Hockey Beat » Ottawa Senators

Underwood Talks About Romance With Fisher

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:51:28 +0000

Carrie Underwood has been dating Ottawa Senators player, Mike Fisher, for almost a year now and it seems like the relationship is still going strong. She sat down for an interview on In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts and talked about how her life has changed since leaving her small town and winning American Idol.

Among the topics, of course, was her love life. She has dated NFL star Tony Romo and actor Chace Crawford while under the microscope of the media but she’s really done a good job of keeping her relationship with Fisher under wraps.

Carrie explained that they have been able to stay under the radar because they like to stay in and are not big party-goers so they don’t go to events together.

She affirmed that she’s very happy in every aspect of her life but was able to avoid answering Robin Roberts’ question about whether she wants to get married and have kids any time soon.

Watch the interview:

image: Zuma Press

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Spezza and Neil Clash at Senators Practice

Jeanne Dupuis — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:36:14 +0000

Finally! A little passion from the Ottawa Senators! Apparently, during this morning’s practice, a little scrap broke out between forwards Jason Spezza and Chris Neil. I don’t know exactly what brought it on but reports are saying that Neil dealt a two-handed slash to the back of Spezza’s legs and Spezza turned around and give it right back to him. Teammates jumped in, however, when Neil dropped his gloves.

image: TSN

“I don’t know what happened,” Spezza said. “Sometimes teammates get into it, it’s no big deal. As soon as he dropped the gloves it was time to get out of there though”

Interesting…

Head coach Cory Clouston said: “That’s all right. That’s just intensity…they’ll shake hands and make up.”

Well, Neil has done this before so it’s no big surprise. He’s fought with Magnus Arvedson and Martin Havlat at practice so I’m guessing he felt like it was Spezza’s turn. Let’s see if they can focus this aggression into some wins.

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Zubov Demands Trade From Senators

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:24:36 +0000

Dany Heatley made waves (and a few enemies) when he demanded to be traded by the Ottawa Senators but most choked it up to drama between him and the team as well as the fact that too many players are becoming prima donnas these days.

It gets kind of ridiculous, though, when a prospect like Ilya Zubov starts making similar demands. Apparently, the Russian-born is pissed because he got demoted to the AHL and feels he deserves a chance to play with the big boys.

“I’m not very happy about it. It’s not what I want. Both me and the Ottawa team (talked) and I might get traded soon” Zubov said.

It’s like an instant replay of last year when another Russian prospect, Alexander Nikulin, was eventually sent to the Phoenix Coyotes when he was mad about not making the Sens roster. That didn’t work out so well, however, since he is now playing in Russia. Sometimes, you’ve just gotta pay your dues…

image: NHL/TSN

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Ottawa Senators Hopeful About Leclaire

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:52:56 +0000

Goaltender Pascal Leclaire was acquired at the trade deadline last season but, after having ankle surgery, he wasn’t able to play. He has dressed in this year’s pre-season games and the Ottawa Senators are hoping that this is the answer to their netminder woes.

image: TSN

They had it good with Ray Emery until he went bat-shit crazy. Of course, Leclaire is taking the high road when it comes to the gossip about his predecessors. “I wasn’t here and I don’t really care about what happened before,” stated Leclaire. “They’ve had some real quality goalies here. Sometimes it’s easy to blame goalie. You get used to it. Since you were 10 years old, you give up a bad goal you’re a bad guy.”

Already, general manager Bryan Murray is voicing his optimism: “I’m very happy with Pascal. He is coming off a time where he had some injury problems and health problems. He’s worked very hard this summer and has looked very good in the games this preseason.”

It’s been almost a year since he really played so Leclaire was also pretty happy to be on the ice and it’s easy to see why. He has been impressive in the pre-season and already his attitude is making me hopeful. “When the goalie is calm it has a positive effect on his teammates,” Leclaire said. That’s a change from some of the other netminders the Senators have had recently.

I guess we’ll find out when the season gets underway.

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Heatley Whines About “Diminished Role”

Jeanne Dupuis — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 05:38:04 +0000

Hockey fans couldn’t have been too surprised by what disgruntled Ottawa Senators forward, Dany Heatley, had to say when he addressed the reasons for his request to be traded. “When I signed in Ottawa two years ago, I felt it was to be an integral part of the team,” Heatley said. “Over the last two years and more recently over the past year, I feel my role was diminished. This past season, it diminished a lot more. This is a straight hockey decision. I have nothing against the fans of Ottawa, or the city of Ottawa. I would like the opportunity to go somewhere where I can play to the best of my capabilities and be the player that I can be.”

Of course, he’s not willing to let his disappointment keep him from playing if he gets no offers from other teams: “I have a contract, and if I’m still a Senator at training camp time, I’ll be ready to go. But at the same time, I think we know that there are other teams out there that are interested, and hopefully something can get done.”

As you can imagine, it’s not easy to find teams who will be interested in both his high price and pissy attitude. Sens GM, Bryan Murray, said: “I think (the Heatley camp) believed that I would present them with four teams who were willing to give Ottawa a package (for Heatley), and he could pick and choose from them. That has not been the case by any means. There are still a couple of teams that I’m talking to, but they are nowhere close to (offering) what I need to get back to protect this franchise.”

Talk about finding out that you’re less desirable than you think you are. Heatley clearly believed that the offers would be coming in left and right and now it seems like his pride won’t let him back down. I thought he was a complete idiot of turning down the Edmonton Oilers but he had an explanation for that too. He said: “It has nothing to do with Edmonton. It has everything to do with the options. To this date there has only been one option, and I know that there are other teams out there. I don’t feel I can make the right decision until there are a few options and I can make the right decision for my career.”

I think that Murray is just as irritated by Heatley’s actions as I am (and I’m sure many of you feel the same way) and it really puts the GM in a weird position – it’s not like he can force teams to make an offer for Heatley. Murray went on to say: “It’s been a frustrating time for us, trying to find a place for him. I heard him continue to say that he wants to be traded, and we will continue to work in that area. I think if I can get one more deal that’s realistic for our team, then I can propose it to their side, and that would probably be the limit.”

Heatley said that he didn’t want any of this to go public since he loves the fans in Ottawa and thinks it’s a great city but the reality is that when you’ve signed a six-year, $45 million contract extension, a request for a trade is going to get leaked.

Again, I’d like to say that this was absolutely dumb on his part. If a team is willing to pay you $7.5 million per season, it’s not because they want to see you warm the bench. I’m sure they are just as frustrated since he just had his worst season in four years with 72 points (39 goals). I don’t want anything bad to happen to him but I’d like to see him humbled and I’d also like to see him take a look in the mirror when he wonders why his role has suddenly diminished.

image: TSN

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Heatley Going to the Sharks?

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:32:39 +0000

Are you sick of hearing about Dany Heatley? I know that I am. Whether he’s staying with the Ottawa Senators or going someplace else, I want it to happen quickly so that everyone can move on with their lives.

The latest news is that Heatley could end up going to the San Jose Sharks (Sens GM Bryan Murray brought this “option” up) if third team gets involved and some are saying it will be the Montreal Canadiens. The Sharks are willing to ship Jonathan Cheechoo along with Christian Ehrhoff and a first-round selection but it’s unclear whether this is interesting enough for the Sens to consider.

A league executive is quoted as saying: “if the Sharks don’t have what the Senators want, then (GM) Doug Wilson might have to go get it from another team. ‘The Senators want a proven scoring winger in return and that means you might have to get a third team involved.”

In order for this to work, the Sharks would have to acquire someone from the Habs (presumably) but the player would need to be of interest to Ottawa. I just think this is too much effort to dump a disgruntled, ungrateful player like Heatley. I hope it works out for the teams but I don’t give a rat’s ass what happens to Heatley at this point.

image: TSN

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Oilers Lose Interest in Whiny Heatley

Jeanne Dupuis — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 06:50:58 +0000

The Edmonton Oilers have shown that sometimes it’s the trades you don’t make that help your team. I know some might disagree but I am THRILLED that the Oilers have lost interest in acquiring Dany Heatley. Who needs that kind of negative attitude on their team?

image: Zuma Press

Like Marian Hossa, Heatley is yet another one of those players who seems to have forgotten that it is a PRIVILEGE to play in the NHL. There are little boys right now dreaming of going professional and most of them won’t even come close. I know it sucks to be on a losing team or one that is struggling but there’s no reason to jump ship unless, of course, you are part of the problem. A good player rallies and sticks with his teammates because it counts most when you’re down.

I think it’s absolutely lame to have Edmonton’s GM, Steve Tambellini, doing all he can to bring the guy over only to have him refuse to waive a no-trade clause. Tambellini said in a conference call: “We gave ourselves an allotted amount of time internally … to explore every opportunity to see if there was something that would work – it didn’t. It’s time for us to move on. We’re very comfortable with that.”

Agreed. You can’t have it both ways so clearly he doesn’t want to ditch the Ottawa Senators as much as he says. At this point, I’m thinking it’s good for Heatley to be in limbo. I hope the locker room is an uncomfortable place for him. Maybe he’ll start to appreciate his life.

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Will Ottawa Keep Kovalev and Heatley?

Jeanne Dupuis — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:16:12 +0000

Now that the Ottawa Senators have acquired Alex Kovalev from the Montreal Canadiens, I wonder if things have changed for Dany Heatley. He’s been asking to be traded and could be stuck on the team which, of course, isn’t an ideal situation since no one wants a disgruntled, pissy player on their team. I’m hoping that this trade will make things seem a little less bleak.

Ottawa GM Bryan Murray seems to think so. At a press conference yesterday, he said: "We can fit both of those guys on our team very nicely, maybe one on left and one on right wing.”

Kovalev also had some things to say: "Sometimes you see teams make changes and go through different players, so it’s understandable (they struggle). This team, I was surprised with the players offensively and defensively they have, that they weren’t successful. Hopefully, I’ll bring that little spark or whatever that this team is missing… Definitely, with the player that he is, it would be nice to have him back. I know Dany a little bit from playing with him for Kazan in the lockout year. He’s a great, talented guy on the ice and off the ice and would definitely help the Senators organization and hopefully will continue to help the organization".

Talk about a Dr. Phil moment. I feel like it’s time for a group hug and some healing, don’t you? Apparently Heatley isn’t feeling as warm and fuzzy – he’s not even returning the calls of Sens captain, Daniel Alfredsson. The drama continues…

image: TSN

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The Dany Heatley Drama Continues…

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:12:47 +0000

I also wanted the drama surrounding cranky pants Dany Heatley to be resolved so that we could move on but, so far, nothing has worked. He asked to be traded but when the Edmonton Oilers expressed their interest, he refused to waive his no-movement clause (despite meeting with them on Wednesday night) and now the Ottawa Senators will have to pay him a $4 million dollar bonus.

Why would a player who wants to leave his team so badly refuse an offer? Because the Oilers weren’t on his “wish list.” He told Ottawa General Manager Bryan Murray that he wanted to go to either any of the following teams: New York Rangers, San Jose, Boston, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Detroit, Calgary and Chicago.

I’m guessing he doesn’t realize that most of these teams don’t have room for him under the salary cap since he’s still got five years left on his contract which is worth $37.5 million. That’s a lot to ask.

I agree with TSN’s Bob McKenzie – this thing could really get ugly. I don’t know what the Sens are going to do with this since it’s almost a lose-lose situation for the team. They will lose $4 million even if he leaves and, if he stays, he could be a liability if he’s genuinely unhappy.

What do you think of the Heatley situation?

image: TSN

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Dany Heatley Asks Ottawa For Trade

Jeanne Dupuis — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:04:00 +0000

Dany Heatley has reportedly asked the Ottawa Senators to trade him and I can’t say that I blame him. The main issue, though, is that he signed a six-year, $45 million contract extension and he’s only completed one year of it. The deal also includes a no-movement clause.

Where is Heatley in such a rush to go? Apparently, he’s got his eyes on the Edmonton Oilers and other reports that I have read this morning mention that he might go to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Dion Phaneuf.

I think he’d be a better fit in Edmonton than here in Calgary and, despite how Phaneuf has been playing lately, I’d hate to see him traded to Ottawa.

The 28-year-old was unhappy with last year’s coaching change and his reduction in ice time.

image: TSN

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