I'm too busy/lazy/etc to update anymore, though I still do collect pictures and articles. Maybe someday I'll get around to adding them, but for now, all y'get is what's still here. It's not going anywhere though, so enjoy. Sorry the galleries are still messed up, but the means to fix them are locked up in a sick computer right now.
Havlat for Conn Smythe! :)
]]>Allen Panzeri (2nd star): Dany Heatley had two goals, while Bryan Smolinski, Peter Schaefer (shorthanded), and Martin Havlat had one each. Havlat now has seven goals in four games since returning from his five-game suspension for kicking the Bruins' Hal Gill.
"After the first period we had, we were lucky to get the win," Havlat said. "It was a bad, bad period, one of the worst we've played this year. We were lucky we scored the first goal because they were the better team after it."
On a breakaway, Havlat had Raycroft beat, but his backhander hit the post. Schaefer, right in Havlat's jet stream, got the puck as it bounced off the post, and knocked it in.
Three minutes later, Havlat stepped around an impotent poke check by Andrew Alberts, moved into the slot, and beat Raycroft with a wrist shot.
Bruce Garrioch: Senators winger Martin Havlat, playing against the Bruins for the first time since being suspended for kicking defenceman Hal Gill on Oct. 15 in Ottawa, had a goal and an assist.
"That was the worst first period we played all year," said Havlat. "(Hasek) kept us in the game and then we were able to get it going. We started scoring and we started creating chances."
Breaking in on odd-man rush with Schaefer, Havlat was allowed to dipsy-doodle through the zone and fire it by Raycroft to give the Senators a three-goal lead at 9:46 of the third period.
It was Havlat who helped set up Schaefer's second of the season. After Havlat hit the post on a clear breakaway, Schaefer was following in behind to deposit the puck into a wide-open net.
Bruce Garrioch, on Gill: Hal Gill wasn't planning on attacking Martin Havlat last night.
"(The media guy) wants you to say you're going to stick him in the face," Bruins defenceman Kevin Dallman said to Gill as he sat down beside the towering defenceman in the Boston dressing room yesterday.
"I'm going to stick him in the face," said Gill with a smile.
The 6-foot-7, 240-lb. Gill was playing Havlat last night for the first time since being kicked in the groin by the Senator on Oct. 15 at the Corel Centre -- an incident which the Bruin claims he has put behind him.
"It's not like I was hurt from the kick and I was out for two months," said Gill. "I wasn't injured so I don't see any need for an apology for what happened. I might have been upset if everything wasn't intact in (the groin) area ... everything is intact."
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However, Gill said he was pleased to see the league hand Havlat a five-game suspension -- resulting in a loss of $66,000 US in salary -- for the kick, which wasn't penalized by officials.
"He lost his money and I was glad to see that," said Gill. "Quite frankly, he got what he deserved and the fact that he's back, I don't really care about it. I'm not really thinking about that stuff."
Allen Panzeri in the Citizen, on Gill: "I really didn't even think about it then," Gill said yesterday morning. "It would have been nice if a penalty had been called on the play, but it's tough for the referees to see everything.
"I'm not here to hand out discipline, though. That's up to the league."
Gill said he was satisfied with the five-game suspension Havlat got and considered the matter over.
Besides, as Gill noted, it's not the first time he has been kicked.
"It happens a lot," he said. "You hit a guy, he falls back and his feet go up. For it to be intentional, that's different, but it does happen a lot (unintentionally)."
Havlat said that, though he apologized to his teammates, he wouldn't apologize to Gill.
Here's a news flash: Gill wasn't waiting for one.
"I don't really care," he said.
"That was a long time ago. He was the one who lost the money, and that's the game."
]]>"I don't think so, I didn't hurt anyboday and I've done my time," Havlat said. "We'll see what is going to happen (tomorrow), but I think it will be like every other game. Every game is the same. You've got to be aware of other players and players trying to hit you."
Havlat has no intentions of talking or apologizing to Gill about the incident.
"I apologized to my teammates. I did a stupid thing. It was not the smartest thing. I'm not not going to talk to (Gill) unless he wants to talk to me."
Sports Network: Schaefer made it a two-goal game. Havlat came in on the breakaway and beat Raycroft, but his backhander hit the post and wound up in front of the net. Schaefer tapped it in and the shorthanded tally gave the Sens a 3-1 edge.
Havlat made it 4-1 on a two-on-one with Schaefer. Havlat took Schaefer's pass at the right circle and skated to the slot. His wrist shot went over Raycroft's left shoulder with 10:14 left in the second.
Telus: Less than two minutes later, Ottawa scored a shorthanded goal
when Havlat got behind the defense in the neutral zone and put a
backhander off the goalpost that was corraled by Schaefer, who
knocked it home for a 3-1 lead.
"We started to skate a lot more," Havlat said. "We put much
more pressure on their (defense) and we scored some quick goals,
and I think that was the most important (factor)."
Midway through the period, Havlat scored his eighth goal after a
giveaway by blue-liner Nick Boynton. He deked rookie
defenseman Andrew Alberts, drifted left into the slot and beat
Raycroft to the glove side with a wrister.
"I don’t really care. That was a long time ago," Gill said Wednesday. "He was the one that lost the money, and that’s the game."
Chris Stevenson: For Martin Havlat, sorry seems to be the hardest word.
At least when it comes to Bruins defenceman Hal Gill.
Havlat, the Senators winger who was suspended five games for kicking Gill in the groin Oct. 15, doesn't have any plans to apologize.
"I'm not going to talk to him unless he wants to talk to me," Havlat said yesterday. "I apologized to my teammates. It wasn't the smartest thing I've done."
The Senators will travel to Boston this afternoon to face the Bruins tomorrow night.
"They gave me five games and I've done my time," said Havlat, who said he didn't expect any extra attention from the B's in the first meeting since the incident. "Every game is the same. You have to be aware of the other players. It's the same game for me like the last one and another 70 games."
]]>"We're trying to shoot ourselves," said Schaefer, "but I like (Havlat's) chances when he's shooting better than mine and (Vermette's)."
Senators coach Bryan Murray likes what he's seen from the combo.
"That line is really starting to come into its own," he said. "They're showing great speed. They're flying."
]]>Bruce Garrioch: Martin Havlat and Daniel Alfredsson made history with their four-goal performances against the Sabres on Wednesday.
The Senators wingers became only the fourth duo in NHL history to have four goals each in one game when they accomplished the feat in the club's 10-4 victory at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo.
"I don't know if that would happen," said Havlat. "We played well as a team and we had a lot of chances. I think what happens is you get some confidence and there's no question when you get that many goals, you've got to be able to get a little luck."
]]>"I wanted to play a hard game tonight," Havlat said. "They just kept going in and I was pretty happy with that."
Bruce Garrioch: After leading the Czech Republic to a title in 1998 at the Nagano Winter Games, Senators goalie Dominik Hasek is on the preliminary roster of 66 players released yesterday, along with Ottawa wingers Martin Havlat and Vaclav Varada.
Havlat, who was left off the world championship roster last spring by ex-coach Vladimir Ruzicka, said he wants the chance to play.
"I really enjoyed the Olympics in Salt Lake City. I would love to get back there," said Havlat.
Bruce Garrioch: While winger Martin Havlat -- returning from a five-game suspension -- was skating in Bochenski's spot with Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, that's not where he's going to start tonight against the Sabres.
Instead, Murray wanted to experiment to see what the fit would look like. Captain Daniel Alfredsson will play with the dynamic duo, while Havlat is going to start the night with Peter Schaefer and Antoine Vermette.
Murray said he wasn't teasing Havlat by having him practise with Spezza and Heatley all morning. He wanted to get a look at the trio, but isn't sure if he played them in a game who would play defence.
"(Playing them together) may happen," said Murray. "This was just a practice. (Sabres coach) Lindy Ruff doesn't need to know everything about what we're doing with our lineup, but I guess he's going to find out now.
"You try a lot of different people in different situations. Havlat may go there at some point. But I told Daniel Alfredsson before practice he was going to go there. I didn't think he needed to practise with those guys. He knows what they can do. If you put Havlat with Heatley and Spezza, you just wonder who is going to do the bulk of the work defensively."
Bruce Garrioch: Martin Havlat says he'll try not to be so "stupid" in the future.
The Senators winger, who will return to the lineup tonight against the Buffalo Sabres at HSBC Arena, says he's learned his lesson after serving a five-game suspension for kicking Boston defenceman Hal Gill.
"It was a stupid thing to do," Havlat told the Sun. "I don't disagree with anybody who says that. There is no place for kicking in hockey.
"I hope I will never do that again. I have to make sure I make better decisions right away (on the ice). I can't react so stupidly right away."
Coach Bryan Murray said Havlat's absence hurt the Senators.
"I guess he's found out kicking doesn't pay," said Murray. "It costs the team and people get hurt because of it.
"If you get suspended, it can hurt everybody. We lost two games while he was out.
"I know he may have made a difference in one of them (the 3-2 loss to Carolina last Monday).
"It hurts your reputation as a player. Some people have been saying some things that weren't complimentary towards him and rightfully so.
"What he has to realize is if situations like this arise, he can't take matters into his own hands, or in this case his feet, and he has to let somebody else settle it. That being said, he is a highly skilled player who adds speed to our lineup. We need him out on the ice."
Havlat said watching was tough.
"It was painful. That's for sure," he said. "You want to be on the ice playing and helping the team to win. You don't want to be watching from the stands."
Murray said he will likely start Havlat on a line with winger Peter Schaefer and centre Antoine Vermette. Decisions on line combinations will be made this morning after the skate.
Havlat needs to start capitalizing on scoring chances, with just one goal and two assists in five games.
"I missed five games. I just want to get back to playing," said Havlat. "I'm just happy to be back on the ice. This was a long two weeks sitting and watching."
]]>Given how well Cole has played early in this new season the Sun says it's highly unlikely the Hurricanes will move him, although it's possible that could change if the 'Canes should falter later on in the season.
The paper also dismissed rumors of a Cole-for-Martin Havlat swap, or any move of Havlat for that matter, but yet rumors continue to persist of the Senators moving him.
One rumor had Havlat going to the New York Rangers for a package consisting of forwards Martin Rucinsky and Dominic Moore and defenseman Tom Poti, but this move makes little sense for both teams.
Another making the rounds has a swap of Havlat for Marian Gaborik in the works, but that seems highly unlikely, particularly with Gaborik re-injuring his groin this past weekend.
]]>But according to a report in Sunday's Ottawa Sun, Havlat isn't available. Muckler supposedly isn't pleased with Havlat for earning a five-game suspension for kicking Boston Bruins defenseman Hal Gill, but has no plans to trade him.
Given the fast start of his club, it's not surprising that Muckler has no desire to trade Havlat or any other key players on this roster. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
]]>There is one problem: He's not available.
Sources say Oilers GM Kevin Lowe hasn't made it a secret he'd like to add a player who can put the puck in the net because nobody on his club is currently doing the job.
While Lowe was willing to brag to anybody who would listen in the off-season that the new collective bargaining agreement would help his club compete with everybody else, that hasn't been the case at all.
PANIC BUTTON
Now, the word is Lowe is ready to push the panic button and there have been whispers coming out of Edmonton that Havlat might be available because he's in the Senators' doghouse as a result of the five-game suspension he received last week..
No, the Senators aren't happy Havlat kicked Boston defenceman Hal Gill in groin, but that doesn't mean GM John Muckler is ready to give up on a guy who might be the most skilled player on the team.
Making $2.6 million (all terms US) this season, Havlat, 24, hasn't reached his potential as an NHLer and the Senators realize he has all the tools to become a 50-goal scorer.
Naturally, adding him to the Oilers' lineup would make sense. Ales Hemsky hasn't performed up to his potential and Havlat would bring speed to a team that has always prided itself on being able to skate.
Sources say Muckler isn't willing to make a move involving Havlat.
Let's face it, Brandon Bochenski remains a wild card on the top line (playing with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley) and if he doesn't show consistency, Havlat will get some ice time on the No. 1 unit.
The Senators could have dealt Havlat to the Carolina Hurricanes for winger Erik Cole last summer, but didn't make the move when the opportunity to deal Marian Hossa to Atlanta for Heatley presented itself.
Lowe can call Muckler if he likes, but it's doubtful the Ottawa GM will listen to anything involving Havlat at the moment.
Bruce Garrioch: Martin Havlat issued an apology yesterday.
No, not to Bruins defenceman Hal Gill for hoofing him in the groin last weekend.
Havat said sorry to his teammates for the position he's put them in early in the season.
And, with his five-game suspension extended to Nov. 2 because of the postponement of last night's game against the Florida Panthers in Fort Lauderdale due to Hurricane Wilma, Havlat will have a longer wait to return.
"I'm not sorry (to Gill) because I was just trying to defend myself, but I'm sorry to my teammates because I should be on the ice with them and I'm not doing them any good watching from the stands," Havlat said following practice here yesterday.
"I'm not going to say it won't happen again because it was a defensive reaction to a situation, but I shouldn't have done it because it put my team in a bad position. I don't want to be watching. I want to be playing and this isn't good."
Bruce Garrioch: "If I see somebody taking liberties on our skill players, like Hal Gill did last week on (Martin Havlat), then I'm going to take care of business," said Neil.
"It's been tough this year because fighting is down and that instigator rule in the last five minutes (of the third period) has really changed the way you play," added Neil. "But if anybody hits (Daniel Alfredsson) or Havlat or any of our other skill players, I'm going to take note of it and then it's up to guys like me, (Zdeno Chara) and (Brian McGrattan) to take care of business."
]]>That's the suggestion recently made by Sportsnet hockey commentators Bill Watters and Nick Kypreos, who claimed Thursday night that Havlat's dirty play and immaturity may be testing the patience of Senators management and head coach Bryan Murray.
Since Havlat's suspension began there's been nothing from the Senators or the Ottawa media to indicate he might be on the outs. Given his obvious offensive skills and the club's reputation for lacking toughness it may be premature to claim the Senators will be shopping him.
That being said, the club can ill afford losing him to suspensions and if this trend continues it could lead to potential problems down the road.
]]>What happened? Why, I finally uploaded pictures!
]]>"I don't think there was anything I could have said that would have changed their minds because they were already made up on what they were going to give me," said Havlat. "I think they looked at my past record and decided they were going to give me five games right after it happened. There wasn't really much I could say to have anything different happen." [...]
"I just want everybody to know that I wasn't trying to hurt anybody and I've never tried to hurt anybody when I've played hockey," said Havlat. "People should know that about me. I'm not that type of player," said Havlat.
"Nobody has ever gotten hurt when these things happened. The players who I've had these (incidents) with have played on the next shift and they've never missed a game, but what can I do? There's nothing I can do. I'm not going to complain (about the length) of the suspension because nothing is going to change now." [...]
Havlat, who will lose $66,000 in salary because of the banishment, said practising until he can return to the lineup Oct. 30 against Philadelphia will not be pleasant.
"This is not going to be fun ... not fun at all," he said. "You want to be on the ice with your teammates and not watching from the stands. I didn't mean to hurt the team by doing this either."
---
Allen Panzeri was prompted to make Havlat the poster boy for the immaturity of the Senators in the Citizen. Havlat-specific snips:
Then there was the goal that New Jersey's Jeff Friesen scored in 2003 to win the Eastern Conference for the Devils.
Patrick Lalime took a lot of heat for allowing the goal, but Havlat was later widely faulted for not staying with the player he was checking: Friesen. [...]
Havlat practised with the team yesterday. He also had talks with coach Bryan Murray and Muckler in the wake of his suspension, and, from the look on his face when asked about those discussions, it was clear they weren't pleasant.
"It wasn't good (Monday) and it's not good (yesterday)," he said, of the way he was feeling. "It's going to take time, for sure. The only thing I can do now is train and get ready for the first game I can play.
"None of these days are good because I can't play."
He said again there was no excuse for kicking Gill, even though, at 6-5, Gill towers over him. "He's a big guy and he plays the way he plays," Havlat said. "He did his job. There was nothing wrong with him."
]]>The news came shortly after noon eastern time TSN reported that Havlat had been given a 5 game suspension. Since the pay he's forfeiting is only about $66K, he wasn't treated as a repeat offender in terms of his fine. If he had been, it would have been closer to $160K.
Tuesday brought a screencapped picture of Marty's foot connecting with Gill's groin on the Citizen's front page, with the caption MARTIN HAVLAT'S $66,326.55 KICK, and another round of articles.
Chris Stevenson had a field day with the puns. Some snips:
Hal Gill wound up with only a raspberry on the gooseberries.
The Boston Bruins defenceman didn't quite get away without a scratch when Senators forward Martin Havlat aimed his right skate at Gill's private parts Saturday night.
"He got me. It's not bad. I got like a raspberry out of it," Gill told Boston reporters yesterday.
"But did you see the video? It was pretty blatant. There's worse things you can do, but that's not a good thing ... and I've heard he's done it before." [...]
Senators coach Bryan Murray couldn't condone a kick either and he wasn't happy with the way Don Cherry kicked around the topic on his post-game Coach's Corner.
"The commentary afterward pointed it out to the league. It wouldn't have been a focal point," said Murray, who added after a moment's consideration and with a nice touch of humour: "Maybe that's not fair. I think there's always pressure on people who make decisions based on the opinions that are expressed.
"Look at me, I play the guys you want me to play on the lines all the time."
---
Chris Stevenson then brought us some words from the anti-christ himself:
"I have nothing to say. I can't change anything," said Havlat, who wasn't exactly making apologies. "There's no place in hockey for kicking. It doesn't matter what I say now, five games is five games." [...]
"History is always important and I don't think you should ever kick in this league. I agree that when you do, you pay the price for it, but this is an extreme price," said Senators coach Bryan Murray. "Using your skate is a problem, no question." [...]
Murray said he wasn't happy with the attention the play got from Hockey Night in Canada's Don Cherry. Murray said he believed it was a factor in the league taking action.
Murray also wondered why Gill wasn't penalized.
---
Ken Warren did his part for the Ottawa Citizen:
"There's nothing to say, I can't change anything," a sheepish, tight-lipped Havlat said after learning his fate during a conference call involving Colin Campbell, the NHL's vice-president of hockey operations. "It's their decision. Hopefully, I'll be back in five games. There's no place in hockey for kicking."
The incident occurred early in the second period of Saturday's game, which the Senators won 5-1. Following a shift in which Havlat dominated and had several scoring chances, Gill pushed Havlat into the side of the Bruins' net. Gill then punched Havlat. As Havlat was falling to the ice, he twice swung his foot at Gill's groin, connecting the second time.
At that point, Senators right- winger Chris Neil came to Havlat's defence. Both Neil and Gill received penalties.
Havlat's kicking was missed by on-ice officials, and he didn't receive a penalty on the play.
The act, however, was shown over and over again on replays during the game broadcast by CBC. Following the game, acerbic commentator Don Cherry ranted against Havlat. [...]
"I'm very disappointed," Murray said. "I know (Havlat's) history in the past played a part, no question, but the commentary around it was also part of it. There's pressure put on the league because of what happened one time before. I thought it would be three games at most. (Gill) took advantage of a guy when he was hanging over the back of the net, but I don't think you should ever kick in this league. When you do, you pay the price. It's an extreme price to pay."
Murray said he had a conversation with Havlat before practice yesterday, when he no doubt vented his displeasure at yet another indiscretion by the dynamic winger.
Following the 2002-03 playoffs, Muckler said Havlat needed to mature.
]]>