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James Day Preview: Ottawa Referees vs. British Virgin Islanders

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Photo courtesy of real life

Hi friends and youtube videos of baby animals alike,

Let’s get this one out of the way. There’s no need to argue Referees just don’t understand (remix). Also, doesn’t homework/doing dumb chores, STINK!? *mops brow*

For what it’s worth (absolutely nothing for those keeping score) I agree very much with Peter Rraayymmaakkeerrss (Ottawa’s #1 producer of Rays and Ray manufacturing innovation) from Silverseven, that though the reffing was bad Sens didn’t exactly help their odds of winning that Boston game either.

Let’s review a few non-referee moments from that game shall we?
1. Sens allow their now legendary first goal of the game.
2. Chris Phillips allows 5 foot 8 Brad Marchand to make him look like a pile of fig newtons numerous times
3. Craig Anderson allows a goal on shot taken in Tupelo,Mississippi (look, it haaaaaappens, softies go in, but…just acknowledging this was a complete tide-turner)
4. Lots of missed opportunities for goals. Including Alfie’s post but not limited to an absolute gift left on Bobby Butler’s stick.

Speaking of Bobby Beantown it has been a rough stretch for that little guy lately. Something tells me the net is looking like one of those Skills Competition mini-nets to him right now. Did anyone else think that things were going to get a bit smoother after his two goal game against Calgary back in the mid 17th century?

Okay back to the essence, so my quick (yes, that is possible for me) word on the officiating in Boston: Referees are human beings like you and, to a lesser extent, me. They are just trying to trudge on up this salmon run of life into the next day until you just wish Flanders was dead.

As such, I DO think that they are susceptible to emotion. Maybe that Boston game was a game got the better of the refs and players and coaches and Denis Potvins and Jameses’s emotions alike. IIIIIII don’t know about all this conspiracy bullshit stuff but heyyyyyyyyy (yyyyy) that was not the best reffed game I’ve ever seen. Maybe the biggest question I was left with afterward was this: Calls get missed but am I really supposed to believe that the Boston Bruins put up a Lady Byng game? Not one penalty (fights aside)? It’s a pretty tough pizzone to swallow that the most penalized team in the league played a clean sheet? If it was Detroit or Vancouver or something, mmm I could see that kind of discipline. I didn’t think Boston played a particularly dirty game but it wasn’t a flawless game either. So that whole thing coupled with the non-call on Karlsson’s icing touch up that Denis Potvin rightly pointed out that, to not call it is basically to encourage a hit from behind felt very unusual.

Lastly…ill let that brutal “offside” on Spezza slide as a mistake though it would have sprung him for a crucial late game breakaway with the Sens down by one. FFFFFFF. Refereeing wasn’t THE factor in the loss but I think it’s a bit fair to say it was A factor. It made what was at first looking like a really great game for the Sens into one of the most frustrating outings of the season. Let’s hope they use the very obvious frustration they experienced to pancake ‘nem Islanders.
Onwardish and upwardish!

Do you know who Salt and Peppa wrote the song “What a Man” for?
Neither do I. Well not for certain at least. One camp staunchly believes it was written for Erik Karlsson while there is a new paradigm of thought emerging that makes a strong case for Kyle Filbert Turris. Either way, I think I’m gonna have someone’s baby.

Karlsson has been stupidshit hottt lately (all season) with a whopping 22 points in his last 20. King K is starting to show an increased S.W.A.G. rating in his goal scoring game as evidenced by his beauty against Right Winger Tim Thomas on 2zdaii knight (honestly, have you ever read someone more annoying than me? Just…insufferable at this point.)

Kyle Turris, though going scoreless for a couple up until his tally against the Bruins is so far showing that he’s going to be on the board more nights than he wont.. For a guy who missed training camp and had only skated in 6 games before landing on the slushy shores of O Town, Turris is showing some very, very promising chemistry with Daniel Alfredsson. I thought Gonchar looked incredibly sharp last game and I’d love to see another solid performance tonight…and the NEXT night from him.

Meanwhile for Long Island, home of Fish Stick Fishermen and Rich People who want to/can afford to get away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, there are a few serious threats afoot.
They likely wont be cracking the top 8 this trimester but the Islanders look like they might be waking up a little bit, relishing their upcoming spoiler role.

I don’t catch too many  Isles games but I am pretty excited to see John Tavares in action. His numbers so far may not justify the “next one” touting from analysts leading up to his draft day *rolls eyes at the almost yearly rolling out of that saying, right Angelo Esposito?* but Johnny T (I assume that’s his nickname…actually, how about, Taveresy, yeah that seems more accurate) has a very impressive 53 points in 49 with Matt Moulson Dry and PA Parenteau clocking in with a respective 46 and 45 points. I know, damn, I didn’t realize this either. That’s not even considering there are some other very decent threats in Kyle Okposo, who might have the best last name going, Mark Streit and Michael Grabner. NY could be on the creep creep tonight. Let’s hope the Sens come out playing like they know how important this game is for the fate down the line or even just building momentum going up against Toronto tomorrow.

Keep the smoke on the motherfuckin’ low
Will the real Kaspars Daugavins scoring a goal every once in a while please stand up? I hate to single out The Rooster but considering his average ice time of 11 mins and his display of goal scoring ability demonstrated in the AHL, I kind of expected the Dogman to have I don’t know TWO more points than the injured Jesse Winchester (who hasn’t played since December) by the all star break. Phun Phakt: Winchester is currently on pace for more points than Daugavins. Not bad for a guy who hasn’t been skating until a couple of days ago.
Again, its not just Daugavins that’s been keeping the smoke on the low, the bottom 6 players have gone from the being the one-two punch of production that was powering the Sens into the playoff race to icier than Max Keeping’s fingers. Seriously, have ever seen that dude in public? Guy is ICED OUT.

Maybe we saw it coming but it would be awesome to see Zack Smith take a little pressure off himself and put one up and correct his steep decline after an amazing early campaign. With the tonight’s bizarro line up combos hopefully, the addition of Colin Greening will wake up the Zack Attack. Can we come up with a name for this Greening-Smith-Neil line up? I submit the “Watch you don’t get stupid punched in your big stupid face dot geocities dot net” line. There’s no judgments during brainstorming.

Sandra Bullock in “The Net” (No, seriously, she is starting for Ottawa tonight) Tonight in net Mike McKenna gets the. Ohh…wait
BREAKING: According to as;dlfajwer Craig Anderson will be getting the emergency fill in for the Senators. Getting ridden hard but I have a hunch this is the kind of game Craig Anderson needs to get back on track. What is this, “win and youre in”? HAHAHAHAHA what kind of NHL team would do that HAHAHAHAHA *single tear*
Goaltender who people forget plays in the NHL, Evgeni Nabakov gets the start for New York.

Finally, I’d like to end on a serious note. Tomorrow night is Do It For Daron night at Scotiabank Place. It is hard to believe that it has already been over a year since we lost Daron Richardson at the age of 14.

We can all appreciate what a tough time it is to grow up and an even tougher time for those who are struggling with mental illness. Please check out this important organization dedicated to breaking down the stigma of mental illness and providing resources for those who may be in a similar situation that Daron found herself in, so that they can find out that they are not alone. To learn more or donate: http://www.doitfordaron.com/

You guys, I’m starting to get worried about all of the starts that Craig Anderson is getting.

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Starts.

 No seriously, I’m really starting to get worried about all of the starts that Craig Anderson is getting. This guy gets… STARTS, by the way.

Now, I wanted to make sure I didn’t post this after a loss so I didn’t look all, “UHHHGRR, SEE, I DONE TOLD YOU IF YOU START HIM TOO MUCH THEY’D LOSE UHHHHGR” (That’s what I sound like when I speak for those of you who are curious about that). But then a bunch of losses happened and then I went to jail during the All Star break and then this post was just sitting there and here we are. Really good article so far? Really GREAT article so far. I really need to talk about my feelings, everyone…

Now, before I start I just want you to know that even though your mother and I will be sleeping on separate futons for the foreseeable future, we still love you as much as we did yesterday, MAYBE EVEN MORE and that further, I love this team and I would have written this if they won every game on that Jah forsaken road trip.

Look, this is a sporting goods team, I get it. You win some, you lose some, it was the pizza of times, it was the far less popular calzone of times. I am really enjoying all of this winning the Sens are doing this season, loving it all day and all night. Forgive old uncle Me for breaking out the same old story, but for fans of a team that was predicted nearly across the board to end up with a bottom 5 lottomax finish AT BEST, seeing Les Boys challenge for a place in the top neighborhood of the East has felt like one big ecstasy fueled weekend in Cabo San Lucas with Denis Potvin and his massive entourage.

So, that just about wraps it it up…yadda yadda yadda, it’s been a whirl of wind, I can put my arm back on, you can’t so play saf— wait, I didn’t get around to talking about anything yet…

 As fun as all this winning (and only mild amounts of losing!) has been, is anyone else out there worried about the prospect of seeing Craig Anderson run out of fuel late in the season…no reason why I’m calling it ‘late in the season’, nope, not superstitious at all… *turns around 6 and a half times, says playoffs backwards and spits on two mirrors* anyway what was I saying? Oh, right, yes…

When Little Man Tate (I’m talking about Anderson here – no idea why I called him that, can we just get this weird nickname off the ground already? #littlemantate) came to town, word on the street was that he likes a lot of consecutive starts and as a Sens fan I thought, “Wait, don’t goalies just start as many games as they win in a row and once they lose one they get benched for an equally shaky goalie who is not sure if he is the back up or starter?”

Remember them times, back in the Jon Paddock few months era, how he out and out said he employed a “win and you’re in” strategy with the goaltending tandem? Did anyone else hear him say that this was his actual plan then look reflectively into their Kalhua Mudslide and quietly muse, “Win …and you’re…in? All those years of videogame hockey have paid OFF…I suddenly think I have what it takes to be an NHL coach!!” Just kidding, Jon Paddock isn’t an NHL coach *rim shot*

When Paddock was fired, there was a lot of ‘meet the new boss, same as the old boss’ when it came to how the players were yelled at and how the goalie tandems where truly treated as such.

Do I think it came in part from Ottawa’s goaltenders being a revolving door of guys who didn’t exactly help make exceptional cases for themselves and/or died of injuries? Yes, I do. I also think goalies are psychopaths made of magic, habits and superstitions and have to know their place in the world.

Even Brian Elliot who would periodically do things like go on huge win streaks, post back to back shutouts, get named one of NHL three stars of the week and STILL never seemed to feel like the established number one. I am not all that floored that Elliot has had a great season. He always had tons of potential but could never achieve like he is now in St Louis on the Sens squad he was a part of. He needed a change of scenery where people didn’t know to not believe in him yet and I think the culture change has allowed him to thrive. Good for him. *burrrp* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAnyway, when Elliot was given the heave ho and Andy came to town, not only did he put up a 50 save OT shutout over the leafs, he also had the audacity to not completely implode for the rest of the season! I don’t think I was the only one holding my breath wondering “Heavens to Grundo, is this the thing of legend? The starting goalie that has been prophesized?”

The question was answered when Andy was resigned for four years (whew) and then good fortune struck, a rebuild was initiated, a new coach was hired and expectations changed drastically.

Instead of defiantly stinking against the odds, the Senators were just supposed to plain stink. Oh, and as the 2011-2012 season kicked in stink they did. Did I mention how just to make Anderson feel like the startinest goalie in town, BryMurr resigned Alex Auld, backup of all back ups?

So, Anderson had quite a few pucks get past him early in the season. He saw his GAA inflate and save percentage deflate, he’s been pulled his fair share of times and straight up had bad games. Yet, here we are at the end of January, he’s the undisputed #1. And how.

Those constant starts have given Andy a chance to heat up, to steal games, to give those early season doubters something to chew on. But will all the trust that Paul MacLean has put in Anderson going to come back to bite the Senators? Three game slide aside, not so far, though I can’t help but keep think that there is still plenty of season left.

I will put myself out there in saying that I really like Anderson. I think he can handle the work load but he’s still a human being. Human beings get tired and hurt. Anderson has so far played in 47 of  52 games. Damn! What if he needs a “rest” for whatever reason? Points are only going to get more valuable as the season unfolds and I think it’s not much of a secret that Alex Auld has looked colder than Eugene Melnyk’s Desk Fridge.

That’s not to completely fault Auld. He has had the exact opposite season as Andy. He’s never really gotten the chance to prove much of anything so far. That said, I haven’t really been enamored from what I’ve seen of him either. I’m actually pretty happy to see Anderson in game after game, I just don’t know if this model is sustainable.

Currently, Andy is on pace for 73 starts. Yeah, that’s seven three. This amount of games for a goalie seems other worldly to me but Andy has thrived in the past when handed a heavy workload.

In the 2009-10 season when he basically single handedly won Varada his hockey pool out of nowhere, Anderson played 71 regular season games. Of course, many believe that Andy had carried the surprising Avalanche team a little too much and by the time the playoffs rolled around that he looked out of gas. Colorado were knocked out by the Sharks in 6 games.

I didn’t watch any of that series because mom and weekend dad (Rick, who I HATE) said it’s lights out at 9pm SHARP but judging by the numbers it would appear that he did pretty well. A .933 save percentage and 2.62 goals against are damn pretty decent numbers for a goalie on a team that badly outmatched. Not so decent looking in the annuls of history are the 2 goals Statsny, Duchesne and O’Reilly combined for. Also they were playing the Sharks who are just going to dominate (THE EARLY ROUNDS OF) the playoffs *no rim shot* Perhaps Craig would fare better with a stronger Senators squad in front of him. In a more wide open East to boot. That is of course if he’s good to go should such a point in time arrive.

In the off-season when Lehner was coming off his stellar Whatever the Calder Cup Playoffs MVP Trophy is Called winning performance and Auld was resigned, I remember hearing rumblings that Auld would be receiving spot duty only (so far so true), and that Lehner would be called up to fill in for any extensive stretches needed. I suppose we may or may not see if that is the actual plan but with a tough season of battling injuries on a Binghamton squad that t’aint what it used to be, it remains doubtful that we’ll see much of Lehner this year.

The Senators are more of a bubble team now than they were a few weeks ago after struggling through what appeared to be a draining road trip and all those games they have in hand over the rest of the division aren’t making things look locked up any time soon. Stay well soon Craig Anderson!  What do you think is the best plan?
*waits*… *takes sip of port while staring at you* …*waaaaits*

Hey, internet, what are we searching for …

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Every once in a while, I like to look up how people are coming across our little internet kingdom via search engine. You know you get your usual “These are your Karlsson years” (not joking) and “something something Pierre McGuire” …this one stood out a little bit. Anyway, just a reminder to all you ladies OR gentlemen (your own decisions, WTYKY is a safe space) dont get any crazy ideas Varada’s going to the dance with ME.

WTYKY EXCLUSIVE: Leaked Transcript of Cammalleri-Bourque Trade!

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Pierre Gauther: Hey, Jay? Salut mon grand! C’est, P.I.M.P.G.

Jay Feaster: Yoooo, what it is bro, how’s that search for a perfectly bilingual NHL quality coach going?”

P.G.: Not all that well actually, turns out it really shrinks the talent pool considerably! Kind of counting on Guy Boucher getting fired. He’s like the AHL version of the coach we just fired but not as good…but…uhh…if that doesn’t happen…I don’t know, I’ll see what the press says, my strategy lately has been to just do whatever they say, you know?

J.F.: No, not really…

J.G.: Hmm, you haven’t tried that? Pfft, whatever dude, good luck. Those guys KNOW shit. How do you think they sell all those papers? By stirring shit up constantly? Anyway, that’s not why I’m calling, remember when I slept with your girlfriend after that rave in college? I feel super duper bad about that still and I want to make up for it. So, I’d like to give..I mean trade, TRADE you my best offensive player”

J.F: Whoa, whoa, puppy, puppy, no, no, nooo…too rich for my blood. That guy scored 39 goals here a couple of years ago. I am not giving up any of my top guys for him. No Iginla, no Glenncross, not Bouwmeester not EVEN dumps like Oli Jokinen or Alex Tanguay….and if you think Im gunna give one of our very few young players who are working out, like Giordano? You got another thing-

P.G.: *loudest exhale through nose* No, this isnt about a hockey deal, no, what we need is a culture change here in Montreal. Cammalleri, gives candid, articulate interviews with the press, always has, and frankly, we just cannot have that here. He expressed pretty reasonable displeasure with our vastly underperforming team and I need to make a knee jerk reaction like …right now.

J.F.: Weird, you’d think that’s the kind of rash but albeit impassioned comment that would show a player is rightly frustrated with himself and his teammates and is trying to spark things up in the locker room. That’s how it goes in a lot of other markets. Remember when Matt Bradley did the same thing in Washington and he was commended for being a leader for doing that?

P.G.: It’s actually against the law to follow the goings on of any other teams here in Montreal…how do you think we ended up with, Scott Gomez? *bursts out laughing…laughter subsides to soft tears*

J.F.: Okay, well, I’m glad to hear that because listen, I have just the thing for you. Okay, I have a player, hm’kay, you need a culture change? Players caring too much? Check this guy I’m about to put on the table. We have the hardest time getting him to give a shit about anything…

 P.G.: Okaaaaay, I am LIKING what I’m heeeeaaaaring

J.F.: Here’s the kicker…wait till you hear his name…

P.G.: …

J.F.: Rene…

P.G. Colline de bin de bobbi pin!

J.F.: …BOURQUE!

PG.: Sac a dos! Appelle la police! He’ll be perfect for the intense French media scrums!!

JF. *coughing loudly* Doesn’t speak French at all *cough* …ugh dry throat excuse me…its that Chinook air, you know? *cough cough* he’s from Alberta *cough*

PG: You alright?

J.F.: Oh, trust me, Im super great right now.

PG.: Good, so we have a deal?

JF Deal? …OH YES, A DEAL!…yes, definitely.

PG.: Outstanding, okay I have to go tell my boss at La Presse!

JF. The Feast…is ON. Peace.

PG & JF: *hang up simultaneously* Suck-errrrrrrrr

James Day Preview: Ottawa All Stars Vs. Tampa’s Bay

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Singer from Smash Mouth or Chubby Rick Nashmouth?

Okay now, settle down, settle down. Everyone form a semi-circle around this website and I’ll tell you a tale…a tale…OF A HOCKEY THINGS!

Don’t get TOO excited. It’s just a fairy tale. It can’t hurt you, it’s just filled with make believe things like gargoyles, henchmen, and James Reimer (7-4-4 / 3.00 / .900) in the all star game! I know. I know, those are almost BEYOND all star numbers but until scientists can invent a newer brighter better All Supernova Game lets each and every last one of us just take advantage of the magic we are beholden to. Granted he is the leafs goalie and I tend to be extra hard on them but you don’t see me objecting to Phillip Kessel or the unfortunately named Joffery (great job, parents) Loophole or Unfrozen Caveman Phaneuf being in the line up. They’ve had good and great (grood) seasons up to here, let the playaz play. What is unfortunate about this whole thing is that it is just a COINSIDENCE that a lot of the starting lineup for the all star game are actually enjoying exceptional seasons. The online voting system allows that there is always a very good chance the game can just as likely be the Teen Choice Awards rather than the All Stars up in here.
To me limiting the fans’ vote count to 30 has only made it a less annoying version of what Montreal fans did years ago when, thanks to some hacking, nearly the entire Eastern starting line up was made up of Habs. It was a great, great game for the always excellent and relevant Mike Komisarek and game MVP and MOST TALENTED GUY IN PRACTICE, Alex Kovalev. SNORRRRING. Note: Imagine how good Alex Kovalev would have been if every game was an all star game, practice or all star game practice? Admittedly, despite the new limitations imposed on fan voting it is a given that pretty much anything a fan base does is by default a less annoying version of Montreal.
Moving forward, to take off my rose, white, black and sparkly gold coloured glasses for a moment, I can admit that it will probably be very frustrating for fans of the actual all star game seeing 4 Ottawa Senators (obviously the most beloved team in the league ESPECIALLY in Ontario) taking spots in the starting lineup. Look, I want Alfie to start the game ALL THE LIVE LONG DAY, but I wonder from a player’s perspective if it takes away from making the game because there was an extensive campaign rallying fans to vote as many members of the home team as they can rather than making it in on merit …through a probably very political NHL brass based voting process alone*?
In a video I saw that there is absolutely no chance I am going to bother to link to (ITS CALLED TRUST, PEOPLE) Jason Spezza (40 points in 40 games) commented about how flattering it is that the good people of Ottawa have come together to support the home team but that he hopes he gets in on his performance as well. That pretty much sums up how I feel about this whole thing. I think it’s great that we fans have supported our best players, prevented Project Lamehem from being a success and given the host team some representatives but something still irks me about the process. Sens homer feelings aside, if had purchased a ticket to the all star game (which I did not/will not as it is WAY WAY WAY too rich for my blood) and the entire starting lineup was Ottawa Senators I don’t think I could help thinking “Wow, I just paid $250-$1000+ to see the Ottawa Senators play a pick up game against the westen all stars.” This is especially interesting considering the Senators skills competition was a couple weeks ago and tickets were 12 bucks. SPEAKING OF WATCHING THE SEANTORS PLAY HOCKEY THE SENATORS ARE SDFLK;djaer gjervjhaskdjfa aefpj 32023r TONIGHT!!!!!!

Game, you guys:
Thanks for sticking around none of you. It is Thursday and we find ourselves with a very non-Canada v. Finland bronze medal game on the docket. Our beloved Sens are looking great (NHL games are only counted in 3rd period performance now right? Great.) and are hoping to extend a three game wining streak tonight against The Tampa’s Bay Weather.Tampa had a little three game streak going themselves until they got shellacked byToronto the other night. So, there’s that. It’s a pretty big game for a pesky team looking to gain what little padding is available in the East and a very disappointing team looking to…not look disappointing.

Turris and Michalek
I have a good feeling that we could see a little something from either or both of these fellas tonight. Maybe Foligno is on the creep-creep a little too, given his penchant to bust into the zone this could be his kind of game. Turris and Michalek, like Foligno aren’t afraid to get in front and drive the net and I think that could prove very effective when the Sens penetrate the Lightning zone. Anyone like that new band Lightening Zone?

Shhhh quiet you’ll wake up Old Man Roloson!
As much as people seem to be complaining about Craig Anderson lately I must point out Dwayne Wayne Roloson he AIN’T. And no it’s not because he doesn’t have Rollie’s trade mark grade 7 on picture day hair. I like Roloson but man, if I’m a Tampa Bay fan watching a drying paint defensive system (full of offensive stars btw) and the 42 year old goalie is rocking a nearly 4.00 GAA and is 5.25 in his last 4 starts (all losses DOI OIOIOIOI) ….AAAAAAAND the backup is part time NHLer I MEAN STANLEY CUP WINNER Mathieu Garon….I would be mildly concerned. As an Ottawafan I think I can spot a shoddy goaltending tandem when I see one.
Back to Anderson, Im no Xerox Konopticon but I think that aside from the odd absolute blowout gameAnderson has been pretty damn good. Rebuild year good but good. I was warned about those blowout games he tends to have from a coupleColorado fans and have been glad they are less frequent than I was anticipating. To said Avs fans credit they also mentioned he tends to bounce back well from those games. Well played. Paul MacLean has been givingAnderson start after start and I, like WTYKY all star Varada, believe that increased stability in net has come from a coach that will actually give a guy a chance to get his game together with some consistent starts regardless of game outcomes. Cant say enough good things about Paulrus or Varada..rus.

1-3-Whatev
So, can we agree in the brother and sisterhood of friends that Hank Scorpio I mean Guy Boucher’s system hasn’t been the same since it was badassly exposed by Peter Laviolette and the Flyers on national TV? One thing I’ve really enjoyed about the Sens this year is that after a bit of adjustment early in the season, they seem pretty prepared to play against a team that traps up. Nothing has made me happier overall as a hockey fan since the lockout than the death rattle of the trap. Ahhh actual fun to watch hockey. Hopefully Boucher will continue to forget that his team has Stamkos,St. Louisand former impact player Lecavalier on it.

I don’t think Tampa will be a bunch of Roll Over Sallys or anything, they are a bit of a sleeper team and it will be a tight game but you have to like the Sens chances. With a pinky fingernail’s grip on 6th in the east it’s a bit of a must win if the boys want stay above the equator in the Eastern Conference. ENJOY THE GAME MY LITTLE ALL STARS!

*Full Disclosure: I happily participated in this voting process more than a few times. I got swept up to the point of writing in Robin Lehner. Discussion question: If the planets aligned and Robin Lehner ACTUALLY got voted into the all star game without even so much as having played a whole season (lets call it Reimer Style) would this be the best or WORST thing to happen to his development? Clearly it would be the best thing to happen to our ears sound bite wise.

Thanksgiving is held on Dec 30th right? Okay, great!

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This image was not photoshopped in any way and is further the official photo of WTYKY

How many posts can I begin remarking at what a whirl of wind it has been? Let me count the… HEYYYYY!
So end of the year, right step cousins? It has been nothing short of a … let me just get out my Whimsy Thesaurus … Okay according to this, it has been nothing short of a “weather phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air if you want to be a complete dick about it) that formed due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow (current, doi oi) gradients” hmm. Looks like I mixed up my Whimsy Thesaurus with a Dictionary of Meteorological Terminology, AGAIN! Anyway, I wanted to take some time to talk about some things I am happy about as the year 2011 comes to a close. It is important to give thanks ‘fore the End Times

Rebuild: A Spike Murray Joint
Former Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Beetlejuice once said, “Life is so much less stressful when you’re dead.” I find this especially true when you consider it in relation to your hopes of your favorite hockey team’s playoff competitiveness.

Ahhh, seriously, I always wondered how fans endured rebuilds and hence abhorred the prospect of one. So far, it’s actually not been all that bad because I’ve learned that when the team does terribly they are just fulfilling the “there’s going to be a lot of long nights” end of the bargain and conversely when they hand a more established team their breakfast they are merely “showing flashes of the future/surpassing expectations.” That’s a pretty good deal, even when you lose you win at losing to win!

Hold up though, its not that simple. I understand that Byran Murray’s unique brand of rebuilding appears (though far from over) to be much, much less painful than what fans of other franchises have had to endure. It’s tough to look at the successes enjoyed by the 1st overall pick laden rebuilds of  franchises like Chicago and Pittsburgh and not be a bit jealous. That is easy of course when you forget how long those teams were TERRRRRRRIBLE for (and how awesome the Senators were year in and year out back then). Pittsburgh also came within a hair’s breath of losing their team. That’s a gamble this fan is not willing to make since 1. We’ve been there already –heyyyyy NOT fun! 2. We don’t have a Super Mario to swing in and save the day 3. Already working with the disadvantage of having a medium sized municipal sports culture already divided up among Sens fans and the TOTALLY reasonably entitled leaves and habs fans (now featuring delusion on a chanting nah nah nah hey hey hey goodbye while sitting in 13th place – 25th overall – level!). I like the way Murray’s been doing it. Elite we ain’t yet still fun to buy tickets to games!

With some fearless trading of a bucket of assets for picks, savvy drafting, some deft moves like signing college FAs and the seemingly overnight building of an AHL champion farm club (which was quickly harvested by the Sens as a result) the team is already looking pretty respectable. Damn! That’s not even counting Lehner, Zibanejad, Silferberg, Puempel, Noessen, Da Costa, Weircioch, Stone, Borowiecki, Gryba, Prince, Pageau, infinity waiting in the wings.  Pretty cool. Maybe it’s because I am an Ottawa fan and I fear the pinning of both hopes AND dreams on a cant miss no.1 pick but I believe this method of rebuilding  is both faster and involves less risk. One need not look past Long Island to see how perennial basement dwelling can in some cases …well, be just that. Get Well Soon, Rick DiPietro’s Contract! Even the Oilers, who have a seriously exciting young team, look far from rebuilt as they currently sit below the recently dissed Montreal Anglophiles (see above) in the standings and have a defense lead by Andy Sutton WHO WILL BE 37 IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS…and is currently suspended, and the SOMEHOW EVEN OLDER Nick Khabibulin…who played for the original Winnipeg Jets in net. There’s definitely hope in Edmonton but damn those are some patient fans.

Not Rushing Mika Zibanejad
Speaking of rebuild (basically what this entire post is about), this kid is looking very promising. I think that the advantage of the rebuild still being in its infancy is that that it allows for the Sens brass to not feel compelled to throw the fans a hopes and dreams bone which givea this 18 year old(!) more time to develop his game in the background. I suppose as of right now Mikachu is the crown jewel of the rebuild and it shows patience on the organization’s part to take their time with him. That trade for Turris gives Zibanejad additional padding. We’ve had glimpses of what Zibanejad is capable of but if you consider for a moment that in the year 2015 he will be 22 years old…let the kid continue to put Swedish men on their asses for a minute.

“Core Players” Really Pulling Their Weight
Special Little Guy included in this mix. What? He’s in his 3rd year…and in second place in scoring on the team. One of my favorite things about last season’s fire sale was that Murray dealt some very valuable players along with Alex Kovalev but somehow did not sell the farm in the process. It seems after years of (sometimes understandable) frustration, the majority of the fan base has overcome their constant calls to trade Jason Spezza and I for one could not be more thankful about it. I think a lot of this turnover (see what I did there) has to do with Spezza himself. I think he spent his early NHL career on Pizza street, one of my favorite streets, and the last few years have taught him that that success in the NHL isn’t all ham, plaques, finding Dan(n)y Heatley waving his stick in the air and letting Papa Alfie clean up everything else. To Spezza’s credit the last few seasons, he has stepped up his already impressive game. Yes, when a the Sens are down by a couple and the opposition is trapping up the neutral zone, yes, he still tries to turn his stick into Gumby and dance around everyone on the ice but how much shit can we really talk about the guy we can always  count on to lead the team in scoring and make his line mates better players and BETTER PEOPLE…(what?) Moving on, I think its fair to say that we got those bounce back years we were looking for from guys like Gonchar after a shaky start, Phillips who is rocking an even +/- instead of -35479834, Alfie who lest we forget is 39 years old, Neal who is quietly having an awesome vintage style year, and perhaps most surprising of all Milan Michalek who despite missing time due to a concussion is still in the NHLs goal scoring elite AKA The No Heatleys Club 🙂
Even as hot and cold and luke warm as Anderson has been at least we see him as our undisputed starter (due in part to Alex Auld as alternative) he has so far taken any pressure off of calling up Lehner while he uhh..learns the uhhh true meaning of getting pelted in Binghamton. Thanks to the very solid play of many of these vets who Murray kept around, come all star game time (#votekuba!) they’ll hopefully be some Ottawa Senators players in the game based on merit! Yes, merit and not the stupid, stupid fan voting system that defeats the purpose of a game that costs HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS to attend so you can see James fucking Reimer start in net against the ghost of Sidney Crosby.

Bobby Butler Has Not Delivered and Its Not the Biggest Deal In the World
As anyone who skims …I mean reads this blog IN FULL on a regular basis knows, one of my favorite things to harp on is how much last season stunk to watch. My favorite flash point being Spezza’s month on IR that saw the team win one game. Truly it was a season lacking in bright spots. One of the few bright spots was the emergence of Robert “Bobby Bee Bop Beantown” Butlah. Sure he was getting most of his points playing on the top line with Spezza but if the 2010-11 season taught us anything, playing on the top line didn’t mean you were going to get points. He also showed some individual panache with his Mark Messier style top cheese goal against Atlanta (Rest In Winnipeg) and his knack for just throwing whatever on net, sometimes with sexy results!

I like I’m assuming many others was bolstered in both fandom and expectations of BB with his Calder Cup championship and new one way contract with the big club. So, yeah, here we are, a few hours from what will be our last year as a planet and Butler is situated snuggly below Jared Cowan for goals scored. To that you might say, but James that’s not fair, Cowan is a top pairing defenseman and Butler a lowly bottom six dude! I respond thusly, in the summer, he looked all but cemented in the top 6 and there was talk of 20+ goal seasons. He’s been given opportunities and kind of blown a lot of them. We were, many of us, ready to put all of our eggs in the Bobby Basket. Wow, this dude has been a disappointment. Though, its hardly been much of a sting, hasn’t it?

Well, we have had the luxury of seeing fellow Bingonites such as Erik Condra, Colin Greening, and oy vey wow Zack Smith firmly step up in his absence. Not to mention improved seasons from vet forwards Chris Neil and Nick Foligno. This of course goes without saying that I hope that Bobby B turns his season around and racks up a bunch of points but I am thankful that our secondary scoring hasn’t suffered with his production lacking. Paul MacLean giving players not named Nikita Filatov a chance to excel when they look ‘on’ has, I believe, made this a much more well rounded team than previous iterations.

Learning What REAL Fan Optimism Is
Seeing as I am basically the guy with the fdfjhrgbvfdfv coloured glasses on this blog, I tend to look on the bright side of things. After a pretty rough start and pleasantly surprising past few months I can see that the future ACTUALLY looks pretty damn good for the Sens. The current team is competing and the cupboards are stocked. That is a lot more substantial than saying maybe Cheechoo and Kovalev can replace Heatley’s production! Or maybe Mike Fisher will finally AND magically be 3 times as good this year! We have spent a few years in the weeds watching the Sens navigate through a younger, faster NHL riding on a skeleton of the beloved cup final roster. Those days are over and done with. The reset button has been pushed and the surprising news is that it is already clear that this was right move.
MAYAN APOCALYPSE HERE WE COME!

James Day Preview: Ottawa Groupons Vs. Florida Grey Poupons

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OH. You thought you wasn’t gon’ see ME? I’m the Osiris of this blog! See, just because it’s the Happy Hollandaise, doesn’t mean the WTYKY machine is sleeping in until 4 in the afternoon, half eaten KFC double down in each hand. No. Whatever gave you that impression? Is it because we don’t really post on weekends or is it the fact that I’m only wearing less than fresh jogging pants right now?  Whatever your problem is, fear not; let me be your spirit guide for a very special James Day Preview.

Tonight we get another look at the Florida City Big Cats as our beloved boys in whatever jersey colours they are wearing tonight play host at The Nova Scotian Financial Services Building. Take a look at all of those Floridian faces and remember ‘em because  according to the NHL realignment plan they will become our BITTER rivals when they join us in the Bridgestone Tires Presents the Travelocity.ca Division next year…well, just until our impending demise in The Mayan Apocalypse of December of the 2012 season that is. I DON’T REMEMBER WHAT EXACT DAY, ALRIGHT! WHAT AM I, MADE OF PREDICTING THE END OF THE WORLD? …

So, GAME TONIGHT, right?  Did anyone else get that Groupon deal for 5 tickets and 5 $10 dollar vouchers for the Precious Times Relaxment Massage Parlour on Montreal road? Stop by and say hello to the whole WTYKY family as we will be on hand in what I imagine will be seats that are located in the last row of a very, very hard to sell section!

You may remember the last time these two teams met the game was of the exciting variety. Nick Foligno shot candy cane dreams out of his eyes with less than 5 seconds remaining. Which kind of  made sense back then. You know, Sens Rule, Florida Stinks, whatever, case closed. Not so fast, the Island of Misfit Free Agents have since become the new kings of the South Easy (that’s right) division. Thanks in no small part to their solid play/coaching and Washington’s signature blend of Deluxe Bed Shittery they now sit in 3rd overall in the East. Yikes right? Mmm I don’t know, I think this is going to be a pretty good little game actually.

Okay, before I get to talking about Kyle Turris *rim shot*
Can I get a small timeout to acknowledge that Daniel Alfredsson has 22 points in 28 games AND IS THIRTY NINE YEARS OLD. He’s also missed time suffering a  concussion this season. Hold me closer Papa Alfie. Wow.

First star of the week, Jason Spezza continues his very impressive run. Another multipoint game could vault him way up in the overall rankings but still far behind leader Claude Giroux who decided out of nowhere that he is Mario Lemieux and is on pace for eleventy billion points. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF just pass Phil Kessel and I’m happy Spezz!

Turris Korner: We are each and every one of us hoping without being overly excited (just kidding I’m a bit excited actually) about seeing another solid performance from new acquision Kyle Turris. I must say, getting a point on a very nice feed to Condra off his own rebound aside, I was pretty damn happy with Turris’ overall performance. Good on both sides of the biscuit, very, very fast, always seemed to be involved with the play when he was on the ice. Keep doin what youre doin white boy.

Special little guy watch continues
With 5 points in his last 2 games, what can be said about the kind of season Erik Karlsson is having? Well, one thing you could say is that he already has more points than Alex Kovalev did as a Senator last year. Ditto Mike Fisher. Ditto Everyone except Jason Spezza this year. He is on pace for over 70 points right now.

On the Florida side, watch out for Brian Campbell who is actually enjoying a good season for a change looks to continue being a Special Grown Up Guy Who Gets Paid A Crazy Amount of Money.

The Net. My favorite 90s movie about tonight’s goaltending matchup:
So even though the Buffalo Sabres are an injury riddled money vacuum, Craig Anderson actually had a quiet little bounce back game on Tuesday. Aside for the one total Snuggle Fabric Softner Bear that he let in. Whatever though, if you let in just one goal that’s fine softie or not. Lets see if he can keep it up  against stiffer competition. Go Craig!

Jose Theodore gets the start in goal for Florida so watch out if it’s a contract year for him because that guy is ALWAYS ON (…when it’s a contract year).

Enjoy the …WAIT …whaaaaaaaaaat
Update: Peter Regin has re-reinjured his re-re-reinjured shoulder and will not play tonight. He is considering surgery. Get well soon, what’s left of Peter Regin’s shoulder/future. Safe to say that no one will be considering pulling on the number 13 for the Senators anytime soon. That has gone…less than smoothly for the young Dane.

Oy that’s depressing news…I want to leave on a bit of a higher note. Did anyone catch Matt Carkner tossing Jason Pomminville to the ice like he was a stuffed WWF Wrestling Buddy for even thinking about crowding the crease after the whistle? It was bad ass. Here’s an artist’s conception via shitty screengrab:

You Don't Mess With The Brohan

AGAIN WITH THIS BY THE FRIGGING WAY!!!

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Hey, Bo$$, need a title for this here Sens/Caps story…OY VEY….but seriously, have you SEEN The Dogman’s TSN profile pic? Feast on THIS….

FIND ME A BETTER PLAYER PICTURE THAN THIS. FIND ME ONE (Brian Elliots weird spit string picture doesnt count. I’m talking wink and moustache class here people)

ENJOY THE GAME!