Five changes I would make next season
Knut Menard
guy, but after this many years he lost his effectiveness. As stated in
earlier posts, in my opinion the Sens need a guy with a bit more intensity -
and not a stoic like Martin.
While at it, might as well get rid of Muckler as well. YES, he IS a
great/wise hockey expert, but he is not the youngest anymore. Let's clean
ship.
Number TWO: Sign a play-off warhorse like Scott Stevens, Gary Roberts, Guy
Carbonneau or Kirk Muller (these are just examples, I know that they're not
all possible).
Number THREE: Prusek and Emery for Lalime. Yes, Lalime had great phases
during the play-offs, but he is no Brodeur, Gigi, Turek or Belfour. IF he'd
accept the back-up role behind Emery or Prusek, fine, but he might now
refuse to do so.
Number FOUR (and I'm already ducking): The fans have to be more intensive.
In my opinion Ottawa fans are good-weather ones. (Don't give me "we stuck
with them through the bad years"). OVERALL, fans in Canada (except perhaps
for the former Jets) are too quiet.
I came here from Europe (and no, I will not go back even if you tell me to)
and fans in Germany for example are twice as loud (and throughout the whole
game) as Canadian hockey fans. Let's not even start a comparison with
soccer/football fans.
Knut
SENS fan
Knut Menard
Paul Moore
"Knut Menard" <coca...@canada.com> wrote in message
news:vd38bma...@corp.supernews.com...
> Number ONE: Find a new head coach. Yadayadayada... Martin is a
great hockey
> guy, but after this many years he lost his effectiveness. As
stated in
> earlier posts, in my opinion the Sens need a guy with a bit
more intensity -
> and not a stoic like Martin.
I tend to agree. Martin was great at wielding guys without a lot
of talent or experience into a team which plays a good system.
But now he's got capable, experienced talented people and he is
totally unable to inspire them. He's also not able to adapt to
problems on the ice during a game.
> While at it, might as well get rid of Muckler as well. YES, he
IS a
> great/wise hockey expert, but he is not the youngest anymore.
Let's clean
> ship.
I disagree there. Muckler just came in and he's a pro. I say we
give him time to show what he can do.
> Number TWO: Sign a play-off warhorse like Scott Stevens, Gary
Roberts, Guy
> Carbonneau or Kirk Muller (these are just examples, I know that
they're not
> all possible).
You could as easily say "toughen up", the age old cry of
Senators' fans after losing in the playoffs. They've gone some
distance towards that, but I agree they need to go farther.
Signing fighters - who never suit up - isn't much help.
> Number THREE: Prusek and Emery for Lalime. Yes, Lalime had
great phases
> during the play-offs, but he is no Brodeur, Gigi, Turek or
Belfour. IF he'd
> accept the back-up role behind Emery or Prusek, fine, but he
might now
> refuse to do so.
I'd like to see what Prusek could do.
> Number FOUR (and I'm already ducking): The fans have to be more
intensive.
> In my opinion Ottawa fans are good-weather ones. (Don't give me
"we stuck
> with them through the bad years"). OVERALL, fans in Canada
(except perhaps
> for the former Jets) are too quiet.
I don't think the loudness of the fans governs success on ice. Or
do you think the Anaheim fans are wild and vocal as compared to
everyone else?
EccentricFan
> Number ONE: Find a new head coach. Yadayadayada... Martin is a great
> hockey guy, but after this many years he lost his effectiveness. As
> stated in earlier posts, in my opinion the Sens need a guy with a bit
> more intensity - and not a stoic like Martin.
Yep.
> While at it, might as well get rid of Muckler as well. YES, he IS a
> great/wise hockey expert, but he is not the youngest anymore. Let's
> clean ship.
No way. The guy's a hockey guy, and age/experience is an asset for a GM.
I think he's doing a terrific job. I say keep him till he's dotty.
> Number TWO: Sign a play-off warhorse like Scott Stevens, Gary Roberts,
> Guy Carbonneau or Kirk Muller (these are just examples, I know that
> they're not all possible).
Other than Stevens, I can't see why any of those players would make a big
difference. I think the current core team has what it takes.
>
> Number THREE: Prusek and Emery for Lalime. Yes, Lalime had great
> phases during the play-offs, but he is no Brodeur, Gigi, Turek or
> Belfour. IF he'd accept the back-up role behind Emery or Prusek, fine,
> but he might now refuse to do so.
I've not been a big Lalime booster, but games 5-7 in the Devil's series
showed me that Lalime is a money player who comes through when it really
counts. Unless the Sens were going to get a CUP-proven top goalie
($unlikely$) then I think they should stay with Lalime.
> Number FOUR (and I'm already ducking): The fans have to be more
> intensive. In my opinion Ottawa fans are good-weather ones. (Don't
> give me "we stuck with them through the bad years"). OVERALL, fans in
> Canada (except perhaps for the former Jets) are too quiet.
> I came here from Europe (and no, I will not go back even if you tell
> me to) and fans in Germany for example are twice as loud (and
> throughout the whole game) as Canadian hockey fans. Let's not even
> start a comparison with soccer/football fans.
Can't really agree here. Sens fans are also money players, and rose to
the occassion in the final round.
If you want the crowd more in the game, then the best way to do this
would be to kill the jumbotron noisinator crap, and let the fans fill the
space, which they will.
- EF
-Ken
"Knut Menard" <coca...@canada.com> wrote in message
news:vd38bma...@corp.supernews.com...
> Number ONE: Find a new head coach. Yadayadayada... Martin is a great hockey
> guy, but after this many years he lost his effectiveness. As stated in
> earlier posts, in my opinion the Sens need a guy with a bit more
intensity -
> and not a stoic like Martin.
> While at it, might as well get rid of Muckler as well. YES, he IS a
> great/wise hockey expert, but he is not the youngest anymore. Let's clean
> ship.
I disagree. One bounce away from a Stanley Cup final. A president's trophy.
And all that without a marquee guy. Call me crazy, but I think that both
Martin and Muckler have figured this whole hockey thing out. You're looking
for change -for the sake of change-. Who do you want as coach? Think about
it, really hard. Who's available? Ron Lowe? Ted Nolan? Maybe you think
that Eugene can clone Scotty Bowman? There's nothing out there that's better
than Martin. But go ahead, fire him. Be sure to send him down the 401.
There's a team in need of a defensive coach.
>
> Number TWO: Sign a play-off warhorse like Scott Stevens, Gary Roberts, Guy
> Carbonneau or Kirk Muller (these are just examples, I know that they're not
> all possible).
I've said it before, I'll say it again. Carolina sucks, trade for Ron
Francis. Francis would play here if he'd get a kick at the Cup, and this team
is exactly ONE Ron Francis away from a Stanley Cup.
>
> Number THREE: Prusek and Emery for Lalime. Yes, Lalime had great phases
> during the play-offs, but he is no Brodeur, Gigi, Turek or Belfour. IF he'd
> accept the back-up role behind Emery or Prusek, fine, but he might now
> refuse to do so.
Prusek and Emmery are no Brodeur, Gigi, Turek or Belfour. If Muckler wanted
to impress me, he's start wheelin' and dealin' for a draft pick this year
that'll secure getting Marc-Andre Fleury. Wunderkid Prusek might be a big
deal in a few years, but Fleury is the next Patrick Roy.
>
> Number FOUR (and I'm already ducking): The fans have to be more intensive.
> In my opinion Ottawa fans are good-weather ones. (Don't give me "we stuck
> with them through the bad years"). OVERALL, fans in Canada (except perhaps
> for the former Jets) are too quiet.
> I came here from Europe (and no, I will not go back even if you tell me to)
> and fans in Germany for example are twice as loud (and throughout the whole
> game) as Canadian hockey fans. Let's not even start a comparison with
> soccer/football fans.
They should stop serving beer at the games. How can I chug and cheer at the
same time?
>
> Knut
> SENS fan
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Sens Fan Trapped In Ohio
<coca...@canada.com> first attempted to communicate with pen, but the
writing was small, so next used sidewalk chalk, but the rain washed it away,
and then switched to spray paint and stencils but the cans exploded, so
placed fingers to keyboard for this:
> Number ONE: Find a new head coach. Yadayadayada... Martin is a great
> hockey guy, but after this many years he lost his effectiveness. As
> stated in earlier posts, in my opinion the Sens need a guy with a bit
> more intensity - and not a stoic like Martin.
> While at it, might as well get rid of Muckler as well. YES, he IS a
> great/wise hockey expert, but he is not the youngest anymore. Let's
> clean ship.
~MAJOUR SNIPPAGE~
Why is it that each and every year someone comes out after a playoff loss
and screams, "FIRE MARTIN" ? You've certainly got the Make-Be-Leaf Troll
attitude down right about "regular season means nothing" if you're screaming
for Martin's head already. For God sakes, the team went further into the
playoffs than ever before and gave us the best record in 11 years for this
club. What more can you ask for from a young team? Yes ... YOUNG. The
only Stanley Cup veteran was Curtis Leschyshyn ... the rest of the crew are
still getting their feet wet in the playoffs in this post-Ya$hin era ... and
each time we do better and go deeper. A year ago it was no heart at the end
of Game 6 and all of Game 7 in Round Two ... this year it was lots of heart
but not sustained throught every single game and every minute of each game.
This is about EXPERIENCE and LEARNING ... and they are learning!
And fire Muckler? What kind of dope are you smoking up there? It's because
of guys like Roger Nielson and Muckler that we even got to a Game 7 in the
conference finals! Had Roger not given his passionate speech and Muckler
not yanked on Martin's chains to put Spezza in, we'd be crying in our soup
for almost a week now instead of looking back almost a week later and
thinking how great it was to have made this run!
Dynasty's take TIME to build. We've got all the right pieces in place now
... a GM that cares about the team, the city and the game. We've got a
coach who's system has proven that it works ... he just needs to learn when
to bend and when to flex that system to fit the ever-changing game. We have
a new owner dedicated to making this team remain in Ottawa and giving the
team what it needs to win.
As for a Stevens or Roberts-like player ... they're not a dime-a-dozen out
there, Knut. So tell me what grizzled veteran are we going to get if you
fire Muckler? I doubt that any other GMs going to get people like Bryan
Smolinski, who added greatly to our face-off wins category, or Vaclav
Varada, who's intensity realy did get under the skin of many a team along
our march to the Conference Finals. Both moves were great ones ... and his
decision to force Martin to play Spezza was perfect!
So again, back to the question ... who do we get to replace Alfredsson,
since you seem to be wanting a Stevens to come in and not only be the
veteran but also the captain? And while we're at it ... who do we get to
replace Lalime since you seem to want a Cup-veteran? And what about GM?
And head coach?
C'mon ... people ... wake up! This kind of talk dooms what was a great
season! Yes, I was depressed that we lost with 2-minutes to go in Game
Seven ... but it happens! Someone had to lose and it just wasn't "Our Time"
to win yet. As someone pointed out, we'd probably have gotten through this
round and met the Ducks in the Finals and gotten smoked! The Disney Quacks
are on fire, for whatever reason. But I've a feeling that against a
veteran-laced team like New Jersey they won't have such an easy time as they
did versus Detroit and Minnesota. Dallas proved that much, taking them to
6-games before falling.
BE PROUD of what happened here! Yes we lost. But if all you people want is
Lord Stanley's Cup being paraded down Bank Street then you're in for 37-plus
years of disappointment ala the Leafs! I know we all want them to win every
game, but it doesn't happen! In an 80-game schedule you're going to drop
one sooner or later. And in the playoffs you don't go 16-straight without a
loss either ... get real!
A few tweaks, a few refinements, and a lot of soul-searching ... and our
Ottawa Senators will be back next year doing the same thing they did this
year, only going that one step closer! Teams like Dallas, Detroit, New
Jersey and Colorado didn't do it all in one season and neither will we! The
basic core of the Red Wings was formed in the late 80's and early part of
the 90's ... but their first Cup of recent memory wasn't until '96 and they
got two years with it before the other teams stepped in and took it. Did
their fans call for Bowman's head? No. So why are we any different?
Knock off the belly-aching ... you're making us real Sens fans sick!
-- Kyle
Reply address is fake. Please send all praise, abuse, insults, bequests of
$1million US dollars to sens_fan_trapped_in_oh4 (at) yahoo (dot) ca. Change
the obvious to the obvious. Oh, and if you must abuse or insult, don't
expect a reply. Money gets faster attention ;o)
"You couldn't get a clue during the clue mating season in a field full of
horny clues if you smeared your body with clue musk and did the clue mating
dance."
Carlos N.
Number FIVE: Learn how to count. :)
P.S. I acknowledge that you fixed it right after, I just thought my
reply was funny, so I posted it anyway.
Carlos N.
Bloke
...chop...
> As for a Stevens or Roberts-like player ... they're not a dime-a-dozen out
> there, Knut. So tell me what grizzled veteran are we going to get if you
> fire Muckler? I doubt that any other GMs going to get people like Bryan
> Smolinski, who added greatly to our face-off wins category, or Vaclav
> Varada, who's intensity realy did get under the skin of many a team along
> our march to the Conference Finals. Both moves were great ones ... and
his
> decision to force Martin to play Spezza was perfect!
Minor quibble. I have heard many people talk about Smolinski being a great
face-off guy but have not seen much evidence of that this year. During the
playoffs he won only 45.73 percent of his 258 face-offs. This is middle of
the road in comparison to the following playoff face-off win percentage of
Sens centers:
Spezza 58.33 % of 24 face-offs (albeit a small sample)
White 56.71 % of 268
Bonk 49.28 % of 351
Van Allen's 45.56 % of 169
Fisher's 42.77 % of 180
FYI, here are the regular season Sens face-off winning percentages:
White 50.5 % of 1396
Fisher 48.09 % of 1077
Smolinski 46.34 % of 958
Bonk 46.22 % of 1218
Spezza 45.75 % of 330
Van Allen 44.98 % of 838
The stats are from www.nhl.com. Note that I am not trying to slam Smolinski,
I am just pointing out that the numbers (which I don't have any personal
issues with) do not match the many claims I have read regarding Smolinski's
face-off prowess. I have always been curious about that.
Speaking of face-offs, they are important but I think that way too much is
made of their significance in comparison to other aspects of the game. Four
of the five top face-off teams in the NHL regular season failed to make the
playoffs (Calgary, NYR, Carolina and Montreal). Mind you the number one
regular season face-off team, Anaheim, is playing in the finals but I think
that the guy between the pipes has a lot more to do with this than their
face-off record.
David G.
"Bloke" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:bVuAa.1009$y77.1...@news20.bellglobal.com...
I agree with you that too much emphasis is put on faceoffs. I think
Perrault is considered to be the top face-off specialist in the league and
he only gets around 58%. So on average he should win close to 12 out of 20
and the opponent gets 8. Not a huge factor that the other team won 4 more
out of 20 draws. However, I think teams need to have at least one guy who
they can count on more then 50% of the time. Having payed close attention
to the Sens faceoffs in the playoffs they lost a lot of key draws on power
plays.
>
>
http://www.nhl.com/webstats/stats?season=currentSeason&type=teamRTSS&subseas
on=regSeason&view=faceOffPctg
>
>
Knut Menard
Havlat and Redden. But that is NOT a change, so I eliminated it.
Knut
SENS fan
"Carlos N." <nos...@please.net> wrote in message
news:aQsAa.3000$fj7.2...@news20.bellglobal.com...
Knut Menard
"Sens Fan Trapped In Ohio" <SensA...@GoSenatorsGo.com> wrote in message
news:Y2ednYGJZIn...@buckeye-express.com...
> In news:vd38bma...@corp.supernews.com, Knut Menard
> <coca...@canada.com> first attempted to communicate with pen, but the
> writing was small, so next used sidewalk chalk, but the rain washed it
away,
> and then switched to spray paint and stencils but the cans exploded, so
> placed fingers to keyboard for this:
> > Number ONE: Find a new head coach. Yadayadayada... Martin is a great
> > hockey guy, but after this many years he lost his effectiveness. As
> > stated in earlier posts, in my opinion the Sens need a guy with a bit
> > more intensity - and not a stoic like Martin.
> > While at it, might as well get rid of Muckler as well. YES, he IS a
> > great/wise hockey expert, but he is not the youngest anymore. Let's
> > clean ship.
>
> ~MAJOUR SNIPPAGE~
>
> Why is it that each and every year someone comes out after a playoff loss
> and screams, "FIRE MARTIN" ? You've certainly got the Make-Be-Leaf Troll
> attitude down right about "regular season means nothing" if you're
screaming
> for Martin's head already. For God sakes, the team went further into the
> playoffs than ever before and gave us the best record in 11 years for this
> club. What more can you ask for from a young team? Yes ... YOUNG. The
Sorry, but neiter Van Allen, nor Bonk nor Smolinski or Ray are young.
Alfredsson isn't young. They might be inexperienced regarding Finals, but
young ?!
*grin* This way a lot of players (Lindros perhaps being the best example)
will stay young forever
> only Stanley Cup veteran was Curtis Leschyshyn ... the rest of the crew
are
> still getting their feet wet in the playoffs in this post-Ya$hin era ...
and
> each time we do better and go deeper. A year ago it was no heart at the
end
> of Game 6 and all of Game 7 in Round Two ... this year it was lots of
heart
> but not sustained throught every single game and every minute of each
game.
> This is about EXPERIENCE and LEARNING ... and they are learning!
>
> And fire Muckler? What kind of dope are you smoking up there? It's
because
> of guys like Roger Nielson and Muckler that we even got to a Game 7 in the
> conference finals! Had Roger not given his passionate speech and Muckler
> not yanked on Martin's chains to put Spezza in, we'd be crying in our soup
> for almost a week now instead of looking back almost a week later and
> thinking how great it was to have made this run!
>
BRAAAAAAKKKKKEE
And you question my suggestion to fire Martin ? "Had Roger not given his
passionate speech and Muckler not yanked on Martin's chains to put Spezza"
Your words. I'm certain that Pat Burns didn't need two other guys to do HIS
job.
I do agree, Muckler is great, but he is old. Get a younger guy now to learn
from him.
> Dynasty's take TIME to build. We've got all the right pieces in place now
> ... a GM that cares about the team, the city and the game. We've got a
> coach who's system has proven that it works ... he just needs to learn
when
> to bend and when to flex that system to fit the ever-changing game. We
have
> a new owner dedicated to making this team remain in Ottawa and giving the
> team what it needs to win.
>
Dynasty. BS. The last dynasty was in the 80's (oilers). The time of
Dynasties has gone by in hockey. I thought the Wings came close to do it,
but the playoffs are so unpredictable...
There are 30 teams, the 'chances' to make a final (on an even field) would
be 1in 15.
There are no Braves or Yankees in hockey (so what, the Blues have made the
playoffs in what, the last 27 years ? - Where are their cups ?)
I'd rather have one cup than these constant "dynasty" dreams. And yes, in my
opinion the Sens ought to have done it THIS year. And without Martin they
might have.
> As for a Stevens or Roberts-like player ... they're not a dime-a-dozen out
> there, Knut. So tell me what grizzled veteran are we going to get if you
> fire Muckler? I doubt that any other GMs going to get people like Bryan
> Smolinski, who added greatly to our face-off wins category, or Vaclav
> Varada, who's intensity realy did get under the skin of many a team along
> our march to the Conference Finals. Both moves were great ones ... and
his
> decision to force Martin to play Spezza was perfect!
>
Supposedly they want to keep Smolinski. GREAT. The other poster's suggestion
of Francis is a good one as well. I would try to keep Alfie. Great player,
great leader (???)
Knut Menard
"Paul Moore" <moorepa#@#rogers.com> wrote in message
news:cvmAa.49511$cK1....@news01.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com...
None of those I mentioned are "fighters". They're players who can lead a
team in the playoffs.
> > Number THREE: Prusek and Emery for Lalime. Yes, Lalime had
> great phases
> > during the play-offs, but he is no Brodeur, Gigi, Turek or
> Belfour. IF he'd
> > accept the back-up role behind Emery or Prusek, fine, but he
> might now
> > refuse to do so.
>
> I'd like to see what Prusek could do.
>
I agree, but a lot of experts predict that Emery is the guy of the future. I
have to admit i've never seen him play? IS he THAT good ?
> > Number FOUR (and I'm already ducking): The fans have to be more
> intensive.
> > In my opinion Ottawa fans are good-weather ones. (Don't give me
> "we stuck
> > with them through the bad years"). OVERALL, fans in Canada
> (except perhaps
> > for the former Jets) are too quiet.
>
> I don't think the loudness of the fans governs success on ice. Or
> do you think the Anaheim fans are wild and vocal as compared to
> everyone else?
>
>
I do think that the fans can make a big difference. while they will not be
the 7th man, they can be good for a game or two in the playoffs. Rock the
other team !
Knut
SENS fan
Knut Menard
"EccentricFan" <eccen...@omalco.com> wrote in message
news:Xns938764D4F592...@129.250.170.100...
> "Knut Menard" <coca...@canada.com> wrote in
> news:vd38bma...@corp.supernews.com:
>
> > Number ONE: Find a new head coach. Yadayadayada... Martin is a great
> > hockey guy, but after this many years he lost his effectiveness. As
> > stated in earlier posts, in my opinion the Sens need a guy with a bit
> > more intensity - and not a stoic like Martin.
>
> Yep.
>
> > While at it, might as well get rid of Muckler as well. YES, he IS a
> > great/wise hockey expert, but he is not the youngest anymore. Let's
> > clean ship.
>
> No way. The guy's a hockey guy, and age/experience is an asset for a GM.
> I think he's doing a terrific job. I say keep him till he's dotty.
>
>
> > Number TWO: Sign a play-off warhorse like Scott Stevens, Gary Roberts,
> > Guy Carbonneau or Kirk Muller (these are just examples, I know that
> > they're not all possible).
>
> Other than Stevens, I can't see why any of those players would make a big
> difference. I think the current core team has what it takes.
TYPE of player. I know that Kirk Muller wont make a difference anymore.
Smolinski isn't that far off.
>
> >
> > Number THREE: Prusek and Emery for Lalime. Yes, Lalime had great
> > phases during the play-offs, but he is no Brodeur, Gigi, Turek or
> > Belfour. IF he'd accept the back-up role behind Emery or Prusek, fine,
> > but he might now refuse to do so.
>
> I've not been a big Lalime booster, but games 5-7 in the Devil's series
> showed me that Lalime is a money player who comes through when it really
> counts. Unless the Sens were going to get a CUP-proven top goalie
> ($unlikely$) then I think they should stay with Lalime.
>
>
> > Number FOUR (and I'm already ducking): The fans have to be more
> > intensive. In my opinion Ottawa fans are good-weather ones. (Don't
> > give me "we stuck with them through the bad years"). OVERALL, fans in
> > Canada (except perhaps for the former Jets) are too quiet.
> > I came here from Europe (and no, I will not go back even if you tell
> > me to) and fans in Germany for example are twice as loud (and
> > throughout the whole game) as Canadian hockey fans. Let's not even
> > start a comparison with soccer/football fans.
>
> Can't really agree here. Sens fans are also money players, and rose to
> the occassion in the final round.
>
> If you want the crowd more in the game, then the best way to do this
> would be to kill the jumbotron noisinator crap, and let the fans fill the
> space, which they will.
>
> - EF
I think it is the character of the crowd. Soccer/hockey fans in Europe are
blue-collar.
In Canada they're not in the stadium because the can't afford it. Soccer
(regular league) is on once every 2 weeks (home game). In Hockey there are
almost three times as many homegames. Most fans in the stadium are
bureaucrats or techies. Nothing against them (how could I), but they don't
make up the most vocal crowd.
Bloke
> "Sens Fan Trapped In Ohio" wrote
> > In Knut Menard wrote
> > > Number ONE: Find a new head coach. Yadayadayada... Martin is a great
> > > hockey guy, but after this many years he lost his effectiveness. As
> > > stated in earlier posts, in my opinion the Sens need a guy with a bit
> > > more intensity - and not a stoic like Martin.
> > > While at it, might as well get rid of Muckler as well. YES, he IS a
> > > great/wise hockey expert, but he is not the youngest anymore. Let's
> > > clean ship.
> > ~MAJOUR SNIPPAGE~
> > Why is it that each and every year someone comes out after a playoff
loss
> > and screams, "FIRE MARTIN" ? You've certainly got the Make-Be-Leaf
Troll
> > attitude down right about "regular season means nothing" if you're
> screaming
> > for Martin's head already. For God sakes, the team went further into
the
> > playoffs than ever before and gave us the best record in 11 years for
this
> > club. What more can you ask for from a young team? Yes ... YOUNG.
>
> Sorry, but neiter Van Allen, nor Bonk nor Smolinski or Ray are young.
> Alfredsson isn't young. They might be inexperienced regarding Finals, but
> young ?!
> *grin* This way a lot of players (Lindros perhaps being the best example)
> will stay young forever
At the start of the season, the Sens were the fourth youngest team in the
NHL with an average age of 26.5. Detroit was the oldest with an avg of 33.1
and Buffalo was the youngest with an avg of 25.3.
http://www.calgarypuck.com/McGrath_081202.htm
Alfie at 30 is 3.5 years above the teams average. Bonk at 27 is only a few
months over the team average so I am not sure why you mentioned his name
(heck he is younger than White and Hnidy). It remains to be seen if 31 year
old Smolinski will be back. It is highly doubtful that 34 year old Ray will
be back. The Sens may pick up the option on 35 year old Van Allen. 34 year
old Jody Hull will probably not be back. Arvedson is 31 but a pending UFA
whose status is unknown for next season. Leschyshyn at 33 is the other guy
over 30 on the team.