It certainly wouldn't be the first time a team tanked to seed a competitor and it wont be the last. I don't like it, but when you think about the ultimate goal...perhaps it makes good sense. Ottawa is missing key players and have been in a tailspin since November. Ottawa has a soft team as opposed to Boston which can and will punish you physically. Boston's goalie is hot as hell. Pitt is thinking they can escape the first round and go into the second quickly and without incident. Ugly...but smart.

Once again Murray showing what a class act he is. Questing the integrity of other teams players and coaches. Same thing every playoffs from him. Play up the underdog role and whine about the other team.

But that is the fun of the play-offs! The trash talking between coaches.

Pens did tank the last game. It was SO obvious that they were not in the game. But good for them; they know Ottawa is licking their wounds; I am sure it was a 'Graet if we win, but f we lose who really cares?' attitude.

ain't pro sports neat? They put themselves as being so self richeous, totally beyond any type of game fixing, a place where skill & determination will win. Then we witness the nonsence of Pittsburgh throwing the game. What hipocracy! Pro sports is about as honest as the WWE. Since gambling on NHL games is not only legal, but encouraged, what about the poor sap that laid out his rent money on the Pens, thinking everything was above board? Why is nobody, especially Betman, outraged that such a farce could cloud this sport? Could it be that this is not an isolated incident & that more games are fixed?

Give me a break. The poor sap that laid out his rent money. If your betting your "rent" money you have problems.
The Pens lost a game. Why would it matter who they play? Both teams are full of injuries and stink. The sens are where they are because of their own play. Murray should blame his own team for where they are and not cry about teams "tanking" it.

I wouldn't say both teams stink...the Pens were a half assed effort away from first place! I think you may have missed Jimmy's point...I don' think his issue is with the poor sap and his rent money as much as the credibility of the game. The reality is this has been going on for years. Whether it is be done alter the playoff opponents or garner a high draft choice...is has been done before.

Credibility? In the NHL? Excuse me while I laugh!

This is a leauge which was practically run by the mob in the first half of the last century to owners who pretty much used their players as slave labour til the 60s to a league now that has 2 different sets of rules and suspensions for the regular joes and superstars. Heck, the only reason Montreal won any Stanley Cups before the 60s was because of the usage of territorial rights and heavy influence in the boardroom of the league. If this was major league baseball three quarters of their stanley cup wins would come with a nifty little asterisk beside them. And that doesn't even get into the pro wrastlin' view of fighting in the game, either.

Honestly, the NHL will never be a real legitimate league until certain teams (ahem, Toronto, New York), owners (ahem, Chicago, Boston) and GMs (ahem, Burke) lose thier overly-heavy influence on the league. Make fighting penalties hurt, treat all players equally and have the balls to hand out real suspensions (hello NBA, NFL) to both stars and scrubs alike. Then, you'll see the NHL go mainstream in the US.

Anyway, enough of the rant. It's just that, no matter if it was Washington or Pittsburgh, the league wants the likes of Ovechkin and Crosby to go far in the playoffs for the Yankee audience, so you know right off the bat, if there's a close call to be made in this series, it sure as hell won't be for us.

In any case, Go Sens! And keep fighting for the team Murray. (Just try not to sound like a whiner in the press, k? Do it with a lil more tact.)

Geez, what Pittsburgh did was smart: resting a top player, protecting him from injury. Too bad Ottawa didn't have that option last week, saving Alfie from the head shot.

Have to add, to Pittsburgh: careful what you wish for.

Nancy your knowledge of the NHL is outstanding! I agree with your rant. The only point I differ is when you imply the NBA has any credability. Here is a league who not only had a referee indited on fixing games in the regular season, he was involved in the biggest screw job in history when he jobbed Phoenix. In my opinion, the NBA got off way too easy on this one. They claimed Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone & every one just nodded & said yes. Cripe they didn't even have to set up a Warren Commision.

Can-tank'e'rous?

Who cares? I mean I wish Murray would address some of the problems he has rather than speculating on whether or not the Pens threw the game. Anyways, that is their prerogative given the fact that they had a lot of wins to their credit at season's end - as opposed to very little which is more the case with the Sens. I got an idea, maybe the Sens deliberately tanked the last half of the season so they could be underdogs and lose in 4 straight in the first series....or then again maybe not.

Just like they tanked the last few games of their maiden season to get the number 1 pick and choose Alexandre Daigle instead of Chris Pronger.

As they say, the rest is history. An ignominous one at that, filled with controversies, terrible hockey decisions and teams that somehow never learned to play by the rules of its competitors.

Oh sure, thev've had good regular season records but the only constant positive note in 15 years has been the huge and unconditional fan support.

Not sure how many were actually still watching the Pens game after you were informed by TSN that they were playing to meet Ottawa on Sunday but it seems to me they nearly missed tying the game near the end on a couple of occasions. So there.

And yeah, I wrote 2 weeks ago that it was time for Murray to rest Alfredsson. Has anyone forgot how Jacques Martin dressed Redden in the last game of the the 2000 or 2001 season in a nothing game?

So I defy anyone to tell me the Pens did not want to win Ist place. Besides, anyone remember how many games they actually won without Sid?

They tanked, or didn't tank, that is the question huh?

If they did tank, they are taking the SENS lightly.

If they didn't, maybe they didn't care who they played and just giving their top player a rest.

One more day guys. Can't wait for this series to start. GO SENS GO

Jim, yes they let that NBA ref off easily. I had forgotten about that. When I listed the NBA the only thing on my mind was that 'little' fight in the stands about, what, a year ago now. If I remember correctly, one guy got nearly half a season for it. I don't recall mad Mike getting anything close to that for his run into the stands while with Boston waaay back when. (And can you imagine the damage he did to his skate blades doing that? Yeesh) most lenient.

JP, it is pretty obvious to anyone who watched the game (yes, I did watch it all) that Pittsburgh wasn't breaking a sweat out there. As far as I'm concerned, Sidney needed to play that game to get closer to the player he was before his ankle sprain. As it stands right now, I don't think we'll see the old Super Sid until a few games into this series - and by then it might be too late for the Pens (I hope). Nothing against Sid - the guy has amazing moves and inhuman balance on his skates - but he really needs to control his ref whining to reach that next plateau of greatness (not that it hurt #99, but still, it's a different era now).

I will admit, I do think the Sens tanked to get Daigle. And karma hit them square in the butt on that one (although Daigle could've turned out to be better if he wasn't rushed into the NHL to be the savior for a group of ECHLers trying to play in the NHL).

As for 'unconditional fan support?' If you talk to certain players (cough, Corvo, Hossa) and media types outside the city, we're thought to be an incredibly fickle bunch. It seems nearly every time I watch the games on tv, if the Sens have a powerplay and are in the offensive zone for, oh 2 seconds or more, all you hear are the $$$ seats fans screaming 'shoooooot'. If the Sens are down by a goal or two at the end of the second, you can hear the rumbling as the fans bolt to the lavatory. If the Sens aren't giving everyone free pizza, the stands are usually quiet as a morgue. If the Sens are down by more than a goal with 5 minutes left, half of Ottawa is already on the 417. No, we are fickle, demanding, conescending and bandwagon-hoppers to the extreme. You can tell by the end of the season the fan pressure has worn down some of the younger and thin-skinned players. It's a shame, really.

Go Sens!

By unconditional, I meant the people keep filling the barn, night after night, despite unequivocal evidence that the animals are running the farm while blind pig fans continue to be treated like mushrooms by the absentee farmers.

But hey, as long as Mr. Smiley keeps on smiling and the media keeps spinning his happy stories, instead of the real stories, all the sheeps are happy and tag along.

Don't forget about the attendance figures a few years ago, before Melynk took over. We were about a gnat's hair away from some idiot Torontoite moving this team to Hamilton (or worse, south of the 49th). We couldn't sell out the playoffs (I think it was either the second or third year in the teams' history we made the playoffs) and the team was bankrupt.

I agree there is a lot of room for improvement, especially in the amateur and pro scouting department, and in the GM chair. But we are much better off management-wise (overall)than we were eight years ago. The only real 'stumble' this year was not nipping the Emery thing the moment it started. And possibly taking the muzzle off Murray.

And I know some will say that I'm piggybacking on The One And Only Earl this morning, but I've been writing for three years now that Ottawa has got to make up their mind with their use of Brian Mac.

It is bordering on sheer ridicule how they carry an enforcer who, with time, effort, coaching and much-needed ice time, could develop into a half-decent player.

And yet, only The Pearl has had the wisdom to call the imbeciles on the carpet for this.

Anybody ever bothered checking the Sens record when McGrats is in the lineup?

Anybody ever given thought that they might have won against Buffalo in 2005-06 or against Anaheim last year if Brian had been in.

Hey, if I'm going down, better to be with him than a Robitaille and a Donovan. At the very least, no one is gonna take liberties against Ottawa's skilled players if the Hamilton native is on the bench.

So what exactly are you waiting for Prof. Murray?

GUYS! You are being major downers here :P

Its playoff time!!! Its time to let EVERYTHING go and just have fun

Nancy, your knowledge of hockey is awesome. Should consider joining HLOG (hockey ladies of greatness)

JP, buddy. Pal. Friend. Its time to let the past go. Its time to have fun. If we lose we lose. Just as long as they do with passion.

After all, we are getting 2 weeks more of hockey (and hopefully more). Its time to gear up and just have fun. GO SENS GO!!!!!! :P

And no I am not hopped up on coffee. :P

At the moment Murray is using gamesmanship to detract from his incompetence.

Remember, this is HIS team. If he's happy not having a Stanley Cup ring on his finger and telling us we're spoiled, goody for him

Not the manager we need in this town if that's the case. We need someone who's pissed off when we lose and who gives lazy bums like Redden and Spezza a once-over when needed.

Anyway, Gratts would be useful to a degree. Pittsburgh still sports Laraque do they not? If anything, McGratton would swing momentum with a fight or a brutal hit on Crosby or Malkin.

The series will be tied 1-1 by next week...I just don't see Pittburgh with a 2-0 lead in Ottawa.

How can you even consider McGratten playing against a team like Pittsburgh? He is a huge liability in both ends of the ice. He is just too slow & has no hockey smarts to make up for it. In order for him to hit Crosby or Malkin they would have to be standing still after a whistle. Laroque, on the other hand, has made himself into an effective player. His line is quite proficent on the forecheck, usually spending most of their shift in the other teams end. As great a guy he is, as good a fighter he is, there just is no room for Grats. He served an important role with the Sens when they needed to assert some toughness, but his time is done.

Sorry Pavan for being a downer. Just remember in every level Flurry has chocked when it really matters. Sidney has not exactly dominated in big games either. And Pittsburgh is suspect on defense, having to rely on Hal Gill. So there is room for optomism here in Sens land. We did beat them easily last year.

McGratten (while I do love him) can't be inserted into the lineup at this point. He needs to play an entire season with the team and establish his identity with the team full time. We cannot have him trying to establish that niche in the playoffs.

I completely agree that the descision to sit Grats for almost the entire season comes down to (bad) coaching. The Sens should either cut him loose or actually play him. Teams are not scared of a player that they know won't be suiting up until their next game, which will then be carefully watched over by the league.

Did anyone watch the TSN summary of the Sens/Pens matchup last night? You'd think the Sens shouldn't even bother showing up! I thought it was hilarious that they showed save after save after save by Fleury, then goal after goal after goal allowed by Gerber. Then Darren Pang suggests that we should put Brian Elliot in nets...

This is really Gerber's time to shine. McGuire said he's ranked #16 out of the 16 goalies playing in the post season. If Gerber can't get himself up for the kind of criticism that he is facing right now, well, I think we could possibly look at buying 2 goalies out after this season is over.

Jim has it down pat.

This is a series of unknowns:

-Will Bryan Murray finally coach a winner?
-Will Fleury realize his potential?
-Will Reddem redeem himself?
-Will Gerber shut the door?
-Will the Senators defense tighten up?
-If Alfredsson comes back...will Lemieux come down from the heavens, surrounded by laser beams?

:-)

It's gonna be fun! Can't wait for the games to start.

JIM, no worries, its time to get pumped. Agree with you that the series is an unknown.

Visitor - PM and TSN are a bunch of idiots. We all know that. But for the life of me, I have no idea why the Ottawa Media loves him. They think he is some sort of god. I watched a bit of the TSN crap last night. I turned it off after a few minutes.

I can't wait for Ottawa to make it in to the second round and have PM blame it on the PENS being young.

GO SENS GO


Hey! are we meeting or what? need to know!

how come none is excited? Or is it just me? and the 11 cups of coffee I have had?

"This is a series of unknowns"???

What's not to know? Fleury has been a wall since recovering from his injury, and Conklin has morphed into some kind of crazy-good back-up that in no way, shape or form resembles Ty Conklin. They didn't get to 102 pts without great goaltending!

You guys are in a fantasy world right now. Without Alfie, and with Heatly and Spezza being consistently inconsistent in offensive production, the Sens are going to be swept. This series is almost a non-event.

Have you actually been watching your team since December??

Oh Ron. Sounds like you need a hug.

Finally, someone else who is not delusional.

For more truths, visit Out Of Left Field.com

OK...who is this Nancy person??? You know your shit girl! I find your comments interesting on Les Glorieux. I have been of the contention that Sam Pollock is the most over rated GM of all time. Can you imagine what TML would have done if they had the first two picks out of Ontario for those many years!! I was down at St Mary's in the mid-seventies when Montreal had the Vees in AHL and they had a team that would have beaten 35% of the teams in the NHL! As a result of there 2 draft picks out of Quebec every year, Sam could trade players for draft picks that he banked for years! Moreover, he took advantage of morons during expansion...read how he got Lafleur. I totally agree with Visitor who suggested Murray is yapping to take the pressure of himself. I am hoping for the best this series...but we got get the passengers contributing (Donovan, Robitaille, Redden, Stillman, Lapointe, (still can't believe Prof Murray got him)...it will probably be their last hurraw. Oh yes, I would rather have B/Mac in the lineup for every game than the aforementioned. If not for any other reason than it makes all of em play two inches taller and 20 pounds heavier!

JP, visted Out Of Left Field.com - it talks about the Leafs making the play-offs.

We should be having fun with this!

Sens car flag...Check
Sens Jersey... Check
Playoff Tickets... Check
Money for Beer... Check
People living in the past like the leaf fans and 67... Check

Yes indeed the playoffs are here.

I am pumped!!! I am so glad that only Johnny G from sportsnet picked the Sens to win. It will be great to win and prove the rest wrong.

GO SENS GO... In The Sens We Believe... WAHOOO

My Prediction.... Alfie will play... Sens in 6.
Oh and JP, I am not drinking,smoking, or on anything. I just bleed the red of the sens army.

DON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where the HELL have you been?! About time someone here started to cheer! I know we are the underdogs and I know its going to be tough for Ottawa to win, but MAN! cheer loud, be proud that we HAVE a team in the play-offs.

CAN'T wait for this series to start. GO SENS GO BABY.

Got the flag
Got the jersey
Got tickets.
Beer.. mmmm beer.

Last night was pretty depressing for me. I went to a hockey draft and in a room full of Sens fans, I was the only one thinking they would win the series!!

I'll be sporting my Sens jersey at work tomorrow and putting my Sens flags on the car tonight.

GO SENS!

I've been reading your posts and comments since this blog was first launched and I've finally taken the time to register & comment...

So much has been said about how finicky Sens fans are and how volatile our bandwagon is, well I am glad to see TRUE Sens fans with me cheering despite the odds, our play of late, etc.

Since when has the regular season ever been indicative of this team? Are we not notorious for regular season success and post season disappointments? It's about time for us to reverse that reputation..

I may be seen as unrealistic, but to me a fan is someone who despite what the stats and the prospects look like for their team, cheers just as loudly and just as proudly. Damn, might as well be a Leafs fan...

GO SENS GO!!

I agree 100%... A fan is a person who stands by their team win, lose, or draw. I have been a 49ers fan for my entire life, yet the last few years we have sucked, but no matter what I still cheer them on and have hope every sunday.

Stand up load and proud Sens fans. Let's get this city seeing Red. One Mission Baby!!!

Wow guys, thanks for all the complements. My knowledge pretty much just comes from watching the game for the last 30 years or so (and a renewing suscription to THN for the last, oh 15 or so years). Nothing special there. All of you definitely know more than I do (yes, even you JP. Despite the negative attitude you do have some good points). I would've loved to have grown up playing in the boys competitive leagues. To hear you guys talking about playing against Thurso and and Guy Lafleur has me green with envy. :)

And really, you're all right. A fan supports the team no matter what - we can boo nad call em bums and spend countless hours disceting every game and trade - but when the chips are down, we're there right behind our team.

And no, Ron and JP, I don't think any of us are delusional. It's going to be one hell of an uphill climb to beat those Penguins, but you have to have a little faith.

And runour has it, that maybe the injuries to Alfie and Fisher aren't quite as bad as thought......and maybe the team is playing possum a lil to catch the Pens off-guard. I would'nt put it past them to see our guys back in the lineup for game 3 in Ottawa. And, now that I think of it, starting the road will be awesome for us. No hometown pressure, no expectations, just go out and play for the two games and aim for a split.

Nancy....you know somthing we don't? Share it with us Girl! I would LOVE it if Alfie is back sooner than later. Whats the word on Fish and Kelly? Last I heard Alfie suffered a mid-upper left region of the upper body injury and Fish had a lower body injury in the region of the western hemishpere and Kelly had a upper mid body injury...if I remember correctly. Sens in 6.....Go Sens Go!!!

There was one of the guys mentioning something on TSN the other day. He kinda mentioned something to the effect of "would'nt it be something if they were back for the start of the series?". I don't know if maybe I was reading more into what was said or not, but I kinda feel the original diagnosis of the injuries was a lil overblown. It felt to me like the guy (I think it was either Gregor or Pang on the panel, cant quite remember who it as I was only listening, not actually watching the tv) knew something and just couldn't tell us outright, you know?

I mean, look at the hit to Alfie. Exactly where does he hurt his knee? Maybe a slight tweak or jarring, but talking like its a torn ACL or MCL? No way. I can see a 1st grade concussion keeping him out a week, but outside of that....

And the hit to Fisher looked rather innocent as well, unless it aggrivated an older injury.

Or maybe its just a little bit of delusional optimism happening.

Visit Out Of Left Field for a totally tongue-in-cheek look at the situation. However, Edna maintains the Sens will prevail in seven, but only if Ray Emery "Bored" plays.

Well I was going to go to watch the game with some fantastic hockey fans...I got their handles but couldn't pick em out in a crowd.. but no one stepped up to
make it happen...I am gonna do a PM now: "unacceptable Pavan...totally irresponsible...you should know better".

BAH! Bobby see my post on the new entry! :P