What The ?????

Anyone miss me?

I know I've been lying low all summer but I had a hard time trying to figure out which story to write about. There were so many crazy things going on in the NHL, every time I wanted to start writing about it something even crazier would surface! So I've decided to basically pick up where I've left off. I'll catch up on the other stuff in the next few days or so...bear with me!!!

The last time I posted a blog was when the Sens were eliminated in 4 straight to the eventual Eastern Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Of course the Sens could've faced the Pembroke Pylons Over 50 Squad and the result would've probably been the same...yes...they were that bad!!!!

That being said, General Manager Bryan Murray decided that enough was enough. There were problems in the dressing room that had to be rectified and he set out to do just that. The rumour mill was running at a furious rate in Ottawa with respect to illegal substances and the players who were involved. I'm not in a position to say who was involved because I never saw it actually happen but the "Group of Three" are no longer members of the Sens.

Now let's keep that train of thought going shall we? Bryan Murray is not only one of the most demanding but one of the most fiscally responsible GM's in the NHL. He refuses to give big contracts to under-achieving players. He does appear to be in the minority because for some reason the New York Rangers saw enough potential in Wade Redden from the last 2 years to offer him a sweet deal. They are now paying him $6.5 Million per year over the next 6 years! Glen Sather must've been eating some Maple Leaf deli meat when he offered that amount. There's no way this man is worth HALF that amount!!! He's been an absolute bust since he signed a $6.5 Million contract with Ottawa 3 yrs ago!!! I'm sure Bryan was happy to see him go as he tried to get him to waive his no-trade clause before last year's deadline but to no avail! I'm betting he didn't want to leave his "snow-buddies"!!!

Now Bryan's down to the "Group of Two"!

Brian McGrattan has spent more time in the penalty box than on the ice during his stay in Ottawa. I have to admit that I love a good scrap so I've been a little disappointed that I haven't seen him on the ice more often while he was wearing a Sens jersey. On the other hand, he is a one-dimensional player that will probably hurt your team before helping it. That being said, I still love the way he re-arranged Tie Domi's nose on my birthday in 2005!!! That was beautiful! He cranked Tie's nose and connected it to his left ear!!! That was the last of the Domi factor in the NHL. Unfortunately, because he was just a scrapper, I believe Brian had too much free time on his hands. After all, a hockey player wants to play hockey right!?!? With Chris Neil in the line-up there really wasn't any need for McGrattan to be on the ice...at least Neil could score. So McGrattan used his free time to socialize...and he basically socialized himself out of a job with Ottawa. Good luck in Phoenix Brian!!! I don't believe it snows in Phoenix and I'm sure Mr. Gretzky will deal with it if it does!!!

So now Bryan's down to the "Group of One"!

You have to understand that I'm only picking out three Ottawa players who weren't re-signed. If you see any other link with the 3 people I've chosen it's purely coincidental. With that in mind the last player I'd like to mention is Ray "Razor" Emery. This guy has never really had to work too hard to earn his ice time. Always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. He is just one of those naturally gifted athletes that make guys like me jealous!!! He excelled in golf, baseball, and soccer until he decided to settle on hockey. He didn't start playing in goal until he was 9 yrs old. And once he did the trophies started piling up. This trend continued with the Sault Greyhounds, the Binghampton Senators, and then right through to the 2006/07 where he was a huge reason why the Sens made it to the playoffs. But then the wheels fell off. He signed a big contract and then he got lazy! He, like McGrattan, had too much time on his hands which led to rumours of his party lifestyle! Mr. Murray decided enough was enough and bought out the rest of his contract. Now Emery is drinking vodka, enduring "snow-storms" and living in a Russian apartment. Personally, I hope he gets his head straightened out...if not then the Russian Gestapo will take care of him and he will never be in the NHL again.

That's all I'm going to bore you guys with right now but I will be back next week to talk some more about other teams and the idiot contracts that were signed in the off-season.

Hey...if you have any comments about my opinions please let me know!!! I'll eventually convince you that I'm right!!!!

CHEERS!!!!
The Rokpig!!!!

Stanley Is Getting a Tan

Well that didn't work out the way I thought it would. I had counted on a game 6...mostly because I had free tickets but I really thought Ottawa would be able to adapt and turn the series around. In the end, the better team won and the Sens were without a counter-attack. Anaheim seemed able to turn the game to their favour any time they felt like it.

Many reasons have been brought up as to why the Ducks were so dominant...here are some of the popular ones:

• The reffing was atrocious and allowed the clutch and grab style of hockey back in the game. This type of hockey is clearly an advantage for a bigger, stronger team. I think that Ottawa should've found a way to battle through this...they didn't!!!
• 9 days off was too long and the Sens were never able to shake off the rust. I agree that 9 days off is too long but the Ducks were off for 7 and they seemed to be good to go when the puck dropped. If the Sens had any rust that needed to be shaken off, I believe the Ducks shook them up pretty good in that first game! They needed the split out of Anaheim...they didn't get it...again, they couldn't adapt to the Ducks' style of play.

The bottom line is this. Ottawa was out-played, out-muscled, and out-coached. I'm pretty sure they learned a valuable lesson from this...every round gets tougher and the final is 90% desire, 10% skill. You have to want it more than the other team. There were a few members of the Sens that turned it up...Fisher, Alfie, Neil, Emery (most times), Vermette...then there were others who disappeared and looked afraid to even get close to the puck. These players should be ashamed of themselves for letting down their team when they were needed most...Redden, Heatley, Spezza, Comrie, Volchenkov. These guys played great in the opening 3 rounds but when they first got hit in the finals they started to cower like beaten dogs.

I don't want to take anything away from the season they had, specifically the turn around that started in early December. To tell you the truth I sincerely doubted that Ottawa was going to make the playoffs due to the horrible start they had. But they turned it around and I, for one, am glad they did. They showed character that they never had to before...they excelled when their top players were sidelined with injuries. When they made the playoffs I was astounded with their style of play...it was something I've never seen them do before. I don't fault them for not winning the Cup...I have a feeling this experience won't sit well with them and they'll be back hungrier than ever to get that Holy Grail. Of course, before that happens some housework needs to be done. By that I mean trades have to happen and contracts need to be signed.

1. Redden must be traded!!! He has clearly become tired of being a Senator and a change of scenery would work well for both the team and him.
2. Gerber must be unloaded as well. Muckler would look like a true genius if he could find a team willing to take him and his 3.5 Million dollar contract of which he still has 2 years remaining.
3. With respect to the top 2 bullets, there are rumours of interest in Edmonton for Redden which would be a good fit for him...maybe Muckler can package both Redden and Gerber for a straight up trade in return for Jussi Markkanen ($850,000) and Steve Staios ($1.6 Million)? Just a thought...a man can dream right???
4. It probably wouldn't hurt shopping Spezza around. Just to see what Ottawa can get for him. He still has issues with playing the rough game that is expected during the playoffs. Heatley actually seemed to play better when Spezza was injured early in the season.
5. Bryan Murray needs to be re-signed. He has proven to be the right coach for this team. He now has a taste of the Stanley Cup Final and I believe he can bring Ottawa a cup.
6. Ray Emery has proven to be a starter in this league. He deserves a raise and at least a 3 year deal.
7. Tom Preissing is a solid defenceman. He also needs a raise with a one or two year deal.
8. Dean McAmmond should be re-signed. He has proven to be valuable on the 4th line and on the power play.
9. If Mike Comrie wants to take a pay-cut then he may be worth keeping but I wouldn't miss him if he left!!!

That's just my views on a successful season that ended about 2 games too short...it would've been nice to see the final go 7 games.

Hockey is now done...but there's still hockey news coming up. NHL entry draft, unrestricted and restricted free agent signings, the Stanley Cup travels will be closely monitored, and so on.

I will also start writing blogs about other sports namely NFL Football, Golf, Women's Beach Volleyball, Cricket, etc...

Also, if there's anything that you feel a second opinion is required please drop me a line and I'll put something together for you.

Till next time...give me some feedback as I always like to hear other people's opinion.

CHEERS!!!

The Rokpig

Stanley Cup is 8 Wins Away!!!!

All I can say is WOW!!! These playoffs have been riveting. My picks from the last round were 3 and 1...I was wrong with the Rangers beating the Sabres. That's ok...it puts me at 9 and 3 so far in this year's playoffs which ain't too bad.

Some highlights in the last round...

1. Nabokov's puck clearing attempt right onto Datsyuk's stick which susequently went into the net in game 4.
2. Ottawa's game 1 mastery of Brodeur by scoring 4 goals in the 1st period right over his glove hand.
3. Chris Chelios is now getting 25 to 30 minutes of ice time...and he's 45 years old!!!!
4. Observing the mastery in Anaheim...The Niedermayer brothers...Chris Pronger...Teemu Selanne...JS Giguere. They are firing on all cylinders and are amazing to watch.

Again...I'm sure there's plenty more but that's all I can think of right now. Please feel free to send me some of your 2nd round highlights.

Well...on with the picks.

In the East

Ottawa Senators vs Buffalo Sabres (Ott in 6) -> These 2 teams have a history together and it's not pretty. However I think cooler heads will prevail in the playoffs. The winner advances to the Stanley Cup Final so there will be no room for costly penalties. Both of these teams will bring a dynamic offensive punch and posses an equally effective defensive game. Their goaltending has proven to be exceptional both in the regular season and so far in the playoffs. However, I believe that the Sens are rolling 4 solid lines and everyone is contributing both physically and on the scoresheet. If we haven't seen the Sabres best game yet then I may be proven wrong but they haven't really been tested the way Ottawa will test them. My pick is Ottawa in 6 games.

In the West

Detroit Red Wings vs The Anaheim Ducks (Anaheim in 6) -> Anaheim is the strongest team right now...The defensive pairing of Pronger and Niedermayer may well be the best in the league. Up front Selanne, Pahlsson and Getzlaf are playing like men possessed. Guigere is also having a dynamite playoff season. Detroit's battered and bruised right now and depending heavily on 45 yr. old Chelios and Lidstrom to carry the defensive weight due to injuries to Schneider and Kronwall. Detroit has had the toughest battle to get here...first Calgary then San Jose whereas Anaheim had an easier road going through Minnesota and then Vancouver. However I feel that the strength and depth of this Anaheim team will take them by Detroit in 6 games.

That being said you should see Ottawa and Anaheim in the final. Smart money would stick with Anaheim but we'll see how the injuries accumulate over this round.

Enjoy the conference finals....should be extrememly entertaining!!!

CHEERS!!!

The Rokpig