Go Sens Go - Fan Forum

[Kanada Kev]

and kev, your Gerber suggestion is still hilarious.

Sure, just as funny as your comment that the Ducks were playing boring hockey ... i just about spilt my coffee here. And Murray not getting out coached? He could never get the match-ups that he needed at home and away. He sure couldn't motivate them last night (Alfie and Fisher were giving it their all right to the bitter end).

Time to go back and lick the wounds. They'll be back next year. Will Murray?

Edited June 7, 2007 by Guest

[AD]

i dunno, i think murray got the match-ups he wanted but the players didn't do much with those match-ups. in an elimination game of the finals you don't need a coach to motivate you if you're a professional athlete.

you don't think anaheim was playing a trap game?

ps. don't forget Vermette last night, he was givin' it all game long.

[AD]

apparently Vermette separated Pronger's shoulder with that hit in the first.

[SevenSeasJim]

you don't think anaheim was playing a trap game?

No. They were in the Ottawa zone creating chances.

2 guys on the forecheck all the time except for maybe the last 10 minutes of last nights game when they were up by a few.

[rubberdinghy]

Murray does not have to worry about his job.

[dave-O]

5 guys in between the two blue lines is the very definition of the the trap. Anaheim played it that way on every play they could. But there was nothing boring about it IMO.

[ollie]

Time to go back and lick the wounds. They'll be back next year. Will Murray?

I hope sho.

[AD]

hahaha nice one ollie

[Kanada Kev]

I hope sho.

zing!!!

I always felt kinda bad for him in that his team is the SenatorS ... so many "s" all the time

[AD]

i was happy for murray when smolinski was traded.

Sens 2007-08!!

[Kanada Kev]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=Ah.uuZan0EdWxmJZJfMci1F7vLYF?slug=cp-nhl_cup_report_card&prov=cp&type=lgns/

CP's report card look at every player in the Stanley Cup final

CHRIS JOHNSTON

June 7, 2007

(CP) - A final report card on players from the Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators for their performance in the 2007 Stanley Cup final:

Ottawa Senators

Forwards

Mike Fisher, A: If other Sens had played as well as he did, the Cup would be coming back to Ottawa.

Daniel Alfredsson, B-plus: Had flashes of brilliance in the final. Intentionally shooting puck at Scott Niedermayer in Game 4 is most memorable, which is not good. But give the classy captain credit for his gutsy two-goal performance in Game 5.

Dean McAmmond, B: A consistent third-line effort before being knocked out of series in Game 3 by Pronger elbow.

Antoine Vermette, B: Gritty effort throughout the final, a top penalty killer.

Chris Neil, B-minus: Played particularly well in the games at Scotiabank Place. A source of energy for the Senators.

Oleg Saprykin, C-plus: Sat a game and was used sparingly when dressed, but still managed to stand out, especially in Game 5.

Christoph Schubert, C: Threw some nice hits. Did what was asked of him.

Patrick Eaves, C: Nice play setting up Heatley goal in Game 4 but played sparingly.

Chris Kelly, C-minus: After a three-goal flourish in the first round against Pittsburgh not much to write home about.

Dany Heatley, D: It's going to be a long summer after scoring just one goal in the final.

Mike Comrie, D-minus: Second-liner went 17 games games without a goal to finish the playoffs.

Peter Schaefer, D-minus: Not very noticeable for a second-line player.

Jason Spezza, F: Has anyone seen Jason Spezza?

Defencemen

Chris Phillips, A-minus: Logged big minutes on top pairing and made very few mistakes. You have to feel bad for him after the freak own-goal off Ray Emery in Game 5.

Anton Volchenkov, B: A few of his defensive lapses led directly to goals, but he made up for it by blocking shots and scoring a goal in Game 3 win.

Tom Preissing, C: Made the most of his limited minutes.

Joe Corvo, C-minus: He heard footsteps from Anaheim's physical forecheck.

Andrej Meszaros, C-minus: Wasn't much of a factor at either end of the ice.

Wade Redden, D-minus: Canadian Olympian caught out of position on Ducks winning goal in Game 4 - the game that ultimately cost Ottawa the series. Overall he struggled all playoff long.

Goaltender

Ray Emery, D: Was solid in the two losses in Game 1 and 2 but then his play slipped big-time. He was shaky in Game 4 and Game 5.

Edited June 7, 2007 by Guest

[SevenSeasJim]

I just had to post this for the Ottawa fans out there. It's from The North Bay Osprey.

Senators lose and Leaf Nation is overjoyed

I’m rather amused this morning at all the joy in the Leaf nation.

The Ottawa Senators were dispatched from the Stanley Cup finals in five quick games, and Toronto fans are enraptured and ready to have a parade down Yonge Street.

On one hand, I suppose, it’s understandable: They’ll never have a real reason for a parade. At least, I suspect, not in my lifetime. Not as long as current ownership exists and keeps hiring the likes of John Ferguson Jr. to run the show.

Nik Antropov gets a two-year, $4.1-million US contract extension? Case closed.

Look, I’m a Leaf fan, too. Been one as long as I’ve followed hockey. That’s more than 40 years. But I must admit my only allegiance to the so-called Leaf Nation is to tweak members at every opportunity I get.

They’re so annoying. Back-to-back wins in November is enough to send them scurrying to the streets, flags attached to their car windows, horns honking, screams of ecstasy piercing the night.

Sheesh.

And in the case of the Senators, nothing wrong with hating them or cheering for the Ducks. But don’t lose perspective. It’s not Ottawa’s fault Toronto sucks. Remember, Ottawa woke up this morning as Stanley Cup finalists. They also head into training camp knowing they’ll be contenders for the crown yet again.

The Leafs and their fans woke up this morning a day older and not an inch closer to even making the playoffs.

*

Edited June 7, 2007 by Guest

[phorbesie]

you know what's really sad about ottawa?

the sens mile was DEAD last night. DURING the game. everyone had already given up on their team.

pffff

[AD]

you know what's really sad about ottawa?

the sens mile was DEAD last night. DURING the game. everyone had already given up on their team.

pffff

there were no tvs on elgin street, i don't think people would cruise the street while the game was on. seems like a leap to think that 'everyone had given up on them' because one street had few people on it, IMO.

city hall was packed. I'm sure thousands of living rooms and most bars in the city and across the region were packed.

i don't think there is anything sad about how Ottawa has supported the Sens. it's something the city can be proud of for a long time.

[SevenSeasJim]

5 guys in between the two blue lines is the very definition of the the trap. Anaheim played it that way on every play they could. But there was nothing boring about it IMO.

On Perry's goal with 3 minutes left they were still sending 2 guys in to the Ottawa end. Alfie gets forechecked and gives the puck up and you know the rest.

[boogieknight]

Congratulations to the Sens for putting together a great cup run. A lot of teams don't win the cup on the first try. I have a felling that they will be back.

I would suggest that they find a long time veteran to add to the team, someone that they can be motivated to win it for. Look at the last few cups. Dave Andreychuk, Glen Wesley, Teemu Selanne. See what I mean?

Anyways, good luck next year. Go Leafs Go

[AD]

ANAHEIM -- Dany Heatley played through a pulmonary contusion and bruised ribs since Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final, a source told Sun Media last night.

That bit of news -- which goes against the direct "no" he answered when asked if he was injured immediately after Wednesday's dream-destroying 6-2 loss in Anaheim -- should serve as a small dose of consolation to Senators fan today.

Heatley, the most prolific sniper in Senators history, was awful in the do-or-die Game 5 loss to the Ducks, just as he was in Games 1, 2 and 3.

Once again he failed to register a single shot on goal. He appeared to steer clear of battles. Played almost like he was more concerned about making it to the end of the game rather than winning it.

If he was dealing with painful lung and rib injuries, it's easier to understand.

You'd really wonder about the character of such a talented player if he didn't have a legitimate excuse for going through the motions in a game with such meaning.

"ALFIE, ALFIE": The best and/or most valuable player in the NHL playoffs this spring was not Scott Niedermayer or Sammy Pahlsson or Andy McDonald or J.S. Giguere or Rob Niedermayer or any other Duck that received even passing consideration for the Conn Smythe Trophy. The best and/or most valuable player in the NHL playoffs was Daniel Alfredsson. Without question. Alfredsson finished tied atop the scoring race, with Heatley and Jason Spezza, at 22 points. Alfredsson led all scorers with 14 goals, while the only other man to reach double digits was McDonald, who had 10. Alfredsson led all players in game-winning goals with four. Alfredsson failed to register a point in just four of 20 post-season games. Alfredsson showed up when most others didn't, scoring four of the Senators' nine goals in the final, including the only two in Game 5, including a short-handed effort that only came with speed, strength, skill and raw desire. Only. "It seems like whatever line you put him on, he's the guy that gets points for you," coach Bryan Murray, who mercifully released Alfredsson from Heatley and Spezza, said after the elimination loss. "He's a driving force, I think he showed it again (Wednesday). Short-handed, guys draped over him, gets to the net and makes it a 3-2 game at that moment, gave us a chance to get back into the game after a dreadful start, and we couldn't support him well enough." Just five times in the 42 years of the award's existence has the Conn Smythe gone to a player from the losing team in the Cup final. This year should have been the sixth.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM....: Instead of a parade, the Ducks will host an "official fan celebration" in the parking lot of the Honda Center tomorrow night. Free hot dogs will be served. Wieners will be courtesy of Oscar Mayer rather than Niedermayer ... GM John Muckler's most recent additions to this season's roster didn't play a whole lot in the franchise's biggest game. Joe Corvo saw 7:41 of ice time. Tom Preissing played 8:11. Mike Comrie played 8:20. Oleg Saprykin played 10:50. And Martin Gerber played backup, as he did for seven months ... Comrie is the only one of the above that had a known injury. His shoulder has been bothering him since Round 1. While being interviewed after the game, his ballcap was low, his eyes were red and watery, and he was talking about a different kind of pain. "It's difficult to lose like that ... no one likes to lose," said the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. "At the same time, we accomplished a lot this year, and we played a very good team. But we're disappointed. It hurts."

BETWEEN PERIODS: One of the few Senators forwards to play decently in the final, Antoine Vermette, separated Chris Pronger's shoulder with a first-period hit in Game 5.

[Kanada Kev]

That's where I think that a Gary Roberts could have really made an impact for the Sens in this run.

[phorbesie]

i didn't mean the 'street' itself i meant the bars on it and such. (and it's not just "one street", it's the SENS MILE! that place was crazy for awhile)

good to know city hall was packed!

i just mean in comparison to other hockey cities in canada, near-elimination would not have stopped fans from coming out and getting crazy the same as for game 1 or 7.

i do think overall the ottawa fans supported well, until it looked like they might lose the series.

i know you can't expect ottawa fans to be as devoted as habs or leafs fans. it is lawnchair city, after all

Edited June 8, 2007 by Guest

[guigsy]

"ALFIE, ALFIE": The best and/or most valuable player in the NHL playoffs this spring was not Scott Niedermayer or Sammy Pahlsson or Andy McDonald or J.S. Giguere or Rob Niedermayer or any other Duck that received even passing consideration for the Conn Smythe Trophy. The best and/or most valuable player in the NHL playoffs was Daniel Alfredsson. Without question. Alfredsson finished tied atop the scoring race, with Heatley and Jason Spezza, at 22 points. Alfredsson led all scorers with 14 goals, while the only other man to reach double digits was McDonald, who had 10. Alfredsson led all players in game-winning goals with four. Alfredsson failed to register a point in just four of 20 post-season games. Alfredsson showed up when most others didn't, scoring four of the Senators' nine goals in the final, including the only two in Game 5, including a short-handed effort that only came with speed, strength, skill and raw desire. Only. "It seems like whatever line you put him on, he's the guy that gets points for you," coach Bryan Murray, who mercifully released Alfredsson from Heatley and Spezza, said after the elimination loss. "He's a driving force, I think he showed it again (Wednesday). Short-handed, guys draped over him, gets to the net and makes it a 3-2 game at that moment, gave us a chance to get back into the game after a dreadful start, and we couldn't support him well enough." Just five times in the 42 years of the award's existence has the Conn Smythe gone to a player from the losing team in the Cup final. This year should have been the sixth.

heheh, of course thats from an ottawa paper. sure, all great individual accomplishments, no doubt - but when you wear the C, you're also expected to get the rest of your team going as well. maybe it woulda been a different story if he coulda pushed his team to 7 games?

[AD]

the ottawa papers are usually pretty hard on the sens... i think they make a good case for alfie though. being a captain and having those responsibilities is irrelevant to the award, IMO.

i think alfie should have got it, though it's all totally irrelevant now.

[Booche]

the ottawa papers are usually pretty hard on the sens...

Dont read much from Toronto or Montreal, eh?

I dont think Alfie deserved that award.

[guigsy]

heheh - that was more or less a test to see how fast you'd fix my wheel.

but i dont think those responsibilities are irrelevant to that award at all.. IMO, they're probably more relevant.

[Kanada Kev]

I think the fact that the finals didn't go to 7 games nullified any chance that Alfie would receive the award. Just as Jiggy was not a true contender considering he missed most (or was it all?) of the first round (for his cute little baby who had eye problems).

When Jiggy won it, on the losing side of the Cup final, he carried his team from start to finish. It was because that finish was a 7-gamer too.

Alfie would be deserving of an award for MVP for the Eastern Conference for the playoffs though.

[AD]

heheh - that was more or less a test to see how fast you'd fix my wheel.

i've been pretty bored at work this week

oh well. the oilers lost the final before the dynasty began or something like that.

i still think alfie was the best player in the playoffs. y'all are talking about leadership and stuff - i think his numbers pretty much tell his teammates what to do in a series. and his backchecking. but it's all over. so whatever.