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Entries with the tag: Jason Spezza
Spezza Could Play On Sunday
by Paul on 05/17/13 at 02:54 PM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of Off The Posts,
A source told the Sun Spezza is targeting a Sunday return, but has to get clearance from the doctors.
“He continues to skate on a daily basis and makes progress,” said MacLean Friday. “We’ll go through practice (Saturday) and the pre-game skate and we’ll see where it is. If he’s available to us, it’s Jason Spezza, we’re going to have him in the lineup.”
The Senators will have an optional skate Saturday and Spezza will skate with that group.
“I know I’m going to be there to watch it,” said MacLean. “I might not be on the ice, but we’ll make a decision from there. I don’t know about all the medical hurdles but I’ll know more about that (Saturday).”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: jason+spezza
Spezza Not Close To A Return
by Paul on 04/26/13 at 07:21 PM ET
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from Ian Mendes of Sportsnet,
Ottawa Senators’ players have been making miraculous recoveries from injuries lately, but it doesn’t sound like Jason Spezza will join that list — at least any time soon.
The star centre, who has been sidelined since undergoing back surgery on February 1, isn’t expected to return for the start of the playoffs next week.
“I think he’s been skating, but he’s at the public skating stage still. It’s significant because he’s started skating, but it’s public skating really,” said Paul MacLean on Friday, giving his most detailed update on Spezza this month. “He’s not even close to joining the team I think.”
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Spezza May Not Return This Season
by Paul on 03/29/13 at 09:54 AM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,
Senators GM Bryan Murray told CTV Ottawa before Thursday's visit by the New York Rangers that the back surgery the club's top centre had may not allow him to return this year
"(Erik) Karlsson and (Spezza) are real borderline at this time," said Murray.
Speaking during the morning skate, Murray said Spezza has been having pain since the procedure and hasn't been on the ice lately. Earlier this month, Murray was hopeful Spezza would have returned in "two or three weeks".
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Spezza Will Have Back Surgery On Friday
by Paul on 01/31/13 at 12:08 PM ET
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Senators Can Eliminate The Rangers At Home On Monday
by Paul on 04/21/12 at 11:56 PM ET
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The Ottawa Senators beat the New York Rangers 2-0, giving them a 3-2 series lead.
Jason Spezza had the only goals of the night, here is his game winner.
added 10:06pm, Game highlights can be viewed below…
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Tags: jason+spezza
Video- Jason Spezza With A Dangle Assist
by Paul on 03/27/12 at 01:21 AM ET
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Can you say control the puck and find the open man?
The Sens did defeat the Jets, probably putting and end to Winnipeg’s chances for the playoffs.
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Spezza’s In The Other House These Days
by Paul on 02/18/12 at 12:51 PM ET
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from Roy MacGregor of the Globe and Mail,
Spezza thinks of himself as more of “a team player” these days – fewer blind passes, less gambling, but still creative – and is convinced his personal success this year has been but a happy result of the overall team play.
Whatever it is – new coach in Paul MacLean, deft tweaking by GM Bryan Murray, the reborn play of Alfredsson, Jason Spezza shooting more – it has worked more than not this season, the recent wins picking the team up from a losing streak that had reached seven games and, once again, quieting the fans of Scotiabank Place.
“It’s good to have passionate fans,” Spezza says. “It’s part of playing in a hockey market and it’s part of the positives and negatives that come with that. If you’re playing really good, you’re a hero, and if you’re not, you’re a dog.”
Having known the doghouse, he much prefers the penthouse.
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Finally A Coach For Spezza
by Paul on 01/31/12 at 01:34 PM ET
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from Ian Mendes of Sportsnet,
It has taken nearly a decade, but the Ottawa Senators have finally found the right coach for their star centre. But that’s not to say that the relationship between Spezza and MacLean is always rosy. In fact, both of them told me that they have passionate - and sometimes heated - debates about how the game should be played behind closed doors.
“Paul has helped out my game a lot. There’s dialogue between us,” says Spezza. “It’s not just him talking to me or me talking to him. We really hash things out and sometimes it gets heated and sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s all part of the emotion of the game and that’s what’s great. He’s an emotional guy and I’m an emotional guy.”
“We’ve had some good conversations between the two of us,” adds MacLean. “How do I like to play and how does he like to play? And we’ve tried to marry some of the things about how I want to play and he wants to play. Now some of the things I like to do, he doesn’t like. And some of the things he wants to do, I don’t like. But through communication and time, we’re able to accept a little bit of this and a little bit of that and come up with the player we have today.”
If you go back and pick out some key words from their quotes, you realize that Spezza and MacLean are forging a true relationship in Ottawa.
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Tags: jason+spezza,
paul+maclean
Hard To Win A Faceoff In Detroit
by Paul on 11/10/11 at 02:32 PM ET
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from Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen,
What’s the worst road rink for getting credit for a faceoff win?
The Motor City, according to Spezza.
“You go into Detroit, it’s impossible to be over 50 per cent,” he says. “I don’t know what those stats guys are doing, but they’re definitely giving the benefit of the doubt to (Red Wings centres) on the 50-50s (tossup draws).”
more on faceoffs…
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Is Spezza Tradeable?
by Paul on 02/11/11 at 03:05 PM ET
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from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
Of greater interest, however, is the status of Jason Spezza, he of the $7-million annual cap hit and the no-trade clause. Spezza’s contract makes a deal problematic, and not necessarily just because of the dollars that he is owed. (For the record, it’s four more years after this one, with the next two at $8-million, and then the third year at $5-million and the final year at $4-million. In terms of actual dollars out, it adds up to about $3-million less than the overall cap hit on a contract that was front-loaded just like Dany Heatley’s.) Some teams - put the Los Angeles Kings at the top of the list - can afford to take on that sort of money, especially as the dollars dwindle down in the years ahead. The larger problem is Spezza’s ongoing health issues. He’s just back in the lineup after missing five weeks recovering from a separated shoulder.
Spezza was also absent for 22 games last year because of groin problems. In the six years since the lockout ended, he’s only played a full season once - 2008-09.
more plus other hockey topics…
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Spezza Out An Indefinite Period With Shoulder Injury
by Paul on 12/27/10 at 03:10 PM ET
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Numerous reports are Jason Spezza is out long-term with a shoulder injury.
The severity of the injury may not be determined for another week.
added 2:27pm, from Ian Mendes of Sportsnet,
The Ottawa Senators will have to play without their No. 1 centre for the foreseeable future.
Jason Spezza will be sidelined with a right shoulder injury that will keep him away from the ice for the next few weeks.
The encouraging news for the Senators is that the injury should not require surgery and Spezza should be able to return this season - although it will likely be after the NHL All-Star break.
“It’s going to be a while. I’ve never hurt my shoulder before, so there’s kind of a lot of grey area right now,” Spezza said on Monday morning, with his right arm in a sling. “It seems like it’s going to be fine without surgery. But it just happened, so it’s still fresh. We’ll get a better idea in the next week or so.”
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Spezza Suffers Upper-Body Injury
by Paul on 12/27/10 at 11:44 AM ET
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Jason Spezza left last night’s game after taking this hit from Kris Letang. Letang received two for boarding and Spezza has an upper-body injury and more information should be available sometime today.
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JJ’s Three Cheers: 11/06/10 (And a Look Ahead to Southeast Games Tonight)
by Jon Jordan on 11/06/10 at 11:22 AM ET
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Gotta play catch-up again first, as yesterday’s minor league update took longer than expected and robbed from some of my otherwise-set-aside-for-writing time. Alas, it’s Saturday morning’s edition of JJ’s Three Cheers.
From Thursday’s games first:
***Cheers to Ottawa’s Jason Spezza, who put up a goal and four points in total, factoring in on all of his club’s offense as the Senators downed the New York Islanders 4-1. Losers of six straight (and outscored 20-5 in their last five contests), consider that quality start to the season officially neutralized and then some for the Isles.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Atlanta Thrashers, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: benoit+pouliot,
brandon+dubinsky,
jaroslav+halak,
jason+spezza,
loui+eriksson,
mathieu+garon
No Spezza Trade Talks
by Paul on 10/23/10 at 11:40 PM ET
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from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
Ottawa star center Jason Spezza missed his second straight game with a groin injury Saturday night in a week where blog-fueled trade rumors picked up again.
“There’s no way that’s happening,” Sens GM Bryan Murray told ESPN.com Saturday, quashing any notion of trading him.
Murray took a peak at the trade market for Spezza in the summer, but he says that’s over with now. Spezza controls his fate with a no-trade clause.
“We have not had any discussion regarding any potential or possible trade of Jason,” Spezza’s veteran agent Rick Curran told ESPN.com Saturday. “In fact to the contrary, Bryan’s been very supportive. I can assure you there is no [interest] from Jason in leaving.”
continued plus other topics, including Jimmy Howard UFA talk…
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Evening Line
by Paul on 09/11/10 at 11:52 PM ET
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“He just wants, like a lot of players, to be important and to feel that we understand what he wants to be (during) his career and what he’s capable of being. We’ve got a guy who is committed to the Ottawa Senators.
-Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray oon Jason Spezza. More from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
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Spezza Talks- He Wants To Be In Ottawa
by Paul on 07/20/10 at 01:32 PM ET
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from Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun,
There’s been plenty of debate on the issue of Spezza’s mindset since Murray told the media Spezza informed him he wouldn’t “object” to being dealt.
“At no point did I ever demand a trade,” Spezza said Tuesday at his annual charity golf tournament, being played at Greyhawk. “I’ve seen a lot of what’s been written and talked about ... at the end of the year I was pretty emotional and upset ... I was upset at us losing, and I was upset at a bit of the response I got.
“I talked to Bryan and (said) I read the newspapers, I see every year there’s trade talk about me. I just basically told him, if you want to move me, you can move me. Obviously, I had (a) no-trade clause coming up on July 1. I want to be here, but if he thinks it’s best for the team for me not to be here, and the city, then he can move me.
“He told me he wasn’t going to move me, and to be honest, I was happy about it, because I like being here in Ottawa.”
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Spezza Will Stay In Ottawa
by Paul on 07/01/10 at 10:41 PM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,
Jason Spezza won’t have to worry about those change-of-address cards.
While the Senators centre told GM Bryan Murray he wouldn’t “object” to being dealt, the Senators couldn’t find any dance partners before Spezza’s “no move” clause kicked in at midnight Thursday.
He certainly won’t be traded after Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk stroked a cheque for a $4-million bonus owed to Spezza.
Murray said he studied the market for Spezza and a deal that made sense.
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Spezza Likely Staying In Ottawa
by Paul on 06/26/10 at 11:29 AM ET
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via Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,
Murray said he’ll sit down with Spezza face-to-face when he gets back to Ottawa and put the trade talk to rest.
“There’s not going to be (a trade) at this point in time,” said Murray.
“We’ve talked enough about Jason. I’m very happy. We’ll talk to Jason as I get back to Ottawa and continue to get this back in place so that all the speculation goes away.”
Spezza’s no-movement clause kicks in on July 1 and the Senators haven’t been able to find anybody willing to pick up the $33 million US left on his contract who is going to give them a decent return.
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Possible Spezza Destinations
by Paul on 06/13/10 at 10:00 AM ET
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from Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen,
Incoming Panthers GM Dale Tallon watched from a distance as his former Chicago draft picks—Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane—led the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup. He has also said repeatedly that the proper way to rebuild the Panthers is through the draft.
Accordingly, Tallon isn’t likely to give up the third pick and a chance to draft Fowler or Gudbranson. He is, however, interested in cleaning house of veterans if the right deal arrives….
Could Spezza answer Florida’s call for a true first-line centre for the first time since Jokinen was traded away? Horton, 6-2 and 229 pounds, has scored at least 20 goals in all five of his NHL seasons, but hasn’t topped the 31 goals he scored in his second NHL season.
Would a trade to Hockey Country inspire a new attitude? Horton has a salary cap hit of $4 million per season on a deal that has three years remaining. Interestingly, his no-trade clause also kicks in on July 1, the same day as Spezza’s.
more teams mentioned…
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Will Spezza Stay In Ottawa?
by Paul on 06/03/10 at 03:29 PM ET
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from Michael Traikos of the National Post,
Does Jason Spezza want to be traded?
That was the question posed to the Ottawa Senators forward on Thursday after reports had surfaced that he was unhappy with his current hockey team. Spezza, who was booed by Ottawa fans at the end of this season, has five more years remaining on a US$7-million annual contract.
But the 26-year-old said the decision is not up to him.
“I don’t have a no-trade now, so if they trade you, then you get traded,” Spezza said at a charity event in Toronto. “If not, obviously I’ve spent some time there so I’m happy to be there and we’re looking forward to the future.”
When asked again if he wanted to go back to Ottawa, Spezza responded: “Yeah.”
added 2:58pm, from Bob McKenzie of TSN,
Here is everything you need to know about the Jason Spezza situation in Ottawa.
The Senators, in a perfect world and for the right price, would not be opposed to trading Spezza, although that won’t be easily done with another five years left with a cap hit of $7 million per year on his contract and with Spezza coming off a sub-par playoff performance.
Spezza, all things being equal, would likely appreciate a fresh start, somewhere where he’s not the poster boy for playoff failure or the guy who gets booed every time he turns over the puck.
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Does Any Team Want Spezza?
by Paul on 05/23/10 at 10:29 AM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,
“Who knows? Maybe there’s a team out there that wants to make a splash and they’d be willing to trade some of their young guys, but then you’re going to have to wait for those guys to develop. I think you can still win with the guy, but you just have to make sure you have the right players around him.”
POSSIBLE SUITORS
TAMPA BAY: The Bolts first need a GM. The next man in the door will have to decide what to do with C Vinny Lecavalier. The Senators wouldn’t want his $7.27-million annual cap hit, potentially all the way through 2019-20.
COLUMBUS: The Jackets have been looking for a No. 1 centre since they came into the league. Neither former Senator Antoine Vermette nor Derick Brassard has been able to grab the job. Brassard would be offered up, along with the fourth overall pick in the draft.
EDMONTON: The Oilers would love to get Spezza. They’d offer D Sheldon Souray, possibly Andrew Cogliano and underachieving C Shawn Horcoff. That’s just not the answer for the Senators. Won’t make them better.
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Pick On Someone Else
by Paul on 04/27/10 at 08:45 AM ET
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from Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun,
Some Ottawa fans want Spezza traded before his no-movement clause kicks in July 1. They say he’s lazy. They say he doesn’t backcheck. They say he doesn’t become “engaged” in the play. They place blame for the Senators’ early playoff elimination squarely on his shoulders.
They are using Spezza as their scapegoat.
On locker cleanout day, when someone wondered if he’s getting tired of being the lightning rod for criticism of this team, Spezza did not shake off the talk as he has in the past.
“Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “But there’s not much you can do, and there’s not much to really get into.
“It’s definitely trying at times.”
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Spezza Out With Knee Injury
by Paul on 12/15/09 at 03:00 PM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,
Jason Spezza suffered a right knee injury and is expected to be out for “weeks” the Senators said today.
“It looks fairly serious. Right knee,” said coach Cory Clouston after the team’s practice today. “It means we’re going to have to be more of a team than ever. It’s a great opportunity for some guys.”
Clouston said the injury is similar to one suffered several weeks ago by Chris Neil. The team is still awaiting more information, but if it is similar to Neil’s injury then he could miss four to six weeks.
“We will know more tonight,” said Clouston.
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Spezza Becoming A Complete Player
by Paul on 10/20/09 at 08:34 AM ET
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from Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun,
In past years, four assists in seven games for Spezza would have pretty much indicated a disaster for the Senators, given their reliance on him, captain Daniel Alfredsson and former winger Dany Heatley, who supplied the offence on a top-heavy group of forwards.
The offence is now spread out, giving Spezza time to adjust to some significant role changes.
After playing almost every game over four seasons with Heatley, and many with Alfredsson, Spezza is adjusting to new linemates Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo, who came over from the San Jose Sharks in the Heatley trade.
Spezza’s defensive contribution has expanded. He’s getting a chance to kill penalties and take some big faceoffs, which is paying off for the Senators. Spezza leads the club with a 56.9 winning percentage on faceoffs.
His defensive game has grown thanks to his skating and work ethic, both of which look to have improved this season.
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Anything For A Story?
by Paul on 07/21/09 at 08:59 AM ET
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from Ian Mendes of Sportsnet,
There have been some hints from the Ottawa media that suggest several members plan on crashing Jason Spezza’s upcoming wedding in an attempt to force Dany Heatley to speak.
Personally, I think as a media group we need to act with some class and show a little respect for someone’s special day. Unfortunately, those two words (class & respect) aren’t in many reporters’ vocabularies and it’s a big reason why we are wedged comfortably between telemarketers and personal injury lawyers on the scale of likable professionals….
Jason has asked all of us to respect his privacy on his special day and not show up. He’s hired security to make sure no unauthorized guests (hint, hint, media) try to sneak in. He couldn’t make it any more clear: “I’m nice to you guys 364 days a year. Please give me one day off.”
But I can’t shake the nagging feeling that pack journalism is going to rule the day. Everyone is going to be scared that the competition is going to get the scoop, so we better head to the wedding ourselves.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: dany+heatley,
jason+spezza
How About This One? Spezza For Thornton
by Paul on 05/02/09 at 08:27 PM ET
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from Don Brennan of Off The Posts at the Ottawa Sun,
It was suggested to me this morning by a friend in the business that the Senators and Sharks might want to consider a 1-for-1, high-profile trade that would give each team a significant shake on the heels of a disappointing season: Jason Spezza for Joe Thornton.
Spezza, who is 25, is listed as 6-foot-2, 206 pounds. He has 418 points in 404 regular season games. He has 39 points in 40 playoff games. He’ll make $8 million for each of the next four years.
Thornton, who is 29, is listed as 6-foot-4, 235 pounds. He has scored 842 points in 836 regular season games. He has 53 points (and just 12 goals) in 76 playoff games. He’ll make $7.2 million for each of the next two seasons.My opinion: The younger Spezza has more upside. But if the cap goes down, as expected, that salary could be a real handicap.
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Tags: jason+spezza,
joe+thornton
Spezza Caught With Skinny Blade
by Paul on 03/10/09 at 09:23 AM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,
With 2:16 left in the third period, the Leafs coach asked for a measurement on Senators centre Jason Spezza’s stick, questioning the width of the blade.
While Spezza was found guilty of using an illegal stick, the Leafs were unable to score on the ensuing power play and the Senators pulled off their third straight victory with a slim 2-1 decision in front of only 18,898 fans (The last time the Senators didn’t sell out a Toronto game was Dec. 5, 2005, when only 18,860 were on hand).
“The boys did a good job of killing that for me. You don’t want to see them score when you get a penalty for a call like that,” said Spezza, who had an assist on Heatley’s goal. “Nobody here knows the rules. I don’t know what the clarification is. We still never got an answer. (Refereee Dan O’Halloran) just told me it was too skinny. It’s apparently too skinny. Real dangerous, I guess.”
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No Plans To Trade Spezza
by Paul on 01/18/09 at 01:09 AM ET
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from Ian Mendes of Sportsnet,
Jason Spezza has been a lightning rod for criticism in Ottawa this season, but Senators general manager Bryan Murray has no intention of trading his superstar centre.
“I don’t know that you’d ever not trade anyone, but Jason is not on the trading block,” Murray told Sportsnet prior to Saturday’s home game against the Montreal Canadiens. “He is a guy that you should be able to build a hockey team around.”...
“He’s a good player on this hockey club. I don’t know how you acquire another guy like this if you trade him away,” continued Murray. “My intent is not to do that. I think the core here is a good core. We just have to help them a little bit in a couple areas.”
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TSN Panel Chimes In
by Paul on 01/15/09 at 01:31 AM ET
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from TSN,
Each week, the NHL on TSN panel voices their opinions on the hot topics of the day in the Wednesday Night Hockey Quiz.
Question No. 1: Is Jason Spezza part of the problem or the solution in Ottawa?
Keith Jones: He is part of the solution. He’s only 25 years old and has a tremendous amount of upside and skill is the key word….
Bob McKenzie: I agree. Spezza needs to be part of the solution. There’s no question he’s had some shortcomings and flaws in his game but are the fatal? No, build your team around what he gives you offensively and fill in the holes. Defensively and all the rest of the things you need elsewhere.
read on with more Q & A…
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Thinking Of Spezza In Edmonton
by Paul on 11/16/08 at 11:17 AM ET
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from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal,
I know the Senators are more inclined to deal winger Antoine Vemette before anybody else for a puck-moving D-man, but how is that going to shake things up in Ottawa? Believe me, the earthquake will only happen when they move centre Jason Spezza. I think the Oilers would be interested
more hockey notes
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Is It Time To Move Spezza
by Paul on 11/15/08 at 10:25 PM ET
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from Scott Cullen of TSN,
What kind of package could the Blackhawks offer for Spezza? It’s not as easy as it sounds when the two most similar salaries in Chicago belong to winger Martin Havlat and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, because both will be unrestricted free agents at seasons’s end and it would be downright nuts to trade a long-term asset like Spezza for less than a full season of another player.
Perhaps a deal involving Khabibulin would work if other pieces are involved…
Who else might have the pieces to offer?
Columbus has long been searching for a pivot to join Rick Nash on the number one line and the Jackets probably have enough pieces to make a viable offer if they are willing ot surrender some of their top young prospects.
more with other teams mentioned plus other hockey topics.
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Jason, Wanna Come Out & Play
by Paul on 09/23/08 at 12:09 PM ET
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from Elizabeth Payne of the Ottawa Citizen,
According to the local grapevine, children have beaten a path to his front door hoping to catch a glimpse of one of their hockey idols, or, even better, to nab an autograph. And, apparently, Mr. Spezza has charmingly complied in many cases, handing out autographed hockey cards to awe-struck neighbours….
I have no idea what Mr. Spezza, a young hockey star in a country that idolizes hockey players, thinks about the attention his move to the neighbourhood is getting. The fact that he bought a house in a part of the city that is full of children and answers the door when some of them come calling tells me that he sees himself as part of the community, and that is probably as important to the future of the Senators in Ottawa as how the team does this season.
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Evening Line
by Paul on 07/22/08 at 09:12 PM ET
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“I’ve lost some good friends in the last couple of months,” he told reporters on the course. “I think we expected it. Any time you lose out early you expect it.”
-Jason Spezza
more from Spezza at TSN...
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Sens Extend Spezza
by Paul on 06/20/08 at 12:44 AM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,
With all 30 GMs in town for the NHL draft, talk surfaced late yesterday that the Senators were going to send Spezza to the Kings, along with the No. 18 selection in exchange for the No. 2 selection and possibly centre Mike Cammalleri.
No chance, said Senators GM Bryan Murray, who signed Spezza to a seven-year, $49-million US contract extension starting July 1.
added 11:07pm, Sorry for the bad headline. Just spending too many hours chasing information. Spezza was extended earlier this season, my mistake.
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Jason Spezza Conference Call Transcript
by Alanah McGinley on 02/11/08 at 08:40 PM ET
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Earlier today Jason Spezza was named “First Star” for the week, after recording 11 points in three games, including a career-high six points against Montreal this past Saturday night. Jason is second on the Senators and fifth in overall National Hockey League scoring with 71 points on 23 goals and 48 assists.
Q. Jason, you guys, you and Alfredsson and Heatley back together again, obviously in that 6-1 win over Montreal, what was the feel that you three had? There was talk of possible rust. What was the feel that you guys had right away in that game?
JASON SPEZZA: Yeah, we had pretty good chemistry together, and we practiced the day before and practiced that morning together. You know, it’s a pretty natural fit for us. We’ve played together now for a couple years, so there’s not too much getting used to each other again. You put us in with same line mates, we read off each other pretty good. I think more than anything I was fired up because it was a big game, Alfie was fired up because he was coming back, and Heater was pretty excited because he just came back the night before, so it was pretty good circumstances for us to play well.
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Stars of the Week
by Alanah McGinley on 02/11/08 at 03:26 PM ET
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Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza, Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and Anaheim Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere have been named the NHL’s ‘Three Stars’ for the week ending February 10.
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Spezza: NHL Star
by Alanah McGinley on 12/28/07 at 03:42 PM ET
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A Q&A with Jason Spezza by David Amber at ESPN,
Q: If you didn’t play in Ottawa, where do you think you would have the best time being Jason Spezza, NHL star?
A: Well Jason Spezza, “The NHL star,” would have to be somewhere else in Canada, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, just because you get recognized. But I think I would like to play in New York. It’s a city I really like, there is so much going on, there are so many places to hide and do your own thing. Sometimes, the celebrity aspect is nice, but a lot of times it’s nice to hide, too.
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Losing As A Team
by Paul on 12/03/07 at 12:17 PM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,
“It’s not fair (to blame the goalies). It’s not the goalie’s fault,” said Senators centre Jason Spezza.
“It’s all of our faults. It doesn’t matter if you’re getting points or you’re playing well. It’s every forward. It’s every defenceman and it’s both goalies.
“We’re in this together. I’ve said that the whole time. The only way we’re going to win is if everybody plays well and plays better. We’ve just got to raise our level of play so that we’re a better hockey club.”
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Spezza Plays His Trump Card with Sherwood
by Alanah McGinley on 11/20/07 at 02:22 AM ET
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From Allen Panzeri at CanWest News,
To get Sherwood-Drolet to keep making his sticks in Canada, Spezza had to play his trump card as a longtime, valuable customer. He has been using the company’s sticks since his final years in junior hockey, and he’s also featured on the company’s home page.
“I made it clear with them that, if I was going to continue using their sticks, I wanted to make sure they were still made in the same place they’ve been made for the last seven, eight years,” Spezza said on Monday.
Spezza goes through 300+ sticks a season. As mentioned recently, Sherwood will be discontinuing its production of wooden sticks in Quebec, and having them made in China and Estonia starting in January.
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Spezza Still Has Some Pain
by Paul on 11/13/07 at 10:06 AM ET
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from Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun,
Spezza said he’s still experiencing some pain, which can’t be a good sign. At least he’s got another couple of days before he’ll have to make a decision on the Buffalo game.
“The groin was a little bit sore as practice got going, but (my) wind felt pretty good. If I can take a positive from it, it’s that my wind hasn’t really left me. It hasn’t been that long off so I don’t anticipate that being a problem.”
Senators coach John Paddock isn’t sold yet.
While encouraged to see Spezza make it through practice, he said skating in practice and skating in a game are two different animals.
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Spezza Still Out
by Paul on 11/10/07 at 10:49 AM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,
Jason Spezza, who was hoping to play today, didn’t take part in the Senators’ workout, and is now aiming to return to action Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. “He wouldn’t be playing if this was a playoff game,” said coach John Paddock. “I thought there might be some consideration (to him playing today) based on how he was thinking ... Until he can practise with the team for 60 minutes hard then he’s not close to playing. I hope he’s on the ice with us Monday or Tuesday at the latest.”
more on the Sens…
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Report- Sens Sign Spezza To Extension
by Paul on 11/02/07 at 01:27 PM ET
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via TSN,
The Ottawa Senators have indicated they will make a significant announcement this morning and sources tell TSN centre Jason Spezza has been signed a multi-year contract extension. More details to follow.
update 11:38am, from Bob McKenzie of TSN,
Jason Spezza has a new seven-year contract extension worth $49 million with the Ottawa Senators.
Spezza will get $8 million in each of the first five years of the contract and $5 million and $4 million, respectively, in the final two years. The cap hit will be $7 million per year for the Senators.
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Senators’ Spezza Possibly Out
by Alanah McGinley on 10/31/07 at 07:26 PM ET
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From CBC,
Ottawa Senators star Jason Spezza missed practice Wednesday, and might miss Thursday night’s game against the Atlanta Thrashers because of a slight groin pull.
He sat out practice after suffering the injury during Tuesday’s skate. He has one goal and 12 assists in 10 games, the second-highest points total on the team.
“It happened yesterday [Tuesday] and right now it doesn’t feel that good,” Spezza told reporters Wednesday. “We’re just going to kind of take it day by day.”
Meanwhile, veteran forward Dean McAmmond declared himself fit to play. He has missed all 10 games this season while recovering from a concussion and shoulder injury suffered when Philadelphia Flyers forward Steve Downie ran into him in pre-season.
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Spezza Searching For Goal Number One
by Paul on 10/17/07 at 10:20 AM ET
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from the Ottawa Sun,
Going into last night’s games, Spezza led the NHL in assists with 11 and sat second in scoring, behind Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg, who’s had five goals as part of his 13 points.
Spezza was the only player in the league’s top 44 scorers that has yet to light the lamp.
Also baffling to Spezza is the fact he’s 11th in shots, with 24. Last season, he had the league’s second-best shooting percentage behind Pittsburgh’s Jordan Staal, scoring 34 times on just 162 offerings for a 21% connection rate.
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Spezza Next In Line
by Paul on 10/05/07 at 06:12 PM ET
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from Pierre LeBrun at Sportsnet,
If Jason Spezza ends up as a RFA come July 1, Kevin Lowe will no longer be the lone rogue GM filing offer sheets on hot commodities.
With Dany Heatley taken care of, the focus for the Ottawa Senators shifts to linemate Jason Spezza, a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
A deal won’t get done soon. Spezza’s agent Rick Curran will probably wait until the New Year to get serious talks going, giving his client time to build up yet another monster season. That’ll give him just a tad more leverage in talks.
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Spezza Primed for Scoring Race
by Alanah McGinley on 09/30/07 at 01:45 PM ET
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From Don Brennan at the Ottawa Sun,
Earlier this week, Jason Spezza shook his head in bewilderment as he told teammates of a meeting he had just finished up with an equipment rep.
“He’s telling me I’d be 15% better (of a player) with a different mouth guard,” the Senators centre said, chuckling.
Now, we’re not exactly sure how that works, either, but if that’s truly the case, Sidney Crosby should hope Spezza sticks with what he’s wearing. Fifteen percent more of him would cost the Pittsburgh star the scoring race.
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