Yardbarker: Chris Phillips

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Ottawa Senators

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:41:28 -0500

Like the rest of the Northeast, the Ottawa Senators come into the season with a question that, if it gets answered, gives them the best shot at second place. While he Montreal Canadiens need to find a sustainable level of consistency, the Buffalo Sabres need to find that top-pairing puck-mover, and the Boston Bruins are simply hoping to make a seamless transition to a Kessel-less era, the Sens have the most interesting question ever. What was this guy prepared to do if Dany Heatley didn't...

Preview: Introducing the 2009-10 Ottawa Senators!

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:23:17 -0500

NHL season previews often sell you an impressive bill of goods before you realize, at the end of the season, you're holding an empty box. Which makes using advertisements and infomercials the appropriate template for Puck Daddy's 2009-10 NHL Season Previews, presented each day throughout September.Last Season's Ad Copy: Eleventh in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the Northeast Division (36-35-11, 83 points). Replaced retread Craig Hartsburg with spiffy newcomer Cory Clouston ...

Aftermath: Which team is going to win the Dany Heatley trade?

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:03:51 -0500

One of the key quotes in the aftermath of the Dany Heatley(notes) trade to the San Jose Sharks this weekend was from Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk to GM Bryan Murray: "If this is a deal you feel will make our team better or make the room better -- do it."Does flipping Heatley and a fifth for Milan Michalek(notes), Jonathan Cheechoo(notes) and a second-round pick make the Senators a better team? Michalek offers tantalizing hints of offensive dominance and frequent bouts of invi...

Dany Heatley traded to the Sharks.

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:48:00 -0500

Former Wisconsin Badgers star Dany Heatley has finally been traded. From looking at the deal it would appear that that Senators got a whole lot better because they got rid of a potential locker room cancer and got two pretty good players in left-winger Milan Michalek and right-winger Jonathan Cheechoo. Also it's hard to imagine in the days of the salary cap that Joe Thornton and Dany Heatly are on the same team, that is going to make the Sharks the beast in the west. Heatley also joins former Badger Joe Pavelski.

OTTAWA — As soon as Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray talked to Dany Heatley on Friday, he knew he had to trade the disgruntled left-winger.

Heatley was so adamant about being moved that Murray knew he couldn’t have him around poisoning the dressing room. Nothing was going to make Heatley change his mind and Murray knew it.

“When I looked him in the eye, I knew the minute he walked out the door that I had to trade him,” said Murray.

“I didn’t think there was any chance. I just felt that we had to move him. As I said to (Senators captain) Daniel Alfredsson, ‘What we should care about here is the core of this hockey team and how we can help the guys become a competitive team again.’ ”

Alfredsson had also come to the same conclusion. He and defenceman Chris Phillips had sat down to talk with Heatley about his frame of mind coming into camp. Alfredsson left knowing there was nothing he could do or say to change Heatley’s mind.

“He was pretty clear about his stance,” said Alfredsson.

So Murray talked to Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and told him that, for the sake of the team, he had to trade Heatley for whatever he could get.

Murray landed left-winger Milan Michalek, 24, right-winger Jonathan Cheechoo, 29, and a second-round draft pick next year for Heatley and a 2010 fifth-round pick

Erik Karlsson: Small Fish in a Big Pond?

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:14:36 -0500

Of the eight defensemen under contract by the Ottawa Senators, seven of them suited up in the NHL last season. The other is Erik Karlsson. Karlsson, 19, is arguably the top prospect in the Senators system. The smooth-skating Swede was taken with the 15th overall selection in the 2008 Entry Draft. The Ottawa faithful have already witnessed a sneak peek at Karlsson during last winter's U-20 Championship where he led Sweden to a silver medal. His ability to move the puck and p...

Spezza Wedding Goes Off Without A Hitch

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 19:05:12 -0500

from Tony Lofaro and Brendan Kennedy of the Ottawa Citizen, Jennifer Snell pulled up in a vintage 1957 Rolls Royce Saturday at Notre Dame Basilica as her husband-to-be, Ottawa Senators centre Jason Spezza, and hundreds of guests waited inside. But when told by the wedding planner that some of the wedding guests were still entering the church, the Rolls driver took Snell for a ride around the block, returning a few minutes later. Then, Snell was accompanied inside the church by h...

Bulletin: Chris and Erin Phillips announced as honourary co-chairs of the Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:10:00 -0500

OTTAWA – The Sens Foundation announced today the support of Ottawa Senators defenceman Chris Phillips and his wife Erin, who have been named honourary co-chairs of the Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation. In October 2008, the Sens Foundation un...

Draft a No. 1 memory for Phillips

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:57:00 -0500

Thirteen years ago, Senators defenceman Chris Phillips earned the coveted distinction of being a No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft, which was held in St. Louis that year. ...

A Shootout Win, How Quaint: Senators 4, Penguins 3 (SO)

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 15:55:00 -0500

(Photo: The Canadian Press)First off, a note to my faithful readers. It's not that I'm ignoring the blog, it's just that life seems to get in the way. When I started the blog, I was still in school and still had pockets of time to update. Now that I'm a working stiff, it feels like whenever I do have time to update I'm way too exhausted and would rather be napping.But here I am! We're going to make this work, I promise. Every relationship takes work so...we will just h...

Sens Back On Track!!

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 03:46:09 -0500

After Ottawa's recent struggles, it appears a trip down to Florida and some tough talk has helped the Sens get it back together and none too soon really...thanks to Dan for the latest!!

Sens Downfall??

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:09:28 -0500

A quick little blurb from The Maniac venting about the suddenly slumping Sens.