Thursday, January 29, 2004
Busy day in Ottawa
Maybe it was just me, but today just felt like a day that Ottawa was buzzing with sports news. Early in the day, the focus was on last night's" Debacle in Dallas". Entering the third with a 3-1 lead, the Senators collapsed, surrendering 4 goals en route to a 5-3 loss.
There's been so much hot air expelled on the subject of Patrick Lalime that I'm surprised there's any snow left on the ground. Therefore, I'm not going to add much more, but I'll say that while he's always been a favourite of mine, lately I'm starting to cringe whenever there's a shot. Last month, I wrote that Lalime would emerge from his slump. I hope that's still the case, but even I'm starting to wonder. His confidence seems to be shot. After the Zubov shot/Guerin goal, he still looked shaken (and stirred) on the 2 on 1 that resulted in the Scott Young goal.
Meanwhile, nearly lost in the Lalime uproar, was a beautiful shorthanded goal by Peter Shaeffer, who won a race to the puck, chipped it over Marty Turco and then tipped it into the net. Highlight of the night material.
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The other big news of the day came this afternoon when Vancouver was awarded the 2006 World Junior Hockey Championship. With over 18,000 deposits sold, many thought that Ottawa was a good bet for the tournament, but alas the lure of the (Olympic) rings was too strong. Jeff Hunt has done a commendable job in preparing and promoting the Ottawa bid. BlackRedGold astutely points out the B.C. connections of the decision making comittee. Coincidence? Perhaps. Would I bet against politics being involved? Probably not.
Regardless, I don't doubt for a second that Vancouver will put on an excellent tournament that will sell out. It should have gone to Ottawa though.
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Uh-oh Havlat's groin is acting up again. The good news is that Josh Langfeld, who was excellent in replacing Vermette while he was out, has been recalled to fill in.
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Looks like Lawrence Tynes is almost officially gone. On the bright side, the Gades' secondary just got better with the news that Serge Sejour looks to be coming back.
There's been so much hot air expelled on the subject of Patrick Lalime that I'm surprised there's any snow left on the ground. Therefore, I'm not going to add much more, but I'll say that while he's always been a favourite of mine, lately I'm starting to cringe whenever there's a shot. Last month, I wrote that Lalime would emerge from his slump. I hope that's still the case, but even I'm starting to wonder. His confidence seems to be shot. After the Zubov shot/Guerin goal, he still looked shaken (and stirred) on the 2 on 1 that resulted in the Scott Young goal.
Meanwhile, nearly lost in the Lalime uproar, was a beautiful shorthanded goal by Peter Shaeffer, who won a race to the puck, chipped it over Marty Turco and then tipped it into the net. Highlight of the night material.
---
The other big news of the day came this afternoon when Vancouver was awarded the 2006 World Junior Hockey Championship. With over 18,000 deposits sold, many thought that Ottawa was a good bet for the tournament, but alas the lure of the (Olympic) rings was too strong. Jeff Hunt has done a commendable job in preparing and promoting the Ottawa bid. BlackRedGold astutely points out the B.C. connections of the decision making comittee. Coincidence? Perhaps. Would I bet against politics being involved? Probably not.
Regardless, I don't doubt for a second that Vancouver will put on an excellent tournament that will sell out. It should have gone to Ottawa though.
---
Uh-oh Havlat's groin is acting up again. The good news is that Josh Langfeld, who was excellent in replacing Vermette while he was out, has been recalled to fill in.
---
Looks like Lawrence Tynes is almost officially gone. On the bright side, the Gades' secondary just got better with the news that Serge Sejour looks to be coming back.
