Pre-Game Talk: Sens @ Stars Jan. 13 The Return Of Mr. Giggles Edition

[Boud]

Then you must hate Zibanejad and Turris

I hate any player that doesn't backcheck or acts like he doesn't care when it comes to defensive responsibilities. It's a team game and everybody needs to play their part and not take chances that could cost to the team but also work hard to prevent those mistakes to end up in the net. To be honest, Turris is a good defensive player and at worst he is miles better than Spezza even thoo his effort level seems down from usual. This is a very simple part of the game and I hope you understand it.

A guy like Bobby Ryan is a lot more complete player than Spezza per example. Not only does he put up points, but he isn't a drop pass turnover machine and he doesn't take a break when it comes to the defensive aspect of the game. Players like Spezza lose you games more often than they win you games. Look at Spezza's turnover numbers this year with the amount of minutes he's played. It's absolutely mind numbing that he hasn't taken more defensive responsibilities over the years.

 

[OgieO]

Love talent, hate players that don't make defensive effort in order to make the team better.

Often Spezza's problem was that he tried too much and ran around leaving guys open and confusing his teammates. Other times he seemed to not know where he should be and watched the puck instead, and yes there were other times when he stopped moving his feet.

BTW - with as bad as he looked defensively under MacLean I wonder if he didn't also struggle with the system as a few others have said (anonymously). Seems to be plausible considering he was never that bad prior to MacLean's last couple of years. Anyway, doesn't matter.

 

[Sun God Nika]

I hope Spezz wrecks this team.

 

[ElRossoMatt]

Then you must hate Zibanejad and Turris

Try watching some Sens games not only highlights. Turris is one of our better defensive forwards.

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

i still couldnt believe when people booed him during the playoff intros one year which was his first step out the door.

I've been to every playoff game since the 2007 run. I don't recall this EVER happening.

And the fans had nothing to do with him leaving. That was just Murray spin to cover up the fact that Spezza was fed up with the direction of the team (under Murray's management) and didn't want to waste the best of his remaining career with a team that wasn't going to make any real effort to compete soon.

Judging by the performance on the ice of the Senators and the management's continued lack of commitment to improving the team apart from just the draft (a slow process at best), Spezza had every right to leave to join a contender. If he just wanted to go, he would have waited until free agency and left on his own terms. When it became apparent that the team wasn't going to get better while he was still here, he did us all a solid and kindly requested a trade.

If we've learned anything about Murray from the Heatley, Alfredsson, and now Spezza fiasco, he's the master of re-directing blame onto the players in ever the slyest manner so as to paint the team as the victim.

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

I hope Spezz wrecks this team.

I hope Bobby Ryan, Zbad and Hoffman embarrass his line all night. Because I'm a fan of this team.

 

[God Says No]

I've been to every playoff game since the 2007 run. I don't recall this EVER happening.

And the fans had nothing to do with him leaving. That was just Murray spin to cover up the fact that Spezza was fed up with the direction of the team (under Murray's management) and didn't want to waste the best of his remaining career with a team that wasn't going to make any real effort to compete soon.

Judging by the performance on the ice of the Senators and the management's continued lack of commitment to improving the team apart from just the draft (a slow process at best), Spezza had every right to leave to join a contender. If he just wanted to go, he would have waited until free agency and left on his own terms. When it became apparent that the team wasn't going to get better while he was still here, he did us all a solid and kindly requested a trade.

If we've learned anything about Murray from the Heatley, Alfredsson, and now Spezza fiasco, he's the master of re-directing blame onto the players in ever the slyest manner so as to paint the team as the victim.

This is how I saw it as well. Maybe the fan "hate" didn't help things, but I'm pretty sure he wanted to leave the team due to the direction.

 

[DrEasy]

Yeah, he'd managed to handle "fan hate" (true or imagined) all these years, I don't think another year would have been an issue. He left for other reasons.

Maybe he thought playing a year in another system would help his case in free agency?

 

[starling]

I hope Chiasson wakes up and gets a hat-trick.

 

[maclean]

If we've learned anything about Murray from the Heatley, Alfredsson, and now Spezza fiasco, he's the master of re-directing blame onto the players in ever the slyest manner so as to paint the team as the victim.

To be fair, shifting blame is something pretty much everybody does everywhere all the time to everyone

 

[Knave]

Spezza is not a winner. It's that simple. What has he ever won? When has he ever been a key piece of a championship team? Never.
You can bash Murray, management all you want but the fact of the matter is Spezza is not a winner.

Edit: Ok, he won the Spengler Cup... and I forgot about it but come on.

When he's playing against the best of the best or even the second best of the best, he just doesn't get it done.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Spezza is not a winner. It's that simple. What has he ever won? When has he ever been a key piece of a championship team? Never.
You can bash Murray, management all you want but the fact of the matter is Spezza is not a winner.

Edit: Ok, he won the Spengler Cup... and I forgot about it but come on.

When he's playing against the best of the best or even the second best of the best, he just doesn't get it done.

He's gotten it done against the best of the best over and over again. And he was doing at 23 24 25.

But if you wanna say he's not a "winner" then I am totally cool with that. Because I say the same about Alfie. So fair is fair.

Spezza wasn't part of several straight humiliating losses to our arch rivals though. But that's for another day!!

 

[HSF]

Spezza is not a winner. It's that simple. What has he ever won? When has he ever been a key piece of a championship team? Never.
You can bash Murray, management all you want but the fact of the matter is Spezza is not a winner.

Edit: Ok, he won the Spengler Cup... and I forgot about it but come on.

When he's playing against the best of the best or even the second best of the best, he just doesn't get it done.

lmaoo didn't know 1 player is the reason teams win

 

[Liliaceae]

Hopefully Spezza gets a few points in a Stars loss.

This!

lol at Spezza 'hardly getting hate'.. he's been unappreciated and got endless criticism for years before he left. He's supposed to take that **** forever?

 

[HSF]

Since when Turris is a bad defensively?

he certainly hasnt been 'good'

I would say most of the guys in our top 6 have been pretty average defensively now that turris and zibby don't have much insulation..losing key faceoffs has been huge too

 

[DrakeAndJosh]

Spezza is not a winner. It's that simple. What has he ever won? When has he ever been a key piece of a championship team? Never.
You can bash Murray, management all you want but the fact of the matter is Spezza is not a winner.

Edit: Ok, he won the Spengler Cup... and I forgot about it but come on.

When he's playing against the best of the best or even the second best of the best, he just doesn't get it done.

It's funny. If Hasek hadn't gotten hurt and we went to the stanley cup, or we had played Detroit instead of Anaheim in 07, Spezza just might be regarded as a Yzerman type. All it takes is one playoff round to completely change a narrative.

 

[Vaclav Varada]

Mark Stepneski ‏@StarsInsideEdge 3m3 minutes ago
Tyler Seguin not practicing. He went home ill.

Mark Stepneski ‏@StarsInsideEdge 1m1 minute ago
Vernon Fiddler (lower body) not practicing. Jamie Benn not on ice. Will get update after practice.

 

[King Karlsson]

Damn since when does everyone hate Spez?

 

[DrakeAndJosh]

Damn since when does everyone hate Spez?

You obviously never listened to team 1200 after a loss.

 

[Vaclav Varada]

Damn since when does everyone hate Spez?

it seems like 70% of Ottawa hated him ever since he put the Sens jersey on on his draft day.

You obviously never listened to team 1200 after a loss.

Or even after a win.

 

[Knave]

lmaoo didn't know 1 player is the reason teams win

It's funny. If Hasek hadn't gotten hurt and we went to the stanley cup, or we had played Detroit instead of Anaheim in 07, Spezza just might be regarded as a Yzerman type. All it takes is one playoff round to completely change a narrative.

An Yzerman type? You're out to lunch. He disappears in the big games unless he's way down the depth chart like he was at the Spengler Cup. He's never won anything for a team at any level.
It's simple.

This isn't hating, it's pointing out the facts. The people here whining about all the "hate" he takes are in many cases openly cheering against the Senators and for Spezza. It's disgusting.

He's not a winner, plain and simple. He's underachieved consistently.

 

[SensAreSoClose]

He's gotten it done against the best of the best over and over again. And he was doing at 23 24 25.

But if you wanna say he's not a "winner" then I am totally cool with that. Because I say the same about Alfie. So fair is fair.

Spezza wasn't part of several straight humiliating losses to our arch rivals though. But that's for another day!!

Aside from that Olympic Gold but you know, don't let facts get in the way.

 

[DrakeAndJosh]

An Yzerman type? You're out to lunch. He disappears in the big games unless he's way down the depth chart like he was at the Spengler Cup. He's never won anything for a team at any level.
It's simple.

This isn't hating, it's pointing out the facts. The people here whining about all the "hate" he takes are in many cases openly cheering against the Senators and for Spezza. It's disgusting.

He's not a winner, plain and simple. He's underachieved consistently.

Alright easy buddy. Yzerman started his career with the same defensive play and loser narratives against him. Hell, he was almost traded here because Scotty Bowman didn't think he could play well enough defensivly. You know what changed? He was an important piece on a good team, and then they won a stanley cup, which didn't happen until he was 32, Spezza is 31. Get over yourself and your ignorant narratives.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Aside from that Olympic Gold but you know, don't let facts get in the way.

Stanley cup >>>>>>>>>> Olympic gold.

"But he won Olympic gold" was always an argument to deflect from the fact he could never get it done in the NHL. Never liked it.

Truth is we are both being pretty irrational. You don't like spezza. And I don't like Alfie.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Damn since when does everyone hate Spez?

Such an underrated post