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Thoughts on last night’s Avalanche-Senators game

December 31st, 2009

Colorado Avalanche- 4, Ottawa Senators- 3

Kind of a predictable game and result from the Avalanche and Senators last night. Craig Anderson had another strong performance (it’s becoming routine this year), the Senators finished the game off strong despite some weak play early on, and breaking out of their own end proved to be difficult for the Senators (as it has all season long). Colorado’s speed was difficult for the Senators to handle and the young Avalanche kids were certainly a factor all game long. It was nice to see Alex Kovalev (or Koastalev as he’s known to our classier readers) driving the net and Ryan Shannon showing some strong play Senators fans got used to towards the end of last season. It should be noted Nick Foligno returned after missing seven games and Erik Karlsson was a healthy scatch for the third straight game.

Here’s the Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier moments of last night’s Avalanche-Senators game.

The Classy

Hey, what’s up with Ryan Shannon lately? He’s like… scoring. Weird. Shannon now has four goals in his last three games and he came through with some big goals for the Senators last night. Yes the first goal went off  Kyle Cuminskey’s skate, but his second goal was a great shot and came at a critical time in the game. I found Shannon’s positioning excellent all game. He’s finding dead area’s in the offensive zone and is moving his feet well. When he’s on his game, he reminds me of a less (much less) physical Mike Fisher. When he’s not on his game… I don’t notice him. Like Jonathan Cheechoo or Alex Kovalev (wow, two low blows!). For Shannon’s sake (and the Senators), I hope he can continue this kind of play. His improved play has really helped this team since Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson went down with serious injuries.

Non-Classy

The sum of Pascal Leclaire’s rebounds and the Ottawa Senators defencemen (and forwards)’s inability to clear Leclaire’s rebounds makes last night’s Non-Classy mention. I lost track of how many routine shots became high risk rebounds… and three of those rebounds turned into Avalanche goals. To Leclaire’s credit, he didn’t have much chance on those goals, but the defence was suspect to say the least. The Senators defencemen were simply out of position or standing around on each of those three goals. Ryan O’Reilly’s game winning goal was a great example of Jonathan Cheechoo not paying attention. Chris Kelly did a great job to hustle back into the play (and nearly caught Darcy Tucker), but it was the third trailing man (O’Reilly) that Cheechoo needed to pick up. He didn’t and the Sens lost because of it. As far as the Matt Duchene goal, I’m sure it’s one Leclaire would like to have back (on a side note: that was a bullet of a shot from Duchene).

Could-Have-Been-Classier

Maybe this is a small thing I’m giving too much attention to, but did anyone else notice Adam Foote dropping to his knees more often than a Tiger Woods transgressioner? It seemed like his default “defensive positioning” to drop down on his knees to take away shots and passes each time the Senators had decent in-zone pressure. However, in doing so, he was leaving just enough room for the super Senators puck handlers to deke around. Don’t worry Adam, Cheechoo, Shannon, and Kovalev thank you. Call it a late Christmas gift or something, but only Shannon could cash in.

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Up next for the Senators is a game tonight against John Tavares and the New York Islanders. The Islanders are 5-5 in their last 10 games and are coming off a home shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. I’m sure many broadcasters will be all over the fact that a year ago today at Scotiabank Place, Tavares had the huge hat-trick performance against the United States in that epic World Junior Canada/US battle. Prediction: the billing will read “Can Tavares do it again?” or something to that extent. I predict the Senators to win the game with Brian Elliott in goal.

Please note we won’t be providing thought’s from the Islanders/Senators game as our complete and undivided attention will be on the World Junior showdown between Canada and the United States. And as well, we’ll be “recovering” from various pool parties. That said, you can expect a full Winter Classic review on the evening of New Years Day.

Happy New Years Eve, classy readers.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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Thoughts on last night’s Senators-Penguins game

December 24th, 2009

Pittsburgh Penguins- 8, Ottawa Senators- 2

Let’s not pull any punches – last night’s game was one of the worst performances from the Ottawa Senators in a long time. I know we said the same about a Sens loss to the Montreal Canadiens earlier this month, but this game was that bad. Last night’s game looked like men against boys and to make matters worse, the Senators lost captain Daniel Alfredsson with a suspected shoulder injury. TSN reported on Wednesday night that Alfredsson is expected to miss “a few weeks” with the injury.

Here are the Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier moments of last night’s one-sided Senators-Penguins game.

The Classy

Nothing. I shouldn’t saying nothing. The first period featured some class. Especially the last 12 or so minutes. The Senators did all the things they needed to do in order to give themselves a chance against one of the NHL’s best teams. They cycled the puck well, they moved their feet, and they drove hard to the net. For most of the first period, Marc-Andre Fleury had to be very good, facing terrific screens and solid Senators net presence. And once the first period buzzer sounded, that was it for the night. (From a Senators-pressure perspective).

Non-Classy

The collapse the Senators displayed between the first and second period was something fierce. The most notable aspect of this collapse was the terrible defensive coverage. For those of you who didn’t catch the game, I can’t tell you how many 2 on 1’s were given up to the Penguins… maybe 8-10. To take this a step further, I’m going to outline which defenceman’s fault each goal was. It was that bad.

Goal 1: Filip Kuba wasn’t paying attention to the back door-cross ice pass to Evgeni Malkin. How was Malkin left wide open like that? It doesn’t make sense to play a tight box against such a star-studded powerplay like Pittsburgh’s.

Goal 2: Bill Guerrin walked out from the corner, took a shot and scored on his own rebound. He literally walked through or around Anton Volchenkov to do this. Why didn’t A-Train body check Guerrin, or at least get in his way?

Goal 3: First Erik Karlsson made a bad read on the 3 on 2, playing the puck and not the pass. He missed and the rush turned into a 2 on 1. Then Kuba does the exact same thing. He didn’t take away the pass like they teach in minor hockey, goes for the shooter and suddenly Ruslan Fedotenko was left with the puck and an open net.

Goal 4: Matt Carkner and Jonathan Cheechoo combined for the world’s worst breakout, ever. The result was a clean turnover (which looked more like a pass) to Guerrin who made a great tip-pass to Chris Kunitz, who’s left wide open as Alexandre Picard was nowhere to be found in the slot. Generally, when your defensive partner is behind the net making a breakout pass, the other defenceman stands in front of their net guarding the slot. Clearly this didn’t happen.

Goal 5: This was a 3 on 1 goal that made Carkner look ridiculous. Ottawa took a chance going for a shorthanded 3 on 2 rush and got burned. I don’t mind the risk – at this point it was 4-1 for the Penguins – but having Mike Fisher on that rush with Kuba and Jarrko Ruutu isn’t the most dangerous looking rush from a Penguins perspective. I wouldn’t take it seriously either.

Goal 6: Chris Phillips chased a Penguin all the way up to the blue line and Chris Neil dropped back for support. So far so good. Then, knowing he’s covering for a defenceman, Chris Neil delivered a soft pass right up the middle of the high slot (another no-no lesson from minor hockey) right on Kunitz’ stick, setting up for a 2 on 1 for Kunitz and Malkin. Of course, Picard being the lone defenceman doesn’t take away the pass hanging Leclaire out to dry.

Goal 7: Sergei Gonchar snuck into the slot and scored on a one timer, right in front of Kuba. No slot coverage at all. Nice.

Goal 8:  Ryan Shannon is the lone Senator playing defence in the offensive zone. Chris Phillips saw this from the half-boards, sends a bad pass to Shannon (that he had to receive on his backhand), setting up for 2 on 0 with Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Result: Malkin hat-trick.

Yes, Pascal Leclaire didn’t look good in his Senators return, but he wasn’t given any help whatsoever. I find it hard to blame Leclaire when the defence played this poorly.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

One area (of many) the Ottawa Senators could have been classier in was discipline. For a team who publicly complained about the lack of powerplays they’d been receiving, they didn’t help themselves last night. The Pittsburgh Penguins scored on 3 of their 8 powerplays… and they have the league’s worst powerplay. I found a lot of the penalties taken were unnecessary – Jonathan Cheechoo’s back-to-back penalties come to mind, especially given the timing of the penalties. The Senators were tied at 1 at that point. Basically, this was a pretty big fail by the Sens. “Penalty-Fail”.

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Luckily for Alfredsson and the Senators, they’ll have a few days off between games. In fact, their next game is on Saturday night in Buffalo against Ryan Miller and the Sabres. I don’t even know what else to say. Hopefully for Senators fans, there’s a much better effort from the club.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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Thoughts on last night’s Senators-Ducks game

December 7th, 2009

Ottawa Senators- 4, Anaheim Ducks- 3, Shootout

A win in Anaheim last night doesn’t exactly make the Senators west coast road trip a success, but a win is a win. The Ottawa Senators snapped a 4 game losing streak in a shootout win against the Anaheim Ducks, thanks to Alex Kovalev and Daniel Alfredsson. While it was a weird back-and-forth type of game, it was a game Ottawa deserved to win. In a strange way, Ottawa jumping out to 3 different 1 goal leads could be a good thing for the team moving forward. It showed Senators have character, resilience, and drive.

Without any further delays, here are last night’s Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier moments.

The Classy

This might be a first for our Senators reviews. Last night’s Classy player was Jonathan Cheechoo. I know he ended the game without any points (and a -1), but he played a large role in the Jarkko Ruutu goal with great forechecking and drew a few penalties early in the game. The key to Cheechoo’s strong performance (last night and over the last few games) has been his desire to win 1 on 1 battles and keeping his feet moving. I haven’t seen Cheechoo skate this well in an Ottawa jersey all season. Let’s hope he’s finally got his game going.

An honourable mention goes to Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks. Perry took 27 shifts and registered 23:44 minutes in Sunday’s game, but it seemed like he never left the ice. He was a force all night – along the boards, in the corners, and most importantly on the scoreboard. Perry may be the most talented ‘pest’ in the NHL. His strong play this season (he’s currently tied with Sidney Crosby for 3rd in the NHL in points) has got the attention of Steve Yzerman and the decision makers behind the Canadian Olympic roster.

Non-Classy

Last night’s Non-Classy goes to Senators goalie Brian Elliott. I found Elliott’s play last night inconsistent and sluggish, especially as the game went on. In key moments in the 3rd period, with the game tied at 3, Elliott’s reactions were slow and lethargic. I’m not entirely sure how some of Anaheim’s quality scoring chances weren’t goals. You can tell Elliott has lost his confidence as of late. He’s not challenging shooters and is deep in his crease (on the goal line). This was very telling in the 2nd and 3rd Anaheim goals last night. Elliott could also be fatigued as he’s started the last 8 Senators games.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

What was up with the referee’s last night? By far, they get the Could-Have-Been-Classier nod of the evening. Early in the game, the ref’s were letting penalties go and I can live with that. What I can’t understand is how or why they let so much go in the 3rd period. There were countless amounts of plays from both teams that could have been penalties (Corey Perry’s trip on Anton Volchenkov, Jarrko Ruutu’s interference with J.S. Giguere, the hit from behind on Erik Karlsson, etc…) in the 3rd period that were called in the penalty filled 2nd period.

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Up next, the Ottawa Senators host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Place. I’d like to see Ottawa get back to their strong play and aggressive Cory Clouston style. The Senators defense stood still at times last night and allowed Anaheim to attack their zone freely. Ultimately, this cost them the 3rd goal (Perry’s backhand) – they kept backing up and didn’t push back on the Ducks. I’d also like to see Ottawa clamp down on the number of turnovers, bad passes, and giveaways in the neutral zone. Against a quicker team like Montreal, players like Mike Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec will score on those kinds of chances.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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Ottawa Senators game day predictions (Sens/Ducks)

December 6th, 2009

Since we started doing Ottawa Senators game predictions, the team has lost 3 straight. I’m unsure if its coincidence or not… but I’m willing to take the chance. (Can it really get much worse at this point?). This is the final game of their western road trip against the Anaheim Ducks. For whatever reason, Ottawa never plays well in Anaheim.

Line up notes for tonight’s game: At this point, who knows. I suspect Alex Picard and Chris Neil won’t suit up and a small part of me hopes Mike Brodeur gets the start in goal tonight.

Here’s our predictions - do you agree? Let us know below.

Ottawa Senators vs Anaheim Ducks – 8:00pm EST; Sportsnet East, KDOC

Burgundy: Ottawa- 3, Anaheim- 1; With Jonathan Cheechoo playing well on this road trip, not only do I predict a solid game from him, I predict Cory Clouston to finally put him with a top player like Jason Spezza or Alex Kovalev. And frankly, I expect players like Erik Karlsson, Chris Campoli, and Nick Foligno to play well or they could be seeing a lot of bench time on Tuesday night. I look for Ottawa to have a been game tonight than last.

Champ: Anaheim- 4, Ottawa- 1; Boys will be pretty deflated after a loss to the Coyotes. If they don’t win this one expect the coach to start sitting some vets

Tambland: Ottawa- 2, Anaheim- 1 (SO); This is going to be a grinder of a game, with the Sens playing a desperate defensive game. They are going to be tired, and nervous, so don’t expect any high flying action. But a shootout win is just what they need to get out of this funk.

Fantana: Ottawa- 2, Anaheim- 1; Ottawa will finally win out west! They’ll need to get back to basics, play a simpler game and play a full 60 minutes in order to pick up the win. They also need to make sure they can get through the first few minutes of the game without giving up the first goal, unlike previous games against Phoenix and L.A. I predict a nail-biting 2-1 victory for the Sens.

Stay classy, Anaheim Ducks.

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Ottawa Senators game day predictions (Sens/Sharks)

December 1st, 2009

Apparently some hockey player in California is about to play his old team tonight. I’m pretty sure it’s not Wayne Gretzky, although I’m not positive. I think (**think**) it’s some dude named Dany Heatley. I had a hard time remembering his name for a moment or two (thanks Wikipedia). But seriously folks: Easiest. Sports story. Ever. It’s almost like a day off for reporters and bloggers everywhere. Thanks Dany!

As you probably know, we’re really getting into this whole game day predictions thing for the Ottawa Senators. We’re hoping James Gordon at the Ottawa Citizen likes our predictions. Especially considering he hasn’t asked the Classiest bloggers on the internet for their predictions at all this season.

(By the way, we’re just having fun with James. We mean no ill will… we are classy people you know…)

Alright. Here we go. Sens and Sharks. Here’s our predictions - do you agree? Let us know below.

Ottawa Senators vs San Jose Sharks (and Dany Heatley) – 10:30pm EST; Sportsnet East, CSN California

Burgundy: San Jose- 4, Ottawa- 2; First of all, the media is focusing on the wrong story for tonight’s game. This is the big return for Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo! I predict Cheech to score against his former team tonight. Kidding, obviously. But I think Michalek will score a goal. And yes, I think Heatley will score too. But I predict Ottawa to be so focused on shutting Heatley down that they’ll forget about 4th highest goal scorer in the NHL, Patrick Marleau.

Fantana: San Jose- 6, Ottawa- 4; Ottawa are 3-4-1 on the road while San Jose are 7-1-2 at home. The Marleau-Thornton-Heatley line continues to rip it up and I’m willing to bet they do some serious damage again against the Sens. My Heatley prediction is that he’ll score 2 goals against his former team.

Tambland: Ottawa- 4, San Jose- 2; I spent a lot of time looking at this game trying to figure out what significance, if any, I could find. And then it hit me: this will be Jamie McGinn’s first game against the city where he played his junior hockey as a member of the Ottawa 67s. That said, I think the Senators will have some added motivation since the loss against Boston on Saturday. They know San Jose is going to be a tough task, so they should come out strong and win won for the gipper… as they say.

Champ: San Jose- 5, Ottawa- 3; Three Senators try and run Heatley and there’s a good chance he loses another tooth!

Mantooth: San Jose- 3, Ottawa- 1; Ottawa finally gets to see Dany Heatley since this summer’s “trade request” over a “diminished role”. Don’t expect anyone on either side to hold back anything. Its hard to argue that the Sharks are the far better team offensively, and don’t expect much to change this time around. I don’t think that Elliot stands a chance against the Marleau/Thornton/Heatley line, but who knows, we might see another upset like that Sharks/Hawks game last week.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators… ummm… and Dany Heatley.

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Thoughts from last night’s Oilers-Senators game

November 11th, 2009

Rememberance Day Poppy

Lest we forget.

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Ottawa Senators- 4, Edmonton Oilers- 3, (SO)

I will say this about the Ottawa Senators these days; they sure make it interesting.

Last night’s game didn’t really have a lot of storyline going into it, other than the three players in Edmonton who could have feasibly been in Ottawa. Perhaps the return of Mike Comrie as well? Really though, there is not a lot of bad blood between these two teams, and it really was just a matchup of two similar win/loss records, and two teams trying to prove that they can be contenders.

At least three of last night’s goals were flukey to say the least, and it seemed only fitting that this game would go to Overtime and then to a shootout to settle it.

Here it is though- the Classy, Non-Classy, and Could-Have-Been-Classier from last night’s game.

The Classy

When I sat down to watch the game, I think I mumbled something about Jonathan Cheechoo finally scoring. I quickly laughed that one off, and questioned how much longer he was going to last before scoring his first goal since April.

Well, Cheechoo didn’t disappoint. That laser beam, top-shelf, opposite corner shot was perfect, and it was though the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. Usually we don’t give the Classy to just anyone, but last night’s Classy definitely goes to Jonathan Cheechoo, who showed that he might still have something up his sleeves.

I should say that Honourable Mention goes to the Senators in general, for not being penalized as much as usual last night.

Non-Classy

The Non-Classy is always a tough one to decide after a win. There’s always part of the game you don’t like; a bad goal here or there; or just laziness from certain players. Well, last night’s Non-Classy goes to none of the above.

The Non-Classy goes to the fact that teams are just playing for Overtime and shootouts now. When Edmonton tied the game with just under 5 minutes remaining in the game, both teams kind of shut down. They played a more defensive game, and you could see that they were afraid to lose rather than desiring to win. Ottawa had already demonstrated that it could come back, not once, but twice, so why slow down. It’s just frustrating to watch sometimes, that’s all.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

Poor Pascal Leclaire. It’s like no matter what he does, I always tend to throw him in here. Again, he made some absolutely outstanding saves last night, and his leg quickness is unbelievable at times. But he also let in two softies that would have kept this game from going to Overtime.

I always feel bad putting him here, because he’s providing some excellent goaltending for the team. But I guess that’s the nature of the position. No matter what you do, it still Could-Have-Been-Classier.

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Next up is a Thursday night matchup in the City of Brotherly Love, where we get to face one of Ottawa’s favourite former goaltenders in Ray Emery. Have no doubt in your mind that Emery has had this one circled on the calendar for a long time now. This is the first matchup between these two teams this season, and for whatever reason, there’s always the potential for fireworks between Ottawa and Philadelphia.

Ottawa really needs this game on Thursday to show that they can string some wins together, and I’m sure there’s going to be some of Eugene Melynk’s money on the board in the Flyers dressing room (Emery is still being bought out after all). Should be a good one.

Stay classy, Sens fans. Don’t forget to take some time today to Remember.

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The reincarnation of the Ottawa Senators

November 5th, 2009

Ever sat through a movie or a T.V. Show and found yourself wondering if you haven’t already seen it? That is kind of what it was like when I was watching the Ottawa Senators the other day. It is kind of like a movie I’ve already seen.

I simply say this because there are so many players on this team that seem like they have been here before. And when I watch Daniel Alfredsson, I can’t help but think that even he is a little nonchalant about some of the newbies.

Now, I’m not insinuating that the team will suffer the same results as the previous incarnations of the Senators; just that a few of these guys have already been here before. So sit back, relax, and prepare to be awe-struck at my ability to make something out of nothing.

Alex Kovalev = Alexei Yashin

Nevermind the fact that both of these guys are big Russian forwards. It is the play of AK27 that reminds me so much of Yash. You see, even before we signed Kovalev to a 2-year deal, we already had our resident enigma.

Yashin had all the potential to steal a game. He had size, strength, vision and great hands. But he also had the ability to be completely invisible on the ice. We used to jke that if Yashin didn’t do something in the game early, you wouldn’t even see him for the rest of the game. Apparently if Yashin didn’t do something in the playoffs, you wouldn’t even see him the next season. But that is a different topic altogether.

Milan Michalek = Marian Hossa

Isn’t it kind of funny that we’ve come full circle on this. We traded Hossa for Heatley, enjoyed some of his production for a while, and then traded Heatley for Hossa V 2.0.

Michalek’s speed and size reminds me so much of Hossa; particularly as he drives the left side on his way to the front of the net. Like Hossa before him, Michalek is also a huge threat on the PK. All he needs now is a tinted visor and a sketchy contract.

Jonathan Cheechoo = Bill Muckalt

This could change… and not when Cheechoo scores his first goal.

But like Muckalt, Cheechoo was the afterthought in the trade that finally got rid of a disgruntled player. As m,y of us so fondly remember, Muckalt came over with Zdeno Chara and a first round draft pick that became Jason Spezza in exchange for Alexei Yashin. So all things being equal, we may be able to assume that San Jose’s pick will become a superstar.

Peter Regin = Todd White

They both have 5 letters in their last names. Crazy eh.

Pascal Leclaire = Dominik Hasek

I say this for a couple reasons. 1) Pascal is probably the best goaltender this team has had since the Dominator, and 2) They really seem to have similar personalities.

You see, they both seem like really fun loving guys who relish the media spotlight and the attention they get in Ottawa. Neither seems particulary phased by much, and they’re both just a bit quirky Pascal, for instance, has admitted several times that he talks to himself during games.

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So there you have it folks. A clear list that we have already seen these players before. And while I don’t think we have to worry about the same outcomes with any of these guys, it sure is hilarous to talk about the similarities.

Stay classy, old Senator players who have been reincarnated as new Senator players.

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Thoughts on last night’s Senators-Penguins game

October 13th, 2009

October 12 – Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators

Monday night’s game kind of reminded me of a game of Monopoly when all you need is Boardwalk to win, but you just keep missing it until finally your little brother gets it and then you can’t manage to get past it and pay the little bugger whatever stupid rent you owe him until you finally have to trade away all your yellow properties, including the cherished Marvin Gardens. But I digress. I guess what I’m saying is that the bounces just didn’t go Ottawa’s way tonight.

In a game that Ottawa outshot Pittsburgh 30-28, one play in mind typifies how the Senators night went; Kovalev’s powerplay pass that went off the wrong end of Alfie’s blade and out of the zone. Most of last night’s goals came off weird bounces and karmic intervention. Clearly Thanksgiving was not meant to be a Penguin meal.

There were some bright spots throughout the game though. At times the Ottawa Senators did outplay the Pittsburgh Penguins, and newcomer Milan Michalek played more than 22 minutes of noticeably good hockey. Despite only registering one point, Jason Spezza is playing very good hockey these days. He did turn the puck over once or twice, but it’s what he does away from the puck that is what is making the difference. He is skating hard, backchecking and is engaged at both ends of the ice. His points will come soon enough.

So with that, I present the classy, non-classy and the should-have-been-classier from last night’s game.

The Classy

Tough to make the call for The Classy on a night when there wasn’t much classy going on. I considered throwing the newly formed line of Spezza, Cheechoo and Michalek here for the Classy, but I am going to hold onto that one until the magic finally happens (but kudos to Cory Clouston for finally putting Spezz and Cheech together).

Instead, this is going to go to the fourth line of Donovan, Rutuu and Kelly. As Clouston told the media, they did their jobs last night, crashed the net, and even got a few decent scoring chances. When your fourth line can go on, make some plays, and give the opposing first line some trouble, you know you’ve been classy.

The Non-Classy

The Chris Campoli-Erik Karlsson pairing clearly was not working tonight, but I am going to give Karlsson one more game before I throw him under the bus. Instead, last night’s Non-Classy is going to go to Murphy’s Law. Whether it was a bad bounce, a redirect off of two of Karlsson’s skates, or the inability to get a stick on the puck, nothing was going right for Ottawa last night.

Could-Have-Been-Classier

This one has to go to Pascal Leclaire, and I mean that in the nicest way. Pazzy probably could have prevented one of those goals, and I would like to see him get his rebounds under control a bit more. He is a very quick goalie, and he seems to get into position in an expedient amount of time, but better rebound control could make a huge difference. Don’t take this the wrong way Pazzy, because you’re still a classy guy. Even Burgundy agrees with me.

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All in all, this was a chippy and sluggish game. Ottawa didn’t bring their best game, but neither did Pittsburgh. As both of these teams start to find their regular season groove, I think the next match-up will be a much better tilt. It should be noted Sidney Crosby hasn’t scored a goal in his last 6 appearances at Scotiabank Place.

For now, Ottawa has a nice three day break for the media and bloggers alike to speculate about everything this team is going to do this season.

Stay classy, everyone.

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Glitches in the Ottawa Senators-New York Rangers game confirmed

October 5th, 2009

October 4 – Ottawa Senators vs New York Rangers

Let me preface this by saying that I’m still very optimistic about the upcoming season. I would rather start the season 0-1, instead of 1-0 and going on a 15-2 tear and somehow imploding.

Anyways, there were a couple things that intrigued me about Saturday’s game, so I busted out EA Sports NHL 10 just to confirm a few things I noticed in last night’s game.

1) Top-shelf is the way to go on Pascal ‘Pazzy’ Leclaire

- I didn’t quite believe it when I first saw it in the game, so I attempted a few run and gun style plays against Pascal Leclaire. And sure enough, anything over the shoulder automatically went in. There was even one time when I hit the crossbar, the whistle blew, but the game recognized it’s own error and allowed the late skater to put in a rebound even though the play was dead. Remarkable, really.

2) Ryan Shannon really is only 5′7

- I thought the game would have some sort of minimum height requirement, and it turns out its called the Ryan Shannon default. I decided to take a run at Donald Brashear with Shannon, and somehow Shannon left the game concussed. No word yet on whether he was wearing Mark Messier’s concussion helmet.

3) Matt Carkner has more balls in real life than in the virtual world

- I spent a lot of the game as Donald Brashear running around trying to goat Matt Carkner into a fight. Even after a whistle, I literally chased him around the ice as he skated away from me. When I finally got close enough to press the fight button, Matt Carkner suddenly ended up walking down the dressing room tunnel with a message saying that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress. So clearly, EA Sports didn’t do enough research on the testicular fortitude of the real life Matt Carkner.

4) Jonathan Cheechoo can’t get no love

- I had to switch to Be a Pro mode for this one. Basically, I played as Jonathan Cheechoo, and every time I jumped on the ice, that little red circle was already beside the bench, which automatically pulled me off. I thought it might a glitch, so I sent Cheechoo down to Binghamton to try it there, and I still couldn’t get any ice time.

5) Watching Mike Fisher beat up Aaron Voros in first-person is cool too

- When I finally got Mike Fisher and Aaron Voros to tangle up for a fight, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to beat the guy up. In fact, after some research, it seems as though there is a “Pretty Face Guard” that EA has installed to protect players like Mike Fisher from being hit in the first-person fight mode. No word yet on whether Carrie Underwood has family working at EA Sports.

–

There you have it folks. I probably should have known this stuff already, given how much time I’ve spent playing NHL 10. But if you have any other questions, please feel free to let me know, as I will be more than happy to spend countless hours playing that game.

Stay classy, virtual Ottawa Senators.

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It’s infomercial time – The Dany Heatley saga explained

September 15th, 2009

Relive one of the most exciting, drawn-out and dramatic sagas in the history of this summer’s NHL off-season. And I’m not talking about the Phoenix Coyotes.

For a limited time only, Stayclassy.net is pleased to bring you the entire collection of posts, thoughts and blogs concerning the Dany Heatley Saga.

You can look back at the early blogs, and follow the seven stages of grief throughout the entire ordeal.

This is it. The last of the Stayclassy.net Dany Heatley blogs!

This is it. The last of the Stayclassy.net Dany Heatley blogs!

Relive the shock and awe from the initial announcement of the trade request (note: Tambland totally called Cheechoo to Ottawa back in early June).

Look back at some of the more humourous ideas to trade for the Senators’ sniper. This one is pretty funny too.

Remember what it was like when we all thought Dany Heatley was going to be traded, and what it was like when he wasn’t.

Or how about that time you were wondering what you could do with your Ottawa Senators Dany Heatley jersey.

The Dany Heatley saga also includes reactions to some of the rumoured trades, like the Minnesota Wild rumour that never came to be. You can also sing-along in your head to “An Ode to Getting Rid of Dany Heatley.”

Finally, you can look at the reaction to the trade, including the question of Doug Wilson’s shakeup in San Jose.

All of this and more is available by clicking on the Dany Heatley Saga category.

Relive the summer of 2009, without the rain, and in only a matter of minutes. Yours to own today!

Stay classy, for the absolute final-last time, Dany Heatley!

** Burgundy’s note: Holy crap. That’s a lot of Dany Heatley blogs. 25 of them to be exact. I’m happy to say we’re done with talking about him for good!

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Posted in NHL Commentary, Ottawa Senators

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