saskriders
Can't Hold Leads
3 seasons ago, Brian Murray said we were going into a 3 year rebuild.
And, even though the last year was a disaster, there were some pretty good moments along the way. Which would make up your top 10?
For me:
Honourable Mentions: Daugavins' shootout spinorama, Carkner ignites team after fighting Boyle, Cody Ceci's 1st goal, Comeback against the Habs in game 4
10: Phillip's 1000th game
Even though he has struggled quite a bit recently, Phillip's has been a leader on this team, and an anchor on the blue line, for a long time. This night though, he turned back the clock and had an amazing game. Not only that but he scored 2 goals, and of course whenever Big Rig scores, the Senators win! This night was also special because it was Mike Fisher's first game back in Ottawa, and there was a video tribute that played for him. The next game there was a ceremony, and video congratulations from some ex teammates including his former defence partner Anton Volchenkov.
9: Alfie's 400th goal
Whether or not you still like him is irrelevant. At the time Alfie was the heart and soul and so much more for this franchise. Being the first Senator to hit this mark was something special, and doing it in OT to win the game is even better. Just how excited all the other Sens are tells you how great this was.
8: The Heritage Classic
After years of the NHL having outdoor games, with some teams even getting to play in 2, it was nice to finally feel like the NHL wasn't giving us the short end of the stick again (except for the fact that we were the first and only outdoor game with no alumni game). One of the most anticipated parts was the new jerseys, even though everyone new what they were going to be and the only debate was white vs vintage white. Winning the game was great, but if the heritage set becomes our regulars it will make this moment even better.
7: Who cares about injuries?
This one is not so much a moment, otherwise it could have been higher, but more a great period of time for the Sens.
First Cowen goes down and isn't expected to be back until late in the year, unfortunate but you can't expect a injury free season. Then Spezza goes down and isn't expected to be back that year, well it looks like we are going to need some secondary scoring otherwise we are in trouble. Somewhere in there Latendress and Lundin get injured, looking like we are losing depth. Then Michalek goes down in a warmup and is going to be gone a few weeks, more scoring is gone. Later that game the Karlsson injury, and it looks bad. Finally Anderson goes down, and we lose the elite goaltending most of us thought was keeping us in a playoff spot. At this point in time nobody would blame the team if they missed the playoffs, and many probably expected it. But something amazing happened. The team came together played good defensive hockey, Lehner and Bishop stood on their heads, Zibanejad, Turris, and Silfverberg all stepped up. And the team made the playoffs despite losing a #1 C, #1 D, and 2nd pairing D for most of the year, as well as a #1 winger and #1 goalie for an extended period.
6: Alfie's last big goal as a Senator ties game 3 against the Pens late
Alfie had a lot of great moments with this team, how can you not when you are there for almost two decades, and this one, was as good as almost any. We were down 2-0 in the series and needed a win badly, but with less than a minute in the game we were down 1-0. It looked like the series was over, but with 30 seconds left Alfie tied it. If someone had told us at the time that this would have been his last big goal as a Senator we would have believed him. But unfortunately, for the wrong reason
5: Greening's double OT goal in game 3 against the Pens
This is one that is probably higher on my list because it is my favourite current Senator (I know
) But it is nonetheless a great moment. As afore mentioned this was a game that we needed to win to avoid trailing the series 3-0, and Alfie had already tied the game late for us. In the first two games of the series we had a surprise when our highest scoring line involved not just Pageau, but also Condra and Greening, who incidentally was the only Senator without a point against Montreal. But tonight nobody could beat Fleury, and that first overtime was no different. But then in the second overtime, off the rebound of an Andre Benoit shot, Colin Greening scored, and the place exploded.
4: Karlsson wins the Norris
Another moment on this list that would probably be higher, if it wasn't so much an entire season compared to a single moment, but it is still a big enough achievement that it deserves to be on this list. Anyways, going into that season most of the Sens fans around here knew Karlsson was good, but nobody expected him to be this good. Karlsson didn't just lead defenceman in scoring, he basically lapped them all. Seeing the first major award for a Senator was great, but seeing it with someone who is only 21 was even better.
3: Winning all the fights in a line brawl against the Habs
Going into this series I didn't really consider them a rival, and I know some other fans felt the same way. Sure some fans thought there was a rivalry, but Ottawa and Montreal hadn't met in the playoffs since 1927. That was all to change quickly though. A hit by Gryba was really the catalyst, but then some back and forth comments by the coaches, and the series wasn't even halfway finished and there was a lot of hate between these teams. Game 3 though is where it really took off. The game was already starting to get out of hand, when one of the Habs slashed Smith. And pretty much immediately we had a full blown line brawl on the ice. Not only that, but the Sens won all 5 of the fights as Smith, Neil, Kassian, Phillips, and Cowen each took down their opponents. If only Lehner was in net
2: Turris OT Goal in game 3 against the Rags
Early on in the season everyone loved Rundblad. He was going to be a star on the blue line for years to come, but those dreams all died when he was traded for this guy who wanted out of Phoenix. A lot of people didn't like the deal, some said we gave up a star, others said we got someone with attitude problems. However, all those opinions got changed pretty quick. Turris found a way to be one of the more productive players on the team and cemented his spot on the roster. Fast forward and the team that was supposed to be one of the worst is in the playoffs holding their own against the number one seed Rangers. The Rangers are ahead 2-1 in the series, but the Sens have played extremely well and could very well be in front if it wasn't for the solid goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist. Game 3 continued the pattern as Ottawa never managed to get a lead, and went into overtime for the second time in the series. Then, a few minutes into the overtime period, Jim O'Brien carried the puck across the blue line and dropped a pass to Turris. And Turris just fired it high glove against Lundqvist. It was an amazing shot, and at the time felt like pretty much the only thing that could beat Lundqvist. Unfortunately the Sens were not able to win the series despite winning game 5, but taking the Rangers as far as they did made me extremely proud, and that goal was one of the most exciting goals the team has ever scored.
1: Pageau getting a hat-trick in game 3 against the Habs
Going into the season Pageau wasn't one of the highest touted prospects. But in a year where almost all of the better players got injured anyone who was having any success in Bingo was getting a chance in Ottawa. So, late in the year in comes the local kid, and he scores a goal against the unbeatable Bruins that allows us to win the game. Continuing his strong play to finish the season, and he earns a spot on the roster for the playoffs. Then in one game he had one of the best on ice performances we have ever seen in a Senators jersey. The kid from Gatineau in his first playoffs scores a hat trick at home against the new found rivals from Montreal. The fact that this was in the same game as a line brawl, started the "Pageau chant", and involved Montreal getting crushed makes it even better.
And, even though the last year was a disaster, there were some pretty good moments along the way. Which would make up your top 10?
For me:
Honourable Mentions: Daugavins' shootout spinorama, Carkner ignites team after fighting Boyle, Cody Ceci's 1st goal, Comeback against the Habs in game 4
10: Phillip's 1000th game
Even though he has struggled quite a bit recently, Phillip's has been a leader on this team, and an anchor on the blue line, for a long time. This night though, he turned back the clock and had an amazing game. Not only that but he scored 2 goals, and of course whenever Big Rig scores, the Senators win! This night was also special because it was Mike Fisher's first game back in Ottawa, and there was a video tribute that played for him. The next game there was a ceremony, and video congratulations from some ex teammates including his former defence partner Anton Volchenkov.
9: Alfie's 400th goal
Whether or not you still like him is irrelevant. At the time Alfie was the heart and soul and so much more for this franchise. Being the first Senator to hit this mark was something special, and doing it in OT to win the game is even better. Just how excited all the other Sens are tells you how great this was.
8: The Heritage Classic
After years of the NHL having outdoor games, with some teams even getting to play in 2, it was nice to finally feel like the NHL wasn't giving us the short end of the stick again (except for the fact that we were the first and only outdoor game with no alumni game). One of the most anticipated parts was the new jerseys, even though everyone new what they were going to be and the only debate was white vs vintage white. Winning the game was great, but if the heritage set becomes our regulars it will make this moment even better.
7: Who cares about injuries?
This one is not so much a moment, otherwise it could have been higher, but more a great period of time for the Sens.
First Cowen goes down and isn't expected to be back until late in the year, unfortunate but you can't expect a injury free season. Then Spezza goes down and isn't expected to be back that year, well it looks like we are going to need some secondary scoring otherwise we are in trouble. Somewhere in there Latendress and Lundin get injured, looking like we are losing depth. Then Michalek goes down in a warmup and is going to be gone a few weeks, more scoring is gone. Later that game the Karlsson injury, and it looks bad. Finally Anderson goes down, and we lose the elite goaltending most of us thought was keeping us in a playoff spot. At this point in time nobody would blame the team if they missed the playoffs, and many probably expected it. But something amazing happened. The team came together played good defensive hockey, Lehner and Bishop stood on their heads, Zibanejad, Turris, and Silfverberg all stepped up. And the team made the playoffs despite losing a #1 C, #1 D, and 2nd pairing D for most of the year, as well as a #1 winger and #1 goalie for an extended period.
6: Alfie's last big goal as a Senator ties game 3 against the Pens late
Alfie had a lot of great moments with this team, how can you not when you are there for almost two decades, and this one, was as good as almost any. We were down 2-0 in the series and needed a win badly, but with less than a minute in the game we were down 1-0. It looked like the series was over, but with 30 seconds left Alfie tied it. If someone had told us at the time that this would have been his last big goal as a Senator we would have believed him. But unfortunately, for the wrong reason
5: Greening's double OT goal in game 3 against the Pens
This is one that is probably higher on my list because it is my favourite current Senator (I know
) But it is nonetheless a great moment. As afore mentioned this was a game that we needed to win to avoid trailing the series 3-0, and Alfie had already tied the game late for us. In the first two games of the series we had a surprise when our highest scoring line involved not just Pageau, but also Condra and Greening, who incidentally was the only Senator without a point against Montreal. But tonight nobody could beat Fleury, and that first overtime was no different. But then in the second overtime, off the rebound of an Andre Benoit shot, Colin Greening scored, and the place exploded.4: Karlsson wins the Norris
Another moment on this list that would probably be higher, if it wasn't so much an entire season compared to a single moment, but it is still a big enough achievement that it deserves to be on this list. Anyways, going into that season most of the Sens fans around here knew Karlsson was good, but nobody expected him to be this good. Karlsson didn't just lead defenceman in scoring, he basically lapped them all. Seeing the first major award for a Senator was great, but seeing it with someone who is only 21 was even better.
3: Winning all the fights in a line brawl against the Habs
Going into this series I didn't really consider them a rival, and I know some other fans felt the same way. Sure some fans thought there was a rivalry, but Ottawa and Montreal hadn't met in the playoffs since 1927. That was all to change quickly though. A hit by Gryba was really the catalyst, but then some back and forth comments by the coaches, and the series wasn't even halfway finished and there was a lot of hate between these teams. Game 3 though is where it really took off. The game was already starting to get out of hand, when one of the Habs slashed Smith. And pretty much immediately we had a full blown line brawl on the ice. Not only that, but the Sens won all 5 of the fights as Smith, Neil, Kassian, Phillips, and Cowen each took down their opponents. If only Lehner was in net
2: Turris OT Goal in game 3 against the Rags
Early on in the season everyone loved Rundblad. He was going to be a star on the blue line for years to come, but those dreams all died when he was traded for this guy who wanted out of Phoenix. A lot of people didn't like the deal, some said we gave up a star, others said we got someone with attitude problems. However, all those opinions got changed pretty quick. Turris found a way to be one of the more productive players on the team and cemented his spot on the roster. Fast forward and the team that was supposed to be one of the worst is in the playoffs holding their own against the number one seed Rangers. The Rangers are ahead 2-1 in the series, but the Sens have played extremely well and could very well be in front if it wasn't for the solid goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist. Game 3 continued the pattern as Ottawa never managed to get a lead, and went into overtime for the second time in the series. Then, a few minutes into the overtime period, Jim O'Brien carried the puck across the blue line and dropped a pass to Turris. And Turris just fired it high glove against Lundqvist. It was an amazing shot, and at the time felt like pretty much the only thing that could beat Lundqvist. Unfortunately the Sens were not able to win the series despite winning game 5, but taking the Rangers as far as they did made me extremely proud, and that goal was one of the most exciting goals the team has ever scored.
1: Pageau getting a hat-trick in game 3 against the Habs
Going into the season Pageau wasn't one of the highest touted prospects. But in a year where almost all of the better players got injured anyone who was having any success in Bingo was getting a chance in Ottawa. So, late in the year in comes the local kid, and he scores a goal against the unbeatable Bruins that allows us to win the game. Continuing his strong play to finish the season, and he earns a spot on the roster for the playoffs. Then in one game he had one of the best on ice performances we have ever seen in a Senators jersey. The kid from Gatineau in his first playoffs scores a hat trick at home against the new found rivals from Montreal. The fact that this was in the same game as a line brawl, started the "Pageau chant", and involved Montreal getting crushed makes it even better.
