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

Year-end awards a mixed bag for Senators

 Pack up your things and head for the hills for the summer. The season, for the Ottawa Senators is done. And how about that season? Some advances to be sure, a few disappointments and a lot of ifs and buts. We’ve created a few categories here – as opposed to

Sens deadline dealing generates mixed reviews

 A keeper for the keeper, a step backward, a definite head-scratcher, a collective ‘thank the heavens’ and a big yawn. Yes it was exceedingly busy for the Ottawa Senators on the National Hockey League’s trade deadline day. The question though, was it a particularly productive one? That’ll be debated in

Senators’ neighbours going through angst of their own

 As Ottawa’s Senators continue a season swimming (and sinking at times) in unpredictability, the guys next door and across the street are drafting their own stories. Ottawa’s greatest rivals, for the uninitiated, are of course the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. As the two most recognized teams in

No man is an island

 ABOVE: Islanders and Tampa, game 5 of the playoffs. Photo: NBCSN Well, at the very least, there’s the Islanders. Let’s just say if I was in Las Vegas my shirt would already have been lost (by my own accord). Betting on who does what and when and to who is

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

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.

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

Hockey’s finally here . . . hear-hear!

 This week the Ottawa Senators open camp. Quickly putting together the math, it will be roughly nine-and-a-half months since the organization last stepped on to the ice as a unit. There will be loads to evaluate and examine as the club prepares for the official start to the season. Here’s

Work just underway for Dorion after trade deadline day

 If you thought NHL trade deadline day was ripe with activity for the Ottawa Senators, wait ‘til June 26th in Montreal. June 27th too. That’s when general manager Pierre Dorion will strap on his thinking cap for what promises to be an extremely frantic NHL entry draft. Dorion – already

Figuring out Senators’ near future is going to be a puzzle

 The possibilities are endless. This is the reality of the world where Ottawa Senators’ general manager Pierre Dorion exists. The next few weeks – and months – are rich with ifs, ands, buts, maybes and maybe nots. In Ottawa the only sure thing is there’s no sure thing. Here’s what

All-star break gives Senators’ brass time to reflect and ponder plans

 The Ottawa Senators’ bye week is upon us. They won’t hit the ice again until Jan. 27th when they host the New Jersey Devils. That’s a break the size of the one in our foundation wall (. . . but that’s another story). Nine-days-plus. A long, long time between games.

Canadian clubs: the good and the bad and the in-between

 We’re right around the halfway point in this NHL season and as we are prone to do a couple of times per season, let’s have a glance at how our seven Canadian teams are faring, and what might lie ahead in the upcoming months. Across Canada? It’s truly a mixed

Making the grade – your Ottawa Senators

 A new year, and for a change, the Ottawa Senators head in with a modicum of hope. Couldn’t say that on the brink of 2019, or 2018. Been a while, eh? Face it, the farm is filled with potential plums and if you’ve been watching the world junior tourney, there

Brown/Senators: A marriage of disappointment

 You have to start wondering at this point – if you haven’t already - just what the heck is the game plan for one Logan Brown here in Ottawa? Sure, he’s up here with the big boys at the NHL level, but seriously, I think the guys who scrape the

Senator offence nothing to get Wild over

 Granted it is early but if the Ottawa Senators don’t find a way to discover a cure for their insipid power play, this is going to be one ugly beast of a season. I guess you could contend that no one should be surprised given the lip service offered up

Couples Making Beautiful Music at Home and on the Stage

 Love and music go together – in spirit, mind and with musical instruments. In private.  In public. From Sonny and Cher, Fleetwood Mac, to (more successfully) Canada’s darlings of the indie scene, Whitehorse, the music industry has been and continues to be filled with couples who make beautiful music both

Can Logan Brown Help Ottawa Reach the Playoffs this Season?

 "Ottawa Senators v Minnesota Wild" (CC BY 2.0) by danielthornton Last month, the Ottawa Senators made the bold move to trade up with the New Jersey Devils, a decision that ultimately allowed them to acquire Windsor Spitfires star Logan Brown. The centre was one of the very best players in