Matthew Tkachuk, Courtesy ESPN.com

Panthers’ identity has outcasts dying to grow and bare teeth

 “There is a creature alive today who has survived millions of years of evolution, without change, without logic, it lives to kill. A mindless eating machine, it will attack, it will devour. Anything. It is as if God created the Devil and gave him . . . jaws.”   This

Where Art Thou, Brady?

 Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Sure, computer gamers from the mid-1980s would scratch their heads over that one for a few years, but here in Ottawa it’s a different type of game: Where in the world is Brady Tkachuk? St. Louis? Hunkered down in Ottawa . . .

Camps open league-wide, prompting questions and answers

 Above: Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk This past Sunday hockey returned across the board in the National Hockey League with the opening of training camps. The Ottawa Senators, one of seven teams to not qualify for the playoffs last season, opened up a few days earlier on Dec. 30th. And so it

Senators finally ‘back in the game’ as entry draft unfolds

 It’s not quite Lotto 6/49 (or in this case: Lotto 13/49), but you have to like their chances to come out a winner. Pick a number folks, any number - 3, 5, 28? How about 33, 51, 58, 60? Thirteen selections in all; three of those in the opening round;

Cards are in Ottawa’s hands . . . sort of

 We’re less than a month away from arguably the biggest 48 hours in Ottawa Senators’ history. The drama, mystery and intrigue will definitely get interesting. Kind of an Agatha Christie novel on blades. Without the murder, of course. For the Senators, general manager Pierre Dorion is easily the most fascinating

Will upsets continue in NHL’s ‘second’ round?

 On to Round 2. Or is it Round 1? Under the new-look National Hockey League, take your pick. This corner went a true-blue 5-3 in its qualifying round selections, and now we’re set to stumble around blindly in the dark with daring predictions for the next round. (Whatever you want

NHL swings and misses, big time

 Stephen King has notched his rightful place high up on the pole as one of my more revered writers (especially his earlier stuff). He came to mind Friday night shortly after 8. From the perspective of many an Ottawa Senator fanatic, only King – the Sultan of Scare – could

Draft lottery awaits, Super A.J. returns, COVID still hitting hard

 A number of thoughts, observances, and opinions as we head towards Friday’s NHL draft lottery. Some of these thoughts are actually salient. Really. Hold tight. Tick-tock on an early Senators’ Christmas Finally, it’s here. There hasn’t been much of anything to get charged up about – for local NHL fans

Senator win string is perplexing for fans

 Winning has never been so confusing. It’s the genesis of the angst Ottawa Senator fans are facing right now. In the case that you’ve been residing outside the nation’s capital (where no one seems to care what’s happening with this hockey club), Ottawa is a tidy 7-2 since Nov. 7th.