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Playoffs not lacking in Ottawa content!

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1Playoffs not lacking in Ottawa content! Empty Playoffs not lacking in Ottawa content! Thu Apr 16, 2009 12:36 pm

davetherave

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Playoffs not lacking in Ottawa content

The Senators may be missing in action but there are plenty of players with local ties that are looking to fulfil a dream in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

By Ken Warren, The Ottawa Citizen

April 16, 2009


Darroll Powe will get his first taste of Stanley Cup playoff action with the Flyers.

Powe acknowledged having a few butterflies in the hours leading up to Wednesday night's opening playoff game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Powe was as anxious as anyone to see his 23-year-old son, Darroll, take the ice for his first playoff game with the Flyers.

"It's pretty cool," said Powe, who, along with wife, Bonnie, was in Pittsburgh to see the game live. "It's wild, really. We've been Ottawa Senators season-ticket holders since 1996, when we moved from Saskatoon. Darroll grew up watching all these (NHL) guys, and now he's here."

Powe developed his game in the Kanata minor hockey system and played in the Central Junior Hockey League with Kanata before moving on to Princeton University for four years on a scholarship. After signing with the Flyers in 2007, he gradually worked his way up to the big leagues. He scored six goals and five assists in 60 games with Philadelphia during the regular season.

The highlight came on April 3 at Scotiabank Place, when he scored a penalty-shot goal at Scotiabank Place, a "perfect" situation in the eyes of his father.

Yet if Powe is ever longing for more stories from home, he doesn't have to look far. The Flyers have the Ottawa area covered.

No. 1 goaltender Martin Biron briefly played with the Gatineau Olympiques.

Centre Daniel Brière grew up in Gatineau before beginning his NHL career in 1998.

Yet another Flyers rookie, Claude Giroux, is from Orléans and was also a star for the Olympiques. Coincidentally, Brière, Giroux and Powe even played on the same line for a few shifts late in the season.

"He's where he wants to be," said Giroux's father, Ray, who talks to Claude every day and has visited regularly during the season, but watched Wednesday night's game from his living room. "He seems to be OK with everything that has happened this year. Everything seems to be normal for him."

Before the Flyers-Penguins series is finished, Powe, Giroux and Brière will have seen enough of Penguins checker Maxime Talbot, a former Olympiques star.

The Ottawa-area connections don't stop there. They are everywhere in these NHL playoffs, even with the Senators feeling the sting of an early spring.

Wednesday night, former Senators defenceman Wade Redden was in the lineup for the New York Rangers against the Washington Capitals, a team that boasts former Senator Brian Pothier, and former Sens prospects Brooks Laich and Alexandre Giroux, along with Stittsville's Matt Bradley and one-time Olympiques goalie José Theodore.

Meanwhile, over in New Jersey, former Olympiques defenceman Colin White was trying to stop a Carolina Hurricanes squad featuring former Senators Joe Corvo, Patrick Eaves and one-time Senators prospect Tim Gleason.

In the late game, Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, a former head coach of the Olympiques and assistant with the Senators, was leading his team against the St. Louis Blues. The Canucks feature former Senators Pavol Demitra and Sami Salo, and assistant coach Rick Bowness was the first head coach in Senators history.

The Ottawa links will continue tonight as the Boston Bruins open their playoffs against Montreal Canadiens. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli is from Ottawa and a former Senators assistant general manager. Coach Claude Julien is from Orléans and a former coach of the Olympiques.

The Bruins' lineup features a trio of defencemen with ties to Ottawa: former Senators Zdeno Chara and Shane Hnidy, and Aaron Ward, who grew up in Ottawa. Centre Marc Savard is from Orléans and fellow forwards Michael Ryder and David Krejci are former Olympiques.

Out west tonight, former Senators Antoine Vermette and Mike Commodore, along with Ottawa-born defenceman Marc Methot and former Ottawa 67's centre Mike Peca, will attempt to help Columbus upset the Detroit Red Wings, who will have former Senators right- winger Marian Hossa on the bench, but will be without former 67's centre Kris Draper due to an undisclosed injury.

Also tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks will have former Senators winger Martin Havlat, Ottawa-born winger Ben Eager and former 67's defenceman Brian Campbell in the lineup against the Calgary Flames, who have Ottawa native Adrian Aucoin on the blue-line and André Roy, the former Senators heavyweight.

If all that's not enough Ottawa for you, there's more in the San Jose Sharks-Anaheim Ducks series.

Ottawa's Dan Boyle will be a pivotal piece of the Sharks' power play. While former 67's Brad Staubitz, Jamie McGinn, Derek Joslin and Lukas Kaspar will see less playing time, they could become factors if the Sharks advance deep into the playoffs. Not surprisingly, there is also a connection to Ottawa in the Ducks' lineup: defenceman Kent Huskins, from Almonte.

There's a reason why they call it Hockey Country.
- - -
The Ottawa links in the NHL playoffs

Former Ottawa Senators
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
Shane Hnidy, Boston Bruins
André Roy, Calgary Flames
Joe Corvo, Carolina Hurricanes
Patrick Eaves, Carolina Hurricanes
Tim Gleason, Carolina Hurricanes
Wade Brookbank, Carolina Hurricanes
Martin Havlat, Chicago Blackhawks
Antoine Vermette, Columbus Blue Jackets
Mike Commodore, Columbus Blue Jackets
Marian Hossa, Detroit Red Wings
Wade Redden, New York Rangers
Pavol Demitra, Vancouver Canucks
Sami Salo, Vancouver Canucks
Alexandre Giroux, Washington Capitals
Brian Pothier, Washington Capitals
Brooks Laich, Washington Capitals

Former Ottawa-area juniors
David Krejci (Gatineau Olympiques), Boston Bruins
Mike Peca (Ottawa 67's), Columbus Blue Jackets
Kris Draper (Ottawa 67's), Detroit Red Wings
Dainius Zubrus (Pembroke Lumber Kings), New Jersey Devils
Colin White (Hull Olympiques), New Jersey Devils
Kevin Weekes (Ottawa 67's), New Jersey Devils
Martin Biron (Hull Olympiques), Philadelphia Flyers
Maxime Talbot (Gatineau Olympiques), Pittsburgh Penguins
Jeremy Roenick (Hull Olympiques), San Jose Sharks
Jamie McGinn (Ottawa 67's), San Jose Sharks
Lukas Kaspar (Ottawa 67's), San Jose Sharks
Brad Staubitz (Ottawa 67's), San Jose Sharks
José Theodore (Hull Olympiques), Washington Capitals
Brian Campbell (Ottawa 67's), Chicago Blackhawks

Born/grew up in Ottawa-Gatineau
Claude Giroux (Orléans) Flyers
Kent Huskins (Almonte) Ducks
Marc Savard (Orléans) Bruins
Aaron Ward (Ottawa) Bruins
Adrian Aucoin (Ottawa) Flames
Ben Eager (Ottawa) 'Hawks
Marc Methot (Ottawa) Jackets
Daniel Brière (Gatineau) Flyers
Darroll Powe (Ottawa) Flyers
Dan Boyle (Ottawa) Sharks
Matt Bradley (Stittsville) Capitals
Bryan Helmer (Winchester) Capitals

©️ Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

SeawaySensFan

SeawaySensFan
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Aw shucks. What a swell piece by Kenny Warren. I'm filled with pride now. Or just pissed off that the Senators aren't in the playoffs. I'm not sure which.

Cronie

Cronie
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whoa... Connect the dots, eh?

Nice piece.

SensFan71


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SeawaySensFan wrote:Aw shucks. What a swell piece by Kenny Warren. I'm filled with pride now. Or just pissed off that the Senators aren't in the playoffs. I'm not sure which.

A little from column A, and a little from column B
Playoffs not lacking in Ottawa content! 52466710

PTFlea

PTFlea
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Crying

SeawaySensFan

SeawaySensFan
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504Heater wrote:Crying

Pretty much. Leave it to a local hack to try and put a hometown-flavored spin on a decidedly Dung situation.

If you could put this drivel to music, Wayne Rostad would have a real toe-tapper for his live set. Or The Family Brown might have a cornerstone tune for a comeback.

PTFlea

PTFlea
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Laughing3

davetherave

davetherave
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SeawaySensFan wrote:
504Heater wrote:Crying

Pretty much. Leave it to a local hack to try and put a hometown-flavored spin on a decidedly Dung situation.

If you could put this drivel to music, Wayne Rostad would have a real toe-tapper for his live set. Or The Family Brown might have a cornerstone tune for a comeback.

Wayne ROSTAD!!!!
:##:

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