach, watch a promising and potentially break-out year go up in flames early and often.

Bad habits just won’t go away – Senators

 Expectations can create resentments? Yep. Especially those darned unfulfilled ones. So when you’re the Ottawa Senators – the new golden child of the National Hockey League’s collective media as well as the club’s jacked and re-juiced fan base – and you watch what came about during the team’s last two

Fresh Fish in The NHL’s Atlantic

 Last season the gun was jumped by this corner in regard to the ever-evolving Atlantic Division. Sure, the thing was evolving but not evolving as rapidly as we’d thought and forecasted. The young ones on the block – the Ottawa’s, Buffalo’s, and Detroit’s were on the move, but only incrementally.

DeBrincat takeaway – fans disenchanted with deal

 Based on what we’ve seen and read from the fan base in the past 12 hours, Ottawa Fan is not quite starting the work week on their happy feet. What happened was Ottawa Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion traded away sniper Alex DeBrincat to the Detroit Red Wings and wise-man

Ottawa’s pipes are calling, while Leafs are done wilting

 Photo: Courtesy Columbus Dispatch The draft is done and the meat-and-guts of free agency – for the most part – in the National Hockey League is over and out. Some outstanding storylines emerged from an intense week of study and action. It’s never a dull time, league-wide, so let’s dip

When late June becomes a hockey hornet nest

 No hockey on the ice. No problem. As TSN’s Gino Reda pointed out (roughly) Monday night: ‘Welcome to the busiest week of the hockey season.’ Trades, NHL entry draft, free agency, rumours, rumblings and another painfully awkward NHL awards show . . . it’s all here for the taking. Good

Time to make hay, Ottawa

 The year 2017 seems like, well, a very long time ago. And in hockey speak, it really was. Five ‘very long’ seasons. To not be even competing for a playoff spot post-Christmas for that amount of time, year after year, is inexcusable, right? But there you are Ottawa Fan. And

Senators working the steps, upwards

 Labour Day has come and gone, and for those tiring of summer, the CFL, MLB, tennis, golf and over-long visits from your in-laws, hockey’s about to make its return. As does your charming narrator from over in this corner. Good to be back at Ottawa Life for – what is

Pierre’s Summer of Love

 It is officially off-season for the National Hockey League. For the journalists who cover the circuit pretty well every day from a stretch linking September to early July, this time of year signals a blessed six-to-seven week break. (Having stated that, said journalists are never far from their phones in

Senators skip the queue with slew of moves

 Like a kid in a candy store there’s much to choose from after a week’s work of activity in National Hockey League circles that truly ripped into action Wednesday. Let’s dip in, and savour. But steer clear of the jawbreakers and SweeTarts. When’s the last time you took centre stage,

Wacky day ends with Ottawa’s offence jacked up

 Let me get this straight, did Matt Murray just do what he seemingly hasn’t been able to do since he landed in Ottawa? That’d be, making a key save? It certainly looked that way following a somewhat crazy morning then afternoon leading up to Thursday night’s NHL entry draft. To