Another Miracle Sens Comeback? (Memories of '97)

The Ottawa Citizen's Wayne Scanlan, one of the better hockey writers out there, offered his cogitations on the state of the Sens as the NHL enters its final two weeks of the regular season.

While the Senators clearly need others to fail in order for them to succeed in their quest, the excitement around the possibility of a comeback this unlikely has the hearts of Sens fans pounding.

The players? Well, Alfie's seen it all before...as the only remaining member of the 'Miracle Sens' who came back from being written off, to making the hopes and dreams of their supporters come true...

That was the Senators' very first playoff berth, in their first season under the guidance of Coach Jacques Martin, for the renascent franchise in fifth year and barely emerging from its fledgling stages.

Here's what Scanlan had to say in his article:

For inspiration, the 2008-09 Ottawa Senators can look to ... yes, the Senators of 1996-97, to find a team that was given up for dead, only to finish with a great surge, winning seven of its final nine to squeak into the postseason on the final night of the schedule.

Everyone in the capital remembers the Steve Duchesne goal against the Buffalo Sabres on April 12, 1997, giving Ottawa a 1-0 victory over the Sabres, pulling the Senators into an eighth-place tie with Montreal. The Senators won the tiebreak to get seventh in the East, to face Buffalo in the first playoff round in the modern history of the Ottawa franchise. The Sabres took the series in a Game 7 overtime.

Less remembered is the heavy lifting required to put the Senators in position to qualify for that playoff. As late in the season as March 10, 1997, the 13th-place Senators were still six points back of eighth-place Tampa Bay, with FIVE teams to hurdle.

The situation prompted one writer to note of the Senators, "They sense, to a man, it's over."

Perhaps the players did sense it, but events conspired to take the "im" out of impossible, not the least of which was Ottawa losing just four of its final 15 games.

For a comparison of in-season comebacks since the 1997 Senators, we chose Jan. 25 as an arbitrary date, roughly near the annual NHL all-star break.

On Jan. 25 of 1997, the Senators were in 13th, eight points back of the Washington Capitals in eighth. Ottawa had 37 points at the time and finished with 77. Notice the low point standard for an eighth-place team, but these were the days of ties remaining ties, and a single point awarded to each side. There were no "three-point" games (two for the extra time victory, one for defeat) that so many fans resent today.

For most of the past dozen years, teams that have the top eight positions at the all-star break more or less hang onto them. There have been some notable exceptions, though none more dramatic than the '97 Senators.

Three years ago, the Anaheim Ducks were six points out of eighth in the West on Jan. 25, tied with two other teams at 56 points, but jumped to sixth at season's end with a surge to 98 points.

The 2002 Phoenix Coyotes were a 10th-place club on Jan. 25, four points back of eighth-place Los Angeles, but finished strong to get sixth with 95 points.

In a leap somewhat reminiscent of the '97 Senators, the 2000 Buffalo Sabres held down 11th in the East, four back of the Boston Bruins in eighth, and then the franchises carried out their own version of Trading Places. It was the Bruins who finished 11th that spring, missing out on the playoffs while the Sabres took eighth, only to be wiped out by the Philadelphia Flyers in five games.

Spring shakeups do occur in the NHL, but usually the comebacks are in the low single-digits. Even the miracle squad known as the '96-97 Senators only had to overcome a deficit of eight points.

Compare that to the hole dug by this year's bunch. At the Jan. 25 all-star break,
Ottawa was buried in 14th place, sitting with 39 points on a record of 16-21-3-4.

With 38 games left on the schedule, the Senators were 12 points behind eighth-place Carolina, one of SIX teams standing between Ottawa and a playoff berth.

By Tuesday, the gap had been hacked down to three teams and seven points (prior to Tuesday night's game involving the Montreal Canadiens), with plenty of see-sawing expected before the dust settles on the top eight of the Eastern Conference.

The West is just as jumbled around the playoff cutoff.

(For an historic leap in progress, watch Nashville. The Preds were 14th at the all-star break, eight points back of Vancouver in eighth, and Nashville was in eighth before Tuesday night's huge tilt with Anaheim).

Although the Senators of 12 years ago stand as an example of the miraculous finishing kick, also consider this: In that bold push to seventh place, the team that included Ron Tugnutt, Duchesne, Alexei Yashin and Daniel Alfredsson won seven of the last 10 games, losing three.

The full article here:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/They+like+Sens+chances/1424680/story.html

So...even with the Habs' win last night, mathematically, the Ottawa Senators still have a chance--however slim--of pulling off a comeback even more dramatic than that 1997 playoff run.

Can they do it? Can Cory and The Crew make the dream come true?

Over to you.

The next few games are going to be crucial. We need to beat Carolina tonight, and we need to beat Montreal next week.

Montreal probably got a bit of a lift with a big win last night- that's not good for us.

Jordo wrote:The next few games are going to be crucial. We need to beat Carolina tonight, and we need to beat Montreal next week.

Montreal probably got a bit of a lift with a big win last night- that's not good for us.

Jordo, buddy, I think that's the understatement of the year

Cheers!
-TA-

IMHO there's something very special about this situation...Alfie having experienced the franchise's early years, and its first, and very dramatic playoff drive...and now, being the Captain as the Senators battle to keep themselves from missing the post season for the first time in the twelve years since that first appearance.

Alfredsson is a pretty understated guy, but you have to believe his intensity on the ice is going to be through the roof in the next few weeks.

You have to wonder how Murray could have ever dreamed he should pay another Sens player a penny more than Daniel Alfredsson...the consummate team guy who leads with his heart, body and soul, and makes no excuses.

The budget always allowed for 4-5 wins by the Habs. Sure, would have been great if they lost last night, but let's consider the following:
1. Do you really expect another 11 (12?) point night by a hastily-assembled line of veterans?
2. If not for Little's brain-fart double-minor, who knows what may have happened.
3. Lehtonen was Let-em-in last night. Even if you take out the two PP goals on Little's penalties, that was worthy of a Tortorella rant.

and, most importantly:

4. The Habs could have lost that game but may not realize it. This was not a hard-fought win against a tough opponent, which reinforces the notion that you have to compete for 60 minutes, play a disciplined but hard game, and still hope for a break or two to go your way. They could easily backslide after this one.

Now, where's that half-full glass smiley?

^ Very well said Dave, wow, so very true.

Of course, I will admit that I hold the hope that they will miraculously make the playoffs this year, the Hockey Gods have been brutal to us these past 2 seasons, and we can all see things turning around drastically.

I truly believe in this team and I do think they could win their remaining 10 games, as silly as that might sound to some. They just have this possession in them, all of them do, and they will NOT go down without a battle to end all battles.

The only problem is that we have to count on teams losing, that's what will hurt us in the end (with this late push, a lot hurt us this year...) I don't think we'll get in, but I will hold out hope that it is possible.

First things first, tonight vs. Carolina, if we win, things can look up again, if we lose, it'll most likely be Lights Out for Sens fans this season.

Whatever happens in the end, we have to be proud of the team we have become and of the leaders on this team, and look forward to an Donkey kicking season in 09-10.

Prags, IMHO what's more important now is not what the Habs do but what the Sens do...

wprager wrote:The budget always allowed for 4-5 wins by the Habs. Sure, would have been great if they lost last night, but let's consider the following:
1. Do you really expect another 11 (12?) point night by a hastily-assembled line of veterans?
2. If not for Little's brain-fart double-minor, who knows what may have happened.
3. Lehtonen was Let-em-in last night. Even if you take out the two PP goals on Little's penalties, that was worthy of a Tortorella rant.

and, most importantly:

4. The Habs could have lost that game but may not realize it. This was not a hard-fought win against a tough opponent, which reinforces the notion that you have to compete for 60 minutes, play a disciplined but hard game, and still hope for a break or two to go your way. They could easily backslide after this one.

Now, where's that half-full glass smiley?

I agree 100%. They are not miraculously cured of their miseries, wait until their next game, we'll see what happens then.

I didn't watch much of the game, but I did see who their opponent was, and they, like the Habs, are in a horrible way right now, one of the team's had to win that game. Unfortunately it was the wrong one.

davetherave wrote:Prags, IMHO what's more important now is not what the Habs do but what the Sens do...

Don't forget the Panthers and Sabres as well since they're all ahead of us.