A Bad Week In Ottawa

from Roy MacGregor at the Globe and Mail, Tuesday was trick or treat night, followed immediately by the Day of the Dead, the Aztec Dia de los Muertos, where all are to remember those who have passed. It seemed, at times, as if Eugene Melnyk, the controversial, unpredictable owner of the Ottawa Senators who died in early 2022, might have somehow returned for a little trickery. Certainly, Michael Andlauer seemed rather startled, if not quite spooked, when in a Wednesday news conference the exasperated new owner said, “In the last 10 days, we’ve had three losses, three injuries, a 41-game suspension, and the loss of a first-round pick.” (Now four losses after losing 3-2 to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.) Only last month, Andlauer, whose group paid some US$950-million for the franchise, was feeling nothing but love in Ottawa. He brought beloved former captain Daniel Alfredsson back into the organization. He brought back respected former team president Cyril Leeder. He even brought back Lyndon Slewidge, the retired police officer, to sing the anthem at the home opener, which the promising young team won. But then came the losses, leaving the team with a 4-5-0 record, last in the Atlantic Division. read on