I am like every fan right now in that I wish I had the answers. There isn’t a day that goes by when someone doesn’t stop me in the grocery store or at the gas pump and ask what is wrong with the Senators. I wish I had an answer. The one thing that makes me feel better about this personally is the fact that many many very smart hockey people don’t have an answer either. I am only a play by play guy and thus me not having an answer is not a surprise. The fact that actual hockey experts can’t figure it out either is a testament to how confounding this situation is.
I think everyone knew that this team would not be the high flying, high scoring Senators of old where they could seemingly score 6, 7 or 8 goals a night if they wanted to. I don’t believe anyone thought they would be the lowest scoring team in the NHL though. In Boston they appear to have about 5 or 6 players who are on pace to have their best seasons ever. It is indeed good fortune when those stars align at the same time and Boston’s record is all the better for it. Conversely what are the odds that 5 of Ottawa’s best offensive players would have their worst season’s ever at the same time. The odds are probably the same except a franchise and its fans feel the pain more when those hockey odds are working against you and your team.
The only thing I know is that you can only do one thing. Keep on playing. Keep trying to find some magic again. Keep on pushing the players to find their top level. There is no magic wand. There is no easy way out. Trades in this league are now nearly impossible to make and GM Bryan Murray will soon have an ear replacement with his current one nearly worn off from working the phones. Changes in the on-ice system are not the issue. Craig Hartsburg has tried every line combination and every fore-check system known to man. Nope, it appears this is a problem that must be solved from within using the oldest method in the books. Perseverance!
I wish I had a better answer. I wish I could figure out a better way. If I was a smarter guy maybe I could see one.
Last January after the Detroit game the switch on this team somehow got mysteriously got turned off. Maybe it will somehow get mysteriously switched back on if there is enough perseverance.
Sorry….wish I had the answers.
See you at the Rink.
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3 comments:
Three fourth lines and four 6th d-men start every night.
Not hard to figure out - a whole lot of skillful hockey players who used to be on the roster are now playing for other NHL teams.
It's time to blow up this bunch and do a complete rebuild.
Boston has done it very nicely
and may play for the Cup this year.
Pierre Gauthier and Jacques Martin
please come back and save our sorry
asses once again.
You want jasque martin and Pierre gauthier back?!? Regular season greatness followed by epic postseason collapse again and again and again?!? No thanks!!
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