NHL: A League of Knee-Jerks

 A few months back I foraged my way into a very heated argument with a friend. It began with me accusing him of things – we’ll call them character flaws - and then he fired back accusing me of other things – also known as character flaws. On my side

Oilers, Leafs, Jets and Canucks takin’ care of business

 The most fabulous time of the year hasn’t disappointed, and we are what, only three-days-and-change in? Fabulous. Lots to chew on from a Canadian team perspective as the NHL post-season rages onward. It is – after all - the most fabulous time of the year . . .   WHERE

Curing the Blue Monday Blues

 So get this – did you realize we just passed, what is considered, the most depressing day in the calendar year? The third Monday in January is labelled “Blue Monday,” and it has nothing to do with the song by New Order. Nope. The term comes from this ‘makes-sense’ algorithm

In a word – ‘Ugh’

 OK, I’ve got it. If the fabulous brain boxes at The Hockey News ask me to write the Ottawa Senators preview for the 2024-25 campaign, I have the perfect lede: “Cue the broken record. A dismal start doomed the Senators yet again last season, as the club missed the playoffs

Wait is over: Andlauer agrees in principle to buy Senators

 Next step - NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the league executive board. This after news broke late Tuesday that Toronto-based billionaire Michael Andlauer has purchased the Ottawa Senators for a price estimated at $1 billion US. The ‘in-principle’ deal means the agreement is now in the hands of the NHL’s

Nick Paul: Stay or Go?

 They did it with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mark Stone. Will the Ottawa Senators hit the trifecta with Nick Paul? Seems like a reasonable question: Will Ottawa trade off one of its key contributors and more popular skaters at the NHL’s trade deadline? The similarities are striking. All three are/were in

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

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 . . .

The Ottawa Senators are 20 games away from finishing this shortened 2020-21 season

 The Senators score during the third period in their 3-1 victory over the Flames, March 24. (PHOTO: NHL.COM/SENATORS) The Sens sit eleven points out of the final playoff spot in the North Division currently held by the Montreal Canadiens. It may sound like less than you’d expect given how poorly the

Isles-Bruins East finale? You betcha’

 The Great Eight. With apologies for the steal on Alex Ovechkin’s nickname, that’s where we stand right now. Eight teams with a shot at Lord Stanley. After a qualifying round record of 5-3, Round 1 of the true playoffs produced a resounding 5-3 record (resounding?) of guess-taking. So be it.

Sucking in your glut

 How’s your glut? Getting enough glut? Is the glut cutting into your chores; things you should be doing around the house? Yes folks it’s a changed world after all. The result from the hockey side of things is . . . of course . . . there is a glut

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

Dearth of hockey brings about ‘classic’ possibilities

 If you could have your choice of NHL games or series to re-watch, what would populate your list? That thought popped into my head Saturday night as I sat in front of my TV going: something’s missing . . . right – Hockey Night in Canada. Sure it was great

A small, slight bump in the hope metre?

 Photo courtesy NHLI via Getty Images It’s the tiniest of sample sizes to be sure. Ottawa’s Senators roll out two straight wins in a season that has seen so very few of these positive streaks. Still, it’s a bump; slight as the headline indicates. The odd part is the Senators accomplished

Ottawa Senators: Who Do You Protect?

 SENATORS: A Week in Review is a weekly column looking back at the week in Ottawa Senators hockey written by OLMSports Dave Gross. Feature photo Courtesy NHLI via Getty Images We won't know until Wednesday night whether Marc Methot remains an Ottawa Senator, or takes his talents to Nevada (Barring leaks to the media,

Onward to Boston!

 SENATORS: A Week in Review is a weekly column looking back at the week in Ottawa Senators hockey written by OLMSports Dave Gross. Feature photo by NHLI via Getty Images Hockey purists relish the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. There's a kind of whirling dervish element to the games - it is

SENATORS: A Week in Review – March 6-March 13, 2017

 SENATORS: A Week in Review  is a weekly column looking back at the week in Ottawa Senators hockey written by OLMSports Dave Gross. Feature photo Courtesy Andre Ringuette - NHL via Getty Images Silver medals are nothing to sneer about, and in this case, Ottawa's Zack Smith is right on target to

Ottawa Life Guide to the Sens

 Photo courtesy of Wikimedia commons. Whether you are new to town or have just decided that this year you are going to join the slew of hockey fans inhabiting Ottawa’s pubs, bars or other fine drinking establishments, there are a few things you should know about the capital’s NHL team. The modern

The Importance of Sample Size and the Senators’ Hot Start

 The Ottawa Senators celebrate after a road win against the Montreal Canadiens. Photo credit: Francois Lacasse/Getty Images If the early going of the NHL regular season has taught us anything over the years, it’s that small sample sizes can be deceiving. Just ask the Toronto Maple Leafs, or the latest sample