Senators

[Gary Hill]

I have it from a very reliable inside source that the Senators are going to SUCK bigtime this year. :cryin

[shawnabramsen]

I caught some pre season action myself and let me tell ya-you're source is right. The Sens have no offensive depth. The goaltending situation is precarious at best. Hurme is not a decent back up let alone a starter. Where is Lalime? He should hold the back up position and give way to a more marketable stopper. The Yashin void has not been filled, and Alfredsson seems like he would rather be playing elsewhere. The team records indicate that the Sens most prolific scorer was Yashin, and that includes sitting out for a season. The guys on the roster right now won't score more than 2.5 goals per game. If they manage to make the playoffs look for a first round sweep. My suggestion: increase the number of televised games and secure a more lucrative tv deal. Use that cash and sign some talent. I personally would favor a Sens Pay Per View system to catch away games. I would be happy to pay $5 to see every away game.

[chad]

Sounds like Gary is a Leafs fan or something!!!

[Gary Hill]

I am NOT a Leafs fan. *** ******** I am a disappointed Sens fan.

[chad]

OK! That's alright then! I just wanted to get that straight, The Sens didn't look so bad last night BUT they still have to get a little tougher. I still remain optimistic that they can pull something off this season!

[jeff026]

I had a hard time watching the game tonight.:o . Sens showed some offense at times, but they took the rest of night off. Unfortunately, the win against the Buds seemed to make them feel over confident versus the Habs ...
Goal tending is still a big issue so far I'm concerned ... Lalime was not on his game and the rest of the team played to his level ...
But we have to give credit to the Habs, they played to win.
If the Sens are under 500 by the Ist of December, its... Bye Bye to Jacques.

[statsfreak]

Here's my take on the Sens this year.

The season starts off with Rod Byrden standing at centre ice telling the fans how much they should appreciate the original investers (who are up in the corporate boxes) who put money into the team in order to bring it here without seeing a cent of return on that investment.

: A report in the Ottawa Citizen at the start of the season says that the payroll of the team is 10% below the one they finished the year with last season despite Bryden's assurances that he would increase it by 10% so as to improve on the performance the team would have over being swept in the playoffs last season. He didn't forget to raise ticket prices by more than 10% though.

:dunce The fans big hope for a replacement for Yashin (long shot at best) will be playing the year in Windsor so the team can save a million on salary this year. Maybe we should be spending our money to see the 67s.

:crying Season ticket sales are down a lot more than what even the Sens are willing to admit. Be prepared for another season long moan from Bryden about how if the fans don't come out to support the team it will be moving on. Chances of Bryden finding the partner with the deep pockets he needs in this economy are about as good as those of the team making it to the second round, so let me predict that by Christmas the threats of a move will become a weekly affair.

Small wonder why I did not renew my season tickets this year for the first time since the Sens returned 10 years ago. All I want is to see good hockey without all the crap about taxes, exchange rates, free agency costs, low fan support, etc., etc.

[chad]

Hhmmmmm???!!!??

What no sens bashing lately????? Oh sorry I forgot the Sens are winning now!!!!!!

[statsfreak]

: OK, so they've won a couple of games and scrapped their way back to a 500 record. Very impressive (not), and they still haven't shown me anything to suggest the potential to get past the first round of the playoffs.

Let's see how they do against Buffalo and Colorado in the next two games. If they continue to score and can play respectably against these two opponents I might begin to give them a bit of credit.

[chad]

OK Statsfreak! I agree, that is fair! We will see how they can fair out against some good teams and take it from there! I just thaught that it was funny that thier were no replies on this thread in a while ( I guess since they started winning)

[mr shank]

The problem with the Sens is Rod Bryden. He is the cheapest SOB around. The Sens were supposed to commit more money to payroll but they're actually spending less. I don't know how they think they can replace Yashins 80+ points, but heaping everything onto Bonk's shoulders isn't the answer. There were lots of players available that fit the bill and were not picked up. As long as Bryden is owner the Sens will never be a GREAT team - he's just too damn cheap to spend the cash needed to win a cup. My favourite part is when he gives all the fans the speech about how lucky we are to have the team, and if we don't come out in droves to watch boring hockey for $100 a pop the team will be gone. I say good-bye Rod!

[Kilroy]

3-0 against Buffalo

[statsfreak]

Yup, Lalime played well and they got a good bounce here and there. It was nice to see Havlat score since I think he is one of the Sens who seems to be really trying out there game in and out.

I still have the feeling that management's decision to not try to get anyone who could help in the scoring department strongly suggests that the Sens are content to go the way of the Expos: always developing great young talent which they can't keep once their first or second contracts are up, and not having sufficient money behind the team to go out and get that extra player or two who could push the team over the top in the playoffs when the young talent is ready to show its stuff.

And with Saturday night crowds of 15,942, it won't be long before there will be comments that the fans are not coming out to support the team the way they should. Attendance was up last year when the team was winning on a regular basis. So the club jacks the prices, gives us a somewhat weaker squad on the ice, and then wonders where the fans went? No :brain-er Rod

[chad]

Statsfreak - Ok so you are starting to warmup to the fact that sens are playing a little better!
what is the deal with you being so hung up on all this " management wil say that the team will leave town" and " we need more money"? You previuously said that you are no longer a season ticket holder so what exactly are you complaining about?

There are many people in Ottawa that have stuck with the Sens through all of their ttrouble and you don't really hear them complaining half as much as you do!!!!

[Kilroy]

So if I do not have a season's ticket I am not entitled to state an opinon?

Perhaps on the Senator's site, but not here

[statsfreak]

Chad, you can still be a fan and decide not to renew season tickets right?

I guess what concerns me is that the Sens don't seem to have any idea what they are doing as a team. Its not enough to have a team which is competitive during the regular season. The real prize is in the post season, and that's where they continue to come up short. And have you seen anything in the changes which have been made this year which would lead you to believe that they will do any better in the playoffs than they did last year? So what the team is asking fans to do is watch 41 regular season games with little or no chance of a reward in the playoffs. That may work in Toronto (sorry Leafs fans) but I doubt it will last long here, and then the team will be gone and I'll have to go back to cheering for the Habs.

As for the rest of the fans who have been supporting the team and not complaining half as much as me, well I guess I wasn't complaining that much (two little posts). Just consider me the leading edge of the wave.

[chad]

Statsfreak - No ,matter what happens in Ottawa, I don't think that anybody has to resort to cheering for the Habs!

I never said that if you were not a season ticket holder that you were not entitled to an opinion! The reason for that statement was to understand why people are not renewing season tickets because the Sens aren't winning the cup every year but then are so quick to criticize??!!

[statsfreak]

Ottawa gets a franchise and everyone is excited about NHL hockey coming back to the city. This alone results in sold out or nearly sold out Civic Centre audiences for the first couple of years despite a team that might not have been able to beat the 67s on most evenings.

The team moves to the Corel Centre and the new arena plus the arrival of Jacques Martin and Pierre Gauthier result in an improved team which leads to more improvements in attendance. We are assured that the team will be competitive in the playoffs by year seven of the franchise. By the way, ticket prices went up fairly significantly with the move to the Corel Centre. In addition, we also pay for the overpass on the Queensway.

The team makes the playoffs in year six and advances to the second round in year seven. So its slightly ahead of schedule in terms of post season competitiveness and seem headed in the right direction.

Yashin sits out year eight and the team makes the playoffs but is eliminated in the first round. He returns in year nine and the Sens likely have the strongest team they are able to ice yet are still eliminated in the first round after playing a fairly weak series.

:mad Yashin leaves the team and no substantial replacement or improvements are made to the team. A pair of season tickets which cost me about $3,500 in 1991/2 when the team arrived in Ottawa requires about $8,300 in 2001/2 season. And as far as I can tell the team is not going to make it past the first round of the playoffs again this year. So I'm not annoyed that they are not winning the Cup every year. I'm annoyed that they are assuming that fans will continually shell out increasingly more money to be amused during the regular season with no apparent hope of making a significant impact in the playoffs. And I'm also annoyed that the ownership of the team continually suggests that its the fans responsibility to support the team. I think the fans have supported the team, but the team is not responding by providing a team which gives the fans what they are looking for...a team which CAN compete in the playoffs.

So there you have it.

[Kilroy]

Funny how "support the team" gets translated into "pay us bug bucks".

Are you not supporthing the team if you go to the odd game here and there or do you need to have seasons tickets or a corporate box to be considered a "supporter"? They make it sound like coming out to a game is like giving to a charity the way they whine sometimes. Isn't anyone who watches the game on tv supporting the team too? After all, the TV advertising rights is larger portion of the revenue for the teams and the league isn't it. (I could be wrong???)

Salaries are out of whack, and ticket prices are through the roof. Not to mention, once a contract is negotiated, players get paid win or loose. In golf, you have to win your money. I would love to see a system like that for the big team sports

[faldo]

I hope the SENS go all the this season for two reasons.
1) It'll keep all those hockey-player-golfers off our courses in the Spring & early Summer.
2) The same for all those "Fans" who become die-hard supporters once the playoffs roll around. They'll stay away from the courses too.......

Anything that gives me more room on the fairways is a marvellous invention!!!!!!!!!

[Kilroy]

Not sucking now! 11 in a row

[jeff026]

My biggest concern was Lalime not being able to play to the level of last year. Here we are now unbeaten in 11 games, Lalime is actualy being considered as the no 3 goaltender for the Olympics ... Wow ! Is he for real ? I'm still watching to see if he can keep it up ...

[chad]

What's going on with Bryden? Is he actually going to sell 40% of the Sens???

[Gary Hill]

Originally posted by Gary Hill
I have it from a very reliable inside source that the Senators are going to SUCK bigtime this year. :cryin

I have stopped payment on the cheque to my "reliable inside source" and and I officially EAT CROW!!!

[chad]

Gary glad to see you got rid of the so called reliable source.
GO SENS GO

[Kilroy]

[chad]

Hope the Sens are ready for the Leafs this year!!

[jeff026]

Now that we know who the Sens will be playing in the second round, I'm glad to see it will be the Buds. Its the perfect scenario for the Sens to put the Leafs in their place. Toronto is comming off a tough series with NY. They've got key injuries (like Ottawa last year) and I really think that if Ottawa keeps playing the same style and Lalime stays on top of his game, it will all be over in 5

GoSensGo

[The Shtick]

I was kinda' hoping to do some Yashin bashin' but we can at least put the Leafs' back in their place. We've always learned the hard way when it comes to Toronto, but this year I have a feeling that it will be a much better series.

GO SENS!

[NoBack]

I htought the idea of not being in first this year was a blessing and that we were kinda peeking at the right time.

Lets Go Sens!