Normally I don't dedicate a full post to another person's article, but if you haven't read Ian Mendes' piece on TSN.ca about what Kyle Turris did between scoring the winner on Saturday evening and getting on the plane for NYC later that night, then it is worth a look now...
For those of you who might not be familiar with the Captial City Condors, it is an Ottawa-based hockey organization with "a family of teams for children, teens and adults with intellectual and/or physical disabilities."
The fact that Turris and his wife Julie have such dedication to the organization that he would take time out in the middle of an important playoff race is pretty special, and the bond he has with the organization and the individuals in it, to borrow young people's vernacular, "gets you in the feels".
Not only did Turris make the day of countless numbers of Senators fans, but the impression he made on a much smaller group might have been even bigger and more important.
--- The Senators are enjoying an extra day off before Tuesday's potential clinching game in New York City, and much debate will surround the role of Chris Neil in game 5 and potentially again in game 6. I watched the game after I got home from my trip last night, and saw a pretty minimal impact. Can two and a half minutes really have that much of an impcact? I guess that is for Guy Boucher to determine, if a guy who has playoff experience and brings an element lacking in the lineup is needed so badly that you sit a more skilled player in that place? I doubted it before game 5, but the strategy worked, whether because of, in spite of or indifferent to, Neil's presence.
Now, with the scene switching to MSG, where the Rangers had their way physically with the Senators, Neil might help keep them honest a bit, but in the grand scheme of things it is going to have to be everyone committing to a style and not one player who will likely get less than 5 minutes of ice time that will make a difference and change the result from the last two Rangers' home games.