Ottawa Senators TIDBITS & QUICK HITS!

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.

wprager wrote:

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.

It's not even close to the same kind of schedule it was last year nor do they have the amount of back to backs. Turris along with another #2 center could carry the Sens going forward. Like I said above, aside from Pitt the Stanley Cup winning centers are never at the top of the scoring race and usually top out at max a ppg.

Winning teams the last 4 years? Chi, LA, Bos, all have #1 centers who don't nearly score at the same pace as teams who have been close but never won a cup in San Jose, Vancouver, and Ottawa. What's the difference? Center's who can play in any type of game and be successful and effective.

NEELY wrote:

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.  

Both to blame. I cursed at both of them, including spezza. But I had moments of fit with greening, karlsson, weircioch, cowen, ryan, etc.

Michallica wrote:

NEELY wrote:

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.  

Both to blame.  I cursed at both of them, including spezza.  But I had moments of fit with greening, karlsson, weircioch, cowen, ryan, etc.

You literally saw Spezza STANDING there waving his stick around. He allowed Kessel to wait for help and make a play. Methot screwed the pooch and made a mistake but he did something. Again, if Spezza can't skate, he can't play.

Again I am right in my analysis

Yeah I can't defend spezza, he's gotta fight through the pain and hustle.

Ev wrote:Again I am right in my analysis

Your record for being right is beginning to approach my own. Well done.

Michallica wrote:Yeah I can't defend spezza, he's gotta fight through the pain and hustle.  

There he does for sure... if he hurts that much he shouldn't be playing.

NEELY wrote:

Michallica wrote:Yeah I can't defend spezza, he's gotta fight through the pain and hustle.  

There he does for sure... if he hurts that much he shouldn't be playing.

My guess is he didn't hustle, got an earful from Mac. That's why you saw a much better effort from Spezza later on, just couldn't finish.

Again, is the effort is there I don't say boo and in fact when Spezza is trying he ALWAYS has the puck, it never leaves his stick. When he's hurt/dogging it out there it's obvious and has been forever.

Wow. This page of this thread is a flaming poop pile.

Let's all just wait & see. We have 3 of 4 points currently. Our first line has played three games together, and the centre is a little gimpy. If we buy what we're being sold, it's just a minor groin thing and should be better soon, if it's not already.

To me, there's way more positives this year than negatives.

1) The second line. A huge problem in Ottawa since we lost Havlat...we actually have a second line now that apparently can produce consistently.

2) Defence. Yeah, different guys have looked a little lost at different times of the first two games. To me, the question marks on D were Cowen and Phillips (one because he is coming off a lost year, and the other because he's OLD). Both guys have looked great.

3) Depth. We can't find enough ice time for Pageau, and we had to send Z-Bad to Bingo, for god's sake!

4) is in form.

tim1_2 wrote:Wow.  This page of this thread is a flaming poop pile.

Let's all just wait & see.  We have 3 of 4 points currently.  Our first line has played three games together, and the centre is a little gimpy.  If we buy what we're being sold, it's just a minor groin thing and should be better soon, if it's not already.  

To me, there's way more positives this year than negatives.  

1)  The second line.  A huge problem in Ottawa since we lost Havlat...we actually have a second line now that apparently can produce consistently.

2)  Defence.  Yeah, different guys have looked a little lost at different times of the first two games.  To me, the question marks on D were Cowen and Phillips (one because he is coming off a lost year, and the other because he's OLD).  Both guys have looked great.

3)  Depth.  We can't find enough ice time for Pageau, and we had to send Z-Bad to Bingo, for god's sake!

4)   is in :MTx:form.

That's the point, it's minor and it's been that way for 3 weeks now. Take the damn time off early in the season, a week between games is a lot early on so take advantage of that and the fact it's one out of 80 the rest of the way. Spezza needs to be 100% or as close to it as possible and groins can nag all year long. Playing through it to prove a point on a road trip out west that could effect his entire year is stupid. If it's 100% healed and he can go hard then by all means play but being short sighted is not the way to go about it. Captains do what's best for the team.

Getting 3 out of 4 points is huge to start the year on the road and is a reason he can take a game off.

People ripping on the top line for not producing right away are out to lunch as well (top line I mean Ryan and Spezza). That will come with time and practice, that's it, doesn't happen over night. Michalek on the other hand does look like he needs so move down the lineup IMO, just can't get in on the forecheck or really do the dirty work. That line needs a grinder which Michalek is not... Greening IMO is the guy but MacLean knows a lot more than I do but i just suspect Greening will be up there sooner or later.

Old Yzerman to Ottawa rumour: http://www.the6thsens.com/2009-articles/november/yzerman-to-ottawa.html

Never heard of that before. Neat.

Read on to find out how the Yzerman trade could have erased the ugly Nieuwendyk on Lalime goals from playoff history.

tim1_2 wrote:Old Yzerman to Ottawa rumour:  http://www.the6thsens.com/2009-articles/november/yzerman-to-ottawa.html

Never heard of that before.  Neat.

Read on to find out how the Yzerman trade could have erased the ugly Nieuwendyk on Lalime goals from playoff history.

No Hossa though and no Chris Phillips. No way anyone can predict what could have happened... could have been better and could have been worse. Also no Spezza and Chara.

NEELY wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:Old Yzerman to Ottawa rumour:  http://www.the6thsens.com/2009-articles/november/yzerman-to-ottawa.html

Never heard of that before.  Neat.

Read on to find out how the Yzerman trade could have erased the ugly Nieuwendyk on Lalime goals from playoff history.

No Hossa though and no Chris Phillips.  No way anyone can predict what could have happened... could have been better and could have been worse.  Also no Spezza and Chara.

All that crap about Yzerman only being truly great when he scored less and paid more attention to both ends of the ice is bull. Fact is, Detroit bought him a supporting cast and some even surpassed him by the time they were winning cups. So, yeah, without the support in Ottawa it may not have worked out.

I'm not even convinced Ottawa is a better team 3, 4 years down the line if they make that trade and they certainly would not have won a cup with JUST those two. Either way, it didn't happen.