We are maturing!

- Eugene Melnyck, with Team Murray's help, is taking us Big Time!

- The excitement of the prospects camp reminded me of a Habs try out camp, years ago, where you had 100 guys trying out for one job.

- I remember, as a young kid, seeing an exhibition game @ the Auditorium between the Red Wings and Montreal, with Red Kelly standing in the dust and cobwebs of the CFRA studio on O'Connor Street, a guy with a hand crank siren ending the first period, it was embarrassing. Then going to see the Leafs and the Habs @ the Forum made me feel very small town.

- The All Star Game for heaven's sake!

- My Transit vehicle having it's own exit/entrance ramp.

- My Grand Son, who will have strong Montreal and Tampa influences, will choose the Senators as his team.

- A SENs team, who unlike the Leafs and the Habs, seem to be on the cusp of becoming a true POWERHOUSE in the League again.

- And now a score clock where I can look up from the face off circle and check the amount of time left in the penalty without losing track of the last part of the PP!

Note: Mr. Wilson should be heard and not seen.

Eugene should be buying American Dollars!

- Brian Murray should try to win the Suggestion Award for the month of July by recommending to our Owner that if he purchased his pay roll, say $55 mill @ ninety-four cents, the Sens would make enough to pay for #17's salary in Europe this year!

- Just had a terrifying thought...it may be time to move, turn over, trade, convert a couple of our young Defencemen prospects..."Ya can't develop them all!"

- Bob Mcgowen should stick to basketball theory, his analysis of the football head hits is hurting our case for hockey!

- Have decided to coach the SENS forwards this year, the coach and I are from almost the same era!

- Thought one for training camp..."don't let the puck die with you"...it could be fatal to your camp and career with the Senators.

- pg: too many good players is a step in the right direction.

Coaches!

- Hockey Coaches...it should be a Head Coach and two or three teachers. It usta be that the guys in the American League could teach their coaches, let alone "the Bigs!" It may be in name only but I want our kids to be just like the golf pros with their "teacher" and confidant. The smartest thing Peter De Boer said upon being appointed New Jersey Head Coach..."Well, my teaching has improved, every year!" So our new teaching staff must have "Listen to status!" Trust me this is not a given in Major League Hockey.

- Winnipeg Jets logo, I like it, but they should have gone all the way with the old Air Force Roundel.

- Trust me, Number seventeen ain't comin' back, spend some money OFF Shore him!

- We are starting to look like the Habs, too many small top six forwards...and I don't care if somebody can put the puck in the net.

- Jarod Cowen is finally ready to show Ottawa (again) what a big "Meanie" is worth! We never truly appreciated Chara...it was a Jacques Martin thing...

- Remember this game should really be called "Goalie" and I think we got one again.

You guys are right, but...

- You are right, but it's the Vets that are troubling me...

- Parrish may play anywhere from Bingo to the top line...

- "Sarge" Gonchar has to have a bounce back year, I mean speed (he usta be one of the fastest defencemen in the league), CONFIDENCE and the PP!

- Alfie has talk to those old bones (legs) one more time, the super effort, he can do it...

- Rocco became minority leader at the end of last year, must become majority leader out of training camp...

- Phillips, no golf, no work bench and only light beer...we want svelte!

- Winchester should not be kept on the big team at the expense of Condra.

- Regin gets 10 games and only ten games...as Eddy Shack usta say:"S-C-O-R-E!"

- Konopke with the young guys will be a big part of the strength of the team...

Note: A lot of "Experts" (read Tranna Guys) don't think our goalie is any good. I got a bulletin for 'em..."You will be calling him Mister Anderson when he's finished with you and the White 'n Blue!"

Note II: "The puck doesn't die with Alfredsson, it never did!"

What about 3 Right Hand Shots!

- What about 3 right hand shots on the starting top line, Rocco with Filatov and Parrish...

- Coach MacLean, himself a 2 time right hand shot 40 goal scorer, loves Russians, Swedes (from his Detroit Cup years), fancy centers (he played with a couple in Winnipeg)and older right hand shot 2 time 30 goal scorers...

- talking about left hand shots, Hugo reminds me that Jacob Silfverberg is a left winger, I keep wanting to put him at center ice. But Hugo reminds us "The puck does not die with this man!"

- Hugo also thinks that Mr. Murray is setting up a little good cop, bad cop @ training camp where Coach Maclean will take the side of the veterans and Coach Cameron and Coach Reeds will stick up for the kids...this could be interesting!

- I think that Pro Hockey Training Camps have trouble with the Merit Principle (the One Way Contracts et al) but this year ya gotta pick the right guys based on their play!

BTW we got way too many men but for once this good.

Hugo's Bar-B-Que!

Attendees are: Hugo Alfredsson, EriK Karlsson, David Rundblad, Robin Lehner, Jacob Silfverberg with Alfie @ the Pit.

EriK says to Jacob: What is better than 4 Swedes?

Silfverberg: I give up.

Erik: 5 Swedes!

David: We are all young and practically the same age if I make it and stay why should you be allowed to go back home and sail for another year?

Jacob: I'm not sure I'm ready.

EriK: Alfie will tell you when you are ready.

Robin says to Jacob: Alfie may need you, I'd stay but they want me to play another year in Binghamton with the Calder Cup Champs.

Hugo says: Yes, Jacob you could have Erik's old bed room.

Alfie says: Ok boys, steaks on...but one last thought...I have been over here in Canada for awhile, I need the comfort of being surrounded by many Swedes!

Hugo's aside: It's starting to dawn on Silfverberg how good he looks and how they are counting on him to stay and play for the Sens!

This ain't no re-build...

- This ain't no run of the mill NHL type 3-5 year re-build, this my friends, is a Bryan Murray type re-build and he's comin' out with his guns on!

- Zenon, with ZacK, signals 4th line size, speed, roughness and some skill (cycles/corner work)...

- Konopke signals that the face off dot is ours again...watch him "work" the Linesman and talk to his Right Winger...

- Carks may start in the 7 hole but only if Jared shows some "True Grit!"

- Chris Neil will be expected to concentrate on offence with Foligno but will bring some 3rd line rough and tumble no matter who their Center is...

- We don't know who the top six are going to be yet or how they will line up but they will be shown very little patience...score or else...we are looking for a little domination...that's during the game not after practice...

- the new goalie brings "Philly" and "Sarge" back into the fold...an Anderson quote "You guys are allowed one bone head mistake each, per game, until game ten, as I shall save you!"

- To make the top eight this year will be tough, it may be sad but I'm glad, MacLean has at least two no three times more status and prestige with the Refs than our previous coach! And that's BIG!

- Remember our SEN's motto for this year "The puck doesn't die with these guys anymore!"

Konopka...

- This was a very good team hockey move...

- Zenon will put Rocco on the bench for the penalty kill...this is good.

- If Mr. Silfverberg (Jakob) can win the odd draw we shall go back to being one of the best in the league @ the face off dot!

- Konpka is a very under rated corner man..."The puck does not die with this man!"

- Skating improves every year...and that's saying something for the 30 year old.

- 6' 210 lbs "Best weight to power ratio on the team!" next to Alfie...

- Our kids are going to love the guy...he's a good man to go to war with!

- Carks, Neiler, ZacK and the Old 67's Captain will have those fast talkin' face washers thinkin' twice!!

Best back up in the League!

- We like Alex Auld in his special role, well done!

- Philly's problem will not be on the ice but in the room!

- Eric Cole in Montreal...YUK!

- Lot of "Good old, beat up, high milers" gettin' a one season chance with some pretty good teams...I think we should have tried one!

- Burkie is in Afghanistan??

- Edmonton are coming...

- Rangers have too much money for everyone else.

- Best expression of hockey Canada Day "The puck doesn't die with him" describing the former Flyer, Ville Leino, who floats around for a full shift and then stays out there and gets an offensive chance when the rest of his line goes off...but he doesn't give it away either.

- Buffalo will be tough again...

- Onward and upward, nobody is scaring our kids yet!