(Note: This is a submission written in the hopes of becoming the new Leafs commentator at The Battle of Ontario. Please go over there and support me. It is a nice piece of schadenfreude)
With the Senators in the midst of a 5-game losing streak and mired in mailaise since the beginning of the season the calls for the heads of John Muckler and Bryan Murray have become louder and more urgent. The case for Muckler's firing has been laid out pretty conclusively but why get rid of Murray? Well, mostly because his tenure has already peaked. sens fans have already lived the Bryan Murray Experience. All that is left is the inevitable firing.
Here, cherry-picked to prove a point, are the season's relevant to Senators fans:
1983-84: Washington Capitals 48-27-5 .631 Lost in Round 2
1984-85: Washington Capitals 46-25-9 .631 Lost in Round 1
1985-86: Washington Capitals 50-23-7 .669 Lost in Round 2
1991-92: Detroit Red Wings 43-25-12 .613 Lost in Round 2
1992-93: Detroit Red Wings 47-28-9 .613 Lost in Round 1
2005-06: Ottawa Senators 52-21-9 .689 Lost in Round 2
Those last three playoff exits are famous for their meeknes.
1991-92 saw the Wings cough up a 3-1 series lead to the San Jose Sharks.
1992-93 will be familiar to Leaf fans as Nikolai Borchevsky became a folk hero with a Game 7 OT winner (how is that clip NOT on YouTube?) after the Wings coughed up another 3-1 series lead.
2005-06 as everyone saw on TV ended as the team captain and top defenceman watched a 3rd line grinder skip past them both and score the series winner...shorthanded.
Six times Murray has coached a team to a plus-.600 winning percentage only to bow out meekly in the first or second round.
Muckler's failures are documented, Murray's shortcomings are evident, and the less said about the Senators players' mental toughness (see: Playoffs) the better.
The answer to the survey is secret answer e: Fire Muckler, Fire Murray, and make a trade for a proven leader.
With the Senators in the midst of a 5-game losing streak and mired in mailaise since the beginning of the season the calls for the heads of John Muckler and Bryan Murray have become louder and more urgent. The case for Muckler's firing has been laid out pretty conclusively but why get rid of Murray? Well, mostly because his tenure has already peaked. sens fans have already lived the Bryan Murray Experience. All that is left is the inevitable firing.
Here, cherry-picked to prove a point, are the season's relevant to Senators fans:
1983-84: Washington Capitals 48-27-5 .631 Lost in Round 2
1984-85: Washington Capitals 46-25-9 .631 Lost in Round 1
1985-86: Washington Capitals 50-23-7 .669 Lost in Round 2
1991-92: Detroit Red Wings 43-25-12 .613 Lost in Round 2
1992-93: Detroit Red Wings 47-28-9 .613 Lost in Round 1
2005-06: Ottawa Senators 52-21-9 .689 Lost in Round 2
Those last three playoff exits are famous for their meeknes.
1991-92 saw the Wings cough up a 3-1 series lead to the San Jose Sharks.
1992-93 will be familiar to Leaf fans as Nikolai Borchevsky became a folk hero with a Game 7 OT winner (how is that clip NOT on YouTube?) after the Wings coughed up another 3-1 series lead.
2005-06 as everyone saw on TV ended as the team captain and top defenceman watched a 3rd line grinder skip past them both and score the series winner...shorthanded.
Six times Murray has coached a team to a plus-.600 winning percentage only to bow out meekly in the first or second round.
Muckler's failures are documented, Murray's shortcomings are evident, and the less said about the Senators players' mental toughness (see: Playoffs) the better.
The answer to the survey is secret answer e: Fire Muckler, Fire Murray, and make a trade for a proven leader.