This headline mentions the Ottawa Senators
William Houston, the unblinking watchdog of Canadian sports media, reported this week that the Hockey News is changing to a more traditional magazine style format from its current finger-staining newsprint version in order to maximize newstand exposure and increase slumping sales. Hurrah. The Hockey News has also eliminated the treasure trove of stats that once filled the back pages of the magazine in order to make more room for writing. So instead of giving readers the only honest and objective hockey coverage possible in this country (stats), we are going to get more of this:
Senators deserve respect
Says Who?
Adam Proteau
Okay Adam, whatcha got?
Off to the best start of any team in league history through the first 14 games (13-1-0-0), the Sens not only are proof positive you can play NHL hockey well into June and not suffer from some alleged Stanley Cup hangover the next year - they're also prime examples of good things happening to good people.
And it's a low down dirty shame they're not receiving the hype and headlines their performances deserve.
They're not?
Do a Google News search and you'll see that there have been 3,013 stories that mention the Ottawa Senators in the past week. One-hundred and eleven stories have mention the Senators in the headline. Search for "Sens" and you'll get more than 200 stories, with 92 headlines.
Do a quick search over at the Globe and Mail and you'll see there was no shortage of Sens-sational coverage this week. (I even left out the coverage of Ottawa's defeat at the hands of the mighty Washington Capitals, since I don't think stories about the Sens losing qualify as hype and headlines in the minds of certain Sen-sitive souls).
All Star Ballot full of Senators - Globe and Mail - Nov. 11
How good are the Senators - Globe and Mail - Nov. 8
Senators: Rewrite History - Globe and Mail - Nov. 7
Ottawa Makes it look easy - Globe and Mail - Nov. 7
Sens take aim at history - Globe and Mail - Nov. 6
Ottawa collects 12th win in first 13 games - Globe and Mail - Nov. 5
Senators keep rolling - Globe and Mail - Nov. 4
Really, anyone who reads the papers or watches TV knows that the Senators are really good and broke some sort of arbitrary record this week. It has reached the point where I can't take a crap without being reminded of the Senators. But, according to Adam Proteau, the Senators are being ignored. This is a classic media trick, as regular readers may have noticed: make definitive statement, regardless of facts, and write column about how everyone has got it wrong (see Shoalts, David).
This is a team that's hard not to root for.
Says you.
People in Toronto seem to find it difficult. 98.246% of American hockey fans don't care. There was a collective yawn in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal last year when the Sens made it to the Cup final. I would argue that half the hockey fans in Ottawa still cheer for the Leafs and the Habs. So, it seems like it is easy to not root for the Sens.
But, Mr. Proteau, this is your column, so please don't let me get in the way of you telling us why hockey fans should be cheering for the Senators.
They've got Daniel Alfredsson, the captain whose captaincy was forever questioned and qualified until he shut up the carpers and harpies with jaw-dropping displays of leadership last spring.
Jaw-dropping? John Muckler? Is that you?
Guaranteeing a game 6 victory against the Devils and carrying your team to a Stanley Cup championship is a jaw-dropping display of leadership. Taking a slapshot at Scott Niedermeyer and leading your team to a five game loss is...well...lets just say that my jaw is firmly clamped shut.
They've got Jason Spezza, the dazzling offensive talent and mega-geeky laugher who will be regarded as Ottawa's Steve Yzerman by the time his stint in Canada's capital is done.
Steve Yzerman should sue.
They've got Mike Fisher, the straight-edge, two-way pivot rapidly developing into one of the game's great unheralded players and on pace for the best offensive season of his career.
Little known fact: Mike Fisher draws an X on each hand in black magic marker before every game and owns an original pressing of the first Minor Threat 7 inch.
They've got Chris Phillips, the low-key, always
Okay okay okay. Stop. We get it.
After Phillips he goes on to praise Danny Heatley and Anton Volchenkov. No mention, oddly enough, of Chris Neil. I mean, how can people not root for that guy?
I look at Ottawa these days and see a team that reminds me of the NFL's New England Patriots, who can lose a player here and there and miss neither a beat nor the chance to beat down their opponents.
The New England Patriots? Who are in the process of winning their fourth Super Bowl in the last seven years? The New England Patriots?
I would think the Buffalo Bills of the 1990's would be a more accurate comparison; lots of regular season success, and unbelievable ability to cock it all up when it really matters. (On the other hand, if he were comparing insufferable fans and rampant cheating, then the Pats would have been fair).
The sole stat the Senators are tops at is the one that counts most: wins. And, even if they drop their next seven in a row, something tells me we'll see them playing again this June - and running rampant again next October.
I'm sure some people are going to accuse me of being a Leafs homer who hates the godless and gutless Ottawa Senators, so let me respond in advance. B-Rabbit style. I am a Leafs homer. I do hate the Sens. I do live in a trailer with my mom. But, trust me, if someone had written this article about the Buffalo Sabres last year, I would have the same problems with it. The unsubstantiated claims in this piece are infuriating (Sens get no headlines, Alfredsson's jaw-dropping leadership abilities, Spezza as the second-coming of Yzerman). It is exactly the kind of shoddy work that drove us to staring this blog in the first place. And, if in the process of criticizing the bizarre rantings of the hockey press, I get the opportunity to take cheap shots at the Sens, well all the better. Lalime.
Senators deserve respect
Says Who?
Adam Proteau
Okay Adam, whatcha got?
Off to the best start of any team in league history through the first 14 games (13-1-0-0), the Sens not only are proof positive you can play NHL hockey well into June and not suffer from some alleged Stanley Cup hangover the next year - they're also prime examples of good things happening to good people.
And it's a low down dirty shame they're not receiving the hype and headlines their performances deserve.
They're not?
Do a Google News search and you'll see that there have been 3,013 stories that mention the Ottawa Senators in the past week. One-hundred and eleven stories have mention the Senators in the headline. Search for "Sens" and you'll get more than 200 stories, with 92 headlines.
Do a quick search over at the Globe and Mail and you'll see there was no shortage of Sens-sational coverage this week. (I even left out the coverage of Ottawa's defeat at the hands of the mighty Washington Capitals, since I don't think stories about the Sens losing qualify as hype and headlines in the minds of certain Sen-sitive souls).
All Star Ballot full of Senators - Globe and Mail - Nov. 11
How good are the Senators - Globe and Mail - Nov. 8
Senators: Rewrite History - Globe and Mail - Nov. 7
Ottawa Makes it look easy - Globe and Mail - Nov. 7
Sens take aim at history - Globe and Mail - Nov. 6
Ottawa collects 12th win in first 13 games - Globe and Mail - Nov. 5
Senators keep rolling - Globe and Mail - Nov. 4
Really, anyone who reads the papers or watches TV knows that the Senators are really good and broke some sort of arbitrary record this week. It has reached the point where I can't take a crap without being reminded of the Senators. But, according to Adam Proteau, the Senators are being ignored. This is a classic media trick, as regular readers may have noticed: make definitive statement, regardless of facts, and write column about how everyone has got it wrong (see Shoalts, David).
This is a team that's hard not to root for.
Says you.
People in Toronto seem to find it difficult. 98.246% of American hockey fans don't care. There was a collective yawn in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal last year when the Sens made it to the Cup final. I would argue that half the hockey fans in Ottawa still cheer for the Leafs and the Habs. So, it seems like it is easy to not root for the Sens.
But, Mr. Proteau, this is your column, so please don't let me get in the way of you telling us why hockey fans should be cheering for the Senators.
They've got Daniel Alfredsson, the captain whose captaincy was forever questioned and qualified until he shut up the carpers and harpies with jaw-dropping displays of leadership last spring.
Jaw-dropping? John Muckler? Is that you?
Guaranteeing a game 6 victory against the Devils and carrying your team to a Stanley Cup championship is a jaw-dropping display of leadership. Taking a slapshot at Scott Niedermeyer and leading your team to a five game loss is...well...lets just say that my jaw is firmly clamped shut.
They've got Jason Spezza, the dazzling offensive talent and mega-geeky laugher who will be regarded as Ottawa's Steve Yzerman by the time his stint in Canada's capital is done.
Steve Yzerman should sue.
They've got Mike Fisher, the straight-edge, two-way pivot rapidly developing into one of the game's great unheralded players and on pace for the best offensive season of his career.
Little known fact: Mike Fisher draws an X on each hand in black magic marker before every game and owns an original pressing of the first Minor Threat 7 inch.
They've got Chris Phillips, the low-key, always
Okay okay okay. Stop. We get it.
After Phillips he goes on to praise Danny Heatley and Anton Volchenkov. No mention, oddly enough, of Chris Neil. I mean, how can people not root for that guy?
I look at Ottawa these days and see a team that reminds me of the NFL's New England Patriots, who can lose a player here and there and miss neither a beat nor the chance to beat down their opponents.
The New England Patriots? Who are in the process of winning their fourth Super Bowl in the last seven years? The New England Patriots?
I would think the Buffalo Bills of the 1990's would be a more accurate comparison; lots of regular season success, and unbelievable ability to cock it all up when it really matters. (On the other hand, if he were comparing insufferable fans and rampant cheating, then the Pats would have been fair).
The sole stat the Senators are tops at is the one that counts most: wins. And, even if they drop their next seven in a row, something tells me we'll see them playing again this June - and running rampant again next October.
I'm sure some people are going to accuse me of being a Leafs homer who hates the godless and gutless Ottawa Senators, so let me respond in advance. B-Rabbit style. I am a Leafs homer. I do hate the Sens. I do live in a trailer with my mom. But, trust me, if someone had written this article about the Buffalo Sabres last year, I would have the same problems with it. The unsubstantiated claims in this piece are infuriating (Sens get no headlines, Alfredsson's jaw-dropping leadership abilities, Spezza as the second-coming of Yzerman). It is exactly the kind of shoddy work that drove us to staring this blog in the first place. And, if in the process of criticizing the bizarre rantings of the hockey press, I get the opportunity to take cheap shots at the Sens, well all the better. Lalime.
Is there a less relevant magazine than THN? Hard to believe that a news source offering all the hockey info you want and need 10 days after it happens is going through a bit of a sales slump...