Trevor Shackles: Players That We Miss Looking back at Senators players that we miss

Place holder for Erik Karlsson

big z

Chara. Should have known better than to pick Redden over him.

SAD

I'm just glad that Havlat and Neil didn't make your list.

I miss Volchenkov.

A-Train, in his prime, was a (frank)ing beast on the back end and easily my favorite Senator when he was here.

I also miss Vermette......the guy was pageau but with a little more offensive ability

finally, I miss Havlat...injury history aside, when he was here in his prime, that guy is one of the most offensively gifted players this team has ever had

I actually do miss Neil. I also miss Chara but I heard one of the main reasons he left was that he wanted more responsibilities (i.e.: Captaincy) when Alfie was still around. I don't miss Spezza much (if at all). And I miss Alfie, obviously.

I miss Volchenkov.

A-Train, in his prime, was a (frank)ing beast on the back end and easily my favorite Senator when he was here.

I also miss Vermette......the guy was pageau but with a little more offensive ability

- sensarmy_11

Oh yeah... these two. Miss 'em too!

I'm just glad that Havlat and Neil didn't make your list.
- jmatchett383

why?

neil is one of the most effective "tough guys" to play in the NHL in the last 2 decades. he could fight, play physical, take a regular shift, and actually produce.

havlat had obvious health issues, but he had a TON of skill.....he was fun as hell to watch.

Chara. Should have known better than to pick Redden over him.
- mgriffen

Was more to it than just picking one over the other. Chara wanted to be captain and Alfie wasn't going anywhere. Also, Redden wasn't some scrub, he was chosen by team Canada to play in the Olympics. Obviously I wish we had kept Chara, but hindsight is 20/20.

I miss Volchenkov.

A-Train, in his prime, was a (frank)ing beast on the back end and easily my favorite Senator when he was here.

I also miss Vermette......the guy was pageau but with a little more offensive ability

finally, I miss Havlat...injury history aside, when he was here in his prime, that guy is one of the most offensively gifted players this team has ever had
- sensarmy_11

Vermette was my fav player when he played for us. So fast , and hands as soft as butter. Always gave 100 percent every shift. Never saw him without a smile on his face either.

why?

neil is one of the most effective "tough guys" to play in the NHL in the last 2 decades. he could fight, play physical, take a regular shift, and actually produce.

havlat had obvious health issues, but he had a TON of skill.....he was fun as hell to watch.
- sensarmy_11

I liked Neil when he first came into the league. But as he got older, that dude could not throw a hit that didn't come up high. I won't question his heart, and he was definitely effective, but he was definitely a player who would have no issues trying to severely hurt players and I didn't respect that.

Havlat I hate for the Mark Recchi high-sticking incident. That incident was the catalyst for the Flyers/Senators brawl game. And where did he spend the last 1:45 of the game? Serving a minor penalty. That's obviously on the Sens' coach at the time, but I just didn't like that he never had to answer for it.

I miss Volchenkov.

A-Train, in his prime, was a (frank)ing beast on the back end and easily my favorite Senator when he was here.

I also miss Vermette......the guy was pageau but with a little more offensive ability

finally, I miss Havlat...injury history aside, when he was here in his prime, that guy is one of the most offensively gifted players this team has ever had
- sensarmy_11

Agreed, Volchenkov was awesome!

What, nobody misses Radek Bonk?

What, nobody misses Radek Bonk?
- Jere

He's no Andreas Dackell.

Ha!

In the beginning...Denis Vial was the only entertainment on some nights. He did not have very good hands, was a poor skater and had no head for hockey. But, he made us proud when there was not much to cheer about.

Chuckle to read that top prospect Drake Batherson is his nephew.

As a leaf fan I couldn't stand Chris Neil.
He was the heart and sole of the sens for many years.

Jordon Tootoo on Chris Neil, after obliging to give Neil a Gordie Howe Hattrick in 2015: “Neiler has been through the meat grinder many times. It’s not only physically demanding. It’s mentally draining, night in, night out. But some people are built to withstand that and those people are few and far between. Kudos to him for playing so long. He was probably someone who was always told ‘you’re not good enough’. He has proven otherwise.”

Not sure how any sens fan couldn't miss Chris Neil.
I'm not even a Sens fan and I miss Chris Neil.

Kind of shocked nobody has mentioned Alfie yet... exuded nothing but class as captain of this team for years, was great both on and off the ice.

I'm on board with most of the mentions here as well, but the one I may miss more then most is Patrick Lalime. I know he was the goalie of record for all the playoff failures to the Leafs (though he could hardly be faulted for them in most cases), but he was just a fun-loving guy, particularly for a goalie, and he had the coolest mask. It was great to see him pump up the crowd at the alumni game last year.

How about Pavol Demitra? He didn't play in Ottawa for very long but he was a really good player for the Blues. 493 points in 494 games for the Blues.

As a leaf fan I couldn't stand Chris Neil.
He was the heart and sole of the sens for many years.

Jordon Tootoo on Chris Neil, after obliging to give Neil a Gordie Howe Hattrick in 2015: “Neiler has been through the meat grinder many times. It’s not only physically demanding. It’s mentally draining, night in, night out. But some people are built to withstand that and those people are few and far between. Kudos to him for playing so long. He was probably someone who was always told ‘you’re not good enough’. He has proven otherwise.”

Not sure how any sens fan couldn't miss Chris Neil.
I'm not even a Sens fan and I miss Chris Neil.
- B-Wforever

I've met Neil quite a few times, super nice guy, friendly to everyone. But I feel like on top of what he brought on the time. I think he was also a guy to keep the room in check. If someone got out of line, my bet is Neil would be the one to say something.

Patrick Lalime

Kind of shocked nobody has mentioned Alfie yet... exuded nothing but class as captain of this team for years, was great both on and off the ice.

I'm on board with most of the mentions here as well, but the one I may miss more then most is Patrick Lalime. I know he was the goalie of record for all the playoff failures to the Leafs (though he could hardly be faulted for them in most cases), but he was just a fun-loving guy, particularly for a goalie, and he had the coolest mask. It was great to see him pump up the crowd at the alumni game last year.
- ATrainTwentyFour

alfie is the easy answer and the one that goes without saying........probably why nobody mentioned him.

As a leaf fan I couldn't stand Chris Neil.
He was the heart and sole of the sens for many years.

Jordon Tootoo on Chris Neil, after obliging to give Neil a Gordie Howe Hattrick in 2015: “Neiler has been through the meat grinder many times. It’s not only physically demanding. It’s mentally draining, night in, night out. But some people are built to withstand that and those people are few and far between. Kudos to him for playing so long. He was probably someone who was always told ‘you’re not good enough’. He has proven otherwise.”

Not sure how any sens fan couldn't miss Chris Neil.
I'm not even a Sens fan and I miss Chris Neil.
- B-Wforever

I miss the Chris Neil from the mid 00's......the last 4-5 years of his career though, he was not a good player. his physicality dropped off significantly, he didn't fight much, and his production was non-existent.

Neil and Phillips, IMO, are in the same boat. they were great players in their prime, but they stuck around too long and became very useless players. it becomes hard to look past the plugs they were at the end to see the good players they once were.