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

Can there be a bigger smack in the face for a loyal sports fan than hearing about an athlete making a decision they do NOT want to play for your team?

Dany Heatley did that in 2009.  Although at the time, he was already an Ottawa Senator and wanted out of O-Town (we still don't really know why, although I recall former President Roy Mlakar saying the truth will come out one day) and held the team hostage with his no-trade clause that limited a decent return for the Senators to absorb the loss of a franchise winger. 

And now us Sens fans had to endure another football in the groin when Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash refused to include Ottawa in his list of "acceptable" teams he would court a trade to.

Nash wants out of Columbus, and quite frankly I can't blame him.  Over a decade in the NHL, and the team made just one playoff appearance, eliminated in four straight games.  Their drafting has been abysmal, and no top flight free agent has any interest in playing there.  At 28 years old, he realized if he wants to compete for a Stanley Cup, he'd have to do it elsewhere.

It was reported Ottawa was the closest any team had of landing Nash.  They had the players and prospects Columbus were interested in, and the Sens had drafted well in the last few years to be able to afford to lose one or two rookies to land an immediate impact player like Nash.  But he said no.  And why, well, your guess is as good as mine.

I'm biased, but I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to see the Senators are on the rise.  They made the playoffs last season and took the #1 seed in the East to seven games, when everyone thought the team was too young and wouldn't be able to even qualify for the post season for another few years.  Erik Karlsson just won the Norris trophy.  Spezza finished top 5 in NHL scoring, and is one of the best passers in the game.  The Rocket Richard winning Nash would, in my mind, might even get his hands on that trophy again with Spezza feeding him pucks for 82 games a season.  Ottawa is the antithesis to Columbus: It drafts well, has some star players of note and is a market that really cares about the sport. 

The city itself?  I know it gets frosty during the winter, and sure, Sparks St shuts itself down by 5pm.  But it's a nice community town.  It's big, but not too big like a Toronto two hour commute, or a Detroit where you simply shouldn't walk downtown alone at night.   Raising a family here is a no-brainer GOOD decision.  And did I mention how much it loves hockey?

But Nash, in so many ways, said to the Senators and fans YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.  

I used to like the guy.  But pal, it's personal now.  No NHL player, I'm sorry, is TOO GOOD FOR THE SENS.  The egg noodles and ketchup you've been eating in Columbus might slant your view on smaller cities, but buddy, Ottawa is caviar compared to what you've had. 

What else is that guy expecting from another team the Sens can't offer?  The playoffs proved that anything can happen, parity is at an all time high, and the core of any franchise expected to do well is through the draft, through the draft, and, uh, through the draft.

Enjoy your egg noodles and ketchup wherever you end up, Mr. Nash.