Marking the Sens

Final exam pulls down class grades

Now, it's time to pick over the body.

"It's like we've lost a member of the family," said Senators owner Rod Bryden in the wake of the team's playoff disaster.
After achieving a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference, the Senators completely fell apart in the playoffs. Meaning this group of players will always be remembered as the ones who didn't have the guts to get it done in the post-season.
Why did they come out this way? The Senators don't have any answers right now and they're going to spend the next few weeks trying to come up with reasons they fell apart.
Nobody can forget the 109 points the club had during the regular season while evaluating the reasons the Senators were swept in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs, but all that will be remembered is the post-season result.
With those thoughts in mind, here's the end of the season report card. Marks are not based solely on the playoffs, but it's like everybody in the class failed the big exam.

CURTIS LESCHYSHYN, C-
Was brought in to provide leadership in the playoffs and to help the club get to the next level. Everybody agrees he was solid on the ice, but not spectacular. An unrestricted agent, he should be brought back.

CHRIS PHILLIPS, C
Troubled by his absence from the class during the playoffs, he's got a lot to prove next season. A good student and hard worker, he needs to transfer potential into production.
A restricted free agent, he should be back.

SAMI SALO, D
Has had a tough time staying healthy and would be attractive on the trade market. He's got a good shot, but if he's not around to use it, that makes it far less of an asset.
A tough off-season decision. Should be back.

WADE REDDEN, D+
Had a difficult time in the class this year. His playoffs were the worst of his career and he struggled down the regular-season stretch. When he's good, he's great. When he struggles, he's bad. Restricted free agent. Will be back.

ROB ZAMUNER, B-
Recovered from a horrible freshman year with the Senators to emerge as a solid player. Like everybody else, didn't have a great playoff, but turned out to be a valuable addition. Unrestricted free agent, he won't be back.

MARTIN HAVLAT, B
A nice kid in the class, he was the teacher's pet. Isn't afraid to stand up to bullies like Mark Messier and will push whatever weight he has around. Has plenty of potential.
Will return next year.

ANDREAS DACKELL, C
The class clown, he's always good for a smile but his playoff performance was no laughing matter. Has shown he can play on every line, but can be more effective. Another player who could be dealt, but should return.

DANIEL ALFREDSSON, B-
For the most part, he was able to stay healthy and averaged a point a game during the regular season. In the playoffs, got away from what made him effective: Winning battles on the boards. Restricted free agent should return.

MIKE FISHER, B
This highly-rated sophomore showed in the playoffs he's got the skills and abilities to play at this level. Has to find a role on this team. Is he a second-line, third-line or fourth-line centre? He'll be back.

RADEK BONK, C+
Could return to the role of top player in the class next year if one of his fellow students gets traded. Had a strong start, but a slow finish. Can't complain about his skills defensively. Will be back.

SHAWN MCEACHERN, B-
The first one out of the class at the end of every day, you can't question his commitment. Was one of the few who showed up for the playoffs, but struggled like everybody else. He's possible trade bait.

MIKE SILLINGER, C-
Was troubled by a sore wrist and didn't play up to expectations. Has the ability to win faceoffs and may have been miscast because of the absence of Bonk. An unrestricted free agent, he won't be back with the team.

ERIC LACROIX, C
Wasn't brought in to perform any miracles, but turned out to be effective in the small role he played. Isn't going to wow anybody. A restricted free agent, he should be kept -- for the right price.

MARIAN HOSSA, B-
Had a great regular season and couldn't live up to expectations in the playoffs. Needs to learn he shouldn't cram for final exams because he's a player who will be counted on heavily. A restricted free agent.

ALEXEI YASHIN, B-
Cannot overlook what he accomplished during the regular season, but his lack of a contribution during the playoffs turned out to be disruptive. Time to move him to a new school and give him a fresh start. Trade bait.

MAGNUS ARVEDSON, D+
Troubled by injuries all year, so it's tough to judge him. Has to find a way to stay healthy because while he had a great first half, he couldn't get the job done after being injured. A restricted free agent, he's possible trade bait.

KAREL RACHUNEK, B-
A nice surprise after graduating from junior high in Grand Rapids, he's going to be counted on next season. Played upwards of 25 minutes a game, but had a tough time in the post-season. Will be back.

ANDRE ROY, C
Always yapping in the classroom, he provides comic relief. His heart is in the right place, but he doesn't always make the right decisions. His playing time was minimal, which meant his role was as well. Could be dealt.

TODD WHITE, C+
A good kid, he should have been given a shot earlier in the season. Showed he has the skills to play at this level, but needs to have the confidence in himself. Potential to be here next year is good. Will be back.

JASON YORK, D+
Didn't have the kind of year he needed to show off once he goes shopping himself around. Struggled at times and had a penchant for bad giveaways. Will be attractive on the unrestricted free agent market. Won't be back.

SHANE HNIDY, C+
The Sherriff had a strong year for a guy who looked like he was going to be sent down to the minors. Served as good insurance and has already agreed to return next year. Could play an important role next season.

JANI HURME, B
A funny guy, he performed well at the back of the class when given the opportunity. Showed he can play at this level and next year, he should try to push the top guy for the job. Already signed. Will be back.

PATRICK LALIME, B+
Tried everything he could to get this team over the top in playoffs. Had it not been for him, the series against Toronto could have been worse. A restricted free agent, he could be in for a long summer but will be back.

INCOMPLETES, C+
Ricard Persson and Jamie Rivers: Both were used sparingly down the stretch along with Shane Hnidy. But when asked to fill in, they showed they were capable. Persson and Rivers have already agreed to return next year.

THE SENATORS' MANAGEMENT TEAM
ROY MLAKAR (PRESIDENT) A
The top student. He led the class in attendance and contributions to the principal's office. His family should be proud because he's brought confidence to the organization. Needs to be good in summer school.

MARSHALL JOHNSTON (GEN. MANAGER), C+
Time for him to take a look around the classroom and decide if he's got the right mix of students. Needs to make the right changes -- including trading Alexei Yashin -- to take this team to the next level.

THE COACHES, D
Jacques Martin, Perry Pearn, Roger Neilson and Randy Lee: You can't complain about their preparation, but are they using the right methods? If Martin is given another chance, it is time to bring in an ex-player -- Randy Cunneyworth -- to be a part of his staff. Has to get over the top.

CHEAPSEATS COLUMN:

Sens Need Brooms, Too!

TORONTO -- Let the overhaul begin.


It is now painfully obvious the Senators need to take drastic measures before even threatening to win a championship.

A clean first-round sweep that actually took less than 31/3 games (last night's was over before the first period, no matter what the diehards believed) proved that.

Another disinterested performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs left the Senators with a 3-16 record in their last 19 playoff games.

The pussycats have lost four series before winning enough games to take one.

Clearly, they need a new face. A braver one.

The players say the coach shouldn't take the fall, but for Jacques Martin the reality of back-to-back-to-back first-round eliminations better mean it's one, two, three strikes and he's out.

Maybe a Mike Keenan would rattle the cages that need to be rattled.

But alterations to the roster have to be made as well, starting with a 'go-to' who can never be found in the post-season.

Certainly, Alexei Yashin has played his last game as a Senator. At least the higher-ups better not even hint attempts will be made to re-sign him.

If they do, fans might boycott the Corel Centre. The guy quit on the team -- or at least appeared to do so -- then had the gall to criticize fans for not being supportive.

Yashin himself says it's not about personal stats, but whether the team wins or loses, so we won't even bother to mention his shortcomings in the points department.

The fact is, with Yashin in the lineup the Senators have now lost 10 straight playoff games. Enough.

If the Senators can trick a GM, they should package Yashin (with maybe Wade Redden) and get a guy like Doug Weight -- a star with grit and determination.

Forget regular-season point-getters, the Senators need to acquire guys who fight for their lives in the post-season.

They need to bring in two or three of them, at least, and hope that they can create a fever that catches.

They need to swing a deal for Mike Peca, pronto. Let the Sabres name their price.

The Senators need to grab one of those brooms that were being sold outside Air Canada Centre for $10 last night -- and they need to do a little housecleaning of their own.

STARTS AND STOPS: How bad was the Ottawa power play? Even the officials refused to look at it last night ... The Senators, as an organization, suffered from a case of bad timing. The players with their worst swoon of the season. Martin with a brain cramp that couldn't get them out of it, and a front office who's season-ticket renewal forms are popping up mail boxes now ... Tie Domi spent extra time talking to Martin Havlat in the post-series handshake line last night. "He said he was sorry for that (Game 1) hit," said Havlat. "But it's just part of the game." ... Word is, Vegas odds were 1000-1 on the Leafs sweeping the series ... How ironic: Shaun Van Allen is logging significant ice time with the Dallas Stars, providing grit the Senators are sorely missing. For another season on his contract -- not even a raise -- he would have stayed in Ottawa ... Last Senator to remove his hockey jersey this season -- Shane Hnidy. He was still sitting in the dressing room in full gear while most of his teammates had already showered ... For an hour or so, some Leafs fans drove by the ACC waving a flag and making some noise --until they ran into another vehicle ... A Maple Leafs goalie that sure looked like Curtis Joseph went down and stayed down for awhile during a collision with Garry Valk in the morning skate. Turns out it was third stringer Mike Minard -- and he was all right ... Sens GM Marshall Johnston stood listening at the back of the room while Pat Quinn gave his post-game press conference because he wanted to congratulate the Leafs coach/GM on a job well done ... Moments before Yanic Perreault's second goal, the Senators were actually applying pressure in the offensive zone. But Joseph made his best save of the series when he stuck his leg back to prevent Rob Zamuner from putting the puck in the open side. A couple of seconds later, Redden was getting easily knocked off the puck in the corner and it was 2-1 for Toronto ... For the record, Andre Roy never saw another second of action after taking a misconduct for yelling at Bryan McCabe in Game 2. "He was just trying to do his job," the Leafs defenceman said after that game. "He was just trying to give them some momentum." ... As you probably saw on TV, Toronto-born movie star Mike Myers was in the crowd wearing a Darcy Tucker jersey. He was also featured in scoreboard video clips during play stoppages and, with 4:44 left in the game, grabbed a mike and yelled: "Come on, Toronto, lets make some noise. I can't hear you!"

A Brand New Low

TORONTO - Daniel Alfredsson admitted it was the lowest point of his career.


"I think it's that way for most of the guys," the Senators captain said, his voice cracking with emotion after the team's loss last night spelled another early summer. "It's a very empty feeling.

"It's not like we didn't want to win. We didn't work our butts off all season to lose four straight in the playoffs. (The Leafs) just outplayed us."

Alfredsson figured the Senators got off to a good start last night, but a "suspect" interference call on him proved costly. With Alfredsson in the box, Yanic Perreault's first goal of the game erased the only lead the Senators had this post-season.

When asked his opinion of the officiating, Alfredsson replied: "This is the first time I'm going to say this: No comment."

Alfredsson did say he thinks the Senators should keep the off-season tinkering to a minimum.

"If we can keep this team together, we're going to have a good future," he said.

WHO'LL BE BACK?

Unrestricted free agent Rob Zamuner said he wants to return, but it's doubtful the Senators can afford the veteran winger.

"There's a lot of things I can say about our play this series, and embarrassing is one of them," said Zamuner. "The guys on this team are quality guys, there really is a family atmosphere. It's very disappointing to finish like we did, but the season was a lot of fun until the last four games."

Mike Fisher was still blaming himself for the OT loss in Game 1, thinking back to a missed chance that he said could have set the series up differently.

"I've learned a lot," Fisher said of his first NHL post-season. "It takes so much more commitment and drive ... It's exciting to be in the playoffs.

"But there can be a lot of stress and a lot of disappointment."

Martin Havlat is another who will gain from his first taste of post-season play.

"It feels upsetting," he said. "I thought we would win this series. We have a great team, great players. But it's over now."

Chris Phillips returned from injury to play his first game of the series, unfortunately it was also the last.

"This year is as disappointing as last year," said Phillips. "Who cares how many games you lose in -- six, four ... after the great regular season we had, we didn't come through in the playoffs."

Don Brennan

(after losing 4 straight to the Leafs)

Martin Havlat is another who will gain from his first taste of post-season play.

"It feels upsetting," he said. "I thought we would win this series. We have a great team, great players. But it's over now."

Senators all OT miss, no hit

The shots on goal were even at six, but the Senators held a huge advantage over the Leafs in the unofficial shots-that-just-missed-going-in category during April 13’s overtime.


Otherwise known as the Big One That Got Away stat.
First was a Mike Fisher try from in close that glanced off the post, close enough that linemate Eric Lacroix raised his arms to signal a goal.
“It was a huge game, to miss something like that is very disappointing,” Fisher said later. “I’ll think about that for awhile.
“I don’t know how I missed the net, it was right there, but I just couldn’t get enough on the shot. I should have buried it, but I didn’t.”
Then there was Todd White’s chance.
What a story that would have made. The home-town boy fought off the defender on a 1-on-1 and got off a shot that snuck past Curtis Joseph, but went just wide.
“I was hoping,” said White.
Many chances
“I thought it might have had a chance at going in, but it just missed the post. We had a lot of those tonight, eh?”
Seconds after his chance, White set up Martin Havlat for a redirection that Joseph stopped.
“I just needed two more centimetres,” Havlat said of the hole he was shooting for. “But it’s just the first game. They are leading 1-0, but (today) is a new game.”
Daniel Alfredsson and Alexei Yashin also had the fans shrieking with shots that just couldn’t find the mesh in OT.
But then they shouldn’t have allowed it to get that far, either.
All told, the Senators outshot the Leafs 36-27 and held a definite edge in offensive zone time, having the puck inside the Toronto blue line for 30:27, compared to the 24:27 it was in Ottawa’s end.
The Senators’ playoff goal-scoring problems continued, yet they remain confident of their abilities.
“We know what we can do,” said Andreas Dackell.
“We just have to regroup and come back hard (April 14).”

Havlat takes blame for hit, says he’ll be ready next time

'I didn't see him coming'

Martin Havlat was sent on the ride of his young NHL life last night.


And it wasn’t such an enjoyable experience.
The Senators’ 19-year-old rookie was on the receiving end of a bone-jarring Tie Domi hit 15 minutes into the first period.
It was a neutral-zone check that sent him flying through the air and left him motionless for a very long and scary minute.
Havlat left the game and was tested for a concussion, but was back on the Senators’ bench before the period had ended.
“I dumped the puck in and was going to the bench ... I didn’t see him coming,” said Havlat. “I’ve never been hit so hard. It was a big surprise for me.”
Domi was given two minutes for interference, but Havlat blamed himself for the collision.
“It was my fault, I have to be ready for that,” he said. “Next time I will be.”
Like the CBC’s Don Cherry, Domi believed there should not have been a penalty on the play. He figures the referees realized an error in judgement was made shortly afterwards.
Even it up
Forty-three seconds into the resulting power play, Shawn McEachern was given an interference penalty when he slid Curtis Joseph’s loose stick out of his way.
“He turned right into me,” Domi said of the Havlat hit. “I was quite surprised I got a penalty, but I thought the ref did a good job of evening it right away.
“I think he realized later I was just finishing my check and that it was a clean hit.”
Domi delivered a crunching hit on Patrick Traverse in last spring’s playoff meeting between the two teams. Sending such not-so-subtle messages is a big part of his job.
“I just try to finish my check, do some forechecking,” he said.
“We were battling,” said Toronto’s Mats Sundin. “We played a more disciplined game, it was our best effort against them. We played a physical game and just tried to keep up with them.
“We still have a long way to go, but it’s nice to get the first one.”


April 14, 2001
Don Brennan

Yashin once again forced to see his post-season shadow

The numbers game

What’s Alexei Yashin’s least favourite number at playoff time?


How about 27?
Last time he visited the post-season, Buffalo’s Mike Peca (No. 27) was all over Yashin like a dirty jersey.
April 13, the Leafs’ No. 27 (Shayne Corson) played Me And My Shadow with Ottawa’s top scorer.
Corson didn’t have a set line, unless you considered him the fourth man on the Yashin-Daniel Alfredsson-Shawn McEachern unit.
“Shayne definitely controlled Yashin,” said Tie Domi. “His experience goes a long way in the playoffs. He’s (shadowed) before, against the top players in the world. He’s smart at it.”
“That’s the best I’ve felt all year,” said Corson, who was told of the assignment a couple of days ago by coach/GM Pat Quinn. “He’s a tough player to play against, but hopefully I can stay on him the rest of the series.”
Yashin didn’t have a bad game, posting six shots on goal.
But he had a lot of shots against Buffalo two years ago, too.
And we all remember how that one turned out, don’t we?
STARTS AND STOPS: Aki Berg hammered Rob Zamuner, Tie Domi almost killed Martin Havlat and Bryan McCabe nearly took Patrick Lalime’s head off. Three messages, three interference calls, three missed opportunities by Ottawa. The Senators are dead in this series, one way or the other, if they don’t start taking advantage of their power plays ... If there was ever any questions about Havlat’s makeup, they were answered 15 minutes into the game. After lying motionless from Domi’s hit (Trainer Kevin Wagner: “How many fingers?” Havlat: “Thursday.”), he rose from the ice and glared at Domi as he skated to the bench. That Havlat even returned to the game borders on the miraculous ... The irony: If Nik Antropov had not touched the puck with a high stick, it very well could have gone off Lalime’s back and in. Instead, it was a disallowed goal even the whiners in blue and white couldn’t dispute ... Who says there are no fights in the playoffs? Pretty good punch-up during the second period, down by the glass near to the Leafs’ penalty box. Pretty expensive seats to be kicked out of, too ... Figures, doesn’t it, that the Leafs No. 13 would score the only goal on Friday the 13th? “I was in a line change, heading to the bench, when I heard Stumpy (Steve Thomas) yell that he was passing it to me,” said Mats Sundin. “He went to the net, I took a couple of steps in and just shot. We’ll take it.”
BETWEEN PERIODS: The Senators’ goal-less drought in the playoffs is now up to 106 minutes, 50 seconds. But who’s counting? ... This is too cool. A couple of 5-lb. robotic mini-cams have been installed at the Corel Centre — one under the centre-ice scoreboard and another up by the Penalty Box restaurant — that allows fans to keep an eye on the game and even friends in the stands on their home computers. The cameras are actually up and running 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be accessed by going to the Senators’ website. “Each can take up to four pictures a second,” said Steve Violetta, the Senators executive vice-president. “We hope fans can have fun with it.” ... If you weren’t at last night’s game and didn’t get one of the thunder sticks being handed out, take heart — there’s plenty to go around. The Senators ordered 90,000 of the noisemakers, but are encouraging fans not to be greedy. Bring the one you already have to tonight’s game ... Apparently, that was Stuntman Stu and Bill Tobbin from The Bear’s morning show sitting in the front row directly behind the Leafs’ bench dressed in Hanson brother disguises. The sign they brought with them read: Hey Domi, want to take us on?!
QUICK HITS: Doesn’t Karel Rachunek realize he’s a 21-year-old rookie? In his first NHL playoff game, Rachunek showed tremendous poise and was Ottawa’s best defenceman ... Interesting little feud brewing between Yashin and Dmitry Yushkevich, his countryman and close friend. The two were poking and jabbing at each other most of the night. “I was very happy last year,” Yushkevich said after the morning skate. “I prefer to play Ottawa without Yashin.” ... About the thunder sticks, one writer says: “It sounds like their clapping with mitts on. They’ve taken the noise out of the building.” ... Lalime made back-to-back highlight saves off Sundin and McCabe early in the second period. Cujo wasn’t called on to provide anything similar through the first two periods. In the third, however, the Leafs ’tender was stellar ... Five minutes left in a 0-0 game and one sharp scribe decides it’s time to do a Bob Cole impression: “They’re playing overtime already, Harry,” he says, sounding a lot like the legendary broadcaster. “C’mon Leafs!”
Don Brennan

Leafs 1, Senators 0 (OT)

Sundin's OT blast redeems Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have claimed all year long they are a team built for the playoffs.


It took them almost 71 minutes Friday night to begin proving it.

Toronto captain Mats Sundin rifled a 45-foot blast over the glove hand of Ottawa goaltender Patrick Lalime at 10:49 of the first overtime period to give the Leafs a 1-0 victory in the opening game of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal.

Game 2 is Saturday night at the Corel Centre.

The goal ended a wild overtime period which saw numerous chances at both ends.

Sundin ended it with a sizzling shot. He wound up with the puck just inside the Ottawa blue line and with linemate Steve Thomas breaking hard for the net, his shot ripped in off the post.

The opening five minutes of overtime was a spectacular stretch of hockey with outstanding chances at both ends of the rink, but Lalime and Curtis Joseph of the Leafs exchanged outstanding saves.

Ottawa's Mike Fisher started it by tipping a pass just wide of the open side.

The teams raced to the other end where Lalime turned back Toronto's Nik Antropov.

Ottawa's Todd White went up the other end, fought off a check and saw his flip just avoid the open net.

Senators centre Alexei Yashin set up defenceman Jason York for a shot from the point which Joseph stopped and Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson flipped over the open net.

Joseph stopped Sami Salo's blast from the point and Yashin on the rebound.

Incredible stuff.

The Senators were the third-highest scoring team in the league in the regular season, but, as is their custom in the post-season, their ability to score completely deserted them.

They have now been held to one goal or less in their 29 post-season games.

The Senators, who outscored the Leafs 17-10 in their five meetings in the regular season, struggled mightly to find the range against Joseph.

It wasn't like they weren't given enough chances.

The Senators were handed three straight power plays to start the game and managed just four shots, three of them in one flurry which amounted to whacking the puck into Joseph's pads.

The Leafs looked like they had opened the scoring just past the five-minute mark of the third period, but it was ruled Leafs forward Nik Antropov had put the puck in behind Senators goaltender Patrick Lalime with a high stick.

Toronto's Sergei Berezin had let go a hard shot from the wing which Lalime had deflected up in the air with his glove. Antropov tapped it in with his stick clearly above the height of the crossbar.

There were questions about Lalime going into the series as he was playing the first playoff game of his career, but he was the more impressive of the two goaltenders in the early going.

With the game scoreless early in the second period and the Leafs on the power play, he made a good pad save on Toronto captain Mats Sundin. The rebound went to the stick of Leafs defenceman Bryan McCabe, but Lalime sprawled to his right to stop the shot.

He made another sharp save with his right pad with just over two minutes to go in regulation time when he turned back Aki Berg's low blast off a faceoff win by Sundin.

Ottawa's Marian Hossa had a great chance from the slot during a Toronto too-many-men-ice penalty late in the third, but his one-timer buried itself in the pads of the crouching Joseph.

The Toronto goaltender also did a good job of hugging the post with just under a minute to go in regulation time to turn back a sharp-angled shot from Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson.

THE SKINNY: Rookie D Karek Rachunek was the Senators best defenceman on the night. He made a wonderful play halfway through the second when he slid to poke the check away from Berezin...Another Senators rookie, W Martin Havlat took a wicked hit from Leafs tough guy Tie Domi in the first period. Havlat had just chipped the puck into the Toronto zone and was heading for the bench when Domi leveled him. Domi was penalized on the play for interference. Havlat, who's built a reputation for not backing down, glared over at the box when he finally got to his feet. He did return to the game...Senators tough guy Andre Roy, who has been benched in the past for taking undisciplined penalties, took a tripping minor late in the second and then cross-checked Leafs defenceman Bryan McCabe. He was lucky not to get a double-minor. When his penalty expired, he came flying out of the box and threw three huge hits as the period ended. He looked like he thought he might be done for the night and didn't want to go quietly...

Chris Stevenson

The Senators also received a scare when forward Martin Havlat was helped off the ice late in the first period after being blindsided by the Leafs' Tie Domi, who received an interference minor on the play.

A CLOSE CALL: Havlat had a fine freshman year, but it's an incident near the end of the regular season which still had people talking yesterday. During a game against the New York Rangers on March 10, Havlat got under the skin of Mark Messier and had a brief tussle with the Rangers captain.

"I didn't know it was Messier," said Havlat, who got things going with a slash. "I think it was fun for people to watch."

Havlat had 19 goals, including five game-winners, and 23 assists in 73 games. Not bad for a guy who turns only 20 next week.

"At the beginning of the season, I didn't know if I would stay with the team, but I did and I was happy about that," the native of the Czech Republic said.

Blond Bond Could be Good For Sens

Call it blond ambition.

Senators players Andreas Dackell, Jamie Rivers, Martin Havlat, Daniel Alfredsson and Karel Rachunek have shown up with new dye jobs for the playoffs because it might be a good luck charm.
"It's was Karel's idea," said Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson.
"He's had good luck with it before and he thought that would be good for us to try it."
The most shocking was Dackell because he now has red hair and many in the dressing room thought he looked like former Rebel Yell rocker Billy Idol.
"I was worried about what my wife might think, but she loved it," said Dackell. "I got home, she took one look and she smiled. She thought it was great. I might keep it this way. Who knows?"

Bruce Garrioch

Young Sens Under the Gun

While most of the talk is about Patrick Lalime's lack of playoff experience, three other key Senators are also about to get their feet wet for the first time in NHL post-season play.

Rookies Martin Havlat and Karel Rachunek contributed largely to Ottawa's regular-season success, and both are about to have their composure tested by the Maple Leafs.
Sophomore Mike Fisher, who picked up his game in the last month of the season, is also making his debut in the playoffs. Injured at this time last year, Fisher will not only be a Top 3-line centre, but he'll kill penalties. Heavy responsibilities for a 20-year old.
"It's definitely going to be a new experience," said Fisher. "Last year, I knew I wasn't going to be coming back, so I just tried to sit back and learn as much as possible.
"I'm usually laid back (before games), but playoffs could be a different story. They say how much of a different game it is. But I like big games, I like competing just like most guys do. It's going to be exciting."
PAIRED WITH REDDEN
Rachunek, paired with Wade Redden as Ottawa's top blue-line pairing much of the season, doesn't know how or if his ice time will be affected by the arrival of the playoffs. He does expect a different game, though.
"Everybody talks about it being more speedy and tougher," said the 21-year old Czech. "I think both teams will play better in the defensive zone, too. I will be nervous like I was in my first NHL game and my first playoff game in Grand Rapids. Everybody is talking about (the playoffs) and now I'm playing in Canada, there's more pressure here.
"But it's not up to one guy. We have a good team here. We are young and we play with heart. Everyone wants to go on."
Havlat had two assists in four playoff games with his Czech team last year, but when it comes to experience he also had world junior and world championship tournaments.
"This is the the most exciting part of the season," he said. "I might be nervous before the game, but after the first shift everything will be okay. I will just have fun like every game. It's a game of mistakes, if you (make) mistakes you can lose the game. But if you think about that, you can't play."
Spoken like a vet.
- The Senators' list of injuries nearly grew by one yesterday when Daniel Alfredsson's stick accidentally clipped Marian Hossa under the eye during practice. Hossa escaped with some swelling and a cut high on his left cheek

Don Brennan

Rookie Martin Havlat scored 2:26 into overtime as the Ottawa Senators clinched the Northeast Division with a 5-4 victory over the Boston Bruins.

"It's nice to score in overtime," Havlat said. "I've never scored in overtime before. It was a 2-on-1, I wanted to take a good shot and it goes in. Two points is better than one. It was similar to a playoff game."

These Sens are to Dye For

Playoff season is finally upon us, which can only mean one thing to both players and hairstylists alike.

That’s right, it’s ’do or dye time.
Following along the lines of teams like the Ottawa 67’s and Vancouver Canucks, the Senators have seized the opportunity presented by an extra long period leading into their series with the Maple Leafs to get cut and colour jobs.
Injured defenceman Shane Hnidy was the first. The path cutter, if you will. Hnidy’s new look didn’t garner much attention, partly because he’s always wearing a ball cap and partly because he only added modest blond streaks.
Jamie Rivers was next. Again, just a few blond streaks, but he also went for a new style. The tossed salad look. At least he doesn’t have to worry about carrying a comb.
Hey, blondie
Yesterday, rookie Karel Rachunek became the first to opt for outrageous, turning heads with his head.
Like Damian Rhodes a couple of Aprils ago, Rachunek is now a platinum-white blond.
“Karl’s got the Billy Idol look going,” said Rivers. “Mine’s more like Limp Bizkit.”
Scheduled to show up sporting new dye jobs today are Daniel Alfredsson, Martin Havlat and Radek Bonk.
It’s all intended to bring teams a little closer together at a time unity matters most. Bonding that doesn’t require the team to spend money on a resort. Sometimes, a new look can even bring a little luck.
Rachunek has coloured his locks similarly and at the same time of spring twice before. Two years ago, with his Czech Republic team, he advanced to the league finals. Same thing happened last year with the Senators’ IHL team in Grand Rapids. On both occasions, his club lost in the championship series.
“Two times blond, two times to the final,” he said. “That’s why I did it again. But if we get that far (this season), I’m going to change it.”
Havlat was planning on having his dyed white, too, while Alfredsson hadn’t made up his mind which way to go.
“White, maybe red,” he said. “Or maybe blue and white.”
The Leafs would love that.
The captain won’t be demanding everybody else on the team follow suit, but it would be a nice touch.
“It’s tough for guys like (Shawn) McEachern and (Rob) Zamuner,” Alfredsson said, taking a friendly jab at his follicly challenged teammates. “It’s up to everybody to decide for themselves. I can’t grow a lot of facial hair, so I have to come up with something else.”
As a rookie on his Swedish elite league team, Alfredsson was the victim of an initiation cut.
“A purple mohawk,” he said. “Even my eyebrows were purple.
“Mom was really happy.”
Wolves had howl
Rivers claims his junior team, the Sudbury Wolves, was one of the first to change hair colours for the post-season. It was the early ’90s, when many players wore the “hockey cut” — short sides, long down the collar. The Wolves all dyed their hair blond, but only the bottom two or three inches at the back.
“I’m a firm believer that you should do something new for the playoffs, to get the spirits up,” he said. “A lot of guys grow beards, but this is fun. It starts with three or four guys, then all of a sudden there’s 10 or 11 and you’ve got a team thing going. It’s something to joke and laugh about.
“Besides, it only takes five minutes to dye it back when you lose. Hopefully, mine will be so long it will be in my eyes by the time we’re done this thing.”
Yes, that would be a ’do they’d almost die for.

Phillips Could Miss Series Opener

CHRIS Phillips was holding playoff tickets in his hand as he left the Corel Centre yesterday.

He might need them for himself for the first two games of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

With the start of the Battle of Ontario just two days away, the Senators defenceman was among six players who didn't take part in yesterday's one-hour workout as the preparations to face the Toronto Maple Leafs officially got under way.

Phillips isn't scheduled to skate today and will attempt to practise tomorrow, but it would appear doubtful he'll be ready for the first two games of the series Friday and Saturday because his badly bruised shoulder has shown limited improvement.

The Senators are heavily favoured to win the Eastern Conference quarter-final, but if they don't have most of their injured bodies back for Game 1, then health is going to become an issue -- if it isn't already.

"It's pretty tough when you can't shoot the puck," said Phillips, who missed the final three regular-season games. "I want to be ready and I want to play, but I don't know if I'm going to be available. If you're going to be in the lineup, you want to be able to contribute."

Coach Jacques Martin remains optimistic that only Radek Bonk and Shane Hnidy won't be ready for Friday. But Daniel Alfredsson (wrist), Martin Havlat (groin), Magnus Arvedson (groin) and Phillips didn't practise yesterday.

The good news is defencemen Curtis Leshyshyn (concussion), Ricard Persson (concussion) and Sami Salo (knee) all took part in workouts at the Goulbourn Recreation Complex and all should be available for Game 1. As for the others, it's anybody's guess.

"I hope (to be ready)," said Alfredsson, who offered no assurances and skated following practice with Bonk. "Who knows? Maybe it's not my wrist that's bothering me."

Havlat, a candidate for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie, does plan to resume practising with the Senators today after missing the final game of the season against the Leafs Saturday -- a 5-3 Ottawa win.

That's good news because the club can use his speed.

"I hope I'll be ready," said Havlat. "It feels pretty good. They just wanted to give it a couple of days to rest it and I don't think it's going to be any problem.

"I'm really looking forward to the playoffs and I'm really excited about it."

Beating the Leafs at home on Saturday with only 15 skaters was a boost to the team's confidence. It reminded the Senators that they can get the job done even if they're riddled by injuries.

"We've had injuries all year and we've dealt with them pretty well," said Senators goaltender Patrick Lalime. "You can't use them as an excuse. Everybody loses players and there's really not much that you can do about it.

"We've got guys here who are capable of filling in and they've done it all year. We've got character. Look at the way we played on Saturday when we didn't even have enough guys. If we don't have everybody, we just work as hard as we can with whoever is in the lineup."

CARRYING THE FLAG: Who is Canada's Team? Jason York says that will be decided after the first round of the NHL playoffs.

The Senators defenceman, like everybody else in the country, suspects that title will go to the winner of the Battle of Ontario between Ottawa and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But he'd like his club to carry the title.

"Being Canada's team would be great," said York yesterday. "That title should go to the team that goes farther in the playoffs and if we win this series, we're going to have a pretty good shot at the (Stanley Cup) title."

NO BACK-TO-BACK: The captain says nobody should be forced to play back-to-back games in the playoffs. Daniel Alfredsson maintained he wouldn't "whine" unless the Senators were beaten by the Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference quarter-final, but he sure didn't sound happy yesterday in the club's dressing room. "I don't think they should have back-to-back (games) in the playoffs at all," said Alfredsson. "You go hard in every game and the next game you are so tired. It can be a real disadvantage -- especially if you lose the first game. A playoff game takes everything you've got and it takes everything out of you. Hockey is such a tough game and it's hard to play from night to night. It's not like football or soccer where you have a whole week to prepare for games. I just don't think we should be forced to play back-to-back in the playoffs. You want the players at the top of their game."

CAN'T ATTACK THE SENS: Leafs coach Pat Quinn said yesterday he doesn't believe the Leafs will be able to get in the Ottawa players' faces. Instead, they'll try to shut them down defensively by slowing them down. "The real strength against us isn't their defence (but more) their defensive style. We never got the big hits on defence because moving through the mid-ice proved to be a problem," said Quinn. "They got 109 points based on their defensive style of play. If you're going to play a forecheck game against them with big hits involved, you're probably kidding yourself."

Bruce Garrioch

Inside the NHL

Posted: Tuesday April 10, 2001 2:37 PM


Blue-chip Stock

Ottawa wing Martin Havlat, 19, is the rookie with the biggest upside

By Kostya Kennedy

In the course of a typical night's work Senators rookie left wing Martin Havlat is likely to weave elegantly through the neutral zone, gull a defender with a shimmy of his shoulders and burst Bure-like into open ice. He may well score an important goal (five of his 19 tallies have been game-winners), and he's almost certain to give highlights junkies a satisfying fix. "He does things that make the crowd happy," says Ottawa coach Jacques Martin.

Martin shares in the excitement, and he's expecting it to be more than a short-term high. Across the NHL, coaches, scouts and players agree that Havlat, a 19-year-old Czech who finished the regular season with 42 points in 73 games, has the most promising future among the players in this season's strong rookie class. That group also includes Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov, 25, whose 2.19 goals-against average was sixth in the league and who should win the Calder Trophy; Lightning center Brad Richards, 20, who put up rookie-best totals of 21 goals and 40 assists; and left wing Marian Gaborik, 18, last year's No. 3 draft pick who led the expansion Wild with 36 points.

Havlat, whom the Senators plucked with the 26th choice in the 1999 draft, has been less heralded than those other three rookies, yet his integration into an excellent, system-oriented team bodes well. Ottawa's depth at forward limited Havlat's ice time (he averaged three minutes less per game, 13:47, than Richards did for awful Tampa Bay) and afforded him minimal opportunity on the power play. "Richards had a fine year, but you're still evaluating how he'd fit in on a good team," says Flyers coach Bill Barber. "Havlat has been effective in a good lineup."

The effectiveness goes beyond his eye-catching skills and can be measured by sequences such as one that unfolded in a March 1 game against San Jose. After batting down the puck at the blue line, Havlat took it into the left wing corner and began working a cycle with linemates Mike Fisher and Rob Zamuner. The lithe Havlat (6'1", 178 pounds) absorbed several heavy checks as he corralled the puck behind the Sharks' net. Then he moved toward the crease and, with 6'2", 215-pound defenseman Brad Stuart draped over him, shoveled a one-armed pass to Fisher, who scored from the edge of the crease. "There are more battles in the NHL," says Havlat, who played the last four seasons in junior and pro leagues in the Czech Republic. "I like it."

Havlat's origins have won him comparisons with Penguins superstar Jaromir Jagr, yet the edge in Havlat's game -- "When the kid gets pissed he just goes harder," says Zamuner -- is reminiscent of Ottawa's All-Star right wing Marian Hossa, 22. "We thought he could be as good as Hossa," says Canadiens general manager Andre Savard, who was Ottawa's chief scout in 1999. That's an eventuality the Senators would welcome.

OTTAWA SENATORS LEFT WING MARTIN HAVLAT NAMED NHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
NEW YORK -- Ottawa Senators left wing Martin Havlat has been named the NHL Rookie of the Month for March. Havlat led all NHL rookies in scoring with 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 15 games, including his first career hat trick, and posted a plus/minus rating of +4.

Havlat edged Edmonton Oilers center Mike Comrie (5-6-11 in 13 games, +5 rating) and Dallas Stars goaltender Marty Turco (4-0-0, 0.46 GAA, .982 save %, two shutouts) to capture the award.

Havlat recorded points in seven of 15 games in March, including five multiple-point games. On March 10, he scored two goals in a 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers before tallying his first career hat trick and an assist in a 8-1 home victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on March 14. On March 24, he scored a goal and an assist to help the Senators defeat the Nashville Predators 4-0 and scored the game-winning goal in a 5-4 overtime win over the Boston Bruins on March 30 to close the month.

The 19-year old Havlat ranks third in the League's rookie scoring race with 42 points (19-23-42 in 71 games), fourth among rookie goal-scorers, fifth in assists.

The 6'1", 178-pound native of Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic was the Senators' first selection in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, 26th overall. Havlat performed for the HC Trinec club in the senior Czech league last season, ranking fourth in team scoring with 42 points (13-29-42 in 46 games). He was a member of the Czech teams in the 2000 World Junior Championship and the 2000 World Championship, helping the Czech Republic capture Gold medals in both tournaments.