Saturday, September 05, 2009

Best Former Sens - Left Wingers

We're back for the third of five installments, putting together a roster of former Sens. If you didn't catch the centres and right wingers (they're below this), the rule is that this is only modern day Sens (sorry, Frank Finnigan) and they must have played 50 games (sorry, Peter Bondra). The basis is looking at points per game with Ottawa and then bringing in some subjective opinions to iron out a well-rounded team, ie. Mike Peluso cracking the roster as the 4th line right winger.

One thing that plagued this team in the late 90s and early 2000s is that we never had a top flight left winger. When we had Alfie, Hossa, and Havlat, we tried to move Boots to the second line left side, but he didn't adapt. Instead, we were like a canoe that was tipping to the right or going in circles. Okay, terrible analogy, but we were easy to shut down because you just had to put your strong defenceman on that side to slow us down. While Heatley was a right winger when he arrived here, he has managed to move to the left side when the Pizza Line plays together so we kinda sorta have it figured out...until he gets traded.

Left Wing

1. Shawn McEachern: (454 games, 142g, 162a, 304pts, 244PIM, 1996-2002, 0.6696 pts per game)

Without question, Gecks was our top left winger for his tenure in Ottawa. Acquired for Trent McLeary and a third round pick before the 96-97 season, he was one of our better trade acquisitions of the 90s. He also settled in nicely on the left side of Yashin and Dackell on the MOO line (Ministry of Offence). McEachern is 8th in all-time scoring with the Sens and second best scoring left winger we've ever had (#15 is first). McEachern's best years were in Ottawa, no question, as he twice put up 30-goal seasons. Was he a legitimate top line left winger? That's hard to say because we were just so stacked on the right side and Gecks wasn't really superstar status. But he was a hard worker, a Stanley Cup winner, and an all-around solid player. I also bought his stick at the Sensations Equipment Sale a long time ago and still use it today. Allegedly, my shot isn't quite as good as his, since he's long since retired yet his stick is still in one piece. McEachern was picked up by the Bruins, played with both the big club and in Providence, and was eventually waived into retirement, but at least was able to do it in his hometown.

2. Magnus Arvedson: (393 games, 92g, 118a, 210pts, 229PIM, 1997-2003, 0.5344 pts per game

I was never much of an Arvedson fan. Part of it was because I didn't like his last name infringing too closely to Alfie's, and part of it was because he was the perfect characterization of what was wrong with our franchise during our playoff failures. Here's a guy that was solid enough to play in the top six during his tenure in Ottawa but would need to get a freaking map to learn where the corners of the rink were. Think about this - 92 goals in 393 games in the regular season, 3 goals in 52 playoff games. Here was a player that could play a solid brand of two-way hockey in the regular season but had no response for the playoffs when grinding and emotion takes over. It wasn't all bad with Arvie - in 1999, he finished as runner-up for the Selke trophy to Jere Lehtinen. But sadly, I'll always remember him most when he was punched in the nose by Tie Domi.


3. Vaclav Prospal: (213 games, 34g, 77a, 111pts, 114PIM, 1997-2001, 0.5211 pts per game)

Vinny didn't necessarily put up great numbers in Ottawa and is best remembered for saving his best years for his post-Ottawa career. He arrived from Philly fresh from a broken leg (courtesy of Lance Pitlick) and never really took off with the Sens. He was sent to Florida in 2000-01 for conditional draft picks, which were then traded right back to Florida for Mike Sillinger. I'll be honest, I didn't know Sillie played for the Sens, dressing for 13 games at the end of the season before signing with Columbus in the off-season. Back to Prospal - looking at his career numbers now, he's a legit top six left winger. In Ottawa, he was either an underachiever or underdeveloped because we never had the 80 point player he later became. Nevertheless, he was good enough to crack this roster.

4. Randy Cunneyworth: (276 games, 36g, 59a, 95pts, 360PIM, 1994-1998, 0.3442 pts per game

There are some guys in the honourable mention list that might be better scorers than Cunney, but we're building an all-around team here, not just the highest scorers. Cunney is our captain on this former Sens team and is going to be a critical piece of that fourth line with Kudelski and Peluso (what a hodge podge line!). A former Ottawa 67s star, he came as a free agent and was handed the C. While he never ripped the twine with us, he was our stabilizing force when we went from laughing stock to powerhouse (regular season powerhouse...). Think about how bad we were when he arrived here and how good we were by the time he left. Obviously, most of that had to do with this young Swedish kid named Alfie, a system-oriented coach, years of top draft picks developing, etc. But don't underestimate the importance of having a strong captain during those years. There will come a time when this guy is a head coach in the NHL. Seriously, who wouldn't want this guy in their organization? Perfect candidate when people finally realize that Lindy Ruff isn't that good of a coach in Buffalo and gets let go next summer.


Honourable Mention:
- Sly Turgeon was hard to leave off the list. If we were looking for all scorers, he probably would have received the contract over Cunney, but too many years of tucking in his sweatshirt and slyling his hair cost him dearly. He was our first line winger in our inaugural season and was certainly fun to watch out there.
- Peter Schaefer is a player that I just didn't care for. For years, people would say 'he's the best boards player in the league'. What the hell do you mean, boards player? It isn't like he owned the corners, he'd just skate there and pin the puck on the boards so that neither team could score a goal. That's awesome, except for when 45 seconds go by and your entire shift in the offensive zone hasn't come close to producing a scoring chance. If this guy was worth a look, he would have a job right now. Muckler signed him for 4 years (!!!) and Murray was somehow able to peddle him off for Donovan and, more importantly, a salary dump. Yikes.
- Patrick Eaves gets an HM just for being a hard working kid and getting lumped in with the Corvo trade. Eaves is not a top six player, and we're probably better off with Foligno as he has better hands, but he should do fine in Detroit.

There are boatloads of other left wingers but these are my top four for our roster. Thoughts?

32 comments:

Master Of Puppets said...

Ironically we had Sly when he should have been hitting his prime - 27-30 yo, but he gave us 152gp, 47g, 41a (88 pts) - a little over 0.5 ppg. He gave his best years to Hartford - a couple of 40+ goal campaigns. I'm surprised Denny Lambert didn't get a HM - 39 pts (13g 26a) in 152 games but he put up 467 PIMs. He's probably the most effective goon we've had. I suppose Neil is more of a fan favourite. Who would you take Neil or Lambert?

Anonymous said...

It's very effortless to find out any topic on net as compared to textbooks, as I found this piece of writing at this site.
Also visit my web blog http://leanmusclex.net/

Anonymous said...

Hello eνeryone, it's my first visit at this web site, and paragraph is in fact fruitful designed for me, keep up posting such articles or reviews.
My web-site Optimal Stack

Anonymous said...

I like the helpful info you provide in your articles.
I'll bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly. I am quite certain I'll learn many new stuff right here!
Best of luck for the next!

Have a look at my website ... www.blogster.com
My page :: reducewrinkles.sosblogs.com

Anonymous said...

Thanks designed for sharing such a good thought, paragraph is pleasant, thats why i
have read it fully

Check out my homepage; see More

Anonymous said...

Hi i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anyplace, when i read this paragraph i thought i
could also create comment due to this sensible piece of writing.


my homepage http://www.videoproducerforhire.com/search.php?q=Membership+to+premium+entertainment+sites&page=1

Anonymous said...

Woah! I'm really digging the template/theme of this blog. It's simple, yet
effective. A lot of times it's hard to get that "perfect balance" between superb usability and visual appearance. I must say you've done
a amazing job with this. Also, the blog loads very quick for me on Opera.
Excellent Blog!

Here is my web site ... See More

Anonymous said...

Howdy! Quick question that's totally off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My weblog looks weird when browsing from my apple iphone. I'm trying
to find a template or plugin that might be able to fix this problem.
If you have any recommendations, please share.
Thanks!

my page :: teen

Anonymous said...

Hi there! I could have sworn I've been to your blog before but after looking at a few of the articles I realized it's
new to me. Nonetheless, I'm certainly pleased I discovered it and I'll be bookmarking it and checking
back often!

Here is my webpage the scholarships

Anonymous said...

For most recent information you have to pay a quick visit the web and on world-wide-web I found this web site as a finest web site
for hottest updates.

my website http://lapakbebas.net/blog/1419/the-benefits-of-the-prevalance-in-entertainment-in-the-mass-media/

Anonymous said...

Hey there! I've been following your website for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman Tx! Just wanted to tell you keep up the fantastic work!

Also visit my web page :: http://www.surfpot.com/AlinaReed
Also see my webpage - At Porn Star

Anonymous said...

I go to see day-to-day some sites and information sites to
read posts, but this web site offers quality based
content.

my site :: visit
my page: more

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about green coffee
bean extract. Regards

my weblog: Green Coffee Weight Loss
Also see my page > visitdrammensregionen.no

Anonymous said...

I truly love your blog.. Great colors & theme. Did you build this site yourself?
Please reply back as I'm hoping to create my own personal site and would like to find out where you got this from or exactly what the theme is named. Appreciate it!

Here is my web site click here

Anonymous said...

I don't write a leave a response, however after reading through a few of the comments here "Best Former Sens - Left Wingers". I do have a couple of questions for you if it's okay.

Could it be simply me or do a few of these remarks appear like they are coming from brain dead folks?
:-P And, if you are writing on other online sites, I would like to keep up with anything fresh you
have to post. Could you post a list of the complete urls of all your shared pages like your
linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?

Here is my blog http://extremefucking.org

Anonymous said...

Everyone loves what you guys are up too. Such clever work and coverage!
Keep up the superb works guys I've added you guys to blogroll.

Feel free to surf to my web site: at Slave Petition Katharine Cane
Also see my site - more

Anonymous said...

Saved as a favorite, I like your website!

my web-site: View Web Page

Anonymous said...

Very good blog post. I absolutely love this site. Stick
with it!

Have a look at my homepage: http://campusorgies.net

Anonymous said...

I really love your website.. Very nice colors
& theme. Did you develop this website yourself? Please reply back as I'm trying to create my very own website and want to know where you got this from or what the theme is called. Appreciate it!

Have a look at my web page :: http://Coedorgies.net/

Anonymous said...

Hello, everything is going perfectly here and ofcourse every one is sharing facts, that's really good, keep up writing.

my homepage :: wagis-shop.at

Anonymous said...

Hi there! I'm at work browsing your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the excellent work!

Here is my web-site ... safe diets

Anonymous said...

I used to be able to find good info from your content.


my blog post :: visit

Anonymous said...

Your style is really unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from.
I appreciate you for posting when you've got the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this blog.

Feel free to visit my weblog more

Anonymous said...

Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot
about this, like you wrote the book in it or something.
I think that you could do with a few pics to
drive the message home a bit, but instead of that, this is great
blog. A fantastic read. I'll certainly be back.

Feel free to surf to my web page - visit the following post

Anonymous said...

I know this web page offers quality dependent articles
and other stuff, is there any other site which offers these kinds
of things in quality?

Feel free to visit my homepage ... a porn movies

Anonymous said...

Have you ever considered about including a little bit more than just your articles?
I mean, what you say is valuable and all.
However just imagine if you added some great photos or
videos to give your posts more, "pop"! Your content is excellent but with images and clips,
this site could certainly be one of the best in its field.

Terrific blog!

My homepage continue reading this - pornharvest.com

Anonymous said...

This web site truly has all the information and
facts I wanted about this subject and didn't know who to ask.

my web page; these details

Anonymous said...

Hi, I read your new stuff on a regular basis. Your writing style is witty, keep it
up!

My webpage :: http://pornharvest.com/index.php?m=2526376

Anonymous said...

I couldn't refrain from commenting. Exceptionally well written!

Also visit my web site ... sex vids

Anonymous said...

I lονе to examine thе tгivіа of these thіngs, thаt's what makes this site shine. Things other writers forget.

my blog post; www.Ppgia.pucpr.br

Anonymous said...

Great site you've got here.. It's difficult to find high quality writing like
yours nowadays. I truly appreciate people like you! Take
care!!

Stop by my website ... Visit Website

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account
it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you!
By the way, how could we communicate?

my blog post :: This Post