Anyone who didn’t realize by the end of December that this was exactly how this season was going to end was either blindly optimistic or hopelessly naïve. One thing is certain, those folks haven’t been watching very closely.
We never got it back. This team lost everything, its confidence, its swagger, its resilience just before Christmas and we never got it back. It’s as simple as that. And everything The Bryan tried turned to shite. Fire the coach? Nope. Trade for Commodore and Stillman? Nope. Finally send Rayzor into the dark hole of obscurity he so richly deserved. Nope and nope.
We can try and use Paddock, or injuries to key players or any number of bad breaks as ready made excuses, but that’s all they are. Excuses. The truth is they weren’t good enough. They didn’t skate hard enough. They didn't hit hard enough. They couldn't score, and they couldn't stop the other team from scoring. Despite all of the platitudes repeated over and over all season long, the same mistakes were made by the same people over and over again. And they were our supposed “stars”. Redden, Meszaros, Gerber, Emery…
There will be time enough in the next few days to pick at the scab and come to grips with the question of how exactly a season that started so strong could come to this. But for now, we’ll have to settle for the obvious. A group of incredibly talented athletes started to play badly, and none of them thought to work hard enough to fix it. Worse, they didn’t seem to care enough to try.
16 comments:
I'm so sorry. :(
I don't care a whit for the Senators themselves, but I feel awful for their fans who seemed to care more than many of them did.
May you lose the zeros, get healthy, gain heart and determination during the offseason and start with a fresh slate. Better luck next year!
Thanks Baroque. Much appreciated. A balm on a deep wound, especially in the face of the onslaught of "YOU SUCK" comments I'm expecting from those classy Pens fans.
It's a drag to lose, and Ottawa will feel like a shitty city for a few days, but, you know, then there'll be a fantastic spring day, you'll forget, you'll be faced with that 10-year-old logic: Do I root for the team that beat my team, which, if they win the Cup, could theoretically make my team No. 2? Or do I root for their immediate demise? I'm a Pens fan from WAY back, back to Syl Apps and Dave Burrows and Jean Pronovost, and I can honestly say that I like the Senators. But I can't say that about Philadelphia or New Jersey....
(Be careful throwing that "classy" epithet around, btw. Check your original post of April 11....)
LET'S GO PENS!
Congrats though on a phenomenal first half!
(Be careful throwing that "classy" epithet around, btw. Check your original post of April 11....)
Mea Culpa, Anon. Mea Maxima Culpa. However, in my defence (if that's possible), that was born of rage and frustration and not a premeditated attempt to call my mother a lesbian.
Actually Big K, it was more of a phenomenal first quarter, but the sentiment is appreciated nonetheless.
But how about that 15-2 start eh?
Kill me.
DHS: I guess the real trick is to go 16-2, but at the END of the season.
Fear not. With Redden and Mesz gone, our D can only get better. All we need is a real goalie. And maybe a true second line... Aw crap. Looks like it's back to the bottle for me...
SLC if you want some commiserating chat I'm on DUAN or logon to gmail.
Cory Stillman & Mike Fucking Commodore - your playoff scoring leaders!!!
You have my sympathies SLC. On behalf of Habs fans, we welcome you aboard our bandwagon. However, be prepared to get thrown off pretty quickly - we can't score a goal either.
@Steved - Patrice Brisebois is our leading scorer. That's much worse.
I don't know why everyone is being such a downer, I'm in a great mood!
Oh...yeah...never mind
;P
"Pens in 4 (with the Sens scoring only 2 goals in the final game; a 5-2 romp). Yay Summer's here!, yay!!
April 9, 2008 10:35 AM"
I don't know what we were expecting, I'm not even looking forward to next year. (Although the Sens managed to score twice as many goals as this good-looking "anonymous" guy predicted)
So long Jason and Wade, we'll miss you! Enjoy prison Eugene! (better make that just plain Gene, for the next 3 to 5 years...)
And the worst part is, it was such a LONG fall, with plenty of time for you to consider your demise.
I don't envy Sens Army today.
Heyzeus Christopholies! I'm not ready to lock this team in a burning building, even as disappointed as I am (I know my season ending post might seem like it). We were/are a mess; no doubt. But, I don't even think Redden and Meszaros are completely hopeless cases. Emery? yes. I know the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing (or relying on the same players) and expecting a different outcome, but we certainly didn't expect a shittier outcome with essentially the same group as the year before. There's plenty to work with here. I really think the key is a butt kicking coach (please, not Hartley) and Spezza and Heatley figuring out that you HAVE TO HIT SOMEONE in the playoffs and fight through some crap if you want to score.
There aren't a better way to express it with a train wreck. it is the way to think about the end of it.
Post a Comment