From our April 2007 issue: Sens will shake demons and return Stanley Cup to its Canadian roots
From the THN Archive in April of 2007 Volume 60 Issue 29.
The Senators have only made it to one Stanley Cup Final in their history and it happened in 2007. Entering the playoffs that year, THN writer Al Strachan correctly tabbed the Senators as Canada's best hope.
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At one time, picking the likely Stanley Cup winner was a fairly easy task. Sure, there were occasional upsets, but at least you knew who the favourites were, and therefore, when an upset had occurred.
Today, in Gary’s Socialist Hockey League, there’s never a clear favourite. The playoffs still start with 16 teams, but you can always make a good case why at least 12 of them have a good shot at the final or why every one of those 12 could be eliminated in the first round.
So with the excuses in place, we won’t even bother to try to pick the Cup winner, just the Canadian team that has the best chance.
The Oilers have been kind enough to reduce the number of options to five, and the way the Leafs and Canadiens were going, they won’t be around long, either.
That leaves Calgary (barely), Vancouver and Ottawa.
At the trade deadline, Calgary appeared to have filled its holes. But this is not a happy team, to put it mildly. To be successful, the Calgary players have to put aside their dislike of the coaching and management staff, which isn’t likely.
History has shown us goaltending wins in the playoffs. It is by far the most important factor. With Roberto Luongo between the pipes, the Canucks have a huge advantage. There are still those who say because Luongo has never taken part in the playoffs, he is an unknown quantity.
LUONGO’S PLAYOFF DEBUT
But that’s not Luongo’s fault. When he was thrust into the 2004 World Cup playoffs due to Martin Brodeur’s wrist injury he was magnificent. He had the weight of Canada on his shoulders and he came through. Handling the NHL playoffs won’t be a problem.
But his Ottawa counterpart, Ray Emery, isn’t exactly the Ancient Mariner (“he stoppeth one of three”), either. Granted, he has not been as spectacular as Luongo, but a couple of factors must be noted.
First, for much of the season, the Sens were not as committed to easing the load on their goalie as they are now. Second, Emery has been getting better all season long.
Both teams have solid defensive corps, but up front, the Sens have a big edge. So the last Canadian team standing will be Ottawa.
Up front, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza are as dangerous as ever, and they’ve both added a previously non-existent skill: they’re now defensively responsible.
But the Senators also possess the best two-way line in the league. Daniel Alfredsson, Peter Schaefer and Mike Fisher always draw the responsibility of handling the opposition’s top line. More often than not, they not only shut it down, they pop a goal or two of their own.
The big question regarding the Senators is the one that surfaces every year. Do they have enough grit? Are they tough enough? Do they have the intestinal fortitude to refuse to lose?
SENS ARE TOUGH ENOUGH
In the past, they haven’t. And the off-season loss of Zdeno Chara didn’t help. But the Senators read the newspapers and watch TV. They know what their critics say.
And they swear this time will be different. They won’t wilt in the face of heavy playoff checking. They won’t back down when opposing defensemen try to keep them away from the net. They will take hits to make plays.
They’ll need a great post-season from defenseman Wade Redden. They’ll need Spezza and Heatley to battle through checks, some of them illegal. They’ll need the support staff – Mike Comrie, Chris Kelly, Chris Neil – to provide some heroics once in a while.
But this year, they can do it. No road to the Stanley Cup is easy, but it’s certainly an easier path in the East than in the West. And that gives the nod to the Senators as the last team carrying Canada’s hopes. And maybe, with a bit of luck, Ottawa and Vancouver will meet in the final. ■
By Al Strachan