Senators season coming to abrupt stop

 Less than two weeks until closing time. Seems like kind of a ‘hard stop’ here in Ottawa as interest seems to be gaining on a hockey team that is poised to do . . . well what, exactly? The Ottawa Senators are at a significant, meaningful stage in recovery (I

Norris takes that next big step

 Need a little sunshine? Here you go. One of the biggest obstacles potentially facing the Ottawa Senators and ‘taking that next big step’ is the lack of elite star power. Sure they have Thomas Chabot, but until now, not much else in the realm of A-quality offensive talent. It’s becoming

Senators vying for better grades in second half

 Give or take a few days or games or COVID breaks, the National Hockey League hits the halfway point during a very intriguing season. In Ottawa, this season was hailed as the end of the rebuild. While the phrase wasn’t exactly plastered on the facing of the Canadian Tire Centre,

Canada’s Christmas Season Report Card

 Look! It’s a column without COVID discussion. We thought we’d table that subject for the time being, as it’s Christmas/New Year’s and all, and we believe everyone’s had enough of the constant COVID-in-the-ears ringing, clanging and rancour. Instead a subject that is worth dipping in to while the NHL breaks

Young trio making waves where waves are needed

 For right now the Ottawa Senators are awfully thin. Thinner than Twiggy, thinner than Victoria Beckham. But you know what . . . the meat that IS on the bone, is getting the job done currently. Ottawa has won four of its last five games and the locals can lay

Senators: Productivity required now

 Welcome back. With a full week off – graciously granted by the National Hockey League to the Ottawa Senators due to COVID precautions – it’s given Ottawa Fan plenty of time to think on what has happened so far on the ice this season. Unfortunately for said Ottawa Fan, the

No surprises as Senators start season

 ABOVE: Anton Forsberg has filled in while Matt Murray recovers from a flu bug. (PHOTO: courtesy NHL.com) It certainly is, as they say, a small sample size. Nevertheless if this is what the Ottawa Senators ‘are,’ no one should be terribly surprised. (Add in a Brady Tkachuk who plays Thursday against

Playoffs is Ottawa’s goal, but is it realistic?

 Will or can the Ottawa Senators conclude the upcoming season with a spot in the playoffs? Apparently that’s what the general manager thinks, given his contention the rebuild is over. We know what the Senators are, and that’s a young, assertive team with good pace; a team with questionable goaltending,

Senator fans continue to squirm

 Marge Simpson: You know, Homer, it's very easy to criticize. Homer Simpson: Fun, too. And so it is, Ottawa Fan. You have come to this, eh? Really can’t blame you . . . when you think about it. This stuff has been going on for years. By ‘stuff,’ I mean

Senators’ rebuild is over? Really?

 “The rebuild is done . . .” "We've had a plan since we started this rebuild. I feel that we're in the next stage now, it's time to start to win.” The previous comments brought to you by Pierre Dorion (from various sources). In some respects, I guess this is

Rebuild over, next steps please?

 Photo: Courtest OttawaSenators.com Back-to-back against the Ontario rival. Great way to get started, eh? For the Ottawa Senators ‘getting started’ has been the tale of the tape since the spring of 2017. Making it all the way to the Eastern Conference finale – against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh

Leafs entire self-perspective on the line . . . again

 ABOVE: Nylander has been the best Leafs forward. When one school teacher unwittingly causes another teacher's dismissal, he is challenged to an after-school fight (premise). Yeah, it was a truly awful film (Fist Fight) but doesn’t it ring truly true for the Toronto Maple Leafs who have to face their

Grades improving; this student has potential

 I remember those dreaded days: Getting the sealed envelope with my school’s emblem adorning the front. “Please bring this home for your parents to look at (‘pick apart,’ you mean) and have them sign it and bring it promptly back to your home-room teacher.” The cringe-worthy report card. Twice a

Future looking rosy in Senator land

 The heat was on last week after what appeared in this corner of the page. Maybe a little too harsh? Unsympathetic? Sure. Perhaps. But after another solid week on the ice, the Ottawa Senators surely appear that they’re about to take another step forward. There’s just too much going well

Time to get a move on, Ottawa

 Put up or shut up. Can Ottawa folk finally agree we are there? I mean, come on, the leeway given this franchise (that would be the Ottawa Senators) – especially by some members of the local media – for the past 3-4 years has been especially generous. Especially. And especially

A shutout for the Senator while Vancouver heads into marathon month

 Just a little more than three weeks left to dip in and get a taste of what you like and – perhaps – don’t like when looking at the Ottawa Senators’ future up closely. With that in mind, as the playoffs draw near for four of the Senators compatriots in

Senators: Mission accomplished (for the most part)

 ABOVE: Dzingel gets one past Hellebuyck in the Sens 4-3 loss to the Jets on April 5, 2021. (PHOTO: NHL.COM/SENATORS/VIDEO) Thanks Trooper: “We're here for a good time, Not a long time So have a good time, The sun can't shine every day.” In just more than a month’s time, the

The Sens get a bounce, and “Hoggy” bounces back

 After beating the Montreal Canadiens and snapping a nine-game winless streak two weeks ago, the Ottawa Senators lost their next four games, and almost lost every game last week. Almost. Enter Brady Tkachuk. The Senators began the week with two losses to the Edmonton Oilers, followed by a loss to

Tim Stützle has arrived

 On Tuesday night, it looked like the week would tell the same old story for the Ottawa Senators. The Edmonton Oilers took an early 4-0 lead over Ottawa, giving Senators fans an excuse to go to bed rather than stay up for the third period of a game that started

After a tough week, Ottawa Senators need to give young players a chance

 Last week was a tough one for the Ottawa Senators, losing all three games versus Winnipeg. They led 3-2 until the last minutes of the game on Tuesday, before allowing an equalizer with 1:17 left, and then losing in overtime. The Senators outshot the Jets 41-28, they deserved to win.

The NHL is back! And what a start to the season it was for the Sens

 Ottawa launched their 2020-21 NHL season with a gift to fans who waited 310 long days to see them play, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 on Friday night. The convincing win was no small feat, as the majority of NHL analysts had pegged the Maple Leafs as the top

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

Naughty or nice: the ABC’s of Xmas

 It’s been one helluva year, said everyone everywhere. Even in the usual sanctified domain of the sports world, the Year of COVID-19 hit hard and fast and repeatedly. But we’re moving on here, good people. ‘Tis the season for some much-required joy and boy do we need that lift, especially

Who’s tops in an all-Canadian division?

 Last week in this very corner the thought was that an all-Canadian team realignment in the National Hockey League should not only be instituted this coming season but should also be a permanent thing. Great idea? Well, I thought so. To further the discussion, this week’s gripper deals with a

The transition from terrible to contender may be closer than you think

 NBC analyst Pierre McGuire believes the Ottawa Senators will be a Stanley Cup contender in the next 2-3 years. The veteran broadcaster made the comments this past week on Ottawa sports radio. While ownership and management continue to rub their collective hands in glee and proclaim the Senators will soon