Tuesday Grab Bag

Thanks to Google News, I learned something new today. According to a website that calls itself the Thaindian News, Tenley Molzahn, one of the contestants on The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love may have in fact once been a girlfriend of Chris Campoli. For those keeping track at home, Molzahn ranks somewhere between Carol Alt and Sophie from Rockland on the list of women who’ve had relations with Senators hockey players. (Ed. note: Never trust the Thaindian News. Apparently, they’ve confused the information concerning Molzahn and another contestant, Gia Allemand, who actually dated Campoli. Hat tip to Twitter follower msconduct for the clarification and here are some pictures of Gia Allemand.)

I emailed my girlfriend to weigh in on this pseudo-celebrity and here’s what she said,

Gia is a New Yorker, so I’m not surprised…Campoli? From the Sens? She kept saying how she has had her heart broken too many times, etc….she’s only 26.

She may only be 26 but she has had the inopportune fortune of having two professional athlete relationships — Campoli and Carl Pavano — not work out. I think it may be safe to say that the gravy train has left the station.

Jonathan Cheechoo Goes For 500

Thanks to The Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan, I now know a few trivial statistics about Jonathan Cheechoo.

For one, Cheechoo is tied with Daniel Alfredsson for fifth amongst Ottawa’s forwards with a Jason Blake’esque 111 shots on goal.

Secondly, Cheechoo hit four of the five styrofoam targets at Sunday’s Sens skills competition. What we didn’t know is that he earned $750,000 for each target hit. What? You thought that ownership was paying him for production in an actual game? Get real.

Also, Cheechoo will be suiting up for his 500th career NHL game tonight. While I was a bit surprised that Cheechoo had been around the League that long, I was even more surprised to learn that Cheechoo’s name was included in trade rumo(u)rs involving the Los Angeles Kings.

According to Matthew Barry of Hockeybuzz, Cheechoo is being targetting by the Los Angeles Kings because Dean Lombardi thinks that Cheechoo can rekindle the success that he once had in San Jose. Cheechoo, you’ll remember was a draft pick of Lombardi, the former Sharks GM. If you’re now cleaning the coffee that you just spat out onto your computer monitor, brace yourself, it gets better. Allegedly the rumo(u)red return for Cheechoo is Oscar Moller and an undisclosed defenceman…

…Shit, that’s almost more than Bryan Murray got for Heatley.

Elliott to Start

As per Ian Mendes’ Twitter, Brian Elliott will get the start in nets tonight against the Flames. Elliott will get an opportunity to redeem himself after his personal best nine-game winning streak came to an end against the Toronto Maple Leafs this past Saturday.

“You can call it whatever you want, you can put whatever number you want on it. He’s starting tonight. I’m not going to label anything right now.” ~ Cory Clouston

And with that, Cory Clouston dropped trou, took a steaming dump at the feet of the media scrum and said, “Here’s your number two.”

Elliotte Friedman’s Senators Related Quick Hits…

If you haven’t done so already, I highly recommend subscribing to Elliotte Friedman’s blog. His 30 Thoughts articles provide some good information that’s not easily found on the Interwebs. Anyways, for the purposes of this site, I purged these Senators related bits directly from his most recent work…

• Do not be surprised if former Senators president Roy Mlakar ends up running the Lightning for Jeff Vinik.
• Despite Saturday’s sleepwalk in Toronto, those Senators who were around for the Eastern Conference championship in 2007 believe this team is better than that one. Why? Deeper, more physical, more ways to beat you. Also, “Back then, we got nervous in close, low-scoring games,” said Chris Kelly. “That doesn’t happen anymore.”
• Mike Fisher pointed out one thing the 2007 team did well, though: “We got hot at just the right time.” This team will need that, too, especially with Washington, Pittsburgh and the Kovalchuk-ed Devils.
• Thought the referees working Saturday’s Toronto/Ottawa game did a great thing by sending Matt Carkner to the dressing room after Colton Orr kayoed him. If he convulses in the penalty box, it’s horrifying.
• Erik Karlsson will be back right after the Olympics, and he’s beginning to show his offensive gifts. Karlsson’s a confident guy. One day, the Senators were practising a 5-on-3. “After it was over, he came over and said to me, ‘Why didn’t you do it this way instead?'” said a laughing Daniel Alfredsson.
• The deal with Marek Svatos: He wants out of Colorado. They want him out. He’s a UFA, so he will be highly motivated and relatively cheap. Svatos played for Cory Clouston in junior. I think he wants a reunion.

First Place In the Northeast Division Is Up For Grabs

Amidst all of the aforementioned news bits, it’s easy to overlook the fact that with the right combination of results tonight — a Senators win against the Flames and a Sabres loss to the Bruins — could put the Senators in sole possession of first place in the Northeast Division.