It's only October and I'm already coming down with something. I suppose that's what happens when you live in close quarters with 6 other girls.

Last preseason game means....season starts on Wednesday! And what a way to end it. The Sens saw a 5-3 lead after two periods disappear due to a lack of interest in capitalizing on powerplays and some very uncharacteristic defensive lapses.

The one thing I've said all last season about the Sens and will probably be saying again is that they are not very good at protecing their leads. They didn't win many one-goal games and I suppose it's easy to sit on your laurels when you explode offensively for the first two periods. But given how unpredictable and fast-paced the new game is, they really can't afford to become lethargic, no matter how much of a lead you have.

The good news is that Ottawa was really good with their forechecking. Tom Preissing did not disappoint and Martin Gerber was solid and then had a mini meltdown. The (fake) Russian Prince Kaigorodov looked alot better but still did not impress. He did manage to notch an assist and spent most of the game playing on a line with Brian McGrattan and Chris Neil, and also saw some time on the wing with Spezza and Heatley. It looks like Heatley is dropping back to the left, with the right wing spot open to either Patrick Eaves or Dean MacAmmond. I think MacAmmond is less of a defensive liability given Spezza's propensity for, shall we say, coughing up the puck.

Redden didn't seem to have a good game. Not exactly what I wanted to hear whilst having a coughing fit. He was paired up with Andrej Mezsaros who was managed to score a goal and had a pretty good game given that Redden made some poor decisions with the puck. Hey, I love the guy but he was definitely not at his best.

Jordi will be pleased to hear that Samsonov got himself an assist and a goal. The main criticism many people have of Samsonov is his reluctancy to shoot the puck until he can feel the goalie breathing on him. He showed alot more jump today [including laying out Patrick Eaves which earned him a penalty] and was named the second star of the game.

Montreal had a busy day today, shipping out Mike Ribeiro to Dallas for defensemen Janne Niinimaa, who obviously loves his vowels. It looks like Samsonov will be playing on a line with Kovalev and Tomas Plekanec now which will probably be better for the both of them given how he has much more offensive upside.

I felt like I was in 1999 again when I saw Mike Johnson scored the first goal. Am I the only one who remember him in those commercials when they used to play Leafs games on Global? Dude was monotone.

Final camp cuts for the Sens are on Monday. I don't think there'll be any surprises but I still say let the Kegger start with the B-Sens and give Denis Hamel a chance.

Speaking of monotone, the people hosting the post-game show on the sports station in Ottawa are really stuttering alot. Or am I just being a snob because of my own radio experience?

Addendum: The Sens have a new layout for their site and I'm not sure I'm a big fan. I was actually disappointed with their previous site because it didn't have alot content and it wasn't as interactive as some of the other team sites, but as far as the aesthetics, I liked how clean it was. Now I'm afraid that the home page looks way too busy and the players frame on the right hand side kind of gets lots in all of the round boxes. Maybe this is just about the round edges. Never liked round edges.

It's unfortunate that the breakdown of a marriage has to be so well publicized and everybody is invited to throw their oar in, just because it involves public figures. So, I admit that I'm intrigued by the situation, but this will probably the first and last time I talk about the Domi/Stronach story. Plus, it is kind of a slow news day. Well the 'Canes traded Jack Johnson to the Kings and given how I don't know much about the players involved, I'll let the legitimate news outlets [if you can find one] do the commenting on it.

I read an interesting article in the latest issue of Maclean's while waiting at the Doctor's office. It brought up an interesting argument about whether or not it is indeed fair for there to be so much speculation on Stronach's personal life seeing as it has always been very closely linked to her political career.

I'm usually not a big fan of Maclean's, but it does bring up a good point. For those of you who don't know, Belinda Stronach is the daughter of the founder of a very successful auto factory in Canada, and was at one point the CEO. She was once married to a former executive of the company, and also to Johann Olav Koss, the Olympic gold medallist who found the organization Right to Play. A couple of years ago she stated her intention to run for the Conservative Party leadership, which came as a surprise to many people as she does not have any political experience or an university degree for that matter. A few years later, she "crossed the aisle" and more or less defected to the Liberal party. It was a rather big deal because she was dating the deputy leader of the Conservative party at the time. Needless to say, that relationship didn't last.

Obviously her personal life shouldn't affect how she does her job, but her persona is what enabled her to break into politics in the first place. Politics has become an image and media driven enterprise now, where we assess whether or not a person is qualified to be in a leadership position by how they translate to us through the media. Stronach had no previous political experience, or even work experience that wasn't given to her by her father. She was viewed as a serious contender for the Conservative leadership at the time because of the fact that she was an intelligent, attractive and enthusiastic woman who brought a new image to the Conservative party which is often associated with crusty middle-aged white business men.

As for Domi, he's always been a self-promoter. He's never been a great hockey player but the truth is he's a great business man. He knows what his role is, he recognizes his strengths and sticks to them and has done so with great success as many enforcers don't have the career that he does. I doubt that most of his wealth was coming from the salary MLSE was paying him. Not long after he retired, he already had his next gig waiting for him. He's built himself up as a celebrity, and everybody knows that being a celebrity comes with a love-hate relationship with the media. Heck, he lives in Toronto, he should have expected that by now.

I have marginal interest in the Columbus Blue Jackets because that's where Federov's current stomping grounds are. There's been alot of drama between them and Nikolai Zherdev, with the latter threatening to play in Russia if the team didn't open their wallet.

Well good news, Zherdev fans! Columbus resigned him to a three-year, $7.5 million deal today.

"In 2005-06, he notched 54 points and 50 penalty minutes in 73 games. He led the club in shots on goal with 194, ranked second in goals and points and was third in assists, power play goals (10) and multi-point games (14). In addition, he collected 37 points in his last 39 outings, including 20 in his last 22 appearances.

''I am very happy to remain a Blue Jacket and want to thank the organization for their commitment and support,'' said Zherdev."

That sure as heck wasn't what it seemed like when he was threatening to play in Russia LIKEFORREAL over the summer, but hey I guess it was all just posturing for the press.

In good news, the Sens raked them Leafs yesterday. If anything, I really hope this means Murray will highly consider Mike Fisher for the number 2 centre spot. I know everybody was expecting Alexei Kaigorodov to swoop in and save us from our woes, but Fisher is a consistently hard worker with both defensive and offensive upside. True, Fisher probably wouldn't score as many goals as the young Russian, but Kaigorodov still needs time to adjust to North American hockey and develop chemistry with his teammates before he can be expected to perform miracles. And I don't think scoring goals is something the Sens have to worry about now if Spezza and Heatley can keep on delivering and they have enough offensive defensemen to contribute.

And in happier news:

"Sens defenceman Wade Redden was back on the ice and will play tonight after missing a few days with a groin strain. With Joe Corvo gone for at least a month with a broken foot, Redden's defensive partner will likely be Tom Priessing... Denis Hamel continues to impress and should start the season in Ottawa. Also, Dean McAmmond is quietly having an outstanding camp and is showing he can play anywhere from the top line to the fourth line. - TSN"

I'm very curious to see how Preissing and Redden will play together. Preissing is a right-handed shot, and Redden shoots left so that's what I always figured the pairing would end up being. However, neither of them are particularly physical players. I just hope Redden doesn't feel pressured to come back or anything with that weird Groin Virus/Curse going around.

Addendum: I added the second part of the Molson Canadian Ad to my Hockey Commercials entry. This is the ads that came out after the lockout ended. Glorious! There are a ton of very funny hockey commercials on YouTube and I'll probably do a part 2 some other day when I feel lazy, bogged down with work.

Inspired by Jerseys and Hockey Love's entry on the Las Vegas Wrangler's hockey commercials, here are some other very funny hockey-related commercials to fill your void. Because the Sens finally have a day off, and the fact that this week is the start of many academia-related deadlines, this ought to pass your time adequately.

My favourites are the Nike ones from the '90s with the fake ex-goalies. Gosh, those were glorious.
















I was absolutely in love with Fedorov at one point. And then he went and got married to some tennis chick and things were never the same [sigh].







Probably my favourite one from the lockout. Only in Canada:

Are groin injuries contagious? Daniel Alfredsson and Peter Schaefer are both out with "tender groins" and now dear Wade Redden left yesterday's preseason game against the Leafs with "tightness in the groin". This is where I loathe the 9 games in 11 days. The guys need some rest and they're getting unnecessary injuries because their bodies are just fatigued. Or maybe they just need to quit overusing their groin.

I'm sorry, that was slightly inappropriate. I'm going to take a time out in the corner.

Recover quickly, Mr. Redden. Team Scarlett needs you!

In happier news, we won against the Leafs last night but couldn't score anything 5-on-5. The team was rather lucklustre during the first two periods and they really need to be more disciplined. J-S Aubin was absolutely sparkling for the Leafs and I'm quite pleased at that. But I suppose the only reason I'm pleased about that is because the Sens won.

News from Away:

- Some news that might disappoint Jordi, but Canadiens' coach Guy Carbonneau has not been impressed with the Samsonov-Ribeiro-Kovalev line. To be fair, Ribeiro's track record of underachieving is hardly news:

- Aw, dammit! Congratulations!

The Bruins are expected to make their choice for captain (hint: his first name begins with a "Z")--Boston Globe

No, I'm not bitter at all. Why do you ask?

Brilliant, just freaking brilliant. For my first NHL game ever, this game did not disappoint. It had tears, it had laughter, it had a fight, Sidney Crosby throwing a temper tantrum and a dramatic shootout featuring 23 different shooters.

As soon as I entered the building and saw the players warming up I was instantly giddy and excited. Of course pretty much everybody there was cheering for the good ol' Canadian boy Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. There was also a alot of girls in Crosby t-shirts and jerseys who went absolutely nuts and shouting his name whenever he was taking a face-off in their corner. He also proved that he was in no way ready to be captain when he started arguing with a ref [I believe it was Bill McCleary] and got an unsportsmanlike conduct. For all of those fans who were there chanting "Sid the Kid" there sure was alot of people cheering when they saw him heading into the box.

The game itself started out rather lopsided, the Buffalo defense must have not gotten the notice because they were more or less non-existent for the first half of the first period. Eventually, they got their head into it and most of the play ended up in the Penguin zone but the shots were pretty even near the end of the first period.

Buffalo started to lay on the pressure when they were down 2-1. They were outshooting Pittsburgh by about 20 goals and had managed to tie up the game. By the end of regulation, the shots were about 40-18 for Buffalo.

The shootout featured about 23 different shooters, Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins and my camera chose that specific time not to record for me. It looked so nice on my display screen too.

The story of the night had to be the Penguins' netminder Dany Sabourin though. Not only did he feature a crafty little mask but stopping 44 out of 46 shots is pretty damn impressive. Ryan Miller looked very shaky at first, letting in a soft goal but calmed down and was very steady throughout the rest of the game.

Brooks Orpik was the source of much jeering from the crowd and it did actually affect him, he coughed up the puck a few times. The only reason I could think of was because of that vicious hit that broke Erik Cole's neck. But my favourite jeer of the night had to be when the players were lining up for the anthems and a gentleman to my right shouted "YOUR JERSEYS ARE HIDEOUS!" the players could only look down in shameful agreement.

Because the security at the Copps Coliseum is more or less nonexistent, and the game was nowhere near sold out, my friends and I moved closer to the front after the first period so there are many high quality pictures for you to enjoy. No, I do not have a Ryan Miller and Sidney Crosby obsession, I just happen to know people who are so inclined and thought I'd be nice. Plus I secretly wonder how much money I could get for those pictures, mwahaha.

For those of you wondering if this was going to be a preview of Sidney Crosby: Captain of the Hamilton Ironworkers/Car Manufacturers/Steelers [If Pittsburgh doesn't mind sharing], the absolute first thing that would need to happen would be to either build a new arena or complete makeover for Copps. First of all the fact that security is so lacksidasical probably wouldn't work for an NHL game. The fact that it is in fact a coliseum and therefore circular means there is only one way to enter and exit the game which doesn't exactly help with traffic control.

Running the team in Hamilton is going to be totally different than in Pittsburgh; because Toronto is just up the road on the 403 you can expect the team to either sell-out every night, or for it to be half empty when the Leafs are playing. Not to mention because Buffalo is so close and of similar size, with all three teams in such close vicinity, one of them will probably not survive, and it won't be the gajabillionaires at MLSE.

Not that it matters to me, I'd still be cheering for Ottawa.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres @ Copps Coliseum Gallery

Some thoughts on preseason before I take in my first preseason game ever at Copps Coliseum. My housemate has a huge collection of penguins so maybe I'll take one along with me to show my "support".

James Cybulski officially has the best job ever. If you're too lazy to view the video, he's just basically talking about the preseason game that's taking place between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers in San Juan Puerto Rico. Half of the seating is expected to be curtained off and they're expecting around 5000-6000 people in total. Which is actually alot better than I would have figured for a country with no natural ice.

I don't know how much money it takes to put on a hockey game but alot of people out there don't like the idea of having to jet-set so far for a game. On the one hand, I can understand it. You make the players get on a plane for hours, have them duke it out and then they have to hop back onto a plane again. I actually don't mind the idea. Sure, I don't think it'll do much in way of actually promoting the game, but obviously there are hockey fans in Puerto Rico who hardly get a chance to see the world's top league play unless they stay up during ridiculous hours and pay for an expensive satellite dish.

Preseason in general is seen as a money-grubbing venture that does more damage to the players than any good. Coaches hate it because it interrupts their training camp and runs the risk of injury. And I mean sure, everytime you step onto the ice and play a game it increases your chances of hurting yourself. Now, I admit that I'm totally not an athlete. In fact, I'm downright pathetic. But isn't it a good idea to play against another team during your training? If you're always playing against the same crop of guys, you'll get used to their style of play and it becomes predictable. Playing against fresh legs is a way to challenge yourself further and push yourself to that extra level. And in a sense, they're tryouts for prospects who are trying to crack the roster. It gives them a chance to see if they are actually capable of playing at the NHL level. Jordi also brings up a good point in that it more or less invalidates the wins from teams that you don't like. Plus, it gives those in fantasy teams a preview of their selections.

The injury front is bound to happen, but at least during preseason it gives you a little bit more time to recover and if injuries are long-term, general managers have an idea of what they need to pick up by the trade deadline.

However I agree that 9 games in 11 days for a preseason is a little bit stretching it, as my Ottawa Senators have done. It's understandable though, when you are considered a small market and have to do so much more to be financially sound. Ottawa is considered a small market not because of lack of support, but demographically they just happen to be smaller in size and being a relatively new franchise, they don't have the history and new fans being influenced by previous generations.

I suppose the only feasible recommendation is to either make the tickets cheaper or just heck, make the games free. Half the rosters are AHL guys anyways and that way you won't give the fans reason to moan about how you're trying to steal their money.

I don't see myself as just a giddy fan girl [although I have my giddy moments] or a..."puckybunny" because I'd like to think I know a thing or two about hockey. To be honest I have no interest in meeting the players because I don't know what to say. I once played with the idea of being a journalist but decided that I couldn't because I'm a little bit anti-social. Plus, I don't like getting into people's business if they don't want me getting into their business. If I had to I'm sure I could think of something important to ask, but if it were just on a regular basis I wouldn't know what to say. "Good game"? Well, if they lost it wouldn't exactly be applicable...and if they won that'd be kind of just stating the obvious. "I'm a big fan"? Me and 500 other people in that building I'm sure. Not that I should worry myself about any of that happening, but if it does it'll probably amount to something like "...I like your shoes."

In any case, in order for this blog to live up to its name, I present to you: Actual hockey-related news.

Boston vs. NYI: 5-1 Boston - Well if Rick DiPietro wanted to prove that he wasn't going to become lethargic now that all of his meals in life are set, this was not the way to prove it. He gave up 3 goals on 14 shots and also got 6 minutes in penalties, one of them being unsportsmanlike conduct. Not that beating the Islanders in an exhibition game is a good indication of anything, but are the Bruins actually a threat this year?

Toronto vs. Montreal: 5-1 Toronto - I guess this is a popular score tonight, eh? I'm only interested in this game because J-S Aubin was in net, and I admired his play near the end of last season for the Leafs when he went unbeaten in regulation in 11 starts. Yann Danis of Montreal was looking to crack the Montreal roster this year, but considering Huet and Aebischer are both signed, he can be looking at another stint in Hamilton.

Buffalo vs. Ottawa: 4-3 Buffalo - Aw, crap.

Denis Hamel, who had been a career minor leaguer up to this point got a hat trick for Ottawa at least. It's only preseason, it's only preseason. I'm okay with Ottawa not finishing first in the division and everybody predicting them to be the Cup winner. It's not as much pressure and it just allows the team to focus on playing their game without those enormous expectations on their shoulders and everybody waiting for them to fall down. Still, even in preseason, seeing your team lose still kind of hurts. Especially to Buffalo. Damn slug. Guess I'll be cheering on Pittsburgh tomorrow.

Now this is a pool I can get into.




Introducing your Team Scarlett All-Hot Representatives of the 2006-2007 season:

Forwards: Alex Tanguay - Jason Spezza - Jonathan Cheechoo
Defence: Wade Redden - Brian Pothier
Goal: Martin Brodeur/Cam Ward

That ought to keep you warm through the winter.
Let the singe-ing begin!

I'm in the process of putting together Team Scarlett: "All Hot--All the Time" so I figured now would be a good time to introduce myself to the world of the Hockey Blog-o-net in an attempt to allow the world to understand the mine-field that is my brain a little bit better and to get a better idea of my hockey background.

As you can see to your right, I was born in Taiwan but I moved to Canada in '92 and I've been living in a suburb 45 minutes west of Toronto ever since. I'm in my third-year at McMaster University studying Commerce. I'm a complete audiophile, my love of hockey is only edged out by my love of music. I'm into photography, reading, writing stories and poetry, graphic design and being too lengthy for my own good.

My cousin introduced us to hockey after we moved to Canada in the middle of Blue Jays fever and my brother and I instantly fell in love with the pace and excitement of the game. Our favourite team growing up was of course the Leafs. I've always had a thing for goalies, and it started with Felix Potvin. Mostly because I loved that his name was Felix and that his nickname was "The Cat". Hey, I was only 5. My brother had a very impressive collection of hockey cards, and I attempted to build one myself, but I gave up halfway. I get bored rather easily. In an effort to help me with my collection, he gave me a Felix Potvin Card, Number 409 from The '93-'94 Leaf Set which is still my favourite card to this day.

My first hockey boyfriend came about a year later in Eric Lindros. Before you say "Ew, gross," this was before his brain turned into mashed potatoes. This was when he was with the Flyers and rocking the Legion of Doom. It actually came about pretty oddly. I played House League hockey at my school and our team was called the Flyers. I was a little crushed that we weren't the Leafs but my brother assured me that the Flyers were a good team. A game later, I was convinced I was going to marry Eric Lindros.

My favourite player of all time is Steve Yzerman. Back in the day, my brother explained to me that the Detroit Red Wings were the team to beat, so him being the Captain I assumed that he was the best player. I loved how Stevey Y was always so concentrated in each game. So obviously I was attracted to semi-broody guys at a very young age. When I got older, I began to understand the game a little better and was definitely able to appreciate his skill alot more.

However, hockey and I did go through a rough patch. When I was in fourth grade, my brother was playing hockey with his friends and he got sticked in the eye. I remember waiting for my mom to pick me up at school and waiting for what seemed like hours and of course, being 10-years-old you get all melodramatic about being forgotten. When she finally arrived I saw my brother's bloody shoes in the car and was more or less traumatized. My brother was okay though, only a couple of stitches.

After Canada was shut-out by Switzerland in the 2006 Olympics, I wrote hockey a very lengthy, somewhat sarcastic letter to them in my LiveJournal. Despite Team Canada getting eliminated, my love for hockey was still revitalized.

So how does a life-long Leafs fan turn into a Sens fan? It probably had more to do with me falling out of love with Toronto and more and more in love with Ottawa. When I was in 8th grade we went on a class trip to Ottawa and I fell in love with the city and I still hope to live there after graduation. I just came to appreciate the Senators as a team and was very taken in by their style of play.

My current hockey crush is Wade Redden. It actually came about in a weird way; In an effort to get my housemates [all girls] interested in hockey so I didn't feel bad about hogging the TV whenever a game was on, I tried to appeal to the lowest common denominator possible: the players' hotness. One of my housemates fell in love with Jason Spezza and another one of my housemates, who has a thing for French guys, commented on how cute Antoine Vermette was. They asked me who my hockey boyfriend was going to be. Me, trying to be as politically correct as possible just said that I think they were all great players and therefore, they're all hot. Which was more or less the truth. Of course the seeds had already been planted and it's one of those things that started like "Hey, that Redden sure is one helluva player" and then "Wow, that Redden is sure nice to to the community" and then became"Oh crap, do I have a crush on Wade Redden?"

That really is a great picture though isn't it? I mean not just for the obvious reasons, but whenever you're taking a picture of someone getting their picture taken the composition can get pretty messed up. The angle really brings a whole other dimension to the lighting. It's very well done. Professionally speaking, of course.

Because Darren Dreger was one of the few talking heads at Sportsnet that I could stand, when he made the leap to TSN I wondered if Bob Mackenzie was going to poison his coffee for making him share the title of "Hockey Insider". In any case, he has written up a doozy of an article about the possibility of the Leafs not picking up the club option on Mats Sundin.

It might be sacrilege to be posting about the poster-boy for MLSE [well, that title might belong to Andrew Raycroft now] on a Sens blog, but I have to admit...I've got nothing against Sundin. You have to understand, I grew up in Leafs Nation and Sundin and his luscious blonde hair was a very integral part of my hockey development. He has since shaved said luscious blonde hair and it has never been the same.

In any case, if you're interested in reading that article in actual English, here's my attempt at translating it for you the best that I can.

"[Sundin's] contract... is unique and will this season include a $760,000 allotment which boosts his salary this year to $7.6 million after the rollback.

Its important to note this allotment will be paid out this season and will have no bearing on Toronto's cap in the future. Unlike Ed Belfour's arrangement, which the Leafs are absorbing even though Belfour is now property of the Florida Panthers."

Sundin is set to become a UFA this summer and the reason that the Leafs are still responsible for Belfour's contract is because he was bought out of his existing contract with the Leafs before it expired and essentially became a UFA.

An allotment is basically a portion of money set aside and promised in the contract, similar to bonuses. If the club were to pick up Sundin's option, they would have to pay him the $760,000. What Mr. Dreger is suggesting is that that the club decline the option and try to negotiate a new contract with Sundin after the season is over for less than $6.3 million or a two-year deal worth $11.5 million [around $5.75 million a year]. He says that it would shave $800,000 off the payroll and could afford a pretty good player.

The question I guess is what does the team need? Sundin is still capable of playing some really good hockey, as he proved after the Olympic break last season but will be 36 next year so even $5.75 million could be seen as overpayment. Considering the current market, $800,000 will get you either a talented rookie/sophomore or a well-travelled veteran trying to stave off retirement. To put it into a comparison, $800,000 is what they're paying Kyle Wellwood and Matt Stajan this year.

I just can't see Sundin being anything else but a Leaf and he's said that he'd like to stay a Leaf as well. However, he's also said that his first goal is to win a Stanley Cup and to do it in a Leafs uniform would be the icing on the cake so I guess anything is possible. Well, except for going to Ottawa. We'd probably accept him with open arms...after a day-long cleansing to get the stench of blue and white off of him [seriously, that Toronto air is bad for your health].

I will always have fond memories of him being the guy who threw his broken stick into the crowd, prompting one of my favourite Alfie moments ever...and also the scorn of French ex-goalies turned cabbies everywhere:

I don't care much for Chris Pronger in any way, so when I say "shut up" I don't mean to be rude, just some friendly advice for Edmonton's "Public Enemy No. 1". [Which he dubbed himself, which...sure, okay.]

I know this story came out a few days ago but Chris Pronger really needs a better publicist. Or get one. Do hockey players get publicists?

Of course this has become a PR nightmare for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Pronger said he was disappointed because he thought those comments weren't going to be published. You've been in the hockey business for a long time already Mr. Pronger, but I shall acquaint you with three beautiful words that could do wonders for you: "Off the record". You know, like that show they have on TSN that talks about you almost every night.

Of course the Edmonton fans loved him when he signed because this was a big name willingly signing with the team for a long-term committment when there was a history of an exodus of big names out of the city. I didn't even have a problem with him requesting a trade because of "personal reasons", 5-year contract or not. He's right, he should be doing what's right for his family, and he has no obligation to tell anybody the reason why that is. You don't decide to rescind on a 5-year contract without having a damn well good reason...likewise don't sign a legally binding contract for 5 years without talking about whether or not you're ready to make that committment.

It's the way that everything went down that just screams unprofessional. Don't blame the fans for being angry, for demanding an explanation. They're the ones who allow the guys upstairs to give you your hefty paycheque at the end of the day. Jetting off to Mexico while leaking your trade request to the press through your agent? It's reason for criticism. Not to mention he put the Oilers organization in a difficult bargaining position because all the other GMs around the league knew they had to unload him.

People did see him as a hero and I doubt he had a problem with the fans then. Now he's calling them out because they wanted an explanation as to why one of their best players decided that there was no possible way for him to stay there? Sounds like he's the one that's fickle.

The rumours swirling around the reasons why he wanted out were ridiculous [okay, I actually found them hilarious at times. Because nobody ever lies on the Internet] and I can understand why that would upset him. But the Oilers organization threatened legal action in an effort to try to protect everybody involved. The story had been dead and burried for a couple of months, what exactly was the point of him drudging up all of the unpleasantness again? He got the trade he was looking for and as Jordi said, move on. It's not like they moved him to Long Island or anything. He's a professional, he ought to start acting like one.

News from Away:
- How much do I love that S.J. Sharkie helped paint the ice at the HP Pavilion. I still have visions of the poor mascot getting stuck in the rafters during a pre-game presentation. Interestingly enough I predicted a San Jose-Ottawa final this past season. I've since stopped predicting.

- Malkin dislocated his shoulder but the trainers managed to pop it back in for him. Which, ew. Unfortunately Chara's supposed leg injury just turned out to be a bruise. Still waiting for my Chara voodoo doll to arrive.*

- Next Sens game is on Friday against the Buffalo Sabres. Bryan Murray is shuffling the lines a little to accomodate Alfredsson and Schaefer sitting out because of "groin tweaks". I'm not willing to call it a full blown injury yet. If there are only two things that Sens fans have not had and luck with they are groin injuries and guys with any variation of the name "Alex". Vermette will be joining the Spezza and Heatley line, dropping Eaves to the right of Kaigorodov and Hamel will take over for Schaefer on the left.


*Just as a note, I love Chara and it just broke my heart he couldn't stay with the Sens, which I know wasn't entirely his fault. And I don't practice Voodoo.

Say it with me now: it's only preseason, it's only preseason.

Another thing with living in the middle of Leafs nation [and Leafs fans for housemates]: You won't hear the end of it no matter how insignificant the game.

It could just be me rationalizing, but it is only a preseason game and both rosters were full of minor leaguers anyways.

Because I'm a poor student, we only have basic cable so I listened to the game on the Team 1200 stream and watched the highlights on SportsCentre. I'm hardly an authority on this but what I gathered from them were:

- Alexei Kaigorodov was basically invisible throughout this game. He showed some bursts of creativity but was more or less a non-factor. I think the hype surrounding this kid has been a little ridiculous, as Erin Nicks pointed out in her Ottawa Sun column. That's the problem with hype, it hurts all that much more when you can't live up to it. You can't blame the fans for expecting big things out of this guy though, there was a hole to fill in that number 2 centre position and the fact that he was able to make it to the NHL without having to hide in a Finnish safehouse just made it seem like it was meant to be.

- The difference in this game was Mikael Tellqvist, whom I readily admit that I dislike both for his mullet-like hairstyle and my love for J-S Aubin, the other Leafs back-up. He robbed Fisher of a beauty of a chance and made 33 saves.

- On the other end, Martin Gerber was excellent and played shut-out hockey until Jeff Glass took over. I had no idea who Jeff Glass was but a quick Google search tells me that he played for the Charlotte Checkers in the ECHL last year with a 3.22 GAA and .907 SV%. Those are pretty comparable to Kelly Guard's numbers and he played stellar last night taking over for Ray Emery.

- Injuries: Alfredsson left with a "groin tweak" [heh] and Pavel Kubina left with a mild hip-flexor.

- Speaking of immaturity, one the commentators on the Team 1200 kept on laughing at the name "Corey Pecker", a prospect for the Sens. In his own words "I'm not a very mature 45-year-old."

I saw on the ticker that Zdeno Chara is day-to-day with a leg injury. Looks like my wishes are coming true.

I don't claim to be an English major, I'm a 19-year-old failed writer so I apologize if I used the world "inaugural" incorrectly.

In any case, I'm sitting here with a Corporate Finance textbook open in front of me and the Senators vs. Leafs game on a stream in the background, and since Corporate Finance just doesn't quite capture my attention the way the allure of the Internet does, this is what I have come up with.

Afraid yet?

So I debated for a long time what I wanted to write about for my very first entry on a hockey blog that I have been wanting to create for awhile. It should be special, it should be life-changing, dynamic, innovative so that people will want to keep on reading!

The best I can come up with is: Alex Daigle dated Pamela Anderson? Really? [I do like to check Wikipedia articles on a regular basis]

It's the second intermission for the Sens and Leafs game, both sides tied at one. A weird thing happens when Ottawa and Toronto play one another. Logic and reason are thrown out the window in favour of personal insults and foaming at the mouth. This has confused me ever since I was in 8th grade. We were on a class trip to Ottawa and one night we went to Hard Rock Cafe where they were playing a hockey game and it happened to the Sens versus the Leafs. Of course my whole entire class was cheering for the Leafs but I was a little confused at why we couldn't cheer for the Sens. They were in the same province! Where's the love? I'd love to say that was the reason why I was never popular in school...but let's face it, I was just a dork. [Was?]

And then I eventually became a Senators fan, thus requiring me to walk down the street with a bullet proof vest whenever I decide to wear my Sens cap in Toronto. [Well, wearing a bullet-proof vest in Downtown Toronto might not be a bad idea regardless of choice of head-gear]. From a business perspective, I suppose a rivalry is the best thing that could ever happen between sports teams. Mob mentality can cause people to do very insane things...and part with enough dollars.

In any case I suppose I'll end the very first entry here until I have something more substantial to say...and less guilt about neglecting my Finance homework.

Random Notes
- Am I terrible person for wanting Zdeno Chara to have a horrible, horrible season in Boston? Doesn't look to be happening though, he's already scored in both preseason games for the Bruins.

- I'll be checking out some preseason action between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres at Copps Coliseum on Saturday, September 23rd. Because some of my guy friends are still stuck in the '50s and don't believe that a female will not have any vested interest in hockey unless she finds a particular player hot [which I'm not innocent of, but, come on], they ask me if it's because I think Sidney Crosby's hot. Which is gross. He's practically jail bait to me. However, I am looking forward to witnessing the hated Buffaslug up close and personal. As both a future, soulless corporate drone and current Adobe Photoshop junkie, I'm intrigued by whichever genius in the Buffalo Sabres ownership group decided that spending millions of dollars on this monstrosity was a good idea.

- Evgeni Malkin left in the middle of the Penguins vs. Flyers preseason game after crashing into the boards with a teammate. If I believed in karma, I'd say this is fate's way of getting him back for that Mission Impossible stunt he pulled on Magnitogorsk.

Scarlett Ice was conceived on a whim one night in 2006 by a then 19-year-old Sherry who mistakenly believed that people would give half a crap about what she had to say about hockey. She needed a place to get out all of her Senators-related angst after a frustrating pre-season game against the Leafs and Scarlett Ice was born. Mostly, she was just trying to procrastinate studying for a finance mid-term.

Sherry
A devoted Ottawa Senators fan despite living in Leafs Nation, she hopes you enjoys your stay here and is grateful for those of you who suffer through her whining and overblown dramatic hyperbole. Asides from hockey, she enjoys music, baking, reading and attempting to write works of fiction if ever her writer's block would stay well enough away.

Dany Heatley Speedwagon
In the summer of 2008, Dany Heatley Speedwagon joined the ranks at SI. He has a secret man crush on Dany Heatley and is Burlington born and raised. He enjoys reality programming and thinks Patrick Lalime was misunderstood.

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