On Battles and JR . . .

 This week, it’s a little game of questions in search of answers. Let’s get it rolling.   WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE ‘BATTLE OF ONTARIO?’ Seriously, where have you been? When Ottawa and its Senators travel to Toronto to face its Maple Leafs tonight, there just doesn’t appear to be any

Eastern Playoff Chase Gets Tougher

 Is the Great 8 the only thing standing in the way of qualifying for the great eight? While likely not completely accurate, it sure makes for an awe-inspiring lede. (Withholding judgement on that for now . . .). But seriously people, when you truly break it down, is it Alex

Meet the anti-homer

 Figuring out fans - and who and why they worship – isn’t quite an enigmatic, complicated process. In my experience it generally kind of goes like this: Person is born in Toronto, Montreal or Ottawa. Said person then follows and adopts the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens or Ottawa Senators

NHL’s Best Draft Happened 21 Years Ago

 It was a weekend to remember at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville in late June, so many years ago. It was an enormously successful event – that summer’s entry draft – and its impact is still, some how, being felt around the National Hockey League today. It not only

The Extraordinary Connor McDavid . . . (and other noteworthy observations)

 Back in college and - eventually - university days we had what we called The Gretzky Rule. It was pretty simple: Any playoff hockey pool worth its salt would eliminate any of the participants from having the ability to select Wayne Gretzky. The thinking was equally simple: The gap between

Toronto Maple Leafs analysis and predictions on Stanley Cup

 The Toronto Maple Leafs, adorned with a legacy of triumph and tradition, are poised at the precipice of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, embarking on a campaign marked by lofty ambitions and meticulous examination. Reflecting on the 2023-24 NHL season, this storied franchise has navigated through heightened expectations and analytical

NHL trade deadline a pickle for Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto

 Complex and potentially puzzling are a couple of ways to project the upcoming National Hockey League trade deadline for the three Eastern-based Canadian operations. Take any one of the above descriptions and apply it to your favourite Canadian team around these parts if you want, but you can also and

Who’s Your Dance Partner, Edmonton, Vancouver or Winnipeg?

 No need to haul out your best Clarence Darrow suit-and-tie to walk away from the lectern as a winner in this debate: Which Canadian territory holds superiority over the other – the NHL’s West or the NHL’s East? It’s as obvious as an Alberta slaughterhouse. Carrying the league’s hottest team

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

Making the Wrong Call on Ottawa

 As most of the NHL’s member clubs approach the halfway point of the season (Ottawa, at 36 played, still has some catching up to do, despite the glut of games the past month), a number of items appear on this week’s agenda. Here’s what’s popping.   DID WE REALLY SAY

Under .500 Again? It’s not all on the Coach

 It’s the justification I just don’t get. Ottawa management, yeah the new group, keeps bringing up the suggestion that sending Senators’ head coach D.J. Smith and his crew packing would just simply be . . . a bad idea. The reason? ‘The players have told us there’s already been far

Battle? What battle?

 What we have here is a national crisis. When one of our country’s most established, venerated, respected institutions tumbles into near obscurity, what else would you call it? Yep, crisis pretty well sums it up. The Battle of Ontario? Please. Nerf Ball war is more like it. Ottawa and Toronto

NHL Quiz Show

 What’s up this week? Well, I’ll tell you what’s up this week: questions and answers that potentially could carry great relevance to a 2023-34 National Hockey League season, which opens in less than one month. That’s what’s up. The one caveat here – as it tends to be since we

Dad’s love for hockey never wavered

 There were plenty of things to admire about my dad. A steady and - when-required - stern hand as father to three animated, overly clever and bedlam-seeking boys; dedicated engineer for seemingly thousands of decades at Domtar; solid provider; incredibly wise man with finances; supportive when needed; not-so-supportive when justified;

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

Helping others makes Ottawa’s Higgins a true hall-of-famer

 Here he is folks, Tim Higgins - Ottawa 67’s star, eventual first-round NHL draft pick (10th-overall, Chicago), roommate of Bob Probert’s (easily the most important detail), player of 706 regular-season games and another 65 playoff clashes, and yes, he is on his way to the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.

Keep your eyes on these guys.

 Being a ‘person of interest’ isn’t likely a good thing when relating it to the police. Being the same in this column could be good . . .  or it could be bad. Let’s put it this way, and either way, the 10 guys (close to home) listed and detailed

Wake up NHL, Senators are chumps no more 

 “Without labour, nothing prospers.” “Hard work betrays none.” “Much effort, much prosperity.” Pretty heady stuff, eh? I’m fairly certain the authors of these famously weighty quotes weren’t pondering the game of hockey when they wrote them up but that won’t stop this corner from applying, forthwith. Pretty heady stuff, eh

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

Weekend What’s Up December 17-19, 2021

 From holiday shopping to taking part in seasonal activities, check out our weekly roundup of things to do in Ottawa this weekend. We have a mix of fun activities including some free options, all are guaranteed to help you get in the festive spirit! 1. Leahy: A Celtic Family Christmas When: December 19,

Senators not alone on the Isle of Stink

 I always kind of wondered what it would be like to live full-time in Phoenix. You know, the warm days throughout the year, world-class golf courses, thin, clean air, superb dining, the constant hum of air conditioners and a perpetually bad hockey team. Well now I know. We’ve got all

String of losing needs to be snipped

 Photo: Courtesy iHeart Radio You know about that saying re-insanity right: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? If you’re the latest rendition of the Toronto Maple Leafs that means, of course, nailing it repeatedly during the regular season then coughing up a hairball in

Leafs house in disrepair

 ABOVE: Sheldon Keefe, head coach of the Leafs. (courtesyNHL.com) Supposing you bought a house and decided to invest millions of dollars into upgrades. A few months into renovations you discovered there were enormous cracks in the foundation and all that money you’d shot into the home were wasted. Then supposing you decided

Q&A with Victor Mete ahead of the home opener against the Leafs

 By Lukas Weese (Photo: NHL.com) Victor Mete is entering his first full season with the Ottawa Senators. With the 2021-22 campaign being his fifth year in the NHL, Mete arrived to the Senators via the team claiming him off waivers last season after starting his career with the Montreal Canadiens. Over the summer,