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Dani California

SENS19 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:05:58 GMT

It's confirmed!! He's gone! No more rumours, false alarms or speculation!! Today is the day TSN graced its covers with a Dany Heatley trade! What did we get? Milan Mich�lek and Jonathan Cheechoo.

Best part about this is that we didn't lose anything with Heatley other than a 5th round pick. The worst part about it is that the Sharks don't play in Ottawa this season, so we won't be able to boo Heatley like we would like to. At first I didn't like the trade, in fact I was very very unhappy. But after calming down, absorbing the shock and thinking more about it, this is great for us. We are now no longer a one line team. We are faster and somewhat younger. We got better work ethic and players who actually give a damn. The future looks good people.

My theory is the Sens now have a very legitimate shot at a playoff berth and maybe not just fighting for an 8th spot. The way I see it is we have improved defense especially if Karlsson makes the team, our goaltending looks bright *crossing fingers* and our offense is more balanced than ever. These are my estimate predictions for our forwards:

Spezza 35+ goals
Alfie 40+ goals
Kovalev 35+ goals
Fisher 25+ goals
Mich�lek 25+ goals
Cheechoo 20+ goals

And those are our 6 guaranteed 20+ goal scorers. We still have Foligno and Shannon who are very much capable of pushing 20-25 goals each. We have Kelly who should give us 15 goals and Neil and Winchester who should contribute with a fair 10 goals each. With scoring balanced like that all around the team, this definitely makes us a better oriented team. And with a coach like Clouston, I repeat the future looks great!

* From S19 Hockey Thoughts

A Rockin September Part II

SENS19 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:00:44 GMT

This edition's band is somehow related to our beloved Sens. I first heard about this band on a Mike Fisher feature in which he stated they were one of his favourite bands and his good friends. They are also the artists behind the goals song you hear every time Fisher scores. Thousand Foot Krutch is their name and Welcome to the Masquerade is their newest album released on September 8th 2009.

I think EA NHL games fans would recognize the band as one of their singles "Fire it Up" is featured on the new NHL10 soundtrack. Great choice too as there is no way you can listen to this song without getting pumped out. Another great pumped up song is Smack Down which will definitely be played at more than a few sports events. The band has stated this song is an homage to We Will Rock You and I like it! And the name the single Welcome to the Masquerade is not only a great album title but also a great song that combines Trevor Mcnevan's great voice, hardcore music to give an introduction to the rest of the album. If you've enjoyed the above songs, the loud powerful trend continues with Bring Me to Life, Scream, E is for extinction.

TFK try to get a little calmer with songs like Look Away which is based on e-mails the band got from fans about giving up. Slower songs also include Watching Over Me, Forward Motion and Already Home.

Then there are the songs which I combine a little head banging with slower melodic tunes at times such as The Part That Hurts the Most and Outta Control.

Rating: 9.5/10

This album will get pumped up no matter what and has some great lyrics that offer motivation to never give up and hope to people who feel like they're alone in the world. Great album all around and has impressed me even more than the new Chevelle album. There isn't one song on the album that I can say I dislike.

Favourites: Forward Motion, The Part that Hurts the Most and Fire it Up

A Rockin September Part I

SENS19 — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:16:47 GMT

The past summer has been great for rock music fans as it has seen the release of great albums from Our Lady Peace and Alexisonfire. Billy Talent has also released a good album and a band that I wasn't necessarily a fan of before (Mariana's Trench) released an album that impressed me. And of course we cannot forget the discovery of the band After Midnight Project by our super Mod Sens Devil. But September is going to be even better and not just because Sens training camp is starting ;). Some great bands are going to be gracing us with new albums throughout the month, such as Breaking Benjamin and Thousand Foot Krutch. So from now on till the end of September, I'll be writing a review for each album as it is released. This week the victim is Chevelle who released their 5th album "Sci-Fi Crimes" on September 1st.

The title of the album is quite intriguing but don't be fooled, this isn't an album about aliens and space. Chevelle have excelled in this album by going back to their older work and adding a new element to it. Pete Loeffler has a great voice that has immense emotions in it and doesn't need to scream in a song for people to feel the power of his song. And to add to the beauty of the lyrics and his voice, the music and the sound of the guitars is as powerful and beautiful. This album has something for everyone from songs that are high on adrenaline such as their single "Jars" (this one is for you 13 :p) and A Change of Momentum to something a little calmer and slower such as Highland's Apparitions.

I think Chevelle have succeeded of staying the same kind of band but putting out something new. Unlike a band like Billy Talent, who as great as they are have been releasing albums that sound very similar to each other. Which is why I called their new album as good in the first paragraph. My rating for this album would be a 9/10 just because there is a useless track on the album called Interlewd.

If you're interested and I recommend that you check this album out if you're a rock music fan, the following are links about the band:

Wikipedia Biography: Chevelle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Their newest single: Jars: YouTube - Chevelle - Jars
One of my favourite songs of an older album: Send The Pain Below: YouTube - Chevelle - Send The Pain Below
Their Official Website: Media | The Official Chevelle Site

Listen to their new songs on Youtube: YouTube - chevelle- sci fi crimes

Recommended Songs: This Circus, Letter From A Thief and Jars

Still not sold about: Interlewed, Fell Into Your Shoes

Tell me what you think and stay tuned for my next edition of a Rockin September :)

Ottawa Senators Alternate Jersey (S19 Hockey Thoughts)

SENS19 — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:20:05 GMT

When the new third jerseys premiered last season, I don't think there were many Sens fans impressed. Yes the black colour was great and believe it or not the jerseys bought the team some good luck but they are still not favoured by Sens fans. The "Sens" writing on the jersey made it appear unprofessional and you should never use the team's nickname on an official jersey anyways imo. A great vintage design surfaced online last season with the "O" on it in honour of the team's history. The jerseys were black, classy and everything you want in a third jersey. Even after the release of the current third jersey, the O design seems to be gaining more popularity. And rumours have surfaced that the Sens may be releasing them as a replacement or even as a fourth vintage jersey. A petition site has collected 1490 signatures and counting from interested Sens fans.

If you would like to see the Vintage "O" Jersey as our third jersey, sign the petition here ---> Ottawa Senators alternate jersey

School Rant

SENS19 — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:18:44 GMT

I find myself always complaining about school whether it's about a stupid professor or being overloaded with insane amount of work. But if I had to choose all over again I'd still pick going to University for further education.

I appreciate all the facilities and services the University offers its students and I'm really enjoying my time in school even with the unbelievable work pressure I go through sometimes. But yesterday I got an invoice for next year's tuition and it has gotten up yet again, and I no longer have a scholarship. Mind you I have no problems paying it (thanks Mom and Dad) but it got me thinking about those who aren't as fortunate as I am.

To pay close to $6000 is a lot of money for school tuition. Add to that books and other school supplies along with other basic purchases and the total can be too much for a student. And of course let's not forget about rent which is never cheap, even on campus. Education is a valuable asset and should be accessible to as many people as possible. Taking a loan is an option, but re-paying it isn't always easy, and you end up in a bigger mess if you're even slightly late. I'm not suggesting that school be free, but maybe all those "Lower Tuition" campaigns should get stronger and have a heard voice.

I've met so many students who have wasted a few years from their lives just to be able to save money for tuition, because they simply cannot afford it. There has to be a solution, whether it's to lower tuition or supplying more assistance to students in need.

I love going to school, through the good and bad it's an unbelievable experience. An experience every person should be given a chance to experience.

As a sidenote, I thought I should give my school some credit. University of Ottawa has just waived all undergraduate tuition fees for dependents of the Canadian military personnel who were killed while serving their country. Click here for more details. I'm proud that uOttawa is taking this step, I'm not sure if other schools are already implementing this but if they are I salute them as well.

Chris Neil Honoured

SENS19 — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:40:11 GMT

Ok well it wasn't an actual honour but a mention of him anyways. See this guy will never probably never win a Hart Trophy or a scoring title. He'll never be given a nice little trophy for all his contributions to the team. But as a Sens fan (and a Neil fan) I'm going to be happy and celebrate when one of his bone shattering hits gets ranked #1 in the NHL 2008-2009 Hits of the Year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTMpo...annel=nhlvideo

That hit alone is worth $2 million imo. For all of you who say he better score 15 goals next season, I say he better throw 15 of those "Little" hits instead.

This may be a small mention of him but a worthy one nonetheless. I have to say Canada Day was absolutely perfected with him re-signing. What can I say, I believe some people are just deserving of an overpayment. Cannot wait for another 4 years of Neil magic and hopefully many more to come!

Burn Burn

SENS19 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:52:02 GMT

So after a long wait (for me at least) Our Lady Peace released their new album "Burn Burn" on July 21st. And as usual it doesn't disappoint. I have to admit it does sound a little different than their older stuff, maybe a little quieter but it's still nothing short of pure amazing. A critic from the Calgary Herald stated that Raine Maida was trying to be too much like U2 but wasn't too successful in creating the "serious rock masterpiece for the ages" as he said it in the article. He even gave it a rating of 2.5/5 and I strongly disagree. My rating would be 4/5 and I stand by it.

I personally have nothing against U2 but at the same time not a big fan of their music. Listening to their new album, OLP may have changed but by no means is it in the wrong direction or trying to imitate another band. Their original taste is still there and they have made their mark clearly on the album. It only took me one listen to fall in love with the album and I think it's worth a listen to all fans of good Canadian music. My personal favourites are:
Paper Moon
Never Get Over You
All You Did Was Save My Life
The End is Where We Begin.

For all OLP fans, what do you think of the new album and what songs stand out for you the most? Has Raine Maida done a good job producing his album?

Should He Stay or Should He Go?

SENS19 — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:32:08 GMT

Senators fans have different opinions towards the whole Heatley saga as it is now called. The way I see it, fans are separated into three categories, are they right or wrong? And to which group do you belong?:
1) The "The team is better with Heatley and let him stay and all will be forgotten with a few goals" Fans
These fans are willing to forget all his selfishness, arrogance and stupidity. They think a guy who can score a few game winning goals is all we should look at. They believe all what he put the team through can be and will be forgotten after a few good games and tons of his one knee one timers.
Right? Maybe, after all goals do win hockey games, and at some point you have to let things go and settle for the guy that will win ya games
Wrong? Also maybe, goals aren't everything, and if his heart isn't in it how do we know the talent will be enough to win us games? And how can we guarantee that this drama won't drag on in the locker room and affect our team in even worse ways?

2) The " He is welcome back to the team only and only if he fires his agents, apologizes to fans and all others involved and donate part or all of his $4 million bonus to charity" Fans
No offense to anyone but if you think that'll ever happen then you're in for a BIG shocker cause it never will. Or maybe I lost all faith and trust in Heatley doing the right thing, after all I am one bitter disgruntled Sens fan. These fans here are mad at Heatley, really mad but don't want him off the team. They need something to make them stop being so angry at him so they can happily cheer for him without any guilt.
Right? Sure, if Heatley ever does that, then we have no excuse to insult him any further. And we get our 50-goal scorer.
Wrong? Hell yeah, I repeat HE WILL NEVER DO THAT!!

3) The "Heatley shall never wear a Sens jersey ever again" Fans:
These fans aren't harsh or bitter. They just cannot get over their team being dragged with something so ridiculous for weeks. They aren't insulted by his trade request (nobody really is) but they feel betrayed and back stabbed for the way they and their beloved team are being treated by a player we all loved and cheered for not too long ago. They believe heart, character and attitude mean more than any goals can bring to the team.
Right? Yes, Heatley dug a very deep hole for himself and won't find too many people pulling him up if he wants to get out of it. Character can sometimes play a bigger role in winning games, and narcissism has never been the character of a true great Hockey player.
Wrong? Also yes, character matters but so do goals and nobody can overlook the talent that Dany brings to the team, especially with Kovalev on board.

To me no opinion is really wrong or right but rather debatable which is the whole point of the blog. To discuss the ups and downs of each situation. Personally, I have to say as much as I loved Heater and his goals in the past I will gladly put myself in the third category. Right or wrong, I just cannot stand the guy on the team anymore. That being said, if he does come back I will never boo a player in a Sens jersey, never did and never will. But at the same time I won't get that excitement from watching him bury that puck in like I used to.

So what do you think Sens Army?