- According to Sun Media’s George Popalis, Jason Spezza ‘faltered’ last season and the Ottawa Senators are at a crossroads. If it weren’t for his sentence fragments and the misspellings of Bryan Murray and David Rundblad, I’d almost be inclined to invest time and FJM the article. Unfortunately it’s too easy. In other news, if you ever feel compelled to plagiarize any of Popalis’ work, all one needs to do is drop trou and take a steaming dump on your computer screen.
- On Tuesday, the Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle drew some parallels between how the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators have been built around a talented group of Swedes. Of course there are some differences – Nik Lidstrom is one of the best defencemen in modern NHL history and Henrik Zetterberg is recognized as one of the better two-way players around. Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, Ottawa’s collection of talent is impressive but it remains to be seen whether any of the Senators’ prospects will develop into one of the game’s greats.
- Scott mentioned on the site this morning that the Senators were looking for fans to submit their own ideas for a goal song. If I have to throw my two cents in, I’ll throw out Titus Andronicus’ ‘Titus Andronicus Forever’ as a suggestion.
- The search for the Senators doesn’t stop there however. The organization is looking for people (maybe you?) to volunteer and be part of their Loud Crowd. According to hockeyjobs.nhl.com, “Candidates must be 19 years of age or older. Be prepared to show an extreme level of enthusiasm, confidence, and poise. Candidates must be physically fit. We are looking for dedicated, professional, hard working team players. Please wear athletic clothing and be ready to have some fun!”
Physically fit?
I guess that rules out Dustin Byfuglien. In case you have not heard, Big Buff was arrested for operating a motorboat while intoxicated. When taken into custody, Byfuglien weighed in at a voluptuous 286 lbs. Almost 40 lbs heavier than his playing weight for the Thrashers last season. He may have come to terms on a new extension but it definitely sounds like he’s coming to terms on moving to Winnipeg.
Winnipeggers are pissed off and for good reason. He
was suspected of operating a vehicle while being inebriatedis overweight. Aren’t sports fans awesome? - I digress. Getting back to the ‘Loud Crowd’, Glen Gower (@glengower), the Senators’ Director of In Game Entertainment tweeted that they are ‘Not cheerleaders, more of a promo team interacting with fans on concourse pre-game & promos, etc. during the game.’
Nails!
Not only does this ensure that the infamous crowd meter will not become obsolete, it also means that any fears that Craig Anderson (exhibit A, exhibit B and exhibit C) might become easily distracted can be put to rest.
- I received the 2011-12 McKeen’s Hockey Pool Yearbook in the mail yesterday and the projections are interesting. With a 32-38-12 record (76 pts), they believe that Ottawa will finish last in the Eastern Conference but tied with Colorado for the 3rd worst record overall – trailing only Edmonton (75 pts) and Phoenix (66 pts).
From an individual player perspective here a few goal and point predictions:
- Nikita Filatov: 70 GP, 13 G, 18 A
- Jason Spezza: 75 GP, 25 G, 45 A (highest point total on team)
- Alfie: 68 GP, 18 G, 33 A
- Erik Karlsson: 77 GP, 14 G, 33 A
- Peter Regin: 75 GP, 10 G, 19 A
- David Rundblad: 69: 4 G, 12 A
The magazine hits retail shelves in early September so keep an eye out for it and pick it up.
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