Wednesday, August 1, 2012 at 11:52PM | Canuckin Podcast
So let it be written so let it be done! We’re back with a second summer show, as how can you really let news like this go by without talking about it? That’s right folks! He’s coming back! Your fearless leader, the blonde Adonis, the Golden Gawd is coming back for at least one more season (or eight more depending on which Call-Up you ask). Driven by leadership, the love of the game, the team and the city, the NHL's current longest serving captain will be back in a Sens uniform at season’s start, plus this happens without a contract extension or more money being thrown at him. That’s the definition of leadership right there.
We also touch on the future of leadership beyond Alfie and the drastic change from previous years with now having a clog up on offence while shockingly looking thin on the blue line and try to fill these spots with the prospects that are coming up.
Around the league there has been some noise with Nash finally moving to the Rangers, Nashville getting their hands tied with an offer sheet and we talk about other big names on the move. All of this is of course dependent on the CBA being finalized in time for hockey to start.
Pan gets heated over recent Tim Thomas comments and Kardinal goes a little Whiskey Tango Foxtrot on the topic of the Raffi Torres suspension and appeal. We read our first e-mail from a long time groundhog and launch our very first SCU contest.
We’re looking forward to the start of training camp and pre-season and hope to hear from you soon via e-mail, the forums or twitter.
Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 12:42AM | Canuckin Podcast
Welcome to the first episode of Sens Call-Ups! In this episode, we break through a lot of nervous energy and talk about the summer that was and what’s on the horizon starting with the cup winning champs and some controversy within the Canadian media around the playoffs and a look back as to how the Sens did in their first round contest.
We talk about the awards ceremony and discuss as to what effect being nominated for the coach of the year may have on MacLean and his relationship with the refs. Also we look at who’s in and who’s out in free agency and who has re-upped with the Sens.
Touched on are the newest draft picks and look at Cody Ceci and the Senator’s pledge to look at local talent. We go into some detail about the trade in acquiring Marc Methot for a great guy in Nick Foligno. Losing Nick and his wife from the community is a big loss, but we wish him all the best in Columbus. Oh, and Figs better stay away from Anderson when he plays here!
We have our very first special guest to discuss the potential need for new enforcers. No, not Wayne Gretzky! Not Brenda Shannahan, and definitely not Mats Sundin! WE HAVE PUDDLE DUCK!
After a quick look around the league to talk about other big name signings, we look at the CBA offer by the NHL and, although worried, are hopeful for hockey next year.
We’re excited and looking forward to hearing from you, the listener as Sens Call-Ups is not only made by the fans, for the fans, but is to be made WITH the fans. We’re looking forward to hearing from you via e-mail and twitter and are eager to hear your suggestions and comments as to what you’d like to see on the show.
We’ll be back up around training camp and pre-season, but until then, CALL UP!
As most of you Groundhogs already know, Sens Underground as you know it has come to an end. But please do NOT unsubscribe just yet!
Instead of shutting it down completely, we've decided to open-up the Underground to Sens fans and give YOU the ability to share your own views and opinions with the groundhog community. Basically, Sens Underground Network will become a central hub for Sens fans to create and publish their own shows all under one feed. You can record a daily comment if you want or produce a weekly show like we used to do, it doesn't matter. The goal is to have as much content as possible so Sens fans who are subscribed to the SU feed can have something to listen to every day. And who knows, Russell, Shredder and StooLi might contribute once in a while… you know, when the rage can just no longer be contained!!
So if you're interested in producing your own show to distribute via the Sens Underground Network, please contact us and we'll provide you with all the info you need to get started.
We can tell you this right now, there will be at least one podcast you can listen to from the SU Network when the season starts. I'd like to introduce, Sens Call-ups.
Sens Call-ups will be hosted by Crazy Canuck, Kardinal, and Pan (aka David Ho). Groundhogs will be familiar with these characters as they've all been guest hosts on SU at one point or another last season. They have stepped-up and will be the first to produce a weekly show on our network. I know they will do a great job and I can't wait to listen to their shows and be a groundhog myself for a change!!
Have a listen to the Sens Call-ups teaser… this should get you excited for things to come
After 7 long and satisfying years, we at the Sens Underground say our final farewells tonight. 7 years of covering the Ottawa Senators from a fan's point of view. Its always been a show "by the fans, for the fans" and for one final time tonight, we take our places behind the mics and represent you, the Sens fan.
So, we start it all off by breaking down the final game of the season for Ottawa:
Sens 1 - NYR 2
And what a game it was. No one can say that this Sens team didn't leave it all on the ice. They gave it everything they had but in the end, they came up one shot short. One shot. Of course we all felt the initial disappointment, but we think that all Sens fans can agree this season was an overwhelming success. We take you through that final game, a game that may end up being the last ever by the Golden Gawd in a Sens uniform. If it was, what a fitting end it would be, with him being the best player on the team and scoring a classic Alfie goal.
Of course, with the end of the season comes all the expected questions, such as where do they go from here? Who will be back? Who moves on? Will Alfie be back? How will they fare next season? But as always, the most contested issue is Jason Spezza. The one constant over the years that we have done this show is how Jason can divide the Ottawa fan base. Some love him, some are frustrated by him. This year is no exception. We take a last look at this topic and discuss whether Spezza can ever be the leader we keep hoping he'll be.
The Stache and Murray had their finall pressers and we bump around a few of their parting comments, including who the Sens may target in the off season. And, to give the whole thing a nice "full circle" feel, we have one final discussion with Sportnet's Ian Mendes. Ian was our first guest, all those years ago, so we figured it only right he'd be our last and as always, he brings a little sanity to our rage-fuelled ravings. A huge thanks to him for all his contributions to our show over the years.
Once we have cleaned up all the hockey talk, its time to start closing up shop. We work our way through a pile of very touching e-mails from the Groundhogs that touch us deeply, as well as some great voice mails. We then take a look back at some of our favourite moments and experiences that we were able to enjoy as a result of our time Underground. We re-visit one of our original segments, discuss a very unique idea unfolding that could see the Underground community live-on and then tie up the last loose end; we tip our hats to you, the Sens fans and the Groundhogs, our faithful and beloved listeners and friends.
There are no words that would sufficiently express how grateful we are to all of you. All we can tell you, from the bottom of our podcasting hearts, is thank you. You have become part of our lives over the last 7 years and you have shared your lives with us. If we have helped enrich your experience following this great hockey franchise, then it was all worthwhile. We all consider this adventure we've taken together to be a truly rewarding one that has brought us memories to last a life time. We can only hope we've touched your lives a fraction of how much you've touched ours.
The future for the Ottawa Senators is bright and as we ride off into the virtual sunset, we want you to know that with every great goal we all cheer, with every huge save that has us yelling "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!", with every terrible call that gets us enraged and with every Sens win we celebrate, we will be thinking of you and remembering what we shared.
We hope you've got some spare time for this because you're going to need it.
Once again this week, with play-off fever raging in the capital, a game 7 looming and the return to Studio 11 of Stooli, we've produced another mammoth show for you. This year's play-offs have been over flowing with crazy story lines and the Sens-Rangers series is right there with the best of them. This week's results find the teams all tied at 3 games apiece:
NYR 2 - Sens 3 OT
Sens 2 - NYR 0
NYR 3 - Sens 2
The pesky Sens, the team no one but the Sens Army believed in, are 1 game from advancing to round 2 of the play-offs. To watch this series unfold has been a nail-biting wonder with every imaginable twist thrown in for good measure. Injuries, spectacular goaltending, massive hits, suspensions, bad blood, super-human efforts have all played a part in getting us to this point. But alas, so has our old nemesis: reprehensible officiating. Its so unfortunate that the NHL has become so tainted by this plague but there's simply no denying it; the games are being adversely effected by incompetent reffing. Its not a stretch to say that this year's play-offs already have been the most poorly officiated in recent history. It may not shock you to learn that we spend an inordinate amount of time on this subject this week and how it has played such a huge part in this series. Hey, you've been warned.
Of course, we also touch on some of the other hot button topics this week. The return of the Golden One, Craig Anderson's stellar play, the decision to play rookies Stone and Silfverberg in crucial games, Maclean's benching of Spezza, 9mm and Alfie, Alfie's meltdown, Chris Neil's and Zenon Konopka's surprising and undeniable influence on this series are but a few of the legion of discussions tossed around.
Want some more? Ok, we got you covered. The continuing struggles of Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, two guys who have drastically under performed so far in this series, get a good going over and it ain't pretty. The Sens have managed to get this far without a significant contribution from either but how long can that last? We take an unflinching look at what we believe to be the cause of these no-shows.
And it doesn't stop there. We do a little mental Frankensteining and wonder what would happen if you could jam this year's team into Sens teams of the past. The dreaming continues as we look at how potential big name free agents may now see Ottawa as a desirable location because of this remarkable season. Of course, we have thoughts on the Torres suspension and take another look at how the other leagues handle their dirty laundry.
We received several top notch emails this week that we think you'll love and of course, we have another poll question for you, along with last week's results.
Game 7 in the play-offs. A chance to knock off the #1 team on their own turf. We think we know just the pesky team to do it.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012 at 11:52PM
So let it be written so let it be done! We’re back with a second summer show, as how can you really let news like this go by without talking about it? That’s right folks! He’s coming back! Your fearless leader, the blonde Adonis, the Golden Gawd is coming back for at least one more season (or eight more depending on which Call-Up you ask). Driven by leadership, the love of the game, the team and the city, the NHL's current longest serving captain will be back in a Sens uniform at season’s start, plus this happens without a contract extension or more money being thrown at him. That’s the definition of leadership right there.
