The Senators have changed the face of their franchise by formally announcing that the former Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Paul MacLean will fill the team's head coach vacancy. Like Samson before him, MacLean received a special provision in that so as long as he doesn't cut his hair, he shall be granted supernatural power. Each strand of his moustache transmits great influence and acts as a conduit from his body. Although it does not give him the strength to slay 1000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, it remarkably improves his ability to coach hockey players.
As Tim and I discussed, if only previous Senators head coaches wielded this godly power...no comments
According to Bob McKenzie (via @TSNBobMckenzie), Now hearing Senators will make formal announcement on Paul MacLean as new coach tomorrow.
Which means that if someone in the traditional media doesn't ask MacLean at tomorrow's press conference, "if he'd like to speak to them about diabeetus?", I'll be very disappointed.
no comments
So last week the Senators premiered the first in a series of four webisodes called Senate Reform that details the organization's behind-the-scenes work and preparation for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. In keeping with last week's recap and review of the first episode, here's The 6th Sens' review of Episode 2.
no comments
Kaspars Daugavins might be offering free mustache rides but if Paul MacLean gets the Senators head coaching position, the Daugman will no longer have the best duster in the Senators organization.
According to a variety of journalists, the young Wilford Brimley lookalike, has received a second interview with GM Bryan Murray and is the frontrunner for the job.
From McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie)…
Coaching Carousel: smart $ on Paul MacLean to OTT, Glen Gulutzan to DAL, Craig MacTavish or Mike Yeo to MIN. Not done deals yet, just IMO.
And from this morning’s Bruce Garrioch article…
While Binghamton coach Kurt Kleinendorst had his initial interview with GM Bryan Murray Friday, Detroit assistant Paul MacLean -- considered the leading contender for the job -- was in for a second session at Scotiabank Place.
The logic behind a MacLean hire is straightforward – he has a history with Murray that dates back to their days in Anaheim; he comes with a recommendation from the venerable Mike Babcock, an individual who many regard as one of the best coaches in the game; and have I already mentioned that sweet fucking duster?
1) With the Senators down 3-1 in their first round series against the Manchester Monarchs, the Binghamton Senators turned to Robin Lehner to save their season. It turns out it was the best decision that Kurt Kleinendorst made as the B-Sens piggybacked Lehner all the way to the Calder Cup Championship.
2) The Calder Cup Trophy is the first professional championship that the Senators have won as an organization and the timeliness of it cannot be understated.
In light of the vast amounts of digital ink that spent describing how the John Muckler era emptied the coffers and struggled to replenish the system while chasing the elusive Cup, it’s probably important to acknowledge that Ottawa has had competitive teams in Binghamton before. When the NHL lockout erased the 2004-2005, the Senators returned a variety of its young, AHL-eligible players -- Jason Spezza, Anton Volchenkov, Antoine Vermette, Ray Emery, and Chris Neil – to play in Binghamton. Despite this wealth of talent, the Baby Sens flat-lined in the first round and were ousted by the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Penguins. While it’s true that the bulk of Binghamton’s players project as third or fourth line players, the inclusion and prominence of blue chip prospects like Jared Cowen and Lehner has been fantastic for their personal development. By imbuing this winning culture at such an early stage of their professional careers, the hope is that one day we can fondly look back at this 2010-11 Binghamton Senators team and point to this particular playoff run and say that the reason why the Ottawa Senators are having success is because this same group of players carried these lessons and experiences with them to the next professional level.
3) While the Calder Cup was a fantastic team accomplishment, Lehner was recognized for his individual efforts by being named as the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy winner for playoff MVP. And speaking of individual accomplishments, fans should not forget that it was Lehner’s stonewalling of a Bud Holloway penalty shot in Game 6 of Bingo’s quarter-final series against Manchester that kept their playoff hopes alive.
4) Lehner become just the fourth teenaged goalie in AHL history to win the Calder Cup; following in the footsteps of Price (2007), Patrick Roy (1985) and Gordie Bell (1943). (Note: that little fact came courtesy of The AHL's twitter feed: @theahl.) As I mentioned on the last episode of The 6th Sens Podcast that was recorded this past Sunday, there are some significant career parallels (note: not talking about technique, eyebrows or smoking cigarettes.) between Robin Lehner and Carey Price.
Here’s a look at their respective playoff statistics:
Robin Lehner: 19 GP - 14 wins, 4 losses, 3 shutouts, GAA of 2.10 and a save percentage of 0.939.
Carey Price: 22 GP – 15 wins, 6 losses, 2 shutouts, GAA of 2.05 and a save percentage of 0.936.
Eerily similar.
With the way in which Ottawa's goaltending situation has always been in a state of flux, fans are eagerly anticipating Lehner's permanent arrival here in the nation's capital. Considering the similarities between Lehner and Price, one has to wonder if the Senators organization would be inclined to use Price's career as a bit of a guideline. Like Price, I don't think it would be unreasonable to see Lehner start the season back in the AHL so that the organization can develop him by getting him into games. (Note: For the record, Price started the 2007-08 season in Hamilton and was promoted after 10 games. He would go on to play in 41 games for the Canadiens that season.)
Although the Senators organization expected big things from Lehner, it would have been naive for them to assume that his learning curve would be this quick. Obviously the organization has afforded him some time to develop by inking Craig Anderson to a four year extension but it's going to be interesting and fun to watch how long Anderson can hold Lehner off. In a best case scenario, hopefully the Anderson/Lehner tandem can fare as well as the Tuuka Rask/Tim Thomas duo has for the Bruins.
5) It was a classy move by captain Ryan Keller to hold up what looked like assistant coach Steve Stirling’s locker room stall placard as he took a picture with the Calder Cup. Stirling, if you’ll remember, is recovering from the quadruple bypass surgery that he had on Sunday. After flying back to Binghamton earlier this afternoon, the team stayed true to their playoff tradition of putting pucks – one for each successive win -- into their fancy wooden display and had Stirling insert the 16th win into its reserved spot.
You really have to give it up for this collective group of players. Not only did they handle themselves impeccably well in Stirling's absence, they've been doing it all season long. The effort and work that Cody Bass has put in for the Do It For Daron initiative has been exemplary and deserves to be recognized.
So let me end this in a tired cliche: For the first time in a long time, there's this glowing optimism in Ottawa that the kids are alright.
no comments
With yesterday's debut of Sens TV's Senate Reform and the need to put out Sunday's podcast recording, I missed out on commenting on a bunch of Senators related newsworthy bits. So without further ado...
With the NHL playoffs drawing to a conclusion and the league's announcement that a franchise is returning to the dump City of Winnipeg, we sit down and talk some hockey with James Gordon of the Ottawa Citizen. We highly recommend that you 1) check out his work over at Senators Extra; and 2) follow James on Twitter (@sensreporter). Shortly after our interview with James, we had the opportunity to talk to Hockey Prospectus' Corey Pronman about his intriguing Top 100 NHL Draft Prospects List and how some of Ottawa's prospects down in Binghamton have fared. If you have not checked out his list, do it now. And while you're at it, follow him on Twitter (@coreypronman). Thanks again to both gentlemen for coming on our show.
As always, you can subscribe/download/stream the episode or check out the entire catalogue of episodes from Itunes. You can also download the file by right-clicking and saving this file or simply stream the episode below. If you have any questions or comments about the podcast, please leave us some feedback in the comment thread below. Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy the show.
Note: For whatever reason, during the recording process, the audio for the interview with James Gordon captured some static overtones. It's still listenable but is slightly annoying. I'm not entirely sure why it happened but it was the only portion of the show that was affected. My apologies to James Gordon and to our listeners for the drop in quality.
Tracklist: TV on the Radio Caffeinated Consciousness; The Weakerthans Our Retired Explorer; Caribou Leave House; Ra Ra Riot Boy; and The National Mr. November.
no comments
Now I may have not have ever done any video production in my life but I've never leaked any company secrets either. If you pause the Senate Reform video at its 1 minute and 27 second mark, you can freeze the image and catch a glimpse of what appears to be Ottawa's top 5 ranking of the Western Hockey League prospects.
Adorning the top of the list is obviously Ryan Nugent-Hopkins but the rest of the names are more difficult to decipher. Cross referencing them with the rankings of a third party publication like Hockey Prospectus' list, it becomes a bit easier:
- The second name on the list ends with an HI - Sven Baertschi, LW for Portland
- The third name on the list looks like it ends with NS - Duncan Siemens, D for Saskatoon
- The fourth name on the list ends in a double - L - Mark McNeill, C for Prince Albert
- And the last name on the list looks like it ends ROW - Joe Morrow, D for Portland
Produced by Sens TV, the first episode in the four-part series that the Senate Reform, Road to the Draft, debuted today and is designed to give Senators fans some behind-the-scenes hockey ops introspect as the organization prepares for its highest draft selection since 2001.
The episode starts with some ominous instrumental music and some Gord Wilson narration while stock footage of Scotiabank Place is shown. We are then taken into Scotiabank Place where footage of the concourse, a “desolate” arena bowl and the team’s empty dressing room and gym are shown to give the viewers some indication of how quiet the hockey offseason has been. Had this kind of production been done a few years ago when Emery and company were still in town, nobody would have bought into the theme of a quiet offseason. The highlight of the opening sequence occurs as Gordie says, “The concourse is dark and barren…” Uh, Gord, it might be barren but that’s how the concourse is always lit during games.
Just a reminder to those readers who neglect their calendars that it is June 6th, the date that the Senators have debuted episode one of their Senate Reform production over on their website.
Or you could stream the episode below and discuss the episode in the comment thread.
no comments
