After last night's win against the St. Louis Blues, I was filled with a bit of a spark of hope but it was not to be. Apparently, two wins on the road for this team was too much to hope for.

Alex Auld got the start for tonight after a long lay-off and made 24 saves while the Senators managed only 18 shots on Steve Mason who more or less looked like a Vezina winner out there, styming chance after chance. Mike Fisher had a golden opportunity to tie on a 2-on-1 in the third period...only to see his stick break in half. It was just that kind of night for the Senators.

The team's powerplay generated several great chances but unfortunately couldn't make anything happen. While the team wasn't completely terrible, the amount of time that they were trapped in their own zone couldn't make anybody feel good about this team's performance. I'm sure were it not for Auld, the score would have been more lop-sided Still, this team just isn't fun to watch anymore and it isn't just because they're not winning. This team used to play with such spark and pizazz and that swagger just seems to be gone. The only spark around this team right now seems to come from the mouthy owner.

In any case, the clock is running out to salvage the season and if you haven't already gotten on board the Tavares Train, I highly suggest you do. There's always room for one more!

Mini St. Louis Recap
Congrats to Peter Regin on his first NHL goal!

Labels: alex auld, columbus blue jackets, numb from pain

Well, what a fun filled past couple days it's been here at SI headquarters. Sherry Bomb's computer is apparently giving her grief and some current and former residents of Sens Nation have appeared to go off the deep end.

Tonight on Primetime Sports with Bob McCown, Eugene Melnyk was his guest. He defended his comments yesterday when he said "anyone thinking this team needs to be blown up should get a bomb and blow themselves up." He wasn't exactly apologetic about it the day after. He more or less blamed it on being a joke but did say if he offended anyone he's sorry, but he only meant it as a joke. I guess in this day and age of over sensitivity and political correctness it just doesn't look like the smart thing to say, joke or not. Also with the amount of media coverage hockey has in this country doesn't it seem a little stupid to say anything and think it won't be taken WAY out of context or blown out of proportion? Sloppy seconds anyone?

As for the leaders comments about the hockey team, I'm not quite sure how to take them. Much has been made of the Leafs lack of success in the past and it has been linked with the failure to have a singular owner. An individual behind the scenes with the passion and drive to win it all, and the pockets to make that happen. Well witness now what comes with that passion, drive and deep pockets. It appears to be a whole lot of crazy. While it's nice to have an owner who believes in his team (or says he does) it's a little worrisome that he almost seems reluctant to admit there is even a problem. Melnyk either has his head burried so deep in the sand or he is just putting on the most amazing act ever.

Eugene still believes, though he admits it will be a longshot now, that his team can make the playoffs. He justifies this by saying they went on an amazing run to start the season last year before they tanked and says teams have turned it around in the past and gone on incredible runs no one ever expected. "In sports these things happen all the time and no one ever knows why." He trotted out teams like the Red Sox to back up his crazy idea that things can just magically turn around and all they need is momentum, "momentum is a special thing". The only question I have is how can he possibly think it will just happen... just like that? We've been waiting since about 2000 and goddamned SEVEN!

He also says if you look at the roster, only 4 players have left the team since the Stanley Cup and he doesn't think that can explain the difference from Stanley Cup finalist and high scoring team to basement dweller with a porus defence. Really? He has been watching the last calendar year right? I might be inclined to agree though if only because I think that maybe losing just two players, like puck moving defencemen Corvo and Redden could easily preciptate a fall like we are experiencing.

As delightful as it is to see an owner who wants his team to succeed it's hard to stomach that he's just waiting for some miracle to happen when in all likelyhood as every day goes by the performance of this team is turning more into the norm rather than the exception.

The other dose of crazy today came from none other than Ray Ray, former Ottawa Senators punching bag and cause of all evils in the nations capital, even the transit strike I'm sure of it. It appears in a game the other night it was Emery's annual game in which he decides he'll get into a slugfest. Unfortunatly the combatant on the other end was a trainner from his own team. Now I'm not about to excuse his actions or even try to begin to understand why it happen but I will say this... I've heard from many a person who has played hockey in their lifetime and if there is one thing they all agree it is that you never, EVER, talk to a goalie after they have just been pulled from a game. Goalies the world over already have a reputation for having a couple of screws loose. So if you go over to Ray Ray, a man who has previously demonstrated temper problems as well as pugilistic ability, after a game in which he just got torched by a bunch of NHL rejects and try to put a hat on him whether thems the rules or not, well that would be about the equivalent of poking a bear I would think.

Despite the weather, and the Senators re-emergence of suckitude, I'm not actually in hibernation, but we've been having technical difficulties at SI HQ. Please be patient with us as we try to get this sorted out.

In the meantime, entertain yourself with an oldie but a goodie.

Labels: technical issues, where the heck is your blogger

- This opening act is kind of terrible.

- I'm always deathly terrified that somebody is going to lose an edge and go crashing into the boards during the fastest skater competition. Of course this fear was only realized by Shean Donovan during the Sens Skills competition. Yikes.

- Ryan Getzlaf says he didn't practice for the shoot-out breakaway challenge. You can tell.

- Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin are adorable.

- This goalie they hired for the breakaway challenge is also kind of adorable.

- Pekka Rinne looks like he's taking this Rookies vs. Sophomore game really seriously. He obviously wants to win this thing.

- You know what would make this game even better? If Carey Price started skating as a forward and jumped into the offense. You can tell he wants to and he's done it before.

- Sidney Crosby is here. And he looks miserable.

- I love Zdeno Chara. I could never hate him because he was and still is awesome and such a classy guy. I am bitter about him leaving only because I liked him so much.

- I love Shane Doan, he's one of my favourite players and I find him underrated. That being said, I had no idea he was this great in the shootout.

- Marc Savard looks 12.

- This "elimination shootout" is longer than it needs to be.

- Tim Thomas might deny it but I totally think he gave that goal to Savard.

- Scott Oake is interviewing Shane Doan's child and is...extremely creepy.

As fluffy and at times boring the All-Star game and skills competition might be, I still love it. It's nice to see the players so loose and having fun with one another. Players who normally are on opposite sides are seen laughing and enjoying the game together. It really brings a personal element to the game and you can tell how much respect they have for one another and for the fans.

Labels: all-star game, skills competition

^{(Photo: Comcast Sportsnet)}

A scary incident in the AHL tonight during a game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Philadelphia Phantoms. Immediately after the opening face-off, Garrett Klotz of the Phantoms and Kevin Westgarth of the Monarchs got into a tilt that ended up by the boards near the player's bench. Klotz ended up hitting his head on the stanchions of the boards awkwardly and was immediately bloodied and started convulsing, appearing to have suffered a seizure.

The recent reports is that Klotz was taken to the hospital and that he has received stitches and appears to be stable. Sportsnet had video of the footage and it was a very scary incident by the looks of it so it's definitely not for the faint of heart. It's good to hear that Klotz is all right. Regardless, this is bound to re-open the debate on fighting in the game.

Labels: AHL, controversy, fights

Martin Gerber is Waived. And nobody is surprised.

Onto more exciting news, Luc Robitaille was on this week's episode of "Bones". I don't watch the show at all, but I had been a big fan of David Boreanaz, one of the stars of the show since he played Angel. Boreanaz is also a huge hockey fan and even blogged for NHL.com at one point.

Labels: celebrities, luc robitaille, martin gerber, tv

The best way to celebrate America's Inauguration Day? A tilt between the two nation's capitals of course.

Guys, I think this is happiness I'm feeling. I know it doesn't necessarily mean anything about this team actually lifting itself from the pit of suckage...but dang it's always nice to see the team pull itself up from the boot straps and show some character.

Like I mentioned, I did miss the first period because I was out skating. As happy as I was to see the Senators leading, that of course didn't last long as the team was badly outshot 3-12 in the second period. Of course, thanks to Brian Elliott this team managed to stay in it and win the game thanks to a very timely goal by Brendan Bell off of a tripping penalty by Alexander Semin. Semin had a disastrous shift going into that penalty with a really bad give away as well.

Dany Heatley scored the other two goals for the team, both on the PowerPlay. More than ever, we need the Heater to get going, not because he's expected to, but this team has a .811 winning percentage when he scores twice in a game. Thanks, TSN!

Shean Donovan was injured in the Sens Skills Competition this past weekend which gave Peter Regin a chance to be called up from Binghamton. In his Senators debut, he was fairly quiet but did manage over 10 minutes of ice time. Christoph Schubert was moved back to forward so that Bell could be reinserted in the line-up after being a healthy scratch. Considering he potted the game winner, I think it was obviously a good move on Craig Hartsburg's part.

The team was also effective in shutting down Alexander Ovechkin. Normally, he has the Senators' number as he has ridiculous numbers against us, but yesterday, while he was certainly effective pushing people around and making great plays, the Senators managed to keep him off the score sheet.

While I'm ecstatic with the win and happy to see our PP clicking, I don't know if it's cause for concern at all that all of our goals came with the man advantage and whether or not we should be worried about this team's ability to score even strength. This does give me the faintest of all faint hopes that they can make a playoff run but I suppose with the All-Star Break coming up, the team can't really ride this momentum wave into more games. Let's just hope some time away will re-energize this team and they won't slack off in the time between.

Labels: brendan bell, brian elliott, dany heatley, home win, washington capitals

The Ottawa Senators had their annual skills competition today where Team Red defeated Team Black 15-10. The teams were as follows:


Team Red: Alex Auld, Chris Phillips, Brendan Bell, Mike Fisher, Dany Heatley, Filip Kuba, Jesse Winchester, Antoine Vermette, Brian Lee, Nick Foligno, Jarkko Ruutu, Greg Carvel (coach), Tim Pattyson (assistant coach)

Team Black: Brian Elliott, Christoph Schubert, Shean Donovan, Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Jason Smith, Chris Kelly, Anton Volchenkov, Chris Neil, Dean McAmmond, Alexandre Picard, Curtis Hunt (coach), Adam Douglas (assistant coach)

Antoine Vermette won both the accuracy competition and Fastest Skater competition while the hardest shot went to Christoph Schubert, registering a 101.5. The full list of winners can be found on the Senators website and hopefully highlights can be found soon.

Despite the suckitude we seemed to be mired enough, I always love the skills competition. It's something that is entertaining, if not somewhat superfluous and right now it's proving to be a good diversion.

Back to the haul tomorrow, I suppose.

Labels: skills competition, super skills

So listen, I don't like to complain too much about the reffing in a game. It's never really ever the reason why a team loses a game but I just have to say off the top that the officiating was awful in this game. Get your eyes checked, refs. ALL OF YOU. And that is all I will say about that.

At certain points in this game, I thought the Senators deserved to win this game. They came out with a lot of firepower, there was offensive pressure, there was fight in their game. Even getting screwed over with an early 5-on-3 where they fell behind 1-0, they managed to crawl their way back from deficits. But then the atrocious second period where it was simply one turnover after another made me think, "Hmm, well maybe not". Then again, I was hardly surprised. When the opponent turns on the heat, the boys simply can't handle it. But the way the team got their act together in their third and managed to fight their way back thanks to Dany Heatley made me believe again, so I suppose this was the fairest outcome that could come out of it. Another good that came out of his game is that we have secondary scoring at least. Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly both scored after what seemed like a long drought.

Brian Elliott had a fair game overall, even though the 4th Habs goal was a bit weak. He was stellar on the two breakaways thanks to brain farts on the Senators' part. I thought he deserved better than the outcome tonight, but there is only so much you can expect Elliott to do. That slow-start-mind-game Maxim Lapierre did as part of his shoot-out attempt threw us all for a loop I think.

The last made rush in OT made me believe that it was possible that the Senators would manage their first 3-game winning streak of the season but it was not meant to be. Bryan Murray has said that this would be the game that he would determine whether or not he would leave the team alone and let it try to get into the playoffs as is. I guess this can only mean more changes are a-coming. All I can say is that something good can come out of all this turmoil we're being put through. Something good with the initials JT (No, not Justin Timberlake, thank you).

My co-blogger DHS would like to offer up this contribution for tonight. He believes that Alex Picard is like one of those pitchers in baseball that can "eat up innings". In an attempt to find out what he does well he offers up this list:
- He fills out a uniform nicely (Well, I guess that's debatable)
- He does a good job of preventing his helmet from caving in
- We can mostly overcome whatever screw-ups he makes.

We're also in consensus that while he was awful at the beginning of the year, he has certainly gotten better. Brian Lee has also been showing a lot of positive development despite looking like a lost puppy at the start. Plus, he seems to be gobbling up the ice time so you know Craig Hartsburg sees the potential in him.

And while I'm rarely in agreement with most of what Greg Millen says he did make two good points today: 1) Jason Spezza is not the problem with this team and it's time that Senators Nation starts realizing how important he is to this team and 2) Hartsburg is not a bad coach. Our (lack of) fortunes is not his fault.

Labels: alex picard, brian elliott, dany heatley, jason spezza, montreal canadiens, shoot-out loss

^{(Photo: Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)}

With Brian Elliott winning back-to-back games and Martin Gerber being a healthy scratch, the writing was on the wall for Gerber. The decision was official today as the Senators have sent Gerber to the Binghamton Senators of the AHL. Officially it's a "two-week conditioning stint" although it's hinted that it may be a preface to something more permanent:

"The plan is to get him playing again," Senators' general manager Bryan Murray stated on a conference call. "He felt that he would like to do this, to go down, take the voluntary assignment and play. In the meantime, I will continue to investigate if there's outside interest for him."

The move means that Gerber could be traded, waived or sent to the minors on a permanent basis. Murray also stated that a possible loan to a European franchise was being investigated as well. It also means that Elliot is likely to stay with the Sens for the remainder of the season.

Elliot's certainly done his job while he was up here and he's deserved a longer look. Murray did say that these last two games were going to help him make his decision about the direction of this team and which shake ups he'll need to make. I'm not so sure this is all this team needs but I guess it's a start.

Labels: AHL, binghamton senators, brian elliott, martin gerber

No you aren't seeing things, yes the Senators won... on the road. I'm as surprised as you too. The OBC successfully put their perfect record of live blogged games on the line so I think it's safe to say tonights victory was 100% our doing. Forget systems or coming together, or chemistry, or getting serious, or seeing the writing on the wall. It was us all us. Your welcome. Not much else to report on this game, I'm still a little confused by this whole "consecutive victories" thing. As well as "offence". When I figure out where I am I'll get back to you.

Also in other news the Senators crappy streak lately has apparently got them relegated, or thus is my understanding from this screen cap at tsn.ca earlier today.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate (eulogize) the season thus far then to hold a live blog. The coach has tried everything to get this team to win, clearly THAT hasn't worked. So we are pulling out all the stops to get behind this team and putting our perfect live blog record on the line. I'm not entirely sure this team has won since the last live blog and the boys are so uninspiring I can't even be bothered to look it up, so lets just assume they haven't. (Coincidentally the last live blog was also against these very same Thrashers, I'm not sure what that really means.) Please join me and other members of the OBC as well some special guests may come by. I also guarantee* punch and pie. (*not a real guarantee) Remember as always bring the funny, and we'll be sure to share your thoughts with everyone. Besides what else are you going to do? Just sit and watch the game? Lord knows that isn't very entertaining lately! Wednesday night hockey on TSN... Thrashers, Senators, 7:30PM, Heavy Drinking, Battle for 14th place, BE THERE... er HERE!

Labels: atlanta thrashers, liveblog

^AP

I didn't allow myself to be giddy too long, despite the Senators going into the first with a 2-nothing lead. We've seen bigger leads dissolve in the past after all. And I had this feeling of foreboding when the 'Canes scored their goal after Antoine Vermette took a bad penalty and proceeded to blast Vermette to HG...which he immediately responded to by turning it around and actually having a pretty awesome game. Now if only the rest of the team would react in a similar fashion when I'm putting them through the ringer.

Jason Spezza also had a very good game and the rest of the team looked a lot looser. You could tell with their facial expressions and their body language that they were ready to come and play today, which is exactly what Craig Hartsburg wanted. For those of you who are still yelling for Spezza to be traded, before this game he had 3 goals and 5 assists in his last 7 games, so I don't think he's exactly the problem.

Even though the numbers were against him tonight, Cam Ward actually was very stellar for the 'Canes. The Senators out-shot their opponents 40-24 and Ward made some really great saves, including a bunch on the Senators power play. Another good sign is that the Senators' PowerPlay seems to be getting itself back together. Hartsburg shook up the PP units and it looks to be working and even though the boys didn't score on the PP tonight, they managed to put together a bunch of great chances and in fact 2 of tonight's goals came right when the PP was ending.

Mike Fisher scored a goal to celebrate his 500th game and Brian Elliott had a very well-deserved win. He's a very calm, positionally sound goalie who doesn't let out a bunch of bad rebounds. He was also named as a starter to this year's AHL All-Star Game and the way things are going, he might not be able to make it.

I've sort of missed Paul Maurice's temper tantrums. And to the fans booing Joe Corvo; don't do that. He was traded and you're only booing him because he's been owning us since. It makes you look petty!

While I'm ecstatic with the win, the Canes didn't exactly put up much of a challenge tonight and I can't even remember the last time we put together a winning streak so the verdict on this team will have to wait until the end of the week. Bryan Murray has more or less said that he's using these two games as a timeline for this team before any big decisions are made.

I'll say it now: this team isn't perfect but I'm not ready to pull the chute on Hartsburg yet. I don't think trading Spezza is the answer and I don't want to jeopardize this team's future by shipping out our young guys. Basically, what I'm trying to say is: I'm glad I'm not Bryan Murray.

Labels: antoine vermette, brian elliott, bryan murray, cam ward, carolina hurricanes, home win, jason spezza, joe corvo, mike fisher

Random Thoughts from the First Period
- For the first time, in a long time, I am actually taking notes throughout this game. I'm a glutton for punishment, I know. I make no promises that these won't just dissolve into a serious of GLLLAARRRRGGGGHHHHHs

- Lineup brought to you by Waste Management. I won't go for the easy joke here. *cough*

- Gary Galley says that the Senators need to be playing "Backyard Hockey", and just try to go and have fun. I won't go for the easy joke in that statement either.

- Today is Mike Fisher's 500th game. Congrats, Fish. How about you score a goal to celebrate the occasion, hmm?

- It's nice to see Patrick Eaves again. Your Useless Tidbit Courtesy of Dean tonight is that he's getting married next summer. Congrats, Eaves!

- It's been 8 games since Dany Heatley scored a goal. Only 8 games? It's felt like an eternity. Jason Spezza was darn lucky Heater was there or that behind-the-back spin pass could have been a disaster.

- Is this good offensive zone pressure I'm seeing after our first goal? We didn't just sit back and let them take it to us?

- Brian Lee is playing very well and seems to be getting a lot of ice time.

- Spezza is backchecking! Spezza is backchecking!

- What looked like it should have been a simple dump-in for Daniel Alfredsson turned into a quality scoring chance! He's learned from his mistake in OT in New Jersey, methinks.

- Brian Elliott so far is positionally very strong and not giving up any rebounds. I like the looks of this.

- Antoine Vermette is a puck repellant tonight, nothing is staying on his stick when it should be.

- Nursing a 2-goal lead going into the first intermission. I am filled with a twinge of optimism.

Labels: brian elliott, brian lee, dany heatley, first period thoughts, jason spezza, mike fisher, patrick eaves, spontaneity

First of all, welcome home Wade Redden. And that's the only thing I have to say to you.

And no, I didn't actually completely forget about the game against Boston. Sadly, I almost wish I had because I had to sit through the boys fighting back to tie it and then have it blow up in their face again. Stupid boys giving me home that they've finally got their act together. That'll learn me to hope.

So while the team wasn't actually completely putrid tonight, playing against a team such as the Rangers just highlights the many holes this team has. There's just no comparison for the amount of skill on the blue-lines of these two teams, and it's so painfully evident in the contrast between the puck movement and passes. The passes are crisper and they're positionally smarter.

I really can't fault Brian Elliott for this at all. He did his job but he didn't have the support he needed to earn his first win of the season.

Where the heck has Dany Heatley gone? Does anybody remember the last time he scored a goal? Not even Filip Kuba's return could spark this team. Well, not that I really expected it to.

It's a dark, bleak and foreboding road ahead of us Sens Fans. We'd better be prepared for the long haul. No matter how hard I try to ignore this team I just can't and as much as I get burned for it, who else will believe in them if not us? I had to search deep in my memory bank when somebody asked me when the last time the Senators won a game was.

On the other hand, we more or less invented tanking for a first overall draft pick so clearly we've got that down no problem should it ever come to it. I'm foolishly not ready to play that card yet.

Labels: brian elliott, can I have my team back now, dany heatley, home loss, love hurts, new york rangers, some sucks, this can't be happening, we suck, why is this happening

AP

So, we lost tonight, in case you haven't noticed if you were too distracted by this still.

Go to bed and we shall discuss this in the morning.

A Few Quick Hits to Tide You Over
- I wasn't expecting a win tonight, but a wee part of me dared to hope when they managed to crawl back from a 0-3 deficit with 2 goals in 32 seconds. Fool me for believing.
- Don't think I didn't notice HSBC Arena playing "Before He Cheats" after the second Spezza goal.
- It's so nice to see the boys actually show up for the 2nd and 3rd period. Too bad they didn't get the memo about the 1st.

Silly Admin Business
You will have undoubtedly noticed some changes around here on SI. Don't worry, there hasn't been any sort of front office shuffle or regime change. I just thought it was about time this place got a bit of mystery.

Labels: buffalo sabres, dare to dream?, mike fisher, quick hits, road loss

^{(Photo: The Canadian Press)}

Even though I'm mired in the depression of the Senators sucking, I can always count on the Team Canada Kids to make me feel better.

Daniel Alfredsson will have to wear another Team Canada jersey to practice. And shovel Shean Donovan's backyard rink.

CONGRATS KIDS! We're darn proud of ya'.

Labels: absolute elation, gold medal, team canada, team sweden, world juniors

^{(Photo: The Canadian Press)}

A gold star for whoever knows where the subject line is from.

I have mixed feelings about this game. For one, I'm glad for the point because right now we could use all that we can get. We're mired in a mix of bad luck and just being smacked unceremoniously with the reality that this team just isn't very good. Our secondary scoring is finally clicking, our PowerPlay is actually looking pretty decent. But sadly, our Superstars, who are being paid Superstar dollars have disappeared and our defense is absolutely pathetic.

It was nice to see Chris Kelly finally score and I'm really loving what Jesse Winchester brings to the team. But everything else still depresses me immensely. This team tries and gives it their all and it's still not enough. You can see the frustration through the way they sit on the bench, through the long laboured strides they take and through the lack of joy on their faces. This isn't fun for them either.

At least this game was on TSN and we had the pleasure of listening to Chris Cuthbert and Ray Ferraro.

Maybe this team just shouldn't bother with trying to get leads anymore because what's the point when you can't even keep them? Not that I think I would be mentally prepared to watch the team even try to fight their way back from a deficit game in and game out but clearly this team either has no interest or is just incapable of the task. 3 times tonight they had the lead, and 3 times they lost it. And it's more or less their modus operandi for the past couple of games.

I don't blame our goaltenders for this. Alex Auld is doing the best that he can but he's clearly not the answer. I won't even start with Martin Gerber because everything about it has been said already.

I'm just going to light some candles and pray.

Labels: alex auld, chris kelly, depths of despair, jesse winchester, new jersey devils, overtime loss, road loss, tsn

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

*pulls out hair*
*throws things*
*goes to corner and cries*

Guys, I would like to make an official SI announcement: we are open for business. Frankly, at this point as long as you're not the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Dallas Stars, I'm willing to cheer for your team. Because right now I think the boys and I need to take a break from each other. This has devolved into a very unhealthy relationship. All we're doing is making one another unhappy.

The truth is, it's not that the Senators were particularly bad or lazy tonight against the Leafs. They had a good effort overall, you could tell they were trying and they were mostly aggressive. But they just get too easily defeated when the pressure is on and we are a disaster defensively. It also doesn't help when the scoring well has completely dried up. We had a physical presence, which provided a spark but it wasn't enough. The confidence is in the pits right now and I don't know what more could be done.

At least I can rely on Team Canada to cheer me up. Although it did look pretty touch and go there for a minute. They pulled it out of the hat, even if they maybe didn't deserve it against the Russian Team. If they lost tonight, I don't know if I would have been emotionally prepared to handle it.

I'm not giving up on the Senators just yet, even if everybody else wants us to just throw in the towel. It has to get worse before it gets better. Although the thought of it getting worse just absolutely terrifies me.

We need to take a mental health vacation. A sabbatical of some kind. It's really hard for me to offer insightful hockey posts when all I can think about is how much in despair I am over the suckage of the team I love.

I still get up in arms hearing people bash this team and when they're hard on them. I wanted to punch Mike Milbury in the gut everytime he made a disparaging remark about the Senators and about Jason Spezza. You don't know them like I do. You just don't understand. I will defend this team until the day I die.

But right now, I think we need to go on a break.

Labels: can I have my team back now, depths of despair, road loss, this can't be happening, toronto maple leafs, why is this happening

Happy New Year and Happy Winter Classic everybody! I'm trying hard not to be bitter about not actually being there since I had made plans to do so. But I hope everybody who is watching or there is having a blast. I suppose I had good reason to stick around as I am officially an Auntie today. Our new addition to the family will look absolutely stellar in the Team Canada jersey I purchased for him.

In any case, this video is to get you into the mood for the Winter Classic. Ladies and gentlemen, "Here Come the Hawks!"



Classic.

Labels: chicago blackhawks, detroit red wings, winter classic