The "Alfie situation"

It's now been a few days since Alfie has signed with the Detroit Red Wings for this upcoming season.  The shock has worn off for me and I'm ready to move on to next season and cheer for the Ottawa Senators.  I've read many blogs/comments/twitter posts about it in the last 4-5 days and see hate for both sides in this situation.

Here is my opinion, whether you like it or not.

Unless you were in the room with Bryan Murray and Alfie's agent, or unless you are a family member or close friend of Alfie's, you have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED!!!!

I understand that in situations like this, people feel the need to blame someone for what happened.  It's easy to point a finger at the Sens for "low-balling" Alfie, or to blame Alfie for taking his ball home and leaving after being insulted.  Honestly though...does anyone really know what happened to make Alfie decide to go play somewhere else?

Can you really blame the Sens?  Can you really blame Alfie?

Unless you can give me solid facts for what happened between the end of the Sens playoff run and Alfie signing with the Red Wings, I refuse to blame anyone.

I'm not going to cancel my season tickets because I think the Sens mishandled the situation, because I don't know that they did.  They went in to a negotiation expecting to get a deal done and they were blindsided.

I'm not going to burn or throw out my Alfie jersey because I think he made the wrong decision.  The decision was his to make and he had every right to make it.  Just because you work for a company for 20 years and they treat you like a king, doesn't mean you're obligated to retire with that company.  You make the choice you feel is right for you and will make you happy.  You're not in Alfie's mind, you don't know what he's thinking.

Sure, I'm not happy with the way it all happened and I was as shocked as anyone else in Ottawa when the announcement was made.  I actually refused to believe it until it was officially announced and even still hoped it wasn't true until I heard the interviews.  I was sad, shocked and disbelieving of the whole situation.

I'm really not sure how I will react to seeing him in a Red Wings jersey next season, or how I'll react in his first game in Ottawa against the Sens.  I do know that I want the Sens to beat the Wings every single time they play them next season AND I want the Sens to beat them in the playoffs.  I want Alfie to be proven wrong.

I hope this year's team takes this as a challenge from Alfie to the Sens.  He doesn't think we're good enough, let's show him that we have just as good of a chance as Detroit to win the Cup.

It's now up to the veterans on this team to fill up the hole left by Alfie in the leadership department.  Phillips, Spazza, Neil and everyone else need to step it up.

I'm excited at the upcoming season and I can't wait to see what the team will be able to do.

In the meantime, I'll fondly remember the good times with Alfie in this city and wish him well in his career...just never against the Sens.

Hockey in Summer?

I was sitting here today contemplating the meaning of life, OK, who am I kidding? No, I wasn’t.

I was actually at the office, talking to someone and looking outside at the beautiful weather and the people enjoying it when suddenly, the oddest thought crossed my mind.

I really miss hockey.

Where in the world did this come from? It certainly wasn’t from looking outside at all the greenery and the people in shorts and t-shirts. The hockey pre-season is a full two months away, and we’re still in the middle of summer!!

Am I going nuts? Some might say I passed nuts a few years ago, but those aren’t my real friends. ;)

I think it might have to do with the fact that the Ottawa Senators were eliminated 3 months ago, thus making this a very long off-season. There are so many things to miss about the hockey season. Here are a few of my favorites.

1. Lyndon Slewidge – The best National Anthem singer ever!!

2. My favorite Ottawa Senators Player – Chris Phillips #4

3. The atmosphere at the games – Yes, even in Ottawa we know how to have fun, at least in the upper level.

4. The Ottawa Senators Goal horn and the accompanying goal songs for individuals – my favorites being “Beautiful Day” for Alfie and “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy”, for Chris Phillips!!.

5. Spartacat – The most awesome mascot in the NHL

6. Stuntman Stu – Our PA announcer extraordinaire.

7. I even miss the overpriced pizza, popcorn and pop at the arena.

Now for the other side of the coin, some things I do NOT miss from the hockey season.

1. The horrible wind tunnel at the entrance to the building in winter. As if winter isn’t cold enough already.

2. Living 45 kms away from the rink, making me run to the car after a game so that I don’t end up stuck in the parking lot, so I can get to bed at a decent time.

3. Seeing the hockey rink start emptying a full 10 minutes before the end of the game.

4. Toronto Maple Leaf Fans and Montreal Canadiens Fans invading our rink too many times a year.

5. Never winning the 50/50 or any other contest for that matter.

All in all, I think I will just enjoy the rest of the summer while looking forward to what promises to be an interesting hockey season.

GO SENS GO!!!

Julie / @Flip_4