Let's call this Friday blog: 10 Random Thoughts After Heatley's Return.
1. The biggest story of Thursday night was the fact that Scotiabank Place was not filled to capacity for the return of Dany Heatley.
Around 1,000 seats went unused, which is completely baffling to me (And yes, I'm the guy who once called Ottawa the worst sports city in Canada).
I understand that you might not want to shell out top dollar to watch the struggling Senators play right now. I get that. But this game wasn't about the Senators or their lack of offence.
It was about the return of the man who was painted as public enemy No. 1. I don't think there were any empty seats the night Pronger returned to Rexall, when Vince Carter came back to Toronto or when Patrick Roy played in Montreal for the first time with Colorado. I think you get my drift.
2. However, I do agree with those of you who have written me in the past 10 days to complain about the direction of the team.
It's easy for me to say that you should buy tickets to Scotiabank Place when I get into the games for free.
Right now the fans are frustrated - and they have every right to be. And the coaches, players and front office are just as angry as you are. This team is seriously underachieving and a 4-0 loss on home ice to San Jose was a textbook case of what's wrong here in Ottawa.
When the opposition scores first, the Sens seem to lack the firepower to come back. Offense was supposed to be the strong suit of this team and yet they are one of the five lowest-scoring teams in the NHL. I'm usually a guy who preaches patience and stability. But right now, I'm thinking this team is in need of some sort of shake-up before they slip too far out of the playoff picture.
3. As expected, Dany Heatley didn't say much when we met with the Ottawa media on Thursday morning. However, he did shed some light on the timeline for his departure from Ottawa.
Heatley admitted that he didn't wake up one morning and decide he wanted a trade. He was feeling that way for a few months and claimed that he even went to management to discuss his feelings. Heatley felt there was no chance for reparation and when he came back from the World Championships that spring, he decided to formally ask for the trade. Take it for what it's worth, I suppose. But I know a lot of you prefer the Dany Heatley conspiracy theories.
4. By the way, when Heatley was finished his media scrum, he was walking out of the building with his head down, to avoid the glare of the TV cameras.
He then noticed a couple of little girls wearing hockey jerseys outside of the Sharks dressing room and he stopped to sign autographs for them. I'll say this for Heatley: I've been around him in hundreds of situations over the years and not once have I ever seen him turn down an autograph request from a child.
5. Ottawa fans have the reputation of being quiet and boring, but I have to admit I was thoroughly impressed by the coordinated Heatley jersey toss in the third period.
A group of about 10 fans came down to ice level and simultaneously threw their Heatley jerseys onto the ice.
It was terrific theatre and very creative. And the guys just turned around, walked up the stairs in business-like fashion, knowing they were being ejected from the rink. But given the way the home team was playing, leaving early wasn't a bad idea.
6.Best sign of the night : "Even Yashin Thinks You're a Jerk."
In the past few weeks, people have asked me who is a more hated person in Ottawa: Heatley or Yashin?
To me, what Yashin did was worse.
He walked out on his teammates for money. Heatley asked for a trade. There is a big difference there. Even a couple of Sens players told me that having a player simply hold out over money is more of a crime in their minds.
However, the Yashin deal was a lot easier to stomach for Sens fans, because they got Jason Spezza and Zdeno Chara in the trade from New York. I'm still not sure why there isn't a bronze statue of Marshall Johnston outside of Scotiabank Place.
7. I bumped into Brian Kilrea on my way into the building on Thursday night. And the legendary coach was not happy that the local media had ignored the fact that several former Ottawa 67s players were coming back to town.
He felt like too much of the coverage was negative and about Heatley when there were some terrific stories to tell. And what does Kilrea know? Logan Couture comes in and picks up his first career two-goal game.
I guess we should pay more attention to what Kilrea thinks.
8. Also lost in the hoopla of Heatley's return were two significant San Jose milestones. Ottawa native Dan Boyle suited up for his 700th career NHL game. Thursday also marked the five-year anniversary of the Joe Thornton trade to Boston.
Remember when the Bruins organization was ripped for not getting back any major assets for Thornton?
I think Peter Chiarelli may have rectified that problem.
9. If you would have told me that the Senators would be out of a playoff spot in early December and there was no clear-cut No. 1 goalie, I would have assumed that goaltending was the problem.
But here's the weird thing: Goaltending has been the least of the Senators issues.
Patrick Roy in his prime wouldn't necessarily be winning for this team. They've scored two goals or fewer in all but one of Pascal Leclaire's starts this season. Ripping on goaltending is usually the easy answer in Ottawa, but it's not the problem right now.
10. Let me end this week's blog with a question for you Ottawa fans:
Two months into the season, who is the Senators MVP?
Below: last night's Heatley highlights.
