Dictatorship to Democracy?

Cat Herder

Formerly BigSensFan
Sep 21, 2006
2,599
442
Belle River,On
get a load of the quote below... I wonder what the player is actually referencing? Was Karlsson dictator like as captain.. or was Boucher a dictator and now being forced to open up?

Senators' young players hope to distract fans from negativity - Sportsnet.ca

Select your favourite cliche, the Senators feel they can overachieve by having an all-for-one mentality. Though they have no captain, the players are hopeful that losing hotshots like Karlsson and Mike Hoffman might result in a better, closer dressing room.

As one Senators player privately told a local hockey writer, “we’re moving from a dictatorship to a democracy.”
 

Stylizer1

SENSimillanaire
Jun 12, 2009
19,276
3,689
Ottabot City
"although a recent push at the box office, with several thousand seats sold in the past week, will create a decent crowd. Not that they all paid. Every season ticket holder was offered an additional two free seats for the opener, an indication that papering the house to avoid embarrassment is back in vogue in Ottawa after several years of legitimate crowd totals."
 

Burrowsaurus

Registered User
Mar 20, 2013
42,397
16,033
get a load of the quote below... I wonder what the player is actually referencing? Was Karlsson dictator like as captain.. or was Boucher a dictator and now being forced to open up?

Senators' young players hope to distract fans from negativity - Sportsnet.ca

Select your favourite cliche, the Senators feel they can overachieve by having an all-for-one mentality. Though they have no captain, the players are hopeful that losing hotshots like Karlsson and Mike Hoffman might result in a better, closer dressing room.

As one Senators player privately told a local hockey writer, “we’re moving from a dictatorship to a democracy.”
does anyone doubt that this is boro?
 

Sens of Anarchy

Registered User
Jul 9, 2013
65,252
49,869
get a load of the quote below... I wonder what the player is actually referencing? Was Karlsson dictator like as captain.. or was Boucher a dictator and now being forced to open up?

Senators' young players hope to distract fans from negativity - Sportsnet.ca

Select your favourite cliche, the Senators feel they can overachieve by having an all-for-one mentality. Though they have no captain, the players are hopeful that losing hotshots like Karlsson and Mike Hoffman might result in a better, closer dressing room.

As one Senators player privately told a local hockey writer, “we’re moving from a dictatorship to a democracy.”

I like that it draws attention to the fans vs Melnyk as a possible if not likely reason for the empty seats.
As well as
Their general manager, Pierre Dorion, is under fire after a 30th-place 2017-18 season that was easily the most disappointing in franchise history. Moreover, Dorion is viewed as a first-time GM at the beck and call of a meddling owner.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gesus

Sens of Anarchy

Registered User
Jul 9, 2013
65,252
49,869
does anyone doubt that this is boro?

NOPE. Boro was trying to reign Karl in,,, he is saying he thinks the D will be better,, I think a lot of this messaging comes from Boro.
See having a player like Karlsson being given what Boro would think is special treatment would not sit well with him.

IMO if Karl was signed and was in the lineup things would have the same positive vibe they have now... its about turning the page and moving on and he would be the band leader behind that.. Some of the things the players are saying are being interpreted as pointing the finger negatively at Karl.,. maybe that's the way it is, but its an interpretation at this point.
 

Gil Gunderson

Registered User
May 2, 2007
30,601
15,970
Ottawa, ON
Yes now we can play like complete shit and not have our best player get frustrated. Never mind that we had the worst possession numbers in the league when he was not on the ice and among the best when he was.

Yay team!
 
  • Like
Reactions: L'Aveuglette

Burrowsaurus

Registered User
Mar 20, 2013
42,397
16,033
NOPE. Boro was trying to reign Karl in,,, he is saying he thinks the D will be better,, I think a lot of this messaging comes from Boro.
See having a player like Karlsson being given what Boro would think is special treatment would not sit well with him.

IMO if Karl was signed and was in the lineup things would have the same positive vibe they have now... its about turning the page and moving on and he would be the band leader behind that.. Some of the things the players are saying are being interpreted as pointing the finger negatively at Karl.,. maybe that's the way it is, but its an interpretation at this point.
its so strange how the same people that talk about all the "whining" from ex players don't say a word about the amount of bs that comes out of boros mouth... like hes quickly going from likeable goon to dislikeable rat
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gesus

robsenz

Registered User
Apr 15, 2007
3,560
2,423
Spezza should have been captain still until Karlsson earned it. Now that the team has been stripped down Melnyk will take a back seat and let Dorion be a GM.
Spezza should have never been the captain, it was just an attempt to keep him happy, which it obviously didn't. Karlsson was a bit young, but giving the "C" to a young player is the trendy thing now. I would much rather have an aging veteran wear the "C". Should have been Phillips when Spezza was named captain.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ray Kinsella

Stylizer1

SENSimillanaire
Jun 12, 2009
19,276
3,689
Ottabot City
Spezza should have never been the captain, it was just an attempt to keep him happy, which it obviously didn't. Karlsson was a bit young, but giving the "C" to a young player is the trendy thing now. I would much rather have an aging veteran wear the "C". Should have been Phillips when Spezza was named captain.
From all accounts Spezza was the leader in the room. Even when Alfie was there Spezza was a voice. Spezza should not have been traded and should have been supported as Captain. Too much pressure for Karlsson to carry the team. While Karlsson was captain he wasn't nearly in front of the camera like Spezza and Alfie were. This team was never about building anything and never wanted to resign Spezza. They thought they could speed up the maturity of the team by going with Karlsson and letting the rest follow but as displayed in the Hoffman situation there was a lack of ultimate respect between players. As good as a company guy Phillips was he would of only been picked because of longevity and not influence on the game. Best players on the team usually get the C in any sport at most levels.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hawthy

hawthy

Registered User
Mar 31, 2010
844
682
Ottawa
Spezza should have never been the captain, it was just an attempt to keep him happy, which it obviously didn't. Karlsson was a bit young, but giving the "C" to a young player is the trendy thing now. I would much rather have an aging veteran wear the "C". Should have been Phillips when Spezza was named captain.

Phillips would have been an awesome Captain. I long for the days when guys like Alfie, Phillips, Neil, Fisher and Redden had a handle on things. I wasn’t Redden’s biggest fan but looking back I appreciate him more now then I did back then!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ray Kinsella

Wallet Inspector

Registered User
Jan 19, 2013
5,761
5,010
To be perfectly frank I really don't care if Karlsson was a tough captain. He has the skills to justify it, and some players need a kick in the butt to play to their full potential.
 
  • Like
Reactions: L'Aveuglette

swiftwin

★SUMMER.OF.PIERRE★
Jul 26, 2005
23,584
12,966
As I posted in the other thread, this is my interpretation of that quote:

There's no denying that Karlsson was by far the best player on the team in his time here. I truly believe he's a good guy, and by no means a bad influence in the locker room. However, when a single player, especially a defenseman, is that much better than everybody else (aka. God made him on the 7th day), I believe it starts to create some weird dynamics on the rest of the room.

For example, everything the team and the coaching stuff does revolves around accentuating Karlsson's skillset, which is scary because Karlsson has a very very unique skillset. The 1-3-1 Boucher implemented with is was built around Karlsson. It was built around having the LD as an anvil on the left side, and have the RD be the puck retrieval and transition player. Fantastic for Karlsson. For Ceci? Maybe not so much. Ceci would have benefited from a different system that does not put so much focus on him being the sole source of the breakout. Not only that, but Ceci was also asked to play some of the toughest minutes in the league in order to maximize Karlsson's offensive minutes. Over the years, we've argued with people to death on the main boards about Karlsson not playing on the PK, etc. This is the flip side of that issue. Ceci was like one of those servants that carries the King around in his chair.

I'm just using Ceci as one example. The PP is another example. Our PP struggled alot, why? We focused too much on Karlsson. The rest of the team started to use Karlsson as a crutch, and stood around, waiting for him to work his magic at the top of the umbrella. We rarely ever worked the puck down low or at the half boards. If the other team could isolate Karlsson, our PP was neutralized. Or what about the forwards who constantly had to cover Karlsson when he went on a rush?

Look at the ridiculous Karlsson on/off stats. They were absolutely outrageous for this reason.

The thing is though, even if Karlsson kinda sucked the oxygen out of the room and suppressed other players (again, not in a malicious or intentional way), he was still so good that it still made us a better team overall. Think of it like a video game where you min/max a unique and unorthodox build that only works in a very specific situation (such as having a special talent like Karlsson). Ultimately, I'm not saying that we're going to be better off without Karlsson. I'm just saying that the hole he leaves behind is not going to be as big as people make it out to be. The systems will be built around the team as a whole instead of an individual player, and his prime minutes will be spread around to other players more evenly. This is where that "We're going from a dictatorship to a democracy" anonymous quote from the Sens dressing room came from.

I'm not trying to do any character assassination. It's something I've actually pondered about for years, and posted about a few times.

It'll be interesting to see how the team performs now that the load of responsibility is spread around a bit more.
 

swiftwin

★SUMMER.OF.PIERRE★
Jul 26, 2005
23,584
12,966
Another way to put it, is because Karlsson is a defenseman, and because he had such a unique skillset, the team had to work around Karlsson in order to maximize his potential. Where as other superstars, like Crosby or McDavid, simply play the position like other centermen, but just do it better than anybody else.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PeskySens

Countdown0

Deep Breath... nope, still mad!
Jun 28, 2010
1,337
200
Ottawa
Jonathan Toews is jokingly referred to as "Captain Serious", in no small part because he takes the game seriously and doesn't f*** around, holding his team mates accountable if they aren't playing like they should. He's also led Chicago to 3 Cups in his time as captain.

You're Captain SHOULD hold you to a standard. EK clearly holds himself to a certain standard of play, otherwise he wouldn't be nearly as good as he is. You don't become a superstar without a certain level of self discipline. So, if this IS players taking a shot at Karlsson, and I'm not saying that it is, then they need to f***ing grow up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: L'Aveuglette

Nac Mac Feegle

wee & free
Jun 10, 2011
34,884
9,305
So many subtle digs against Karlsson for a few years now, but you still claim not to be against the kid? Come on, Cat.
 

NyQuil

Big F$&*in Q
Jan 5, 2005
95,637
59,836
Ottawa, ON
From all accounts Spezza was the leader in the room. Even when Alfie was there Spezza was a voice. Spezza should not have been traded and should have been supported as Captain. Too much pressure for Karlsson to carry the team. While Karlsson was captain he wasn't nearly in front of the camera like Spezza and Alfie were. This team was never about building anything and never wanted to resign Spezza. They thought they could speed up the maturity of the team by going with Karlsson and letting the rest follow but as displayed in the Hoffman situation there was a lack of ultimate respect between players. As good as a company guy Phillips was he would of only been picked because of longevity and not influence on the game. Best players on the team usually get the C in any sport at most levels.

Spezza was declining and asked to be traded.
 

Stylizer1

SENSimillanaire
Jun 12, 2009
19,276
3,689
Ottabot City
Spezza was declining and asked to be traded.
He wasn't falling off a cliff and wanted out because of an inept front office with no direction. Spezza didn't need to be the go to guy on this team forever but he filled a spot that has yet to be filled adequately. We were always better off with him in our line up. His back to back final 60 point seasons were a result of this team cheaping out on his line mates and not him as a player in decline. His situation in Dallas was different than the one he was accustomed to in Ottawa.
 

BonHoonLayneCornell

Registered User
Oct 16, 2006
15,326
10,552
Yukon
Spezza was declining and asked to be traded.
I agree. It felt like the logical time to move on, but at the same time, likely a big reason he wanted out was because of how the team was operated. I wouldnt want to hang around a team that cant spend while im watching my career take the down turn.
 

Stylizer1

SENSimillanaire
Jun 12, 2009
19,276
3,689
Ottabot City
I agree. It felt like the logical time to move on, but at the same time, likely a big reason he wanted out was because of how the team was operated. I wouldnt want to hang around a team that cant spend while im watching my career take the down turn.
:thumbu:

I don't think their ever is a right time to move on from a player who is one of your cornerstone pieces. Those are the guys you reward and build around like Alfie. Without Spezza Alfie doesn't score nearly as much. Thorton, Chara, Zetterberg, Datsuyk, Lundqvist, Price aren't players you move on from when you are trying to build a winner, they are keys to maintain some sense of a foundation.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad