Ottawa Senators TIDBITS & QUICK HITS!

SpezDispenser wrote:I would agree.  Sit out and let the other players handle it.  We need him at 100%.  Although saying he can't play through it isn't exactly accurate.  He scored a massive goal vs the Leafs.  Probably should have been the game winner had we not have played a poor team defence.  

He was awful on Saturday night, that's tying goal was on him despite a puck bouncing right to him and Reimer letting in his 3rd weak goal of the night.

The guy needs to sit and heal the damn groin before it gets worse.

Alfie played through all sorts of injuries. Spezza feels he has to live up to standard(rightfully or not).

NEELY wrote:
I never go on twitter and never will.  Like i said the other day, don't need to be the first to hear the news I just need to hear it at some point.  An hour late won't make a lick of difference.

In Soviet Internet, twitter go on you.

tim1_2 wrote:I won tickets to the Sens home opener yesterday on TSN 1200 from Mendes and Simpson.  It was a really obscure trivia question...Who was the first LA Kings goalie to beat Ottawa in LA?

The answer was Rick Knickle, and the only way I knew that was because Simpson mentioned that the same guy was now a scout for the Nashville Predators.  I sat next to a Nashville Predators scout on a flight to Germany one time......he also happened to be a former Kings backup goalie....Rick Knickle.  He backed up Kelly Hrudey in LA at the same time Wayne played for them.  

Anyway, I now have 4 tickets to the home opener!

So now you don't hate Simmer quite as much as before?

NEELY wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:Yeah, this isnt' a 48-game season.  Sit out Spezza until he has no discomfort.  Coming back too soon, early in an 82-game season is just plain stupid.

Yup and fact of the matter is if Spezza has a hangnail his game will be effected.  He basically needs to be 100% otherwise he is ineffective.  Sit him out, get him to 100%, don't mess around.  If they lose all 4 on the road trip it would be brutal but it's better than missing a top 2 center for 10-20 games.

That's a load of Dung and you know it. Spezza needed back surgery, for crying out loud -- before that he played through the pain for most of his career and been a PPG player. He's not the toughest guy in that room but, still, that ain't no hangnail, Barbie.

Also, the guy's been practicing with the team. Sure, not the same thing as an in-game situation, but based on a few practices I'd seen, if it's really the type of sore groin that could be aggravated in a game, then surely it could do just as well in practice.

NEELY wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

NEELY wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:Spezza says he's ok, it's MacLean that says they might shut it down to heal.  I'd say the player wins out on this one everytime.  So we're likely to see Spez.

Spezza says he wants to play but is using it as an excuse for his poor skating...?  

Is he using it as an excuse?  I think he just wants to be the Captain who doesn't let his team down - and he'll get his way.  We'll see tonight (if he plays) whether that ends up being a reversed selfish decision or not.  

"It's hindered my skating the first couple of games," said Spezza. "It felt better (Tuesday). I skated better. It has definitely hindered me a little bit but I still thought I was able to get up and down the ice all right.

Play through it and shut up or sit out and heal it.  Simple as that.  He's been captain for a month and this kind of crap has already started from the injury to his excuses.  

Sorry, I know I'm going to be accused of being a Spezza apologist, but that doesn't sound like someone making excuses. The team is 1-0-1 on the road to start the season, he's got 11 SOG and 1 goal through those two games. None of those numbers mean a whole lot because it's only 2 games. I'm more concerned about him and Ryan not being able to develop any chemistry than with the individual performance of either one (I'm also concerned about Michalek being nearly a no-show).

Spezza has never been a blindingly fast (looking) skater, but since he is the puck carrier/distributor he doesn't need to skate faster than his linemates. So far I have not seem him laboring up the ice while Milo and Bobby are straddling the blue line waiting for him. He's put up a ton of shots on goal, has been winning more than 50% of his face offs and has scored a goal. He's also been on a very dangerous-looking PP unit. Let's give this a few more games to shake out.

NEELY wrote:
Last season Turris was playing every 2nd night and had very little help from the wings.  This season isn't compacted like last year and he has 4-6 wingers they can throw out there at any time who will take some pressure off.

This year is compressed as well, because of the Olympics. Turris has been great and I think he could jump up to the top-line role for a short time, no problem. But it's too early for carrying that load the bulk of the season.

wprager wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:I won tickets to the Sens home opener yesterday on TSN 1200 from Mendes and Simpson.  It was a really obscure trivia question...Who was the first LA Kings goalie to beat Ottawa in LA?

The answer was Rick Knickle, and the only way I knew that was because Simpson mentioned that the same guy was now a scout for the Nashville Predators.  I sat next to a Nashville Predators scout on a flight to Germany one time......he also happened to be a former Kings backup goalie....Rick Knickle.  He backed up Kelly Hrudey in LA at the same time Wayne played for them.  

Anyway, I now have 4 tickets to the home opener!

So now you don't hate Simmer quite as much as before?

Whoa, slow down big fella. Let's not start saying crazy things.

NEELY wrote:Other captains are effective and productive when they are hurt or injured, Spezza can't play through any kind of pain for the most part and that's been proven time and time again.  Also, no captain plays through groin injuries early in the season or in training camp because the only thing that helps a groin heal is time, so yah, it is stupid for him to play through it.

We are talking about game 3 of 82, not game 7 of the playoffs.  There's a line between brave and stupid and Spezza playing tonight crosses it.

Jeff Carter, 2 points in 3 games (he's a -2, also)
Anze Kopitar, 2 points in 3 games.
Pavel Datsyuk, 2 points in 3 games.
Steven Stamkos, 2 points in 3 games.
Evgeni Malkin, 2 points in 3 games.
Joe Thornton, 2 points in 3 games.
David Krejci, 2 points in 3 games.
Ryan O'Reilly, 2 points in 3 games.
Matt Duchene, 2 points in 3 games.

There are others, I just picked out the well-known names. So if Spezza gets a secondary assist tonight he's right up there with those bums.

There are also guys like Eric Staal, 1 point in 3 games. Waive him!

With 11 SOG SPezza is tied for 10th among centers (and he is the only one in that group with just 2 games).

What's the point of all these meaningless stats? That they are meaningless because of the low number of games played.

By the way, the Sens have a ridiculous record in LA -- something like 1-10-1.

Of course the law of averages means eventually they'll start winning just as much as they'd lost before, right? Right???!

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:Other captains are effective and productive when they are hurt or injured, Spezza can't play through any kind of pain for the most part and that's been proven time and time again.  Also, no captain plays through groin injuries early in the season or in training camp because the only thing that helps a groin heal is time, so yah, it is stupid for him to play through it.

We are talking about game 3 of 82, not game 7 of the playoffs.  There's a line between brave and stupid and Spezza playing tonight crosses it.

Jeff Carter, 2 points in 3 games (he's a -2, also)
Anze Kopitar, 2 points in 3 games.
Pavel Datsyuk, 2 points in 3 games.
Steven Stamkos, 2 points in 3 games.
Evgeni Malkin, 2 points in 3 games.
Joe Thornton, 2 points in 3 games.
David Krejci, 2 points in 3 games.
Ryan O'Reilly, 2 points in 3 games.
Matt Duchene, 2 points in 3 games.

There are others, I just picked out the well-known names.  So if Spezza gets a secondary assist tonight he's right up there with those bums.

There are also guys like Eric Staal, 1 point in 3 games.  Waive him!

With 11 SOG SPezza is tied for 10th among centers (and he is the only one in that group with just 2 games).  

What's the point of all these meaningless stats?  That they are meaningless because of the low number of games played.

Wow, what a random bunch of crap apropos of absolutely nothing.  

Neely's point had nothing to do with who is or isn't putting up points right now; he was saying 1) Spezza never plays through pain, and 2) playing through this type of pain (groin) is dumb because it can get so much worse quickly, so relax, take the game off, come back next week -- it's only game 3.

let's all buckle up and blow the whole thing up! 

Flo The Action wrote:let's all buckle up and blow the whole thing up! 

First we need to trade Anderson and bench Michalek and see how that goes.

NEELY wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I would agree.  Sit out and let the other players handle it.  We need him at 100%.  Although saying he can't play through it isn't exactly accurate.  He scored a massive goal vs the Leafs.  Probably should have been the game winner had we not have played a poor team defence.  

He was awful on Saturday night, that's tying goal was on him despite a puck bouncing right to him and Reimer letting in his 3rd weak goal of the night.  

The guy needs to sit and heal the damn groin before it gets worse.

That tying goal wasn't just on him, it was also on mr. team canada methot going for the hit and not giving a flying Diddle about the puck

Michallica wrote:

NEELY wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I would agree.  Sit out and let the other players handle it.  We need him at 100%.  Although saying he can't play through it isn't exactly accurate.  He scored a massive goal vs the Leafs.  Probably should have been the game winner had we not have played a poor team defence.  

He was awful on Saturday night, that's tying goal was on him despite a puck bouncing right to him and Reimer letting in his 3rd weak goal of the night.  

The guy needs to sit and heal the damn groin before it gets worse.

That tying goal wasn't just on him, it was also on mr. team canada methot going for the hit and not giving a flying Diddle about the puck

Karlsson was the worst offender that night. I don't remember how many times I screamed at him. I'm getting a little tired of seeing him defending while skating in the same direction as the attacking forward. Has he forgotten how to skate backwards? Anyhow, just game 2, so no big deal yet.

Evidently, if you're not named spezza, you are relieved from criticism...unless you're shawn simpson. Then it's harp on ryan all day long!

Michallica wrote:

NEELY wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I would agree.  Sit out and let the other players handle it.  We need him at 100%.  Although saying he can't play through it isn't exactly accurate.  He scored a massive goal vs the Leafs.  Probably should have been the game winner had we not have played a poor team defence.  

He was awful on Saturday night, that's tying goal was on him despite a puck bouncing right to him and Reimer letting in his 3rd weak goal of the night.  

The guy needs to sit and heal the damn groin before it gets worse.

That tying goal wasn't just on him, it was also on mr. team canada methot going for the hit and not giving a flying Diddle about the puck

Spezza puts any kind of pressure on Kessel there and it's not even talked about. He literally watched and put no effort in. Methot made a mistake yah but it wasn't for lack of effort which is always my pet peeve.

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:Yeah, this isnt' a 48-game season.  Sit out Spezza until he has no discomfort.  Coming back too soon, early in an 82-game season is just plain stupid.

Yup and fact of the matter is if Spezza has a hangnail his game will be effected.  He basically needs to be 100% otherwise he is ineffective.  Sit him out, get him to 100%, don't mess around.  If they lose all 4 on the road trip it would be brutal but it's better than missing a top 2 center for 10-20 games.

That's a load of Dung and you know it.  Spezza needed back surgery, for crying out loud -- before that he played through the pain for most of his career and been a PPG player.  He's not the toughest guy in that room but, still, that ain't no hangnail, Barbie.

Also, the guy's been practicing with the team.  Sure, not the same thing as an in-game situation, but based on a few practices I'd seen, if it's really the type of sore groin that could be aggravated in a game, then surely it could do just as well in practice.  

Sure did, 2 years before he broke his leg or torn something in his knee, something like that. He didn't get back last year because of a torn miniscus, year after year it's his back, and on and on and on. Fact is he is ALWAYS injured at some point in the season except for a year or two out of 10 or 11. Are they his fault? Maybe some, maybe none, maybe all, not sure but that doesn't take away from the fact he is always battling something for the most part. When he is battling something and tries to play through it he's close to useless because his skating (which is probably the weak point in his game) is affected.

Same goes for Mark Stone in Bingo, what good is he if he can't play? If he's always injured or battling something. It's useless.