Senators make ‘slight’ moves at deadline

 Really, when you think about it, it’s the small things that matter in life. So-hope the Ottawa Senators who did a few of the little deals at the trade deadline but picked up a small piece that - hopefully (for them) - eventually makes a difference. Ottawa tapped on its

Senators: Mission accomplished (for the most part)

 ABOVE: Dzingel gets one past Hellebuyck in the Sens 4-3 loss to the Jets on April 5, 2021. (PHOTO: NHL.COM/SENATORS/VIDEO) Thanks Trooper: “We're here for a good time, Not a long time So have a good time, The sun can't shine every day.” In just more than a month’s time, the

The Ottawa Senators are 20 games away from finishing this shortened 2020-21 season

 The Senators score during the third period in their 3-1 victory over the Flames, March 24. (PHOTO: NHL.COM/SENATORS) The Sens sit eleven points out of the final playoff spot in the North Division currently held by the Montreal Canadiens. It may sound like less than you’d expect given how poorly the

Goalie woes continue, prospects shine, and Karlsson makes news

 ABOVE:  Joey Daccord injured himself in the third period of Wednesday's game against the Canucks. (PHOTO: SPORTSNET.CA) The Ottawa Senators played two games last week, and both were spirited efforts against the Vancouver Canucks. Ottawa played well enough to win each game, but, unfortunately for them, both ended in an overtime loss. Canucks

Erik Gudbranson is back home, but the cheers will have to wait

 Photo: Photo by Matt Zambonin, Freestyle Photography, Getty Images Last Thursday, Blackburn Hamlet’s own Erik Gudbranson found twine with a wrist shot from the point – his first goal as a member of the hometown NHL team. Scoring for the Ottawa Senators was a proud moment for Gudbranson, one that he’ll

The Sens have found an identity

 The Ottawa Senators keep sending teams into tailspins. When they made a comeback down 5-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs two weeks ago, columnist James Mirtle wrote that the Leafs needed a trade to fix the “complacency that kills them.” Last week, two consecutive wins over the Montreal Canadiens ended

The Sens get a bounce, and “Hoggy” bounces back

 After beating the Montreal Canadiens and snapping a nine-game winless streak two weeks ago, the Ottawa Senators lost their next four games, and almost lost every game last week. Almost. Enter Brady Tkachuk. The Senators began the week with two losses to the Edmonton Oilers, followed by a loss to

Senators a ‘fragile group’ after stretch of losses

 Well, where do I start? It's going to be a long season for the Ottawa Senators. In three games versus the Vancouver Canucks this week, the Senators combined for 116 shots on goal, besting Vancouver’s tally of 95. The combined score was 16 to 3 in favour of Vancouver, and

After a tough week, Ottawa Senators need to give young players a chance

 Last week was a tough one for the Ottawa Senators, losing all three games versus Winnipeg. They led 3-2 until the last minutes of the game on Tuesday, before allowing an equalizer with 1:17 left, and then losing in overtime. The Senators outshot the Jets 41-28, they deserved to win.

The NHL is back! And what a start to the season it was for the Sens

 Ottawa launched their 2020-21 NHL season with a gift to fans who waited 310 long days to see them play, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 on Friday night. The convincing win was no small feat, as the majority of NHL analysts had pegged the Maple Leafs as the top

Camps open league-wide, prompting questions and answers

 Above: Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk This past Sunday hockey returned across the board in the National Hockey League with the opening of training camps. The Ottawa Senators, one of seven teams to not qualify for the playoffs last season, opened up a few days earlier on Dec. 30th. And so it

Hockey’s finally here . . . hear-hear!

 This week the Ottawa Senators open camp. Quickly putting together the math, it will be roughly nine-and-a-half months since the organization last stepped on to the ice as a unit. There will be loads to evaluate and examine as the club prepares for the official start to the season. Here’s

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

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

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

Erik Brannstrom can’t wait to prove his worth to Ottawa fans

 by Daniel Rainbird When Erik Brannstrom skated in from the point, beat his defender, and lifted the puck short-side over the goalie’s shoulder for an overtime winner, something very unusual for 2020 occurred. The crowd went wild. That play introduced Brannstrom’s talents to fans of the Langnau-based SCL Tigers, the

Filip Chlapik hits the ice in Prague while waiting for NHL season

 by Daniel Rainbird Filip Chlapik was pleased to go home to Prague, but now the Czech capital isn’t quite the way he remembered it. Prague is where he played in the under-20 Czech league with his older brother Adam. He won silver for the Czech Republic at the 2014 world under-18

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

The transition from terrible to contender may be closer than you think

 NBC analyst Pierre McGuire believes the Ottawa Senators will be a Stanley Cup contender in the next 2-3 years. The veteran broadcaster made the comments this past week on Ottawa sports radio. While ownership and management continue to rub their collective hands in glee and proclaim the Senators will soon

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

Senators finally ‘back in the game’ as entry draft unfolds

 It’s not quite Lotto 6/49 (or in this case: Lotto 13/49), but you have to like their chances to come out a winner. Pick a number folks, any number - 3, 5, 28? How about 33, 51, 58, 60? Thirteen selections in all; three of those in the opening round;

Cards are in Ottawa’s hands . . . sort of

 We’re less than a month away from arguably the biggest 48 hours in Ottawa Senators’ history. The drama, mystery and intrigue will definitely get interesting. Kind of an Agatha Christie novel on blades. Without the murder, of course. For the Senators, general manager Pierre Dorion is easily the most fascinating

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.