Can the Ottawa Senators turn their NHL season around?

 The month of October commencing the 2019-20 NHL regular season was hard going for the Senators, who managed to start their campaign with just three wins and an overtime victory out of 11 games. Such results immediately seemed to suggest that for the third year in a row, making the

Senator win string is perplexing for fans

 Winning has never been so confusing. It’s the genesis of the angst Ottawa Senator fans are facing right now. In the case that you’ve been residing outside the nation’s capital (where no one seems to care what’s happening with this hockey club), Ottawa is a tidy 7-2 since Nov. 7th.

Early returns favouring most Canadian NHL teams

 You couldn’t request and receive a better out-of-the-gate scenario for the majority of National Hockey League teams based here in Canada. As the league approaches the 20-game mark, let’s have a look at what’s been going right and what’s been going wrong for Canada’s seven clubs. CALGARY FLAMES (B) The

Senators’ problems are good problems to have

 It really is looking like something of a perfect storm for Eugene Melnyk and Pierre Dorion. Public perception regarding the Ottawa Senators has been justifiably poor the past few years, but doesn’t it just seem the tide is shifting (somewhat)? Ottawa is in an ideal situation right now. Dedication to

Shanaplan in Toronto heading for the dumpster

 You really, truly don’t have it all that bad Ottawa. Check out the guys down the highway. No, not Montreal. Head in the other direction. For all the mea culpa’s running through the nation’s capital the last three years, at the very least there’s some semblance of direction. It might

Senator offence nothing to get Wild over

 Granted it is early but if the Ottawa Senators don’t find a way to discover a cure for their insipid power play, this is going to be one ugly beast of a season. I guess you could contend that no one should be surprised given the lip service offered up

Losing culture could be problematic down the road for Senators

 PHOTO: Courtesy NHLI via Getty Images We realize over here in this corner that two games is indeed a small sample size, however it is troubling to watch this year’s (early) rendition of the Ottawa Senators creating, what you would hope, is not a template. Yes, it’s wondrous to fill the

Sens empty dust-bin of calamitous past few seasons

 “Who is Chris Tierney, Alex?” It’s the type of stumper that’ll perplex even the best of Jeopardy champions (even James Holzhauer, me-thinks). Answer being: This player lead the Ottawa Senators in scoring by a forward last season. Matt Duchene was long gone to Ohio by the time the year ended,

Bland draft gives way to NHL free agency

 Photo courtesy NHLI via Getty Images Stage 1 of the NHL’s off-season is in the books. The National Hockey League entry draft now makes way for what promises to be (here’s hoping) an intriguing free agency window – Stage 2. That window gets cranked open next Monday (July 1). After

Senators turn the page on dismal season

 Photo courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images The legendary rocker Bob Seger must be reading the Ottawa Senators’ collective mind: Turn the Page. Seger’s ditty doesn’t have anything to do with hockey, however the message behind the song’s title could fit nicely into Ottawa’s philosophy. Because let’s face it –

D.J. the coach was once D.J. the enforcer

 Photo credit: NHLI via Getty Images So then, Denis D.J. Smith is your (relatively) new guy. I can’t pretend to tell you what he’s like as a coach, head coach or assistant. His former players – be it in Toronto or with the 2015 Memorial Cup champion Oshawa Generals –

Sexy choices are slim as NHL playoffs head toward Round 2

 Photo courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images Fans of the English Premiership have a nice touch when asking it: “Who’s your side?” Meaning: “Who are you rooting for . . . who’s your team?” At the National Hockey League level it’s a question that bears a certain special meaning at this

Few passing grades as Senator season passes

 Photo courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images “Well, at the very least we had – at the very least – umm, Brady Tkachuk!” Offers Glass-Half-Full-Guy. “That’s like doing back-flips cause you got one of the six numbers in 6/49 right!” Counters Glass-Half-Empty Guy. That kind of season, eh Ottawa? For

Leafs in a stumble as playoff date approaches

 Photo courtesy NHLI via Getty Images Has Mike Babcock lost the Toronto Maple Leafs? Or have the Toronto Maple Leafs lost Mike Babcock? Regardless, there is an obvious disconnect between the head coach and his players. Full evidence of that was on display Saturday night where Toronto was, for the

Another week, another calamity

 Photo courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images There’s a cute little thread-header on the hockey chat-board site HFboards that reads: “Days since Sens incident.” At the very least, the folks on the site sport a very good sense of humour . . . and a sense of reality. It was

Buds bleeding as playoffs near

 Our regularly scheduled programming is on hiatus this week. Patience people, we’re not going far. Nope, no Ottawa Senators breakdown in detail this week, instead we cast our eyes and thoughts down the 416 and along the 401 to Toronto. If you’re a Senators’ fan you might even enjoy this.

Leafs visit supplies shining example

 Photo courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images Finally the day arrives. For the first time (for some reason) this season the thousands of Toronto Maple Leaf fans in the capital region (cough if you’d like to at this point) get satiated with a taste of their team. Saturday night, the Leafs

A ripe stench in Senators’ land

 Photo courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images The numbers (like my hips) don’t lie: 28, 26 and 26. And therein lies the biggest question arising out of the garage-sale-Senators. You admit you’re into a rebuilding phase and these three numbers can’t be part of it? The numbers represent the ages

Senators’ decision-making is taking its sweet time

 Photo courtesy NHLI via Getty Images Rip the bandage off already, would you? Pull the bloody plug. Here we sit less than a week away from the NHL’s trade deadline (Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. ET) and still no definitive word on which direction, if any, the Ottawa Senators’ rebuilding

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

Time for Eugene to get serious, seriously

 Photo courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images Took in Saturday night’s game at the Canadian Tire Centre and was stunned. Well, mildly stunned. If the Leafs or Habs are in town, you kind of expect it – plenty of fans rooting for the visitors. But here we are on a

Canadian Clubs Lead the Way with Calgary Surprise

 Photo courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images How ya doin’ out there Canada? Well, we’re about to hit elongated home stretch and the run to the NHL trade deadline (3 pm ET, Feb. 25) so let’s take a gander at who’s done what so far and what is likely to

Spirits lifted for Senators during dads’ trip

 Photo courtesy NHLI via Getty Images I imagine if my dad was watching, I’d work at about the same level. In this grim swamp of a season for the Ottawa Senators, this past week presented a rare light and positive look. The dads’ trip. As far as I know, most

Under-manned Senators get the job done out west

 Photo courtesy of NHLI via Getty Images Not bad at all. Your heroes march out to California this past week in the midst of an eight-game whopper of a losing string and proceed to cut it with a pair of wins in the Los Angeles region. The Cali-hat-trick though was not

Senators streak indicative of state of entire organization

 Photo courtesy NHLI via Getty Images In the NHL there’s, of course, the Great 8. The Ottawa Senators however are well on the other side of the discussion as far as ‘8’ goes. Eight straight losses. This team is sinking harder and faster than my RSP portfolio. Hell, we all