All the fashionable John Paddock bashing out there would make a guy think the Senators aren't in first place and he wasn't the coach of the Eastern Conference all-stars last month.
Far as I can tell, if Paddock is guilty of anything, it's his handling of a sticky goaltending situation. He should never have allowed Ray Emery to get away with the stuff he has. He should never have allowed Emery to leave a morning skate before Martin Gerber when the latter is that night's starter, which still happens. Everywhere else the backup stays out on the ice to let the shooters have all the extra work they want. Not here.
Paddock should never have tried to cover up Emery's tardiness by telling the media the reason Emery was sent home from practice was because of illness, only to have the goalie show up the next day, contradicting the cover-up.
It should have been made clear to Emery and the rest of the Senators that no individual is above the team. He should have officially been relegated to No. 2 status, no questions asked.
The Senators have 23 games left in the regular season and the players still don't know who they'll be riding into the playoffs. Emery isn't at the top of his game -- he was on his knees behind the goal line for Arron Asham's first last night and feeling the breeze of a slapper he should have stopped, deflected or not, on Asham's second.
Gerber, who deserved this start if only based on his shining performance Wednesday in New Jersey, is understandably wondering what the hell is going on.
If his confidence wasn't fragile enough before, it sure must be as he watches Emery get every chance to take the No. 1 job he doesn't deserve. By not naming Gerber "The Man" after all this, Paddock is proving he doesn't have the faith in him to do the job.
Rather than putting it all on Paddock, however, the fault needs to be spread. And so it is with tongue only partly in cheek that we suggest even former GM John Muckler gets some of the blame.
Because he signed Gerber, and because he didn't make a move when it became apparent the coaches had no confidence in him.
STARTS AND STOPS: From a clever corner of the Senators dressing room comes this name for the new blue-line tag team of Wade Redden and Mike Commodore, a.k.a. "Reds" and "Big Red: The Rouge Brothers" ... Ten minutes in, the Senators had two shots on goal. Spectators' thoughts were slowly turning to the exciting array of colours they had drying on the walls back home ... Commodore had his first fight as a Senator early in the opening period. It was his seventh of the season and the second time he has dropped 'em with David Clarkson. The scrap ended prematurely when Commodore appeared to step on something, then fall. En route to the box the fans gave him an appreciative cheer and Mr. Music Man paid tribute with The Commodores hit, Brick House. While the song selection was obvious, we're still wondering why Commodore doesn't wear No. 64.
BETWEEN PERIODS: Dany Heatley saw his younger brother Mark set up the winning goal in the University of Toronto's 3-1 victory over the host Ottawa Gee-Gees Friday night. The victory extended the best-of-three playoff series to the rubber, which goes tonight, 7 p.m., at the University of Ottawa Sports Complex. "I've got the chance to see him three times this year," the Senators star told universitysport.ca. "We've had some pretty good battles in street hockey. We are very similar." In some ways, probably. The 23-year-old Mark, listed at 6-foot-3, 206 lbs., scored eight goals and 15 assists in 27 games as the Varsity Blues' second-line centre this season ... At some point, and some point soon, you'd like to think the Senators would try Mike Fisher on the point of their power play. After all, he was clocked with the team's hardest shot (105 mph) at the skills competition, right? And don't say he lacks the necessary vision and passing skills for the position. This is a team that has had the point manned by Joe Corvo and Andrej Meszaros. "In junior I played the point on the power play all the time," Fisher, a former Sudbury Wolves star, said when the subject was broached. "I'd be open to that here for sure."
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMM...: One of the first reminders for Commodore that he is back in Hockey Country came the other day while he was walking around the Kanata Centrum. Speaking on his cellphone, he was interrupted by a group of "13-or-14 year old girls" who spotted him and started screaming. "We like the trade!" they shouted. The affable redhead just smiled and waved. "Thanks," he replied ... The question -- what former Ottawa Renegade is now a Toronto Maple Leaf? The answer: Steve Dias. The Leafs promoted Dias from the AHL's Toronto Marlies around mid-season to be their athletic therapist, the position he held with Ottawa's last CFL team ... By the looks of those watching yesterday's morning skate, the Varsity Blues not only have a Heatley but also someone who could pass as Commodore's brother. It is not.
PARTING SHOTS: How QMJHLish will the NHL become if it continues to allow the shenanigans that have transpired prior to recent deal deadlines, when guys like Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight and Mark Recchi were moved, only to return to their original team, either by trade or free agency, in the off-season? Loans are supposed to be made by bank managers, not NHL GMs. Before Mats Sundin is swapped for young players and prospects that he winds up playing with (as opposed to against) in Toronto next season, Gary Bettman should consult with CHL president Dave Branch about discouraging such bush-league behaviour. As OHL commish back in the early '90s, Branch instituted what is unofficially referred to as the Jason York Rule, after the future Senators defenceman was "traded" from Windsor to Kitchener, only to be swapped back to the Spitfires for the following season. Kitchener needed help for the stretch run and Windsor was retooling, so York essentially became his own future considerations. Now, OHL teams can't reacquire a player for at least 12 months after trading him.
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