The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Certainly tonight's season opener featuring a Sens victory in OT against the much hated Maple Leafs made for a good evening. Hey, it was a fun game, and we even saw Wade Redden drop the gloves not once but twice! But what made it even better was hearing that, before the game started, the Ottawa Senators and Dany Heatley agreed to a six year contract extension that will pay Heatley $7.5 million a year. Is it an outrageous sum? Of course it is. Does it matter to the average person that Heatley could have gotten an extra million or two a season (perhaps more) if he waited to become a free agent at the end of the summer and is demonstrating loyalty by taking this "pay cut"? Probably not. But in the world of pro sports, where many athletes seek nothing but the highest payday possible, Heatley traded the extra cash for security and a chance to play for a contender.

Every Sens fans should be very excited that Heatley is going nowhere for the next six years. Barring some major falling out between management, it's entirely possible he'll finish his career in Ottawa. And in addition to Heatley taking a $7.5 million a year salary, this opens the door to keep Jason Spezza long-term in Ottawa as well. While many were predicting the door was closing on Ottawa on its chances to win a Stanley Cup, the last four months have produced new contracts for Ray Emery, Chris Phillips, Anton Volchenkov, Mike Fisher and now Dany Heatley. The Sens will still be in the hunt for some time.

The best quote of the night from one of the TSN commentators after Heatley tied the game to make it 3-3: "The bad news for Leafs fans is that they have six more years of this to look forward to."

Pretty sweet. This helps my decision for the name on my jersey that much easier!