Comments for Flights of Fantasy at http://hockey.dobbersports.com , comment 1 to 20 out of 20 comments http://hockey.dobbersports.com Sat, 18 May 2013 23:07:45 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2322 I mostly agree with what was said about the job management has done with the Sens over the last couple years. I think management completely miss-handled the way the team tanked after that 15-2 start they had in the season after going to the SC Finals. That being said, I like the hiring of Cory Clouston and I like the team that is in place now, even if they have taken a step back in talent and have to do a little re-building. Clouston has them playing as a team and working hard as a team. Starting November 5th against Tampa, they have 12 games in 24 days. This run is a big test and will tell if they have a playoff hope this season or not. - jL Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:24:59 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2306 I'm a huge Sens fan and I thought the article was really funny. Fellow Sens fans lighten up! We still have our draft picks. I like the team a lot more than last years edition and they are still getting used to each other. Takes time. Though every time Cogliano, Penner and Smid do something I curse Heatley. Why Dany Why? Edmonton rocks! - Dan Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:09:36 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2305 You need to do one of these about the Habs next, Russ. 6 wins in OT, the other against the Isles. They can look at the Leafs record and think, "There but for the grace of the hockey gods..." I really like Buffalo for this division, they're finally playing the way they should have been the past couple seasons. The Bruins will give them a run for their money though. - KS Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:47:50 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2304 Ottawa is the new Islanders. At least with Tavares the Islanders can say they have a centerpiece to build around. Ottawa is a mess and will miss the playoffs. Taylor Hall anyone? - James Wallace Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:25:11 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2302 Oh, and it seems unlikely that Spezza will be 127th in league scoring for long. Once he gets rolling those 1-goal victories might be 2 from time to time. You may disagree of course, but I'd be interested in hearing a coherent take as to why he won't get on a roll at some point, and why the team won't improve at that juncture. - Guy Incognito Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:32:28 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2301 I know the forecast part of the article is a bit of a spoof, but doesn't Spezza have a no-trade clause as of July 1, 2009? As for the rest of the assessments, I wouldn't read too much into too small a sample. Detroit gave up 8 goals twice in a 4-game span last year (8-0 to Nashville and I think 8-2 to Columbus); turns out that didn't mean much. I wouldn't look at the Sens giving up a bunch of capricious deflections to the Preds as an end-of-season portent, especially since they showed some fight in the game by battling back to tie it up. They were enigmatic in that game, to be sure, fighting back from a nasty deficit but failing to seal the deal. Still, there was a lot more to that game than the loss in the box score. The Islanders have also taken Pittsburgh, Boston, Montreal and Washington (twice, winning once) to OT which suggests Ottawa's not the only team 'scraping by' against them. Florida has beaten some good teams as well (CHI, PHI, DAL, STL), despite their record. Again, Pittsburgh only managed to 'scrape by' with a 1-goal win against them, too. The only game that I thought looked really bad was the lackluster effort against the Lightning. Otherwise, with parity being the way it is in the NHL now, 1-goal margins of victory against low-ranked teams are nothing to be ashamed of. Often times people make the argument that good teams find ways to win even when they're not playing well (in fact, this is what the commentators said during the loss to Pittsburgh, as Ottawa seemed to outplay them and yet come out empty-handed; another game that had more to it than the box score). I think an equally powerful argument could be made that that's what's happening with Ottawa's record here, rather than the take that they're just scraping by and will never play better than they are now so they're bound to be marginal from here on out. While their offence has lost some punch, their PP will not remain 14%. If we look at the talent, the team has less punch on the top line than they've had in a long time. However, I would say there is also much better depth than they've had in a long time, not only in the Senator's top 3 lines, but in the system as well. Murray's forte has always been the draft; accumulating young talent. Muckler left the system utterly depleted, with very little by way of good prospects coming up through the farm. Murray has played a key role in turning that around. The team also has the most talented goalie in franchise history, with the exception of 3 months from Dominik Hasek. Leclaire may be on everyone's band-aid list, but as far as I can tell he's had no recurring injuries - just random stuff for the most part. He'll play a full year this year, mark it. The team has some weaknesses, to be sure (like most teams), but this talk of collapsing houses of cards is premature. - Guy Incognito Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:27:14 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2300 I love the Sens, but I understand the text behind this article. Great job Russ, that's exactly how I feel....It's a GONG SHOW over in the nation's capital. I am glad that my feelings have come to fruition through someone else. This article isn't about shooting down Ottawa or who is a fan of what team, but how ridiculously the team is being managed. Russ just elaborates on it in a way that is true and accurate, meaning....no matter how off the wall his comments may be, really how far removed are THEY from handling any situation in Sens territory! That has been proven time and time again over and over. They need to start making good smart decisions over there, and if not.....bu-BYE! - Garry Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:59:41 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2299 Hi guys, First of all, I AM NOT A LEAFS FAN!! LOL! I used to be a Leafs hater, so that comment truly makes me laugh! Many of you know I am an old (emphasis on old!) Oilers fan. When I submitted my article to Dobber, I told him that I might even get some hate mail!! The criticism wasn't unexpected as I knew there are many diehard Sens fans on these boards. No worries, though. Much of the article was tongue firmly in cheek. I do not think Ottawa will trade Spezza this year, nor do I think they will finish at the bottom of the standings. They will likely fight for a playoff spot this year. My starting point for the article was that Ottawa was only scraping by and their record was maybe a bit of a mirage. The team isn't playing as good as their record indicates. From that I went off into a little fantasy segment that hopefully most people were able to follow. I thought that the handling of the Heatley situation was poorly done and if it were dealt with more delicately, Heatley would still be in Ottawa on his way to a 40-50 goal season. The blame for that falls squarely on Murray. Anyway, I'm glad that the article spawned many comments that went from complete garbage to loved it! It would be a boring place if we all agreed on everything. Russ Miller aka The Comish - Russ Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:01:11 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2296 Hee hee - you're bad Russ - just stick poking bad. But you screwed up - I am pretty sure that deal for Spezza sees Ricky Dipietro coming over, not Biron. - Rick Wakeman Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:31:54 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2295 I love how Sens fans think the writer must have been a Leaf fan. Newsflash W Leaf fans don't sit around waiting to take shots at your team. We really don't care about your team anymore. Any rivalry that existed between the teams is gone. You're on the same page as most other insignificant NHL teams. Now if you were Montreal... That's a different story, oh how I love to hate that team. - slink Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:24:27 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2291 Great story Russ. It's nice to see some creativity every once in awhile. Too bad the Ottawa Sensitives fans don't get it. - msog1 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:44:45 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2290 Hey, you are certainly a Leaf fans that cannot appreciate a team better then yours! Spezza will not be traded and the Sens will beat San Jose in December!!!! Obviously I am a Sens fan and THEY will make the playoff this year.... GO SENS GO! - Matt Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:38:13 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2289 Yeah you really should have made a point of saying when you were gonna take a trip into fantasyland. Confused me pretty badly for a second. That being said Murray should have been fired long ago. He might be a bigger fake as a GM than Burke. - Alex Mullen Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:36:10 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2288 The biggest mistake made by the Sens management was letting Chara walk. This was not Murray's fault, as he was not the GM. This was Muckler's fault, he created the mess that was last season. This season's team should return to the playoffs. - H Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:32:31 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2287 Spot on assessment of the Sens situation imho. Murray did a good job as a coach, but has been continually misreading, and bleeding talent from the roster since taking over as GM. A quick glance at the roster he inherited vs. the roster the Sens are icing today tells the story... Add the hirings, and consequences of Paddock, Hartsburg, and Clouston to the mix and it becomes clear that turning the ship over to Murray has moved the Sens from an "above average" knocking on the door to "elite" status team, down to the "below average" level. Nor does a quick turnaround seems likely. :( - Andy Doherty Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:22:03 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2286 Funny article, hope you're right about spezza getting traded, but to... let's say Atlanta instead of NYI! - r22yu Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:21:38 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2285 you lost me with the 'fantasy' bit in the last half of the article. Murrays job is definately on the line. the coach will probably go with him too,not making the playoffs should be the catalyst for major changes. - Larry Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:18:17 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2284 First off, Murray wasn't the one who dismissed Martin, that was John Muckler. Second of all, Ottawa was without Spezza AND Volchenkov AND Lecalire in the last game. Thirdly, this article is just garbage. You must be a Leaf fan right? - H Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:36:23 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2282 I thoroughly enjoyed this article actually. I'm thinking gainey will be fired first, but murray is also a possibility - praba Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:11:23 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/russ-miller/2336-flights-of-fantasy#comment-2279 this is by far the dumbest article I've read on dobberhockey.. maybe because I'm a Sens fan, but still.. just wow. - Roman Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:36:28 +0100