Sens at Land's End

The big news yesterday was that the Sens officially shortened Cory Clouston’s job title, signing him to a two-year deal and making him the team’s actual Head Coach. I think this is excellent news. CC-1000, as I’ve taken to calling him because of his uncanny resemblance to Robert Patrick and his angry-yet-somewhat-robotic behind the bench demeanour, has done great things for the team so far and I’m happy to see him get the opportunity to keep going.

As pleased as I am to see the Sens get this settled, I’m a bit distracted by the even bigger news of the day: the Columbus Blue Jackets clinched their first ever playoff spot last night. Thinking about how excited I was when the Sens made it to the postseason for the first time, I can imagine what longtime Jackets fans are feeling right now. From what I’ve seen watching their games on TV this season, Columbus fans are extremely enthusiastic, and I know they’ll love this experience.

And THAT’s why you don’t start your Ole chant when you’re only up by a goal
with 10 minutes to play in the third period!

After the Sens beat Montreal last night, I danced around my apartment chanting, “Suck it! Suck it!” Gloating? You bet. Is this sportsmanlike? Nope, but it sure felt good. (And we have to take the victories where we can get them this year.) Of course, I waited until after the Sens had actually won the game to start my celebration. See how that works, Habs fans?

Sorry for the lack of posting in this space for the last uh … well, almost the last month. It’s been a busy end of term here at Land’s End University and I’m just trying to get everything done. I hope to have more time to post during the playoffs, the World Championship, and the offseason. For now, I’m trying to enjoy these last few Sens games without thinking too much about the fact that this is the first time in 12 years I won’t be able to watch them keep playing at least through the first round.

Fortunately, it looks as though — barring a collapse — my other men, the Blue Jackets, will be making their first trip to the postseason. Watching their stretch drive has been a lot of fun, and it reminds me what it was like way back in 1997 when we went through the excitement of seeing the Sens make it for the first time. The Jackets and the Blackhawks played a truly fantastic game the other day, with both Nikolai Khabibulin and Steve Mason making some heartstopping saves. Despite the absence of the team that’s closest to my heart, I have to say I’m really looking forward to the first round getting underway. Especially in the Western Conference, there should be some great matchups. Once everything is set, look for the OBC series of playoff prediction posts. There will be blood. Or possibly just smacktalk.