All Time Sens Teams
With the CBA talks seemingly no closer to a resolution, the summer has the potential to drag on and on without hockey. At the end of August every year, I long for any tidbit of news I can use. It may be for hockey pools, discussion, or just filling my brain with useless hockey info to counter attack any diss to my beloved Sens.
I last chirped about Daniel Alfredsson’s successor, and it provided some great debate. I’d like to take a stab at another topic, so that us diehards have something to talk about.
I decided to write about the All-time Sens team. Personally, I think most spots are slam dunks in my opinion. I think some of the numbers and stats speak for themselves. That being said, I missed Chris Neil as a potential Captain before in my last post, so I’m sure everyone will find some holes in my logic this time. Bring it on!
1st Team
Centre – Jason Spezza
Right Wing – Daniel Alfredsson
Left Wing – Dany Heatley
Defenceman – Zdeno Chara
Defenceman – Chris Phillips
Goaltender – Patrick Lalime
Okay. Don’t freak out. There are a couple of names there that may not be all that intuitive – notably, Heatley, Phillips and Lalime. Realistically, Heatley was very productive during his time in Ottawa. Not only did he put up great individual numbers, he helped us reach the 2007 Stanley Cup finals. I really think he deserves that spot.
Now for Lalime. Again, I will let the numbers do the talking. His 1.77 GAA and .926 save percentage in the playoffs is tops amongst our goalies (Prusek only played one game). His 30 shutouts in the regular season is also tops. I’m going to stick with the positives as a couple of bad goals shouldn’t tarnish a great career in Ottawa.
I chose Phillips on a different basis. Call me inconsistent, but Phillips has had a knack for getting us some big goals. In addition, his playoff performances are usually a step above what he does in the regular season, and all he does in the regular season is be rock solid. Granted, he is no longer logging in top pairing minutes, but during many of his 1025 games he did. He’s worthy of the nomination.
2nd Team
Centre – Alexei Yashin
Right Wing – Marian Hossa
Left Wing – Shawn McEachern
Defenceman – Wade Redden
Defenceman – Erik Karlsson
Goaltender – Ray Emery
This is where things get a little more interesting. There is a mix of hatred, disappointment, surprise and confusion contained in this list. For this one, I’m going to try a bit more detail on each.
Yashin – Love him or hate him, he had some very good years in Ottawa. I’m glad it’s not us that is still paying this guy. It was his production that allowed us to get such a great return. Spezza, Chara and Bill Muckalt were all awesome. Well, 2 for 3 isn’t bad.
Marian Hossa – Martin Havlat is the next top contender for this spot. I just thought that Hossa was a more complete player.
Shawn McEachern – Beyond Heatley, there hasn’t been much strength on the left wing for Ottawa. This is not meant to disrespect McEachern, but there are better players not making my 1st or 2nd all-time Sens team than him.
Wade Redden – Redden was a stud. Emphasis on the “was”. There shouldn’t be any doubt as to his contributions while he was here.
Erik Karlsson – I’d like to see him put together one more solid season before promoting him up to the 1st team. It would be nice for him to create some playoff memories similar to those provided by Phillips for me.
Ray Emery – This is the guy that got us to the finals. I’m a big Tugnutt fan, and I think Anderson can bump him soon. It’s just that I respect the memories (or lack thereof) of 2007.
What are your teams?
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1st Team
Centre – Jason Spezza
Right Wing – Daniel Alfredsson
Left Wing – Dany Heatley
Defenceman – Zdeno Chara
Defenceman – Erik Karlsson
Goaltender – D. Hasek
2nd Team
Centre – Alexei Yashin
Right Wing – Marian Hossa
Left Wing – Martin Havlat
Defenceman – S. Duchesne
Defenceman – Lance Pitlick haha
Goaltender – Damian Rhodes
Tcharger- Would you mind removing the RSU reference from your name? Understand that you have your issues with them but would prefer if we could avoid that criticism here on the site.
Thanks!
Andy > Emery
I remember Emery letting in his share of softies and I was never 100% confident in him making the "big" saves. I just find Andy more consistent under pressure.
I agree with most of the list (even heatly, he lit it up for us).
Honorable mentions:
Volchenkov/phillips (best shutdown team we might of ever had...in my opinion)
I suppose out of respect for you...next time I'm at my PC...will express my opinion when they are brought up though
1st Team
Centre - Frank McGee
Right Wing - Frank Finnigan
Left Wing - Cy Denneny
Defenceman - King Clancy
Defenceman - Georges Boucher
Goaltender - Alec Connell
2nd Team
Centre - Frank Nighbor
Right Wing - Alf Smith
Left Wing - Albert Kerr
Defenceman - Harvey Pulford
Defenceman - Lionel Hitchman
Rover - Rat Westwick
Goaltender - Percy LeSueur
And who is RSU?
Change your name man.
Hey Spin, is that a joke, Hasek, 1st team? I get your droolingnover Karlsson but he needs to do it consistently for maybe 5 years to atleast be consisdered passed Phillips or Redden or even Duchesne, come on man give your head a shake!
Your a clown!
Haha dear God man, way NOT to show your age...
Get off my lawn!
At 8am, he tweeted that Markov is suing his insurance guy. RDS ran a story on it and Mr. HI started screaming that RDS didn't quote him as the one who broke the story.
I guess HI doesn't know of this thing called Google? Searched Markov and lapress ran the story at 5AM!
Get your popcorn...
Anything you say! Just dont blast me with that shotgun!
Centre - Radek Bonk (Didn't live up to his hype, but turned out to be a quality player)
Right Wing - Milan Michalek (his book is still being written)
Left Wing - Mike Fisher (natural centre, but he also played some wing)
Defenceman - Igor Kravchuk (solid, but regretfully forgotten)
Defenceman - Anton Volchenkov (so sorry to see him go)
Goalie - Dominik Hasek (He is the best goalie we ever had. Lockout didn't help, and the year he was injured in the Olympics we would have gone to the Cup)
Assuming both B. Murray and J. Martin would coach the 1st and 2nd teams, I'll select P. Mzclean coach the third, with P. Gauthier as the GM.
Themayniac
I'm not actually that old... just watched a lot of vintage Sens back in the day before we had our own team. Couldn't cheer for TO and hated MTL (Roy being the exception though) but i did enjoy the Nordiques.
I do miss the 7 player lineups though lol.
man the neverending saga continues with this kid...we need a fifth estate or W5 exposure type story on this guy..man, are we really that bored, damn..gonna go home and play the nhl13 demo again lol...wife promises if I am a good boy I will get it come christmas..migh t be the only hockey exposure I get this year...beer purchases will be down i guess :(
Someone stated that in the NFL lockout situation that the players were getting ready to sue the owners based on the fact that they weren't negotiating in "good faith", since the owners demands were so off the wall.
Then shortly after, they worked out a deal based on this threat.
Is this legit? Can the players actually do that to the NHL owners?
Considering that it seems like Gary fuckface really wants to go for the hat trick of lockouts??
1 great season doesnt earn him a spot on the 1st team, he has to do it consistantly, year after year like the one's on there did.
this year..if it happens..would be the big test for him..he will be getting a lot of attention and forwards will be on him that much quicker on the forecheck, trying to force him to rush that 1st pass, so I know the kid is talented, but agree Tookie..let's see how he does this year under more pressure/scruti ny (again..if it happens)
I found NHL 13 to be far more realistic than any other game. When I turned it on for the first time a message came up on my TV screen "sorry you have to wait a year for hockey".
With guys like Karlsson, Hasek, Hossa etc this makes a big difference.
I like most of the suggested teams so far. Surprised Havlat's name hasn't come up more and agree A-Train needs some love.
Weird I turn mine on and the logo came up SEL 13!!
I wonder what the GM-mode rules will be like in NHL13. Will there be an update available if things change dramatically?
Hey Tooks, how about we see your All Time Sens line up instead of putting everyone elses down. You H8ting little Twit !!
Heatley - Spezza - Alfredsson
Michalek - Yashin - Hossa
McEachern - Fisher - Havlat
Arvedson - Bonk - Neil/Daigle
Redden - Chara
Duchense - Karlsson
Phillips - Volchenkov/Kravchuk
Hasek - Emery
lol nice...then it should have a little mini game of punch bettman in the head...that game would be very, very popular right now.
I've always thought drafts were under-done in video games. Would be hilarious if they had Bettman step up to a podium, get booed and then introduce the next pick or something.
hey chirp how about a sens contest, design a goalie mask... one for anderson, one for bishop and one for lehner, our goalies could use some help from the fans, especially bishops upside down logo.
could be fun, just need a common template everyone uses.
That bullshit of being demoted to the 2nd PP unit... was just that bullshit. He was on the 2nd PP in San Jose and did not complain.
As much as it hurt the Sens after he left... he probably did more damage to his career in leaving the best centreman he ever played with. He did not even come close to having the chemistry with the great Joe Thornton or Miko Koivu that he had with Spezza.
I agree im actually pissed on how they do the draft, im a very be a gm oriented guy and how the draft is pisses me off. Only people that are 17-18 year olds are drafted! There is the rare occasion(David Perron) that a 19 year old is drafted and its an even more rare occasion if a 20 year old is drafted(i.e Mark Streit but he was like 26) Also first overall picks should be high 70s, low 80s and high potential. I mostly ran into low 70s with crap potentiel. I really hope they fix that in NHL 13
I also find the idea of bringing in players who play for other teams distasteful.
So i cheat.
I create a load of players using the stats/attribute s etc of current senators, create a dummy team and swap the players from the sens into that - whilkst this means they don't play for me they also aren't free agents - the concept of Karlsson being signed by the leafs for example makes me want to barf
i then play this fake team as the senators and go about my business.
it means that id on't sign many free agents for the first two or three years because i refuse to have real players that are non sens play on my team
it also means that in about 3 or 4 seasons i have a very young team
yes i know
SAD
I went for full career as long as they played a season in Ottawa...
Cause i Know in be a gm I always do fantasy draft i find it pretty awesome!
I love Havlat and would have loved to put him on the team. I think the Sens have just been deepest on RW.
As for my criteria, I was pretty inconsistent. I wanted to select guys that have had an impact for our Sens in a good way. Hence, a guy like Hasek was not on the team. His contribution was minimal. I'd argue I'd value Tugnutt, Rhodes, and Anderson more than Hasek.
On another note, I know I selected Emery primarily for his contributions to the Cup Final in 2007, but I didn't take Karlsson for taking home the Norris. Again, inconsistent but I felt the Cup run had more impact than Karlsson winning the Norris.
Personally I would put Hossa on the 1st team LW and Heatley on the 2nd team, but that is a bit more debatable in my opinion.
I find the rest pretty agreeable. Tugnutt definitely deserves some consideration on the 2nd team, and Emery on the 1st (due to his winning percentage and SC final appearance), but overall the Sens all time teams are pretty straight forward as there's so little competition thus far, and Lalime at least deserves to be on 1 of the 2 teams.
SENS FAN FOR LIFE RSU RULES
Fantasy drafts are the best! It's the whole reason I play video game sports. The be a player mode is pretty cool too, just very time consuming and very unforgiving on turnovers.
Apparently Ottawa is now on the playoff radar (as we should be, every year)
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/48196-The-Hockey-News-201213-NHL-regular-season-predictions-No-6.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=thn_daily_20120821
Interesting to note that karlsson won't be taking teams by surprise this year (lol)
Who is RSU
http://www.redscarfunion.com/
It really makes me wonder how they plan to sign and keep all of these stars over the years.
Wow...Just amazing.
I know some are saying on TSN that the contract will be a "steal" when he's in year 3-7, but that all depends on time. Hall is not a reckless player, and has had both of his seasons cut short due to IMO freak injuries.
The kid is going to be a superstar, no doubt...If he remains healthy. It will be interesting to see what happens with Ebs though this week. I wonder if the owners are thinking "sign all these guys to massive contracts, and we'll hope for a roll-back" kinda deal.
These owners are absolute clowns and I will throw the name of Eugene Melnyk in there. As much as I love the way EK65 plays and happy that he will be here for the next 7 years, why would the owners allow for these ridiculous contracts to be signed when they want a limit on them in the first place?
It's obvious that these owners are out of control, so why not just keep going with the existing CBA. For that matter what the hell is the point of having a CBA. It's going to be real frustrating as a fan if we have to wait until December or who knows when, when they just kleep throwing out the dollars and then Bettman goes out in front of the cameras and begs the players to take less.
I don't doubt he'll be great either, but a 6M a year player at 20 years of age? I guess Ek got his money, but he was the most productive offensive D last year. One guy I don't think the Oil has used right is Magnus Paajarvi. The kid wasn't ready for NHL action at his age but they had to force him in and it's been a roller coaster for him. I'd like to see Ottawa try to steal him for nothing and give him the AHL ice time he needs to translate his game at the NHL level. A year or two would be great on his confidence, not to mention how many of his country men are here.
You have a point but even if an existing rule seems counter-product ive, if it's there for anyone to use you have to use it. To use EK65 as an example, Melnyk may well have thought it was too big a contract even for Karlsson, but since some other team could have offer-sheeted him or arbitration could have led to a similar deal or worse (using comparables) he sort of has to sign him to that deal. And he got off lucky all things considered - lesser players have bigger contracts than Karlsson does.
I get the irony in owners signing massive deals with one hand and then waving the white flag with the other - but that's exactly why they want defined limits in the CBA. So they can offer a player the best deal possible (within a new CBA) but still have it be reasonable (all in the owners eyes of course).
Really, putting those sorts of limits on contracts helps the not-so-rich teams compete and not just get outbid every time or be forced to offer contracts they really can't afford.
EDIT, I'ma actually take Heatley & Redden and replace them with...
Denneny Spezza Alfie
Chara King Clancy
Benedict!
I mean hell how can I not like this guy:
After winning three Stanley Cups with the Senators, his career changed in the 1923–24 season. Benedict developed a problem with drinking, which at first was kept secret by the Senators. Benedict occasionally played for the Senators while under the effects!!
LOL
man its the precursor to babe ruth in baseball, that is freaking awesome..imagin e making those saves while tipsy..no easy feat.
Hax pretty much nailed it. There are 29 other teams that would have jumped at the opportunity to sign EK to an offer-sheet. Hockey is a business, and there will always be other customers more than willing to over pay for services of elite NHLers.
This is how I see it:
1. The players aren't stupid-- they want more money. They know how much their professional athlete counterparts (NBA/MLB/NFL/Et c) make. It's a completely valid opinion too, considering that due to the appeal of the sport, NHLers are least likely IMO to get an endorsement deal or sponsorship, so the most effective way to increase their salary through large contracts.
2. The owners, being cheap, stingy, etc don't want to give out big money, but kind of have to, so that their stars aren't offer sheeted away from small markets.
So what has to happen?
1) An 'effing lockout.
2) Bettman to step down.
3) Both.
Andy needs to win a playoff round for the first time in his LIFE to be close to as good as Ray. Still the best goaltender this team has had.
I would drop Phillips from these lists and rep with Duchesne, who scored one of our most important goals ever.
Flip Yashin with Spezza (Yashin was a Hart trophy finalist and he didn't have prime/post-prim e Alfredsson, Heatley, Karlsson...) and it's just about perfect.
Bang on Tooks.
What Chara, Redden had was consistency, they weren't just a flash in the pan like Fly 65. Once E-Karlz puts in a good 5-10 years with us, THEN he can sit in the big chairs with the adults. Until then...pass the mashed potatoes Erik.
Again, it depends on if you're building a team of fantasy players to put on the ice or if you're handing out awards to past players for their contributions.
I think I'd probably take Anderson on "dream team" over Emery but there is no denying that Emery's accomplishments are miles ahead of what Andy's done so far.
Its a game man chill out, who cares what they are at, its what they finish with. Pretty sure Karlsson and Spezza can go much higher where as Phaneuf & Bryz wont get any higher and possibly even drop.
I know that this is just all opinions, so I'm not taking it too seriously, but to my defense:
If I remember correctly Emery had a more experienced D-squad in front of him as well. It also depends what your criteria s are as well.
So I'm not all for the judge on merits argument, I AM however for arguing Emery may be ahead of Andy because andy has only had one solid year in sens goal, he could easily be horrible next year and have lehner come in to save his ass. But since I can't predict the future, I simply based it on andy's last year's result (who knows if karlsson and andy or even spezza, michalek can get another year like last year...)
am not sure if i just missed it because its a demo..but I did not notice be a pro mode, did they eliminate that or maybe I haven't dove in enough to find it...was looking forward to putting my guy on the sea dogs and working my way up..am hoping they fixed the issues with the HUT they had with the last release.
No need to "defend" your position as I wasn't trying to argue with you really. Just saying in general that these sorts of "all-time" teams can vary greatly depending solely on your approach - let alone differing opinions on player quality. The exact same person could have two very different looking teams if one was a team to win a cup with (i.e. you might have some role players) compared to an honorary team where you don't care about chemistry or anything. And that's just one example.
Great original post and great subject for discussion.
its there..this shows xbox360, but am darn sure its same for ps3..just not where I thought it would be..like the improved AI and hockey IQ..was throwing soft passes across the middle last night (like you could in older games and they not be picked off), they were picked off every single time and a rush the other way..keeps the amateurs in check that way.
Kinda trailed off last year but I am happy to try it again this year if there is enough interest.
Centre - Jason Spezza
Right Wing - Frank Finnigan
Left Wing - Cy Denneny
Defenceman - King Clancy
Defenceman - Zdeno Chara
Goaltender - Mike Peluso
...we need better goaltending maybe... but no one is crashin the crease!
WOOOOOOO
~Peluso
if I can talk the better half into getting it prior to christmas, am definitely in for it..trying to play up the fact that I will be months behind in the hut if she waits until December...man I feel like a kid sometimes lol.
[quote name="St Nick"]
Great line up. Make sure you put Neil in there instead of Dangle and Volchenkov instead of Kravchuk and you pretty much have it. Oh and in no way does Lalime not make the All Sens Team. One really bad playoffs does not undo a great career.
Also, might we consider Sylvain Turgeon, Nick Foligno Randy Cunneyworth or Vaclav Prospel for honourable mention alon that left wing as well?
Okay, "Alfy" is bad enough but "Alfi"?
C'mon now people.
I think he wanted to put a little "heart" over the 'i'...
Although I dont care who the NHL'er takes jobs away from, this seems like a good move by the SEL, it makes the NHL'er commit to the contract they sign and not bolt back to the NHL if the season resumes.
I could see Bettman going nuts over this, season resumes after 30 game lockout only to have Stamkos, Ovie, Crosby Alfie, Karlsson and most big name stars playing in Europe for the year!! lol
EDIT
Hmmm now that I think about this, IF the lockout resumes dont the NHL contract force the players to return to the NHL?
I mean if they sign a contract in the SEL, will it be voided once the NHL resumes (if it even goes on strike)?
Does the NHL contract trump the SEL contract?
Which is why most of these guys will choose the Swiss league.
I doubt any top stars will actually sign in the SEL but they (the NHLPA) will certainly threaten this to try and get things moving.
Ahh yes this makes the most sense!
So in a nutshell, after f**king away an entire week, they finally meet this week and only manage to do 3 hours over 2 days...
What a joke. I don't know if it's the added new media exposure to all this shit that we didn't really have the last time around... but even not yet being at the point of actual games being lost to a lockout, my interest in the NHL is actually waning.
I don't think NHL players can legally sign a contract that won't allow them to resume their current NHL contract when they go back to work. Though perhaps I'm wrong. Maybe part of any CBA includes some sort of language that any contracts in the previous CBA carry over or something?
Yes for or five good articles there. Somewhat impartial but I assume all the 30/30 pieces are written to appeal to the fans of that team first and foremost. Always good to see how other fans view our prospects and players though.
To add insult to injury, Gary Bettman mocks the fans by stating we'll flock back because we are the "best fans in the world." This pisses me off to no end. F you Gary, you don't give a flying #$%& about the fans and neither does the NHLPA. Don't carry on like you do.
Watching Cowen, Silfverberg, Zib, Stone, Hoffman, etc, etc etc in Bingo will do just fine for me. F the NHL and the NHLPA.
I have every intention of not supporting the NHL one iota next season - except my portion of the CBC tax dollars used to broadcast HNIC. I don't have cable so won't be supporting any networks and I won't pay for Gamecenter this year. I will watch what I can for free online and with my HD antenna that gets CBC.
It is not that hard to do.
If it were the players who were striking then yes you'd be correct. However in this case it's the league who is choosing to lock out the players therefore they are allowed to find work elsewhere.
Same thing happened last year in the NBA. Payers signed contracts in China where the league said they had to stay for the entire season. Once a new CBA was in place the NBA had to compensate the Chinese teams "x" amount if dollars for their players not fulfilling their contracts. I believe the same thing would happen here.
Although like somebody just noted. I doubt players choose to play in Sweden. The Swiss league is basically just as good and also pays much higher
I am in the same boat 100%. My "or else" to both of these parties is that if we miss one single game of NHL hockey this season then I will not attend a single game or buy any merchandise the entire year. Typically I attend ~10 games a season and buy about 3 jerseys.
That is my "or else" and I must admit that I even feel a bit bad about it. We are a smaller market team trying to get bums in the seats for the good of the franchise and revenue to spend more. I will feel bad watching home game on TV with lots of empty seats, usually I am inclined to get out and buy some tickets, purchase a PPV game or whatever primarily just to support the team financially..
I'll feel bad, but if a lockout is what it comes to, then the players and owners went and did it to themselves. It would be pretty karmic for revenues to drop 50% for a season and see the rolled back salary caps and player salaries...
I hear you - I love the Sens and I love having an NHL franchise in my city but at the end of the day, what is the point? if every 5th season doesn't happen because of greedy BS, I'd rather have no franchise at all. That way, I wouldnt have to get so emotionally involved in my team only to feel so let down and angry as I do now. It's not worth it.
the game of hockey is what I love and I am happy watching it at any level.
Yeah no kidding! I am hoping they step up their online streaming game. I'd subscribe faster than a CBA negotiation meeting.
I completely understand and even agree with all the rants of frustration of havinng Billionaires fighting Millionaires for even more money, all for the sake of their own personal greed.
And if they don't care about the NHL or hockey or most importantly their fans, then whey should we care about any of them.
However, deciding that we as fans should rebel and stop paying to go to games, can and will only hurt our beloved Sens, and not the game and nor the players after a period of time.
The result of this kind of thinking will hurt our local NHL team, while the rest of the rich NHL teams will carry on as they were before.
In the end the fight is over our, the ,hard earnd dollars, that we will all agree, is getting more and more difficult to make to shell out for NHL hockey.
As much as this pains me to say, the owners are indirectly protecting us from having to pay even more than we are paying today. I for one will shell out almost $300 per game for a family of four. I can only do that so many times. Thankfully we have a coporate box that helps with my NHL fix, but if the prices continue to go up, then I am certain that down the road, this will only lead to more empty seats, and the eventual demise of all small market teams.
IMO of course
So if your intent is to punish the NHL in general are you willing to lose the Sens to do so? If so then F off please (with much respect).
If you feel Melnyk himself needs to be punished for allowing this to happen - do you really think he's 100% on board with an extended lockout? I suppose he could be guilty of being greedy himself but I don't think he has control over whether or not there is a lockout. In fact, I would guess (and it is just a guess) that he'll be one of the first owners to start trying to pressure the rest to get a deal done.
So while I 100% sympathize with fans that are upset - since I'm one too - I really don't see any positives from boycotting the Senators when hockey resumes. If some fans find other interests etc that's different, but if someone is only buying less tickets to try and send a message I think they're ultimately only hurting themselves.
The #Sens have signed defenceman Cody Ceci to an entry-level contract: http://ottsens.com/PJvXb7
I'll take all the positive news I can get these days.
No surprise at all here as it was pretty much expected that all the NHL first rounders would sign ELCs before a lockout became official - but still nice to see.
Not only Sens fans, this would have to be a League wide fan
strikeboycott, you cant tell me with fans boycotting the game for a year wont hurt the NHL, even the rich teams will take a hit. Not everyone will be willing to do this and they are pussywhipped for hockey btu it would be the only solution.It would send a severe message...
gotta agree with you on this one... i've struggled with this over the years on many fronts not just hockey... when you punish someone / something and it ultimately also hurts you, are you really stepping forward?
I wont like it if they strike but honest with myself enough to know I'll jump right back in with both feet. When baseball cut out I stopped following but i was never as passionate about mlb and i guess that's the real difference.
The comments were very casual and no real debating going on, which surprised me. Maybe I'm just used to seeing so much here. Nice to see fans of other teams say good things. One fan went as far as to complain that the story didn't include Regin and he continued talking about how good he is. And another talked about how bad Turris is. I have to admit I was surprised. Good way to pass the afternoon.
All it would take is 1 person to make a Twitter account or Facebook page and I bet this idea of a League wide fan boycott would probably take off, even if it would be only 1000+ fans per team not attending it would send a message like none other to the NHL and NHLPA.
Not saying I wanna lead the boycott but I would certainly join it if it gained momentum, other than that people with no backbones will just come back to the League and await the next lockout in 7 years...and complain again...
(Even some Leafs fan are posting about how exciting and fun the Sens are to watch! Holy crap! Haha.)
I'll agree that I feel the same way. Lockouts suck but once it's back, I'll be back. Just like I was the last time. I find it hard to believe any passionate fan wouldn't, but to each its own.
Saw this comment regarding this on hockeybuzz in a Yost article.. and it hits the nail on the head so to speak...
"The one thing I disagree with Travis is your stance on the SEL. I think they are doing the right thing and I hope the other European leagues follow siut. Why should other players that are already playing in those leagues be displaced by part time NHL'ers that will flee the second they get the CBA worked out. I think there are some NHLers counting on going to Europe and if the other leagues follow suit and say no deal, then the CBA would get worked out a lot quicker because more NHLers would feel the urgency."
---------------------------------------
If NHLers don't get to play in Europe.. they have no $$ coming in. How quick would they then want this CBA dealt with.
Nashville had to pay Weber 14M when he signed his contract.. I would think they are pretty desperate to play a full season.
What about Minnesota.. a team that lost money last season. I would imagine both Suter & Parise had significant signing bonuses as well... and add to that Heatley's bonus that is paid every July 1st? I assume that Heatley still gets that... How desperate would Minnesota be to play a full season... how hurt will they be if it is a long lockout..
Yeah now if only Sens fans can be as mature and respectful towards other teams like TOR, MTL, NYR...
Nah...
The idea would take off, but the reality would not. Plenty of people would sign up or show their support but when the lockout ends, most would head straight for their local arena to buy tickets.
It's similar to the owners in a way. None of the owners really want these long contracts to be allowed but they continue to sign them since it's in their best interest to do so before someone else does. If every fan knew 100% that EVERYONE was going to be part of a fan strike sure it would have impact, but the reality is that very few would actually stick to it (despite how passionately they claim they want to today).
The only people hurt in an attempted fan strike would be the minority of fans that would actually stay home - they'd miss the games that others will still go to and enjoy.
Face it, as fans we're pretty much entirely at the mercy of the NHL and NHLPA.
The issue is.. I think there is a limit on each team as to how many imports they can have. If the SEL stands by the no out-clause... then players will have to go to the KHL.. and I'm not sure how many would really do that. Their families wouldn't go. After hearing the comments from ex-NHL players that played there.. the living conditions are less than desirably. Some teams renege on the contracts.. they can cut you at any time...
Well Oct 19/20 I'm planning a trip to Bingo to watch them live...
1 day the fans will rise...
Nail meet head.
That's it exactly. The damage from a lockout/strike in sports is pretty much limited to the casual fans. Big markets do not rely on casual fans to break even. Small markets do in some cases.
The Expos are the classic example. They ALWAYS had trouble filling the stands and relied on game day walk-up crowds to stay in the black. Then they finally had an excellent team, made up predominately of players they had either drafted or developed, and that they could market to fans. They were in the very early stages of turning the corner from an expansion franchise still struggling to keep its head above water to an actual solid member of the league with a chance a bright future. Then the strike killed them (for the second time in their history - thanks Rick Monday!).
They weren't in a position to ride it out yet again until the casual fans came back.
I don't think the Senators are in nearly as precarious a position, however. And while we probably have a higher percentage of casual fans in the stands on any given night compared to the league average, we can (hopefully) survive long enough after a lockout to win them back. If the lockout were to happen 2 years from now when (again, hopefully) the Sens are ready to make a run like the 94 Expos were then I'd be much more worried to lose that window and not have as much of a buffer to regain that momentum.
Hahaha I GUARANTEE that the average Sens fan is more respectful to any of those teams than if the tables are turned. Especially MTL, I doubt any Sens fan would travel to MTL to watch a game and then spend the game boing Brian Gionta. They would probably just cheer for the Sens instead of rocking the entire building with the away teams chant...
And I don't know about anyone else in here but personally I feel the animosity towards Toronto has lessend since players like Domi and Tucker left the Leafs.
GAHDD I hate going to Sens-Habs games in Ottawa hahahaha.
Leafs suck, Leaf fans suck!
I wonder what all you "passionate" fans did before the Senators were here?
Wished we had an NHL team :)
Toronto still does!
Not sure I understand what you're trying to say? Not saying people won't find other things to do during a lockout - but if they're passionate fans (that became fans at some point in the last 20 years) why wouldn't they come back after a lockout? At least the vast majority of them.
Well that just proves one thing, we are WAY less passionate. I highly doubt more than 100 Sens fans go to Habs game in MTL.
We are much younger of course as a fanbase but still, only time it gets amped up is in a playoff game, and even those sometimes can be down right boring...
Don't appreciate having my passion for hockey questioned. Are fans at the 67's games less passionate than fans at a Sens game?
If the NHL is going to take every few years off to argue about how to split billions of dollars I will lose interest very quickly and, since I am a passionate hockey fan, will find other sources for it and be very happy doing so.
I don't think anyone is questioning your passion or anyone else on this site. The simple fact that we're posting on a Sens blog in August with a lockout pending seems to remove any questions about passion.
My point (similar to Andrews Theory's) was that people who really love the Sens/hockey will come back. Some will take a bit longer than others but the passionate fans will ultimately come back (with very few exceptions). The casual fans however will be less likely to come back - many casual fans will write off the entire season in September (assuming there is a lockout) and really won't be back until something grabs their attention again.
I get your frustration with the last lockout etc, and share it too - but can you really say that when hockey does start up again you won't want to go see a game or follow the team? You've been on this blog as long as I can remember so you're clearly a big fan of the team - why let the NHL/NHLPA come between you and Sens?
Nail, hall, and Hopkins? More like Fail, Fall, and Flopkins
I wouldn't say that proves we are WAY less passionate I'd say that proves that there was a large fanbase for Montreal before the Sens came back...
And then when we did get a team instead of supporting local sports, or cheering on their team the way they did in the past which would be watching televised games and/or listening to radio for games, they now relish every opportunity to fill up SBP just so they can blot out the roar of local fans because we become outnumbered two to one during these games. Unclassy, and WEAK.
That's golden!! Hahaha
I feel like all the following;
A scorned lover
A complete sucker
A fool
A rat trapped in a maze
It just absolutely infuriated me that Bettman made that comment about the fans today.
I wish there was a way to support the Sens without supporting the NHL and the NHLPA but there isn't.
And yeah, when cooler heads prevail, I will support the Senators but knowing that pisses me off even more.
What also pisses me off is that the Senators cannot win no matter happens with these negotiations. The NHL is only fighting for the big market teams and the NHLPA wants sky is the limit contracts. The Senators don't gain from either scenario.
Does the old saying; if you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it was always meant to be, apply here? Feels like it recently....
And all this is so pointless. Basically both sides are going to hold out for as long as possible only to meet in the middle and both be unhappy to the point where we go through it all again in another few years.
Nothing would make me happier than a mass exodus of NHL interest to show both parties what really matters.
teams need to earn there place, not by a money endorsement and a shake from a beady eyed short man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LPzodOcemI&list=FLK0_hqVoGaRx-svGoa5hJ4w&index=3&feature=plpp_video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl2SGUpYmwk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJs88wCkaZs&list=UUK0_hqVoGaRx-svGoa5hJ4w&index=1&feature=plcp
The fact that teams like Montréal and Toronto have been around for so long and have such a large fan base is the reason this happens. it's probably about 100 to 1 in favor of them. We are just able to fill our arena with fans from Ottawa including other teams then add on the Montréal and Toronto fans on top of that. People think that all these Montréal fans are traveling from Montréal but that's not actually the case. I would say at least 80% of them live here in Ottawa. I would actually like to see a poll done to get those kind of figures. Senators fans are about 50 to 60 years away from that type of fan base
It's not the shit teams that get rewarded exactly, it's the teams in the NHL that are struggling to make money that get rewarded. So relegation based strictly on won-loss record wouldn't solve the problem of teams like Florida, Phoenix and Columbus that really should be moved to better markets (Quebec, Hamilton, Seattle even).
Sure, some of the teams being propped up financially are also the ones at the bottom of the standings, but it's not the best measure.
With all due respect, please do not insult Ryan Nugent-Hopkins like that.
Get out of dreamland man. No they won't, if a cancelled season plus shortened seasons before haven't stopped fans from going, why now ? Wake up man ! DREAMWEAVER !!!
Heatley-Spezza-Me
Hossa-Yashin-Havlat
Michalek-Turris-Kovalev
Silfverberg-Fisher-Neil
Chara-Karlsson
Phillips-Redden
Cowen-Gonchar
Carkner
Lehner
Emery
I know we all hate Heatley and Yashin but you can't deny their production while they were with us. As for Kovalev I think he makes a strong 3rd liner when he shows up and when he doesnt hey its only the 3rd line.
Turris, Silfverberg, Cowen, and Lehner we all have very high hopes for and hopefully they meet those expectations. It really boils down to the future or players like McEchern and Bonk. Here's to the future haha.
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