The wait is no longer! Senators long time captain Daniel Alfredsson has revealed he is not ready to pack it in just yet.

The 39 year old Swede has decided to finish out his last year on a 4 year contract with Ottawa. The official announcement came Tuesday morning after Alfredsson said he needed time to see how his body could handle training in another vigorous off season.

Number 11 returns for the 2012-2013 season. (Photo: nhlsnipers.com)

On a conference call from Sweden with CBC Sports, Alfredsson had this to say about his decision: “”I’ve had the motivation of playing from the beginning, but I had to go through the process, and after back surgery last year, I wanted to see where I stand. I’m happy I feel the way I do.” (Source: cbc.ca)

Alfredsson was drafted 133^rd overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Since then he has become more then a captain and  crowd favourite. The upcoming year will be his 17^th with the only NHL club he’s ever known. Alfie has also been captain since the 1999-2000 season.

With 27 goals and 32 assists in 75 games last year, he was a pivotal part of the Senators surprising playoff run.  Big things are expected this year for the Ottawa Senators and knowing the Swede is back in the fold, we can except to hear the glorious Alfie chant for one more exceptional season.

At last, we arrive at the coda of the 2011-12 NHL season, the NHL Awards. The National Hockey League will spend the next few hours cringing at terrible jokes, raising an eyebrow just what Steven Stamkos is wearing, and hoping a Real Housewife doesn’t butcher another poor hockey player’s name. (Seriously, “Mar-TEN Saint Louissss” still rings in my ears to this day.)

The NHL Awards will air on NBC Sports Network starting at 7pm ET/6pm CT, and I’ll be here, live blogging the entire thing.

So grab your drink and pull up a seat. It’s going to be another long night.

All times in the liveblog are listed in CT. Newest posts will be on top.

» Continue reading “Kat Live Blogs The NHL Awards 2012!”

Chris Neil Photo by Bridget Samuels/ Flickr

Going into Game 6 against the New York Rangers, Ottawa had a lot of things in their favor. Craig Anderson was absolutely solid in net, they had a chance to eliminate the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, and they were getting back a key part of their line up.

Captain Daniel Alfredsson was set to return to the lineup after missing three games with a concussion. Alfie sustained the injury during Game 2 when he took Carl Hagelin’s elbow to the head.

Chris Neil got the Senators on the board in the first period on a power play goal, but the Rangers broke out in the 2nd. They scored 3 goals after going 6 straight periods without scoring. Jason Spezza made things interesting in the 3rd by cutting the lead to 3-2, but the Rangers evened the series and sent it to a 7th game.

The Sens’ loss of focus in the second period cost them the game and possibly the series. They took penalties, handing New York four power plays.  The Rangers took advantage of a questionable goaltender interference call on Nick Foligno that gave them a lengthy 5 on 3 man advantage.

The good news for the Senators is that they have had a number of big comebacks over the course of the season. No one expected them to be where they are and no one expected them to put up much of a fight against the powerful Rangers. Game 7 will take place Thursday at Madison Square Garden, a building where they have had a lot of success.

» Continue reading “Senators Regain Their Captain, Fall 3-2 In Game 6″

Erik Karlsson Photo by Bridget Samuels/ Flickr

He’s gotta be strong and he’s gotta be fast and he’s gotta be fresh from the fight. Bonnie Tyler may have been singing about Kevin Bacon in “Footloose”, but the same sentiment rings true for the Ottawa Senators as they head into Game 4 of their series against the New York Rangers. They need a hero to help lead them to victory.

The Sens have really stepped up their game after dropping Game 1 in New York, but something is missing. Most teams have a guy who really starts to shine in the playoffs .

Across the ice, Brian Boyle has assumed that mantle for the Rangers. Ottawa seems to be struggling in finding an MVP on their bench.

That’s not to say that the Senators haven’t had guys step up. Chris Neil was the guy in the Game 2 victory. Kyle Turris is playing very well. What they need is the one or two people who will create those extra scoring chances and get more opportunities to strike on the scoreboard.

With their captain Daniel Alfredsson remaining out due to a concussion, the onus falls on the team’s other big names to step up.It’s a well work hockey cliche to say that your best players have to be your best players, but that’s exactly what needs to happen.

Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, Sergei Gonchar, and Erik Karlsson have to be the the ones to get things going. The rest of the team will follow. So far they have seemed a bit off, whether it’s the Rangers taking away their time and space or being a bit intimidated by the playoffs. Sometimes all it takes is a lucky bounce or a momentary lapse in concentration by Henrik Lundqvist and Ottawa can be back in this.

They just need a hero to help show the way.

Ottawa Sens Represent! Photo by Linda Hamilton

It seemed like a good idea when I volunteered to cover the Ottawa Senators during their playoff journey. I follow and write about an Eastern Conference team, the Sens are in the East too. How hard could it be?  Until I started making a list of the things I actually knew about the Senators and it was extremely short.

- They play in Ottawa, the capital city of Canada.

- Daniel Alfredsson used to have fantastic 80s metal hair.

- Jason Spezza has a donkey laugh.

- Former Lightning players Zenon Konopka and Matt Gilroy pull on their sweater these days.

Finding out how little I actually know about the team I’m going to be following for possibly the next two months sent me into deep research mode.

For example, I knew that this incarnation of the Senators came into the league during expansion in the early 1990s, their first season back was 1992-1993. The original Sens were founded in 1883 won 11 Stanley Cups and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934.

Their captain Daniel Alfredsson is the longest tenured European captain in the NHL. He holds the franchise record goals, assists, and points with 1100 games played. Chris Phillips and Jason Spezza are the alternate captains.

Erik Karlsson is their wunderkind defenseman, already being mentioned as a contender for this year’s Norris Trophy. He is currently leading the league in scoring by a defenseman with 78 on the season.

The Sens bring a huge amount of speed along with their impressive offensive firepower. No one predicted their success this year so that sends them into the post season as huge underdogs which would really work to their advantage.

With a few more days before their first game against the New York Rangers, there’s plenty of time to learn more. And hope that Spezza doesn’t laugh in any of his interviews.