There is a top 10 list of the games to see on my blog.
There are two games that I am really excited for. The first one is the first game at home versus the Colorado Avalanche. The reason? I just want to boo Foote. The guy was our Captain, and then ditched us at a time when we needed a leader the most. Luckily, we have an amazing Captain in Rick Nash now, who will (hopefully) lead us to the post season this season. I know it may seem awful that I am looking forward to a game, simply to boo someone. But, what he did hurt. It wasn't even the fact that he left, it was the manner in which he did it. I think Foote expects to get a fairly unfriendly reaction from the Blue Jackets fans. It is all his doing, you made your bed Footer, now lie in it.
The next game, is the game versus the New York Rangers. We had a big trade with them this summer. Sending away Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche. It'll be nice to see them again, and you know they each will show up for that game. It will be interesting to see how they do against us. I think both Z and Fritsche should expect a warm welcome from Blue Jackets fans, it could get ugly if they start scoring goals on us though.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Games to see!
Monday, September 01, 2008
School takes the choices from me
Normally I would say I am dying to go to every single Oilers game, the Habs game, and the Leafs game, but this year I only get to see something like five games out the 41 I could have tickets for. I am excited to see all of them. I really hope one is an Avs game so I can see Sakic one more time.
If I come home for spring break (rowing pending), I will get to see maybe two more games. School has made me excited to see EVERY.SINGLE.GAME. I go to. I'm ashamed to say this was not the case when I got to sit in my parent's season tickets and see all the games I wanted and watch the rest on TV. This has made me spoiled since I no longer have the time to watch all the games on TV.
Moral of the story: Seeing fewer games has made me far less picky about who I see.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Penguins vs. Predators; sounds like a poorly planned zoo exhibit
Since we don’t play nearly enough Eastern Conference teams, I was happy to see the more diverse schedule helped achieve a better balance. With that said, one of my most anticipated games of the season is definitely the January 8th game versus Pittsburgh. I was rooting them on throughout the playoffs (only after we lost, of course) and came to really enjoy watching them on the ice. The Penguins did take a few hits on their roster during free agency but they still have a great core team of players that I can’t wait to see. And that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m all about Sidney Crosby either. I mean, don’t get me wrong; the Kid’s good...but the way the announcers talked about him during games made me think he was out on the ice all by himself. It's a team, people!
A couple of other games worth mentioning are the FLA vs NSH game on November 1st and NYR vs NSH on March 12th. The Panthers now have one of the most beloved Predators in franchise history, Tomas Vokoun. The one game we played against them last season was very bittersweet due to the way in which Vokoun left us so suddenly during the tumultuous offseason following the '06-'07 season. Tomas is a class act and still someone I consider to be one of the best goalies in the NHL. Watching him on the ice is great, no matter what team he's playing for.
As for the Rangers game...I'm just excited to finally see the Rangers back in Nashville. I've been waiting for this matchup for three seasons now and well, they've got a pretty decent (and easy on the eyes) goalie too.
So We Meet Again, Old Friend
I will admit that I sometimes get emotionally attached to a lot of the players on my team, even if they aren't necessarily my "favourite". You get used to seeing the team look the way they are, you have names associated with faces associated with numbers. Certain numbers with certain names on the back of the sweaters just look right, like they absolutely belong together.
As a Senators fan, I suppose I've been "lucky" that we haven't seen our team blown up or gutted over the years. However, this summer marked the departure of somebody who was once a key piece of the team. If you asked me as near as three years ago, I would have told you there was no way in all that was sacred, Wade Redden would be leaving the Senators. He was one of the originals, the core, the heart and soul of the team who had been with us since he was still a young rookie and has grown up before our eyes. He was one of the key pieces that helped turn the team into the Beast of the East (at least in the Regular Season) we all know.
But as much as we try to fight it, hockey is still a business and there isn't any room for emotions in business. So this summer, we waved goodbye to Redden as he searched for greener pastures and greener dollars with the New York Rangers.
Redden had been my favourite player for as long as I could remember. I always maintained that he meant more to the Senators than any other player on the team, for a time I thought he was more dear to the franchise than even Daniel Alfredsson (I admit to being young and foolish. I've learned the error of my ways). But everything this off-season was set in a way that Redden leaving was inevitable. Over the years, myself and many others of Senators nation had grown disenchanted with Redden. His play had been faltering and while we gave him the benefit of the doubt for awhile, it became more than just underachieving, it became what looked like downright lethargy. Like he didn't care, and that the fire was gone. After a dismal end to a season with such high expectations, the franchise needed a shake-up and Redden needed a fresh start.
As much as I was expecting Redden to leave, it still hurt a little to see him signing with the Rangers for $6.5 million. For one, it was the Rangers. For another, it always stings a little to see a former favourite go for a hefty price tag.
The Senators first meeting with the Rangers is at MSG on Monday, November 17th, a game I'll be sure to be watching with interest. I'm curious as to see whether or not Redden can bring his play back up to the level which it's capable of, and whether or not he will find chemistry with this Rangers team that I've decided is some sort of Frankenstein with very expensive parts. I want to know if he got the fire back and if playing his former team will be special for him too. If there really were bitter feelings at the departure, I would love to see it on the ice. Sure, having a charged up and inspired Redden might be a disadvantage for us, but it'd make for exciting hockey.
The following Saturday on November 22nd, the Rangers will visit the Senators in an afternoon game at the bank. It'll be Redden's first visit back to the bank and I can only guess what the reception will be. He didn't exactly leave town under the greatest circumstances, but to be fair, he left via free agency, which he had every right to do and not because he pouted and demanded a trade. I expect a couple of boos, we gave Zdeno Chara the same treatment even if he didn't deserve it. But I really hope that the Senators fans will remember all of the great things that Redden did for the team and not the shell of the player he once was that we've come to know in recent memory. Hey, he's somebody else's expensive responsibility now after all.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
NYR vs. NSH – Already on the Calendar
I can’t wait for this matchup: Finally the NY Rangers will be playing the Nashville Predators – first time since Jed Ortmeyer was relieved of his contractual obligations in NY and Nashville picked him up at the end of last year.
The down-side: the game is in Feb09 in Nashville, and Jed will miss out on the NY “welcome back” that he so deserves. Possible up-sides: I have an excuse to take a road trip and/or subscribe to Center Ice. Okay, it’s only one game, but to me, it exemplifies the need to have all the teams play eachother, even if it is only once. I won’t get on my soap box about how they should up the frequency of these inter-divisional matches, but suffice it to say that this is a step in the right direction.
Along those lines, I’m looking forward to the NYR/Maple Leafs games to see how Ryan Hollweg fares against his former team. He may get a mix of cheers and jeers – assuming he has a regular role on the Leafs’ fourth line, and also assuming they roll 4 lines.
Neither Jed nor Ryan have played for any other NHL teams, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Come to think of it, I look forward to Jed & Ryan playing eachother! Sign me up for Center Ice!!!
Weekly Topic: Hockey Games, Here I Come!
There are some Kings home games that I plan on attending based on players that moved during the previous off-season. I thought last year's free agency period was tremendously more exciting than this year's free agency period and I hope to capitalize on the new and much improved schedule to witness firsthand some of the players that are in their sophomore year with a new team. I'm tempted to buy tickets to the Kings/Rangers game on Dec 17th because I still want to see Drury and Gomez. I don't expect anything mind-shattering from that duo but I still want to see them. Danny 'Le Petit' Briere and Joffrey 'Dreamy Eyes' Lupul will be visiting LA on Jan. 3rd and I will most definitely go to that game. Despite being Avery's only fan I would rather not attend another game against a Pacific Division rival, but who knows, maybe my brother and I will go to a Kings/Dallas game in "Avery We Love You" t-shirts. With the exception of the home opener, the game I most looking forward to is on Nov 20th when the Caps come to town. I still haven't seen Ovechkin play in person and I am dying to go to that game!
Looking at all the games I want to attend I'm really glad and appreciative that the Kings added several new ticket packages. In addition to full- and half-season packages, there are three (3) 10-game packages available to fans: Big Game, Weekend, and Flex. The Big Game package includes tickets to "the ten biggest marquee contests of the season", something that does not interest me since that means sitting through a Detroit game among the most insufferable fans ever. The Weekend package includes only weekend games and the Flex package allows a fan to choose any 10 games. These three packages also offer some of the benefits provided to the full- and half-season ticket holders, with the Flex package offering the fewest benefits and the least amount of savings. Despite not being as lucrative, the Flex package is the one I will most likely purchase because I'm fairly certain I'll want to attend 10 games this season and I will gladly accept any savings and benefits available.
