Naughty or nice: the ABC’s of Xmas

 It’s been one helluva year, said everyone everywhere. Even in the usual sanctified domain of the sports world, the Year of COVID-19 hit hard and fast and repeatedly. But we’re moving on here, good people. ‘Tis the season for some much-required joy and boy do we need that lift, especially

Who’s tops in an all-Canadian division?

 Last week in this very corner the thought was that an all-Canadian team realignment in the National Hockey League should not only be instituted this coming season but should also be a permanent thing. Great idea? Well, I thought so. To further the discussion, this week’s gripper deals with a

Oh Canada? Works for me

 It’s such a darn good idea, so let’s make it permanent. When/if/how/why/where hockey of the National Hockey League variety returns to vacant/half-full/capacity arenas, it’s looking like a sure thing that the Canadian clubs will all be lumped into the same division. Makes sense, obviously, from a logistical standpoint given the

Stick around long enough and you might make some friends

 With NHL play in total lockdown for the foreseeable future, we’re dipping into the junior ranks once again this week. Last session, as you might recall, I pasted together a list of my all-time favourite coaches and broadcasters and writers that I’ve come across in the 25-plus years in which

The best of the best in the OHL

 Above: Brian Kilrea was the coach of the Ottawa 67's for 33 seasons.  So, I’m pounding away on the treadmill at the gym inside the Kanata rec. complex staring at the wall Sunday afternoon. Due to COVID, all the elevated TV’s are turned off (because, apparently, COVID and TV’s just don’t

Questions and more questions surround NHL’s return

 Uncertainty is the only certainty. Welcome to the current landscape of professional sports. In hockey, the uncertainty surrounding an upcoming season prompts a few questions. Like: What if there is no season? Don’t kid yourself, this is a real possibility. National Hockey League owners have zero appetite to return to

Summer camp and summer heroes

 Just as the headline conveys – this string of November warmth makes me think about summer . . . and the adventures we enjoyed as kids. By the way, this pleasant, mild run is more than welcome, so thank you Mother Nature. But I digress. About a million years ago

Good and bad: Senators have changed their look

 Above: Alex Galchenyuk Are the Ottawa Senators accelerating, or just blocking the path towards achieving their self-proclaimed rebuilding plan? It’s a little bit of both from this corner. Let’s put it this way, general manager Pierre Dorion was definitely not “sit-tight-and-let-the-process-playout” during this very odd off-season. You likely knew that

Dorion strikes potential gold in NHL off-season

 Touch ‘em all Pierre, you’ll never hit a bigger home run. We’ll see, but early indications indicate Ottawa Senators’ General Manager Pierre Dorion swung for the fences the past two weeks and connected big time. (Hence the bit-of-a-stretch comparable to Tom Cheek’s famous call of Toronto Blue Jay slugger Joe

Senators take business-like approach to draft

 Scratch the thought that this was “one of the biggest nights in franchise history.” I’d argue (and we’ll see in the years to come) that this was THE biggest night in Ottawa Senators’ history. General Manager Pierre Dorion threw out the former line with some aplomb. I think he underestimates

Leafs top Canadian club list

 Brian Burke has always remained an interesting hockey icon. Pull-no-punches, tell it like it is. That’s Burkie. He’s a quote machine too. When he was dismissed by the Maple Leafs a few years back, here’s what he quipped: “There's sometimes when you get fired and you see the vultures circling and

No man is an Island(er)?

 People who know me know this – I generally like to bounce around from favourite team to favourite team. (I get called on it a lot, but I like to reference it as a privilege of age). Used to be the Ottawa Senators, but that was a little too homey.

Ottawa’s draft pick — Stuetzle or Byfield, who’s your guy?

 Above: Quinton Byfield (Photo:Terry Wilson, OHL images) It’s the biggest question in Ottawa. (Not if the LRT is running, that’s not so much a question as a gamble). Just who the heck is going at No. 2? And furthermore, who the heck is then going at No. 3? The ball’s

Draft lottery awaits, Super A.J. returns, COVID still hitting hard

 A number of thoughts, observances, and opinions as we head towards Friday’s NHL draft lottery. Some of these thoughts are actually salient. Really. Hold tight. Tick-tock on an early Senators’ Christmas Finally, it’s here. There hasn’t been much of anything to get charged up about – for local NHL fans

Canadian teams look to post-season and draft

 Above: Morgon Reilley will return to the Leafs lineup (Courtesy NHLI via Getty Images) It’s lonely at the bottom. The Ottawa Senators – as discussed at great length in this space last week – won’t be taking part in the 24-team slap-and-tickle know as the NHL playoffs later this summer.

Senators set to play Wheel of Fortune

 Everything’s coming up roses? In the case of the Ottawa Senators, at the very least, the seeds have been sown. While much of the rest of the National Hockey League concerns itself with how the upcoming playoffs will look this summer, which involves 24 clubs, Ottawa likely won’t be paying

Report cards come a little – too – early

 We are supposed to be gunning for a playoff season just around the corner. We’re supposed to be talking about who’s going to win the goal-scoring race, Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin or David Pastrnak. We’re supposed to be talking about MVP and whether the unexpected Leon Draisaitl can accomplish the

Netflix ratings must be through the roof

 What to do, what to do, what to do? Seems like sports fans jonesing for something – anything – to fill their suddenly vast and endless free time now that hockey, baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, etc., etc. and etc. have been quarantined, the eyes and ears are turning to Netflix.

Dearth of hockey brings about ‘classic’ possibilities

 If you could have your choice of NHL games or series to re-watch, what would populate your list? That thought popped into my head Saturday night as I sat in front of my TV going: something’s missing . . . right – Hockey Night in Canada. Sure it was great

A small, slight bump in the hope metre?

 Photo courtesy NHLI via Getty Images It’s the tiniest of sample sizes to be sure. Ottawa’s Senators roll out two straight wins in a season that has seen so very few of these positive streaks. Still, it’s a bump; slight as the headline indicates. The odd part is the Senators accomplished

SENATORS: What We Learned Last Week

 SENATORS: A Week in Review is a weekly column looking back at the week in Ottawa Senators hockey written by OLMSports Dave Gross. Feature photo Courtesy NHLI via Getty Images From the highly anticipated "Things-We-Learned-This-Past-Week" department: If Bobby Ryan didn't have bad luck, he likely would have no luck at all.

SENATORS: A Week in Review – March 6-March 13, 2017

 SENATORS: A Week in Review  is a weekly column looking back at the week in Ottawa Senators hockey written by OLMSports Dave Gross. Feature photo Courtesy Andre Ringuette - NHL via Getty Images Silver medals are nothing to sneer about, and in this case, Ottawa's Zack Smith is right on target to

SENATORS: A Week in Review – February 6-February 13, 2017

 SENATORS: A Week in Review is a weekly column  looking back at the week in Ottawa Senators hockey written by #OLMSports Dave Gross. Images courtesy NHL.com I'll give Bobby Ryan credit for doing his best, but presently his best is not good enough, and you have to wonder if it is ever

SENATORS: A Week in Review – January 23-30, 2017

 SENATORS: A Week in Review is a weekly column looking back at the week in Ottawa Senators hockey written by #OLMSports Dave Gross. Regardless if you're a fan of the Ottawa Senators or not, you have to be mighty appreciative of this latest run during - arguably - the most important point

Jeff Hunt Proves Fruitful At Discovering A Dream

 Feature image by Andre Gagne You'd be hard-pressed to run into many in this city who don’t recognize the name or the face. That was certainly not the case back in the late 1990s when a young entrepreneur from Newfoundland arrived in Ottawa to take over as owner of the