head coach: Jacques Martin

roster: C - Alexei Yashin, Radek Bonk, Sergei Zholtok, Shaun Van Allen, Derek Armstrong. LW - Randy Cunneyworth, Shawn McEachern, Magnus Arvedson, Denny Lambert. RW - Daniel Alfredsson, Alex Daigle, Andreas Dackell, Bruce Gardiner, Chris Murray. D - Lance Pitlick, Chris Phillips, Wade Redden, Stan Neckar, Jason York, Janne Laukkanen, Igor Kravchuk, Radim Bicanek. G - Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt

injuries: Bruce Gardiner, rw (knee, day-to-day); Magnus Arvedson, lw (shoulder, day-to-day); Jason York, d (concussion, day-to-day).

transactions: Recalled Radim Bicanek, d, from Manitoba (IHL); January 5: Waived RW Dennis Vial, January 10.

standings:

Eastern Conference - Northeast Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
Montreal     46  24  16   6    54  136  109  
Pittsburgh   45  23  14   8    54  125  104  
Boston       44  20  16   8    48  111  106  
Ottawa       46  19  20   7    45  111  111  
Carolina     46  17  23   6    40  116  129  
Buffalo      43  15  20   8    38  101  114  

game results:

12/15 at St. Louis   W 3-1
12/16 at Carolina    L 2-1
12/18 Carolina       W 3-2
12/20 at Montreal    L 4-1
12/22 at Long Island W 4-1
12/23 Montreal       W 4-3 OT
12/27 at Washington  W 3-0
12/31 at Buffalo     L 3-0
01/01 at Boston      T 0-0
01/03 Philadelphia   L 7-2
01/05 at Carolina    L 4-1
01/07 at Dallas      W 2-0
01/10 at Colorado    T 3-3
01/11 at Phoenix     T 4-4

team news:

by The Nosebleeders, Ottawa Correspondents

Phew! Have you ever seen such a long listing of 'recent' games? A few more days, and we would have simply waited for the Year-in-Review issue. Nevertheless, a look back at the weeks that were in the never-ending saga that is your Ottawa Senators....By the way, other than Carolina, does Ottawa play anybody else in the league?

Now That's a Break!

How long has it been since our last LCS report? Well, four weeks ago, we were set to kick off this report with the bad news that Daniel Alfredsson had broken his ankle and would be out of the lineup for up to six weeks. Well, all of that went out the window when Alfredsson managed to heal in time to take on the Colorado Avalanche a few days ago.

My, how time flies. In fact, it's been so long that we're a little rusty in the typing department. So, if you see any typos, guhst ignour et, okya?

Daigle-Go! Dai-ai-ai-gle-Go! Daylight Come and He Still Here at Home...

Here's one rumor that just won't quit: apparently the Ottawa Senators have been shopping Alex Daigle around to any takers. As of copy deadline, however, Sens GM Pierre Gauthier had yet to pull the trigger. Daigle, you will recall, is in his final year of that gawd-awful $12.25 million contract he signed four years ago, and recently signed a one-year extension for another two milla-smackers. All tallied up, Daigle is earning $2.6 million this year, and will collect up to $2.7 million next year. With figures like that (and stats like his), you can appreciate why GMs around the league aren't knocking down Gauthier's door.

Some speculation has (or had, whichever way you look at it) Daigle going to Calgary in exchange for center Andrew Cassels (a former Ottawa 67) and disgruntled defenseman Zarley Zalapski. Other whispers have Daigle heading off to Florida in exchange for prospects Steve Washburn (a former 67) and David Nemirovsky (a former 67). Edmonton is reported as talking about a Rhodes/Daigle combination for a package including Curtis Joseph. Ottawa has also received interest from the likes of Tampa Bay and da Rangers. If Daigle has to go, the Nosebleeders would prefer maybe a Linden or Fedorov in return. (HA!)

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that it's Daigle's contract - and not Daigle himself - that is preventing any deals from going through. As one unidentified NHL GM said: "He's got a lot of upside and a lot of potential but it hasn't worked for him...I know teams that would be willing to take a chance on him but I just don't think they'll do it at that money."

Apparently, Gauthier isn't willing to split the costs with any team, which is further hindering any trade possibilities.

Our opinion? Steve thinks that Daigle, 22, is too young to give up on and will someday flourish to become a dependable and solid scorer although "he should have been traded before he played his first game." Dave, on the other hand, would like nothing more than to see Ottawa rid itself of Daigle (and throw in Bonk for good measure). Sure, someday Alex may shake the cobwebs and realize why he's being paid so much money. But, it doesn't seem likely that it will ever happen in Ottawa - coach Jacques Martin has bent over backwards trying to spark this dead battery, to no avail. Trade him now, before his value shrinks to a bag of hockey pucks.

And by the way, where is it written that the Senators must trade for a former Ottawa 67? We've heard about "sticking to your own kind", but this is carrying it a bit too far.

Sens Waive Vial; Join the Royal Ballet

Apparently, Pierre Gauthier has been watching too many Barney reruns on TV. How else can you explain the team's recent waiving of tough guy Dennis Vial. Sure Vial is not the second coming of Gretzky (or Stan Johnathan for that matter), but one thing you could not accuse Vial of doing is turtling night in and night out a la Radek Bonk.

Gauthier defended the move by claiming that the oft-injured Vial was earning too much for his one dimensional play ($450,000) and that their recent acquisition of bruiser Chris Murray effectively replaced Vial in the lineup. Such an argument makes sense with other teams, but with Ottawa, aka Team Wimpy, it just doesn't add up.

Anybody who has followed the Sens in recent years will agree that many of Ottawa's close losses can be directly attributed to the team's lack of toughness. And with the playoff stretch run edging closer and closer, many - ourselves included - are left scratching their collective noggins on this one. Whatever the reasoning, we offer these words of warning to Alexei Yashin, Daniel Alfredsson and Andreas Dackell the next time they find themselves digging for the puck along the boards: look out!

News Bulletin: We interrupt this column with a special news bulletin. In the Sens' recent game against Phoenix, Ottawa is pleased to announce that they did not register a single penalty minute in the entire game. Sens GM Pierre Gauthier, it is reported, joined in the team's celebration after the game by downing a few shots of unsweetened apple juice, while singing along to Sharon, Lois and Bram's greatest hits. Afterwards, the entire team partied at a Phoenix chapter Boys Scouts convention. Eddie Shore, take us away! This is the first time in team history that they have gone a game without a penalty.

Wake Up, A l'il Pierry! Wake Up!

Oh what the heck, might as well throw in another cheap shot at Pierre Gauthier while we're hot. Ask any seasoned Senator fan what they feel is a sore spot on the team, and they'll surely make reference to the team's awful power play.

Although Igor Kravchuk has filled in admirably for the departed Steve Duchesne, one thing the Sens still desperately need to find is a veteran defenseman who can quarterback their sagging power play. With Phillips back at "D", and coach Martin pushing them to press more, the last few games have seen better results, but not good enough.

Funny how the Sens have played the Carolina Hurricanes so many #$%@# times, yet could not see their solution staring them right in the face. For weeks, Carolina had been looking to dump one of their veteran defensemen, a guy who has played in over 700 games, notching over 500 points in that time. His name? Jeff Brown.

Brown was recently traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fourth-round draft pick in 1999. So why didn't Ottawa jump at the chance of picking up Brown? Was it the money? Couldn't be. Brown is halfway through a $2.1 million paycheck this year, and is in the final year of his contract. Was it the asking price? C'mon, a fourth-rounder? For every late round gem like Daniel Alfredsson, there's an overstock of Al Sinclairs, Cosmo DuPauls and Mike Gaffneys. Was it because Carolina wouldn't trade with any team within their division? Two words: Chris Murray. Nope, the reason is plain as my unbuttered Eggo - Ottawa was too blind to see such a glorious opportunity to change their fortunes.

Picking up Jeff Brown may not have been considered a 'steal' or a 'franchise-saver', but stick this in your back pocket - Ottawa defenseman have only accounted for two goals in the last 15 games. The season so far has proven that the "myth of depth" cannot be ignored. How ironic that the Sens started the season with what was thought to be too many defensemen. Healthy scratches and defensemen playing forward (read: Chris Phillips) finally led to a few deals. Although the Sens are way down in the goals against department, the departure of defensive veterans Sean Hill and Steve Duchesne has hurt the team in terms of output.

Trivia Time

With all of this talk about trades, here's a gem. When was the last time an entire season passed without a trade being made? Answer at the end of this column.

What? No Yashin?

Plain and simple, the Senators were shortchanged. With the All-Star game in Vancouver right around the corner, the league officially announced the rosters for their inaugural North America vs. the World All-Stars matchup. And noticeably absent from the World roster was none other than our very own Alexei Yashin. Yashin, an all-star in his rookie season in 1994, was not among the six starters selected by the fans. The rest of the roster was selected by NHL VP Brian Burke, with the help of Dallas GM Bob Gainey and Colorado's Pierre Lacroix. Instead of Yashin, the committee opted for Montreal's Saku Koivu, New Jersey's Bobby Holik and Toronto's Mats Sundin. Colorado's Peter Forsberg raked in the fans' number one selection.

Granted, with names like that, it is fairly understandable and expected that some great talents like Yashin would be left off the team. But with 20 goals and 40 points to date, one has to seriously wonder how Koivu could rate ahead of Alexei.

Nevertheless, Ottawa did manage to get two of its players on the World's roster - Daniel Alfredsson and Igor Kravchuk. The last time Ottawa had two all-stars was their inaugural season, 1993, when goalie Peter Sidorkiewicz and defenseman Brad Marsh made it to the Show.

Tips, Tidbits and Other Tall Tales From the Nosebleeder File

It was quite a four-week stretch, with Ottawa playing a whopping 14 games in 28 nights, including a gruelling five-games-in-10-nights road trip against some of the top teams in the league. Here's a snapshot of some of the things that happened over the holidays:

* Explain this: the past four weeks saw the Senators earn points against some of the top teams in the league, including St. Louis (W), Colorado (T), Montreal (W) and Dallas (W). Yet, this is the very same group of players who dropped two decisions against the lowly Carolina Hurricanes. Go figure.

* St. Louis had the Blues after a 3-1 December 15th loss against the Sens. The Phillips, Yashin, McEachern line was put together and combined for six points with Yashin netting two goals and McEachern the other.

* December 18th will always go down as one of the biggest nights in Derek Armstrong's young career. Armstrong, 24, an Ottawa native and making his debut in a Sens jersey after being recalled from the AHL's Hartford Wolfpack, scored the game-winner in the Sens game against Carolina that night, snapping a blast that echoed across the Kanata farmlands. "I thought when I signed here, it was the biggest day of my life," said Armstrong. "This tops it."

* December 18 - Somebody please inform Gary Roberts that it is, after all, just a game. Upset at being tagged for a penalty with under a minute to go in the Carolina-Ottawa game, Roberts retreated to the Hurricanes' dressing room and went on a rampage that would impress the likes of Vince McMahon and his troops at the WWF. On the way off the rink, Roberts knocked over a rack of sticks, cutting a Corel Center security guard in the process. He then entered the dressing room and ripped down the divider between the urinal and toilet while tossing drinks everywhere. Corel Center staff have sent the bill to the Hurricanes... plus GST.

* Jason York may have been the real reason for Roberts' anger. York and Roberts had fought, with York threatening to end Roberts career, in reference to Roberts' neck injury that had forced him to retire a few years ago. Harsh words for sure.

* Marian Hossa, the Sens No. 1 pick in 1997, may not have had the tools to stick with the big boys this year, but he is at least assured of playing for his homeland Slovakian Olympic team. Hossa is currently burning up the juniors with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Junior Hockey League.

* December 22 - a trip to Uniondale was just the remedy a few Sens needed to cure their scoring drought. In the team's 4-1 romp over the hapless Islanders, Ottawa got goals from Sergei Zholtok - his first in 28 games - Andreas Dackell - his first in 16 games - and Lance Pitlick - his first in 23 games.

* The win over the Islanders was the club's sixth in December, a modern day club record. Compare that to November's results. Ugh....

* Janne Laukkanen is not known for his toughness, but he managed to lower a thundering jolt to the Isles' Mike Hough which shattered the Plexiglas. That sound you hear is Don Cherry moaning in agony.

* December 27 - Talk about revenge. Since being dropped by the Washington Capitals' organization 18 months ago, Sens' diminutive goalie Ron Tugnutt has owned the Caps' number, including a recent 3-0 whitewashing at the MCI Center. Since joining the Sens, Tugger has allowed less than one goal per game in four matches against his former club. This marked the sixth straight victory for the Sens over their Capital counterparts.

* December 31, 1997 and January 1, 1998 - The Sens' 0-0 tie with Boston, followed by their 3-0 loss the following day in Buffalo officially boosted the Senators into second place nationwide for most doughnuts served in a single week, just slightly behind Dunkin Donuts. 6:00 a.m. - time to make the doughnuts!

* January 4 - Sometimes playing aggressive hockey can come back to haunt you. Janne Laukkanen, fresh off his monstrous hit on the Isles' Mike Hough, set his radar on big guy Eric Lindros in the Flyers-Senators matchup at the Corel Center. Just six minutes into the game, Laukkanen checked Lindros head first into the boards. Unamused by Laukkanen's cheapshot, Lindros proceeded to snap two goals in less than three minutes to help his Flyers post a 7-2 drubbing.

* January 5 - The Sens' 4-1 loss to Carolina marked the second straight time that head coach Jacques Martin had to yank his starting goalie. Damian Rhodes was pulled in the Sens 7-2 loss to Philly, while Tugger was lassoed in the Hurricanes' game after giving up four goals on only 19 shots.

* January 10 - Alexei Yashin's hat trick against Colorado was his first tour du chapeau since Feb. 20, 1996. He currently leads all modern day Senators with four career hat tricks.

* Up 3-1 with just over four minutes left in the game, Ottawa seemed destined to earn their first win in Denver in 11 attempts. Then the roof caved in, as Sandis Ozolinsh and Rene Corbet scored just 17 seconds apart to draw even.

* January 11 - Phoenix may be desert country, but it was an oasis for certain drought-stricken Senators. In the club's 4-4 tie, Alex Daigle notched his first two-point night since December 4; Radek Bonk - with only one goal in 33 games - scored on a perfect feed from Daigle - Bonk now has six goals this season; and Stan Neckar scored his first goal since April 5, 1996 (a drought of 43 games).

Something To Look Forward To

The Sens third jersey will be unveiled at the January 24th game. This NHL money making scheme is the latest in marketing adventures for the club.

Drumroll Please

The 1966-67 season was last time an entire schedule was played without so much as one trade being made. Of course, there were only six teams at the time......and Mike Keenan wasn't around then either.

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