UPDATE: I HAVE FIXED THE DOWNLOAD LINK BELOW. INSTEAD OF DL'ing THE 12th EPISODE, THE LATEST ONE IS AVAILABLE. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

On this week's edition of The 6th Sens Podcast, Tim and I rejoice the fact that the Ottawa Senators are on the ice practicing and that Brain (SIC) Lee has been called back up. Sort of. We also discuss non-news worthy items like Alex Auld being waived, Mike Comrie's engagement to Hilary Duff and we also debate a question that was posed to us in an email.

We were also fortunate enough to have been joined on the podcast by former Senators GM and current GM of the Florida Panthers, Randy Sexton. It's a must-listen interview because Mr. Sexton addressed a number of things: the formative years for the Senators; the alleged 1993 Entry Draft trade that involved Alexandre Daigle and the Quebec Nordiques; rumo(u)rs; Bill Huard; and how the Florida Panthers are preparing themselves for the March 3rd Trade Deadline.

As always, you can subscribe/download/stream the episode or entire catalogue of episodes from Itunes. Or you can download the file by right-clicking and saving this file. Or you can simply stream the episode below. We hope you enjoy it.

Tracklisting: TV on the Radio Crying; Pixies Where Is My Mind?; Social Distortion When She Begins; and The Dismemberment Plan That's When the Party Started.

Leclaire's not alone as a player who has to step up his play following the Olympic break. Despite having the third best quality of teammates rating on the Senators, Shannon's offensive production hasn't exactly warranted the kind of linemates that he has played with. Interestingly, the quality of competition that Shannon has played against isn't as highly regarded as some of the Senators other top six forwards. In other words, he's not producing while not playing against inferior opposition lines and defencemen.(Ed. note: Using the points per 60 minutes threshold is almost like examining a baseball pitcher's ERA.)

For me, the signing signifies one of three things now that he is under team control for another year:

• Bryan Murray fully expects Shannon's production to rebound to a level that he demonstrated in the second half of the 2008-09 season.
• Shannon's trade value jumps exponentially and makes him a bigger commodity on the trade market. I wonder if a sign and trade possibility exists.
  
• It could signify that another roster forward could now be moved to bring in a defenceman.

As Daniel Alfredsson draws closer to his 1000th career NHL game, it's easy to sit back and examine Alfie's career and think about how spoiled Ottawa has been that Alfredsson has spent his entire career with this organization. Whether he was deferring his salary to accommodate the organization during the bankruptcy years or scoring the game winning goal in the 2007 Conference Finals against Buffalo, Alfie has been nails for the Senators organization. A true ambassador.

Now with all that being said, it's so unbelievably refreshing to find out that Alfie may have flown off of the handle a bit after Sweden's quarter-final loss to the Slovakian team. (Ed. note: Thanks Geoff T. for the email and link.) Below is a newspaper report from Sweden that featured some post-game reaction from the Swedish dressing room...

Alfredsson till tv-reporter: "Idiot"

Det blev uttåg för Tre Kronor i kvartsfinalen i OS.
När den assisterande lagkaptenen Daniel Alfredsson fick frågan om det var ett fiasko brast det:
- Vilken jävla fråga. Idiot, sa han i TV4 och lämnade den mixade zonen.

Regerande mästarna fick lämna OS efter en kvartsfinalförlust mot Slovakien med 4-3.
Det var inte bara publiken och tv-tittarna som kände att det blev ett snöpligt slut på OS. Även spelarna var besvikna.
Och det kanske lyste igenom allra mest hos assisterande Tre Kronor-kaptenen och Ottawas Daniel Alfredsson, 37.

Här brister det

När en TV4-reporter frågar ”Ut i en kvart, känns det som ett fiasko?” brister det för Daniel Alfredsson.
Först svarar han bara:
– Absolut inte.
Sedan lämnar han intervjun och utbrister:
– Vilken jävla fråga. Idiot.

"Gav bort 1-0 och 2-0"

Daniel Alfredsson gav tidigare i intervjun sin version på vad som gick fel i matchen.
– Starten. Vi gav bort 1-0 och 2-0 och lät dem spela den hockey som passar dem. De hade inte många chanser men gjorde det mesta av chanserna som dök upp, säger Alfredsson i TV4.

Yes. It is in Swedish. Don't get all bent out of shape. Here's the literal translation...

Alfredsson to TV reporter: "Idiot"

It was chosen for Tre Kronor in the quarterfinals in the Olympics.

As the assistant team captain Daniel Alfredsson was asked if it was a fiasco broke it:

- What a fucking question. Idiot, "he said in TV4 and left the mixed zone.

Defending champions had to leave the Olympics after a quarter-final defeat to Slovakia by 4-3.

It was not just the audience and TV viewers who felt that it was an ignominious end to the OS. Although the players were disappointed.

And perhaps it shone through most of the assistant Tre Kronor, and Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson, 37.

This failure is

When a TV4 reporter asks, "Out in the quarter, it feels like a failure?" The shortcomings of Daniel Alfredsson.

First, he answers simply:

- Absolutely not.

After leaving the interview and he exclaims:

- What a fucking question. Idiot.

"Gave away 1-0 and 2-0"

Daniel Alfredsson returned earlier in the interview, his version of what went wrong in the match.

- The start. We gave away 1-0 and 2-0 and let them play hockey that suits them. They had not many chances but made the most of chances that came up, "said Alfredsson in TV4.

On December 11th, 2009, I posted a list of my 11 favorite Daniel Alfredsson moments in his career in homage to the captain's 37th birthday. From his Eastern Conference Final game winning goal against Buffalo, to the Scandanavian pillaging of Doug Gilmour's soul, the list had it all...

...Or so I thought.

Recently I was emailed by a former guest on The 6th Sens Podcast, Mr. Glen Gower who informed me that the Ottawa Senators were planning something special in celebration of Daniel Alfredsson's 1000th NHL Game. Which barring injury, I believe will take place on April 10th versus the Buffalo Sabres. Now as part of the planning, the Senators organization is trying to determine the greatest Alfredsson moments and needs your input.

Over at Sens Central, the organization has posted this bulletin:

Hi folks. As you probably know, Daniel Alfedsson is scheduled to play his 1000th career game later this season.  He'll join an elite group of fewer than 50 NHL players who have played 1,000 with the same franchise.  We're working on a number of projects to celebrate Alfie's career on April 10th -- our last game of the season and first home game after he reaches #1000.

One project we're working on is compiling a list of the greatest moments in Alfie's career.  Here's a list we've started, compiled from stat books, web sites (particularly this list at SilverSevenSens.com), message boards, etc.  There are over 20 dates list here -- but I'm sure some of you have other memorable games / goals / moments.  If you have any to add to this list, please reply to this message.

Thanks for your help!

Daniel Alfredsson - Top Career Moments

1. June 29, 1994. NHL Entry Draft, Hartford Civic Center
Drafted 133^rd overall by the Ottawa Senators (6^th round)

2. October 5, 1995 vs. Buffalo. First career game & point.
In his first game in the NHL, Daniel Alfredsson earns an assist.

3. October 13, 1995 vs. Florida. First career goal.
Scores his first career goal against Mark Fitzpatrick of the Florida Panthers. It was his second career game.

4. January 20, 1996. First NHL All-Star game.
Daniel Alfredsson appears in his first All-Star game. He’s the only rookie invited to the game.

5. June 1996. Calder Trophy
Daniel Alfredsson wins the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. He led all rookies in points and assists, and finished second in goals. He was the only rookie to lead his team in scoring. That season he led the Sens in goals, assists and game-winning goals.

6. April 17, 1997 vs. Buffalo. First playoff goal in modern franchise history.
In the first playoff game in modern franchise history, Daniel Alfredsson scores the Sens first (and only) goal.

7. April 28, 1998 vs. New Jersey. First playoff hat trick.
Game 4 in the series, and Daniel Alfredsson scores a hat trick. It’s his first career playoff hat trick, and also the first for the Senators in the modern era. The Sens would go on to win the series 4-2. (He also scored a hat trick in the next round vs. Washington.)

8. October 2, 1999. Appointed Captain of the Senators.
Head Coach Jacques Martin makes Alfredsson the Captain of the Senators, taking over from Alexei Yashin. Alfredsson is currently the longest-serving captain in the NHL. His first game as Captain was a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

9. November 13, 2001 vs. Washington. Team goal scoring record.
The Senators set a franchise record by scoring 11 goals against the Washington Capitals. Alfredsson scores four points – including a hat trick and the game-winning goal.

10. May 10, 2002 vs. Toronto. The Tucker hit.
In the playoffs, the score is tied 2-2. Alfredsson checks Darcy Tucker into the boards, then skates in to score the game-winning goal.

11. January 8, 2004 vs. Toronto. The broken stick.
Alfredsson pokes fun a Matt Sundin by pretending to throw a broken stick. Ottawa went on to win the game 7-1.

12. October 5, 2005 vs. Toronto. NHL’s first shoot-out goal
The Senators open the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Alfredsson scores two goals in regulation, but the game goes to overtime, and then to a shoot-out – the first ever in the post-lock-out NHL. Alfredsson takes the first shot and scores what would turn out to be the shoot-out winner.

13. November 2, 2005 vs. Buffalo. First career four-goal game.
Records his first career four-goal game (and fifth career hat trick), plus adds 2 assists in a victory over the Sabres.

14. February ?, 2006. Wins Gold at the Winter Olympics.
As altnerate captain with Team Sweden, Daniel Alfredsson wins a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. It was his third time at the Olympics. (He would also play with Sweden at the 2010 games.)

15. January 9-16, 2007. Scores GWG’s in 4 consecutive games.
Alfredsson scores the game winning goal in four consecutive games between January 9 & 16. He becomes just the second NHLer to reach the feat since Montreal’s Newsy Lalonde scored five straight in 1921.

16. June 2, 2007 vs. Anaheim. Scores in the Stanley Cup Final.
Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, in Ottawa. Alfredsson scores and the Senators go on to record their first victory in the series.

17. May 19, 2007 vs. Buffalo. Overtime goal to win the Eastern Conference Finals.
Daniel Alfredsson scores in overtime, winning the Eastern Conference Finals and advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.

18. January 24, 2008 vs. Tampa Bay. Franchise record 7 points.
Daniel Alfredsson scores three goals (even strength, power play, short-handed) and four assists to set a franchise record for most points in a single game.

19. April 14, 2008 vs. Pittsburgh. 100^th playoff game
Daniel Alfredsson plays in his 100^th career playoff game. Alfredsson has played in 101 of the 103 playoff games that the Senators have appeared in.

20. October 4 & 5, 2008 vs. Pittsburgh. Return to Sweden
The Senators and Penguins open the 2008-2009 season in Stockholm, Sweden. Alfredsson receives a hero’s welcome.

21. February 21, 2009 vs. Montreal. Early return from injury.
After breaking his jaw on February 17 vs. Colorado, Alfredsson makes a surprise return to the line-up wearing a full face shield.

22. January 18, 2010 vs. Boston. Natural hat trick.
Playing in just his second game after missing 11 games with a shoulder injury, Alfresson scores a natural hat trick in a 5-1 victory.

If you have something to add to the list below, please respond to Glen's message over at Sens Central, leave a message in the comment thread below, or you can fire me an email and I'll be sure to pass it along.

As an impending unrestricted free agent, Anton Volchenkov has the Senators organization by the balls. Not only is he a lynchpin, stay-at-home defenceman who routinely takes shifts against the oppositions top lines, he's also a unique player for the Senators. Although Matt Carkner exudes many of the same qualities as the A-Train, he simply can't skate well enough to be consistently matched up against some of the best players in the NHL. And Jared Cowen, a projected shutdown defensive defenceman is years away from logging significant minutes for the organization. Without a suitable replacement who is ready to assume Volchenkov's role, if he opts to test free agency, the Senators could be up shit's creek without a paddle.

It doesn't help matters that Volchenkov is coming off of a cap friendly contract. He's already taken a hometown discount once. Will he do it again?

I'm leery of what could happen and for good reason. Jay Grossman, Volchenkov's agent, is a snake. When one of Grossman's other clients, Ilya Kovalchuk, rejected two market value contract offers from the Atlanta Thrashers, it irked all five of the Atlanta Thrashers season ticket holders. This modicum of resentment for Grossman is so transparent on the Interwebs. So much so that a quick Twitter search for Jay Grossman revealed this message from one Dylan Harr -- fuc (SIC) you Jay Grossman.

As a Senators fan, I'm conflicted. I sure as hell don't want to see Volchenkov go. But at the same time, I don't want to see Bryan Murray pay an arm and a leg to keep Volchenkov in tow. Especially when there are a slew of modern examples of defensive defencemen who have signed big contracts but haven't lived up to them. (Read: Jay McKee, the recently waived Brendan Witt, Mike Komisarek, Mike Commodore, etc.)

If you're Bryan Murray, you need a contingency plan -- Jan Hejda.

With 3 goals and 10 assists, Hejda will never be mistaken for Mike Green. Instead, one has to dig a little deeper to find his true worth as a defensive defenceman. Even though Hejda's a minus thirteen for a bad Columbus Blue Jackets team, I believe those numbers have been inflated by the porous goaltending of Steve Mason.

Hejda's true value lies in his Volchenkov'esque blend of hits and shot blocking ability. Here are some numbers to keep in mind...

• 2009/10: 93 hits, 118 blocked shots
• 2008/09: 3 goals, 18 assists, +23, 168 hits, 157 blocked shots

Most importantly, unlike some other defensive blueliners who are reportedly available (ie. Dennis Seidenberg), Hejda would remain under contract through the conclusion of the 2010-11 season at an affordable $2M cap hit. Granted, it may cost the Senators a bit more in terms of trade assets to acquire him, but the additional cost to acquire Hejda would be worth it. For one, it would help negate the advantage of last change during the playoffs when opposing coaches attempt to keep their best skill forwards away from the pairing of Phillips and Volchenkov.

I'm not exactly convinced that Bryan Murray needs to pursue a soon to be unrestricted free agent defenceman. According to Cap Geek, the Senators currently have pro-rated cap space of $5,541,597. They do have the financial flexibility to make a move without having to worry too much about the future and to be honest, I'm not sure if it's the best course of action. By acquiring Hejda and his non-rental contract, the Senators would be protecting themselves in the event that Volchenkov decides to test the free agent market. Which to me is the most important thing. If Bryan Murray is willing to flip assets to acquire a blueliner, wouldn't it be in the team's best interests not to acquire a player who could flee the team after the season with Volchenkov and leave the team with nothing to show for it?

Come on Murray, if Volchenkov and Grossman leave you up shit's creek, the least you could do is pack a paddle.

"Most decisions aren't easy decisions when it comes to something like that. We feel that for Pascal, he's going to get a week off, then another week of practice, and we'll bring (goaltening consultant) John (Stevenson) back ... he'll get a long break here.

"Brian has shown he can play back-to-back, often his second game on back-to-backs is stronger than his first game. Ultimately, it's probably easier for Pascal to start fresh, along with everybody else after a big break.

"We just thought another week of preparation will help him tremendously." ~ Cory Clouston, Slam! Sports

If Leclaire weren't made of glass, I'd be inclined to say that another week of preparation wouldn't hurt Leclaire. But it might. Anything can hurt him these days. It's been a frustrating season for Leclaire and for Senators fans who have been expecting him to play like he did in 2007-08. Sure, on occasion, he's demonstrated flashes of athleticism and the ability to make the big save. But his penchant for getting hurt has forced me to lump him with a short list of goaltenders whose injuries have frustrated Senators fans over the years.

First there was Damian Rhodes' mysterious ankle injury that couldn't be diagnosed. Then there was Dominik Hasek and his adductor injury that he suffered at the 2006 Olympic Games. And who could forget Ray Emery's wrist surgery that was compounded by his grandiose sense of entitlement that completely derailed the Senators' 2007-08 campaign?

But how poorly has Leclaire actually been this season?

According to Behind the Net.ca, he has the fourth worst goals versus threshold (GVT) in the league. For all of you baseball fans who frequent this website, GVT is the hockey equivalent to the advanced VORP statistic that indicates a player's value over replacement player. Simply put, it is a formula that's used to calculate the value of a player, in goals, above what a replacement player would have contributed. As per its creator, Tom Awad, here is how it is determined mathematically for goaltenders:

A goaltender's contribution to his team's efforts to win is attempting to stop the shots that come his way. This is best measured by save percentage, which indicates the proportion of a goaltender's shots faced that are stopped.

To compare goaltenders to the Threshold, we must compute Threshold save percentage:

SPa = sum (SVg) / sum (SFg)

SPt = SPa – GAAl * GTV

SPa is the league average save %, SPt is the threshold save %, SVg is saves by individual goaltenders, SFg is shots faced by individual goaltenders, GAAl is the league average GAA, and GTV is the goaltending threshold value, here set to 0.04. In practice, what this means is that a threshold goaltender, playing on an average team, will allow 4% more goals than an average goaltender; this translates to about 11 goals a season in a typical year.

A goaltender's GGVTraw is therefore calculated as the number of saves he made, less the number of saves that a goalie with a Threshold save percentage would have made:

GGVTraw = SV - (SF x SPa)

Where SV is the goaltender's saves, SF his shots against, and SPa the league Threshold save percentage.

We have to do one last adjustment to the GGVT. In practice, a goaltender’s save percentage is not uniquely due to his own caliber of play: some of it is due to the quality of the shots he faces. We can see this because, historically, the save percentages of #1 and #2 goalies on the same team tend to be about 15% correlated, and because goaltenders who are traded to new teams often see their save percentage change significantly. Therefore, I attribute 75% of the responsibility of stopping a shot to the goaltender and 25% of it to the team’s defense.

GGVT = GGVTraw * GR

Where GR is Goaltender Responsibility, here set to 0.75.

So the next time your girlfriend or boyfriend mentions that Leclaire isn't very good. Bring up his -6.6 GVT and say, "Did you know that an average goaltender would have reduced the team's goal differential by 6.6 goals? Oh well, at least he's more valuable than Devan Dubnyk, Vesa Toskala, and Steve Mason." I guarantee it will get you laid.

Leclaire's not alone as a player who has to step up his play following the Olympic break. Despite having the third best quality of teammates rating on the Senators, Shannon's offensive production hasn't exactly warranted the kind of linemates that he has played with. Interestingly, the quality of competition that Shannon has played against isn't as highly regarded as some of the Senators other top six forwards. In other words, he's not producing while not playing against inferior opposition lines and defencemen.(Ed. note: Using the points per 60 minutes threshold is almost like examining a baseball pitcher's ERA. It's also interesting to note that Milan Michalek's production has waned to such an extent that his point production per 60 minutes ranks him between Ryan Shannon and Jonathan Cheechoo. On another note, for a player who has received his share of criticism, Kovalev's been money for the Senators and leads the team in this statistic.)

Heatley Trade Thought

Hindsight is always 20/20, but the more I think about the Dany Heatley trade, the more I'm angry that Bryan Murray didn't demand that San Jose's draft pick be conditional. If Doug Wilson had the stones to demand that Cheechoo's salary was required to acquiese Heatley's contract, then Bryan Murray should have been well within his rights to implore Doug Wilson to make that second round pick a conditional first if the Senators were to buy out Cheechoo before his contract expires. It only makes sense right?

Deadline Deals

Ken Warren has compiled a lengthy list of defencemen who may pique the interest of Bryan Murray. From the unobtainable to the bottom of the barrel, Warren's done his due diligence. I do question the inclusion of Brendan Bell though. Trading for him would be like buying a Heatley Senators jersey. Inexpensive, without purpose and it's an acquisition that will assuredly get you laughed at by your peers.

One notable omission from Warren's list however, was Joe Corvo. He was discussed over at Puck Prospectus as a viable alternative for the Senators and their power play.

Affordable players who can play on the power play and penalty kill are few and far between. One of the best options out there is Carolina's Corvo, who used to play for the Senators and is familiar with the players. He'd likely also come cheaper than Robidas or Sutton.

Corvo has a great shot and scored 22 points on the power play last season. (He has only six this season, as he has battled injury.) Corvo also has playoff experience, having been part of the Senators' run to the final in 2007 and the Hurricanes' surprise conference final last season. He is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and the Hurricanes are sellers in the market.

If only sabermetrics could take account for players who request a trade from the team that they used to play for. Imagine Ottawa actually dealt for Corvo? Don Brennan would have a field day. It's not often that a beat writer has a chance to write a player out of town twice. Uh-oh.

Sunday Night's Game

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention at least one problem with that Canada vs. USA game. I know it's Pierre McGuire's civic duty to fellate everything Sidney Crosby, but why Pierre chose to laud Crosby's attempt to straddle the blueline and remain onside (he didn't), I'll never know. Did you see that? If that were a normal man they would have tweaked their groin.

Where once stood a credible commentator, now stands a running joke.

Here's a fantastic comment that was too good to bury in the previous podcast comment section and warrants being put on the main page...

Great broadcast overall guys. I especially enjoyed you singling out Cheechoo fans for their inexplicable and misplaced love for a guy who played a total of 61 games for the team, and played them badly.

I don't agree with your views on Leclaire, however, at least as you present them. When not wasting time posting on Sens blogs, I'm a finance professor at one of Canada's lesser universities. So, with that in mind, you've missed a key point from microeconomics 101 - sunk costs don't affect your decisions going forward.

Really simply, let's abstract from the ability to trade or buy out either of Leclaire or Elliott. The situation you're faced with is then the following: you're paying these two goalies a total of $5.65M in 2010-11 ($4.8M for Leclaire, 850K for Elliott I think, with Leclaire's cap hit at less). So, that money's gone no matter who starts, i.e. your goalie contracts for next year are at this point a sunk cost.

Now - ignoring who we're paying what, you're faced with a coaching decision each game - who do you start? The answer has to be "whichever one is more likely to stop the puck". If that's Leclaire, great. But if that's Elliott, is your situation now somehow worse than it was before you decided to put Elliott in that day? Not at all - I agree it's not desirable to have a $4.8M goalie sitting, so a mistake has been made somewhere, but let's really think about when we made that mistake. Was it:

(a) Today, when we decided to start the goalie who's playing better, who we're paying less than $4.8M?

or

(b) Back when we decided to acquire a guy scheduled to make $4.8M in 2010-11, who turned about to be made of glass and so far has not been very good at getting pucks to hit him without a Hitchcock team in front of him?

Your argument, which I'll paraphrase as "We have to get the $4.8M guy going", is essentially saying the mistake is (a), not (b). This isn't right.

Interestingly, if we put the ability to trade or buy out one of these guys, the decision tilts even more to Elliott. If you could somehow do something to "get one of these guys really going", who would you want it to be? If it's Leclaire, you'll get a good performance out of a $4.8M goalie. If it's Elliott, you'll get a good performance out of an $850K goalie. You can then trade your expensive guy, and you'd be better off.

Of course, you can't magically "get guys going". They perform, or they don't. I absolutely agree that Elliott remains unproven. However, he's proved a lot more than Leclaire ever has in their time with the team. As long as management's understanding is that Leclaire's ceiling is high, yes, by all means, try to help him reach it. But as more time passes, and Leclaire fails to meet expectations, and he gets injured in the silliest of ways, and the projection of his capabilities in the future is increasingly diminished, management has to adjust to that reality as well.

Anyway - very much enjoy the website!

I'll have to re-listen to the podcast to catch how we phrased our thoughts on Leclaire. I believe all I said was that my only gripe with the Senators winning streak was that it came without Pascal Leclaire starting in nets. Granted, it's fantastic that Brian Elliott seems to have taken a step forward in his development as a National Hockey League goaltender, however, I would have preferred to see Leclaire play well in his stead.

And I say that not just because of Leclaire's salary but because of his pedigree. Regardless of whether you think his career season was inflated because of Ken Hitchcock's system, one cannot ignore the fact that he was a top ten draft pick who is probably the most athletic goaltender that this team has ever had. Simply put, if I had to get a good performance out of Elliott or Leclaire, I'd prefer to get it from Leclaire - the player whose ceiling is higher. Keep in mind, this is a guy who has also only played in 39 games in the last year and a half because of some incredibly ridiculous circumstances. I'm not ready to write him off yet and it's not like his injuries have hampered his career like Cheechoo.

If Leclaire can't find can't his game, he'll literally be a sunk cost. It's money that could have been spent on a backup goalie and to improve the talent that plays in front of the goaltenders.

Also, I think it's important to note that I'm in agreement with your opinion that the coaching staff has to play the goaltender who does the best job stopping the puck. In 2007 and under some similar circumstances, I thought it was in the team's best interest to start Gerber than Emery. Even though Emery had the history and better talent, his attitude and ability to consistently stop the puck were both terrible. Had he not been such a distracting figure and showed some of his ability, I would have supported giving Ray every opportunity to reclaim the starter's job down the stretch.

The coaching staff has to select the goalie who gives them the best opportunity to win. It just shouldn't preclude them from giving Leclaire an opportunity to reclaim his job. Hopefully, that clarifies my perspective a bit and thank you for leaving this comment. It's this educated/informed passion that makes writing for this website enjoyable.

Since last week's scheduled podcast had to be scrapped because of some unfortunate circumstances, Tim and I jumped back into the studios on Monday to record our thoughts on things like: Brian Elliott; bleeding heart Cheechoo fans; the Matt Cullen/Alexandre Picard trade; Lavalife; and Bryan Murray's contract extension.

As always, you can subscribe/download/stream the episode or entire catalogue of episodes from Itunes. Or you can download the file by right-clicking and saving this file. Or you can simply stream the episode below. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Here is the tracklist for the recording: Deer Tick Easy; The Raveonettes You Want the Candy; and The Airborne Toxic Effect Something New.