CHANGES BREWING
NHL GMs look at issues
For an NHL head coach, it doesn’t hurt to get providential help.
Senators bench boss Dave Cameron only has to attend Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Stittsville to receive hockey guidance from the parish pastor.
“I went to church (Saturday) night and the priest came running over to me and said, ‘You’ve got to start the young fella’,” Cameron says, the “young fella” being goaltender Andrew Hammond. (He may be young in NHL experience, but Hammond is one of the team’s older players at 27).
“‘So, father (Joseph) Muldoon,’ I said, ‘Thank you, I think I’m gonna’.”
Cameron offered this quip on the ramifications for Hammond’s future, considering he has no contract for next season.
“If his agent gets a hold of that, imagine the negotiating power if God’s on his side?” Cameron said. “That might be the biggest contract in the history of Ottawa.”
Hammond, correctly, gets much of the credit for the Senators’ late-season push. He was 9-0-1, with a 1.44 goals-against average and .954 save percentage before Sunday’s start.
How much love should Cameron receive?
There was a time, not that long ago, when Cameron’s record seemed a close match to his predecessor, Paul MacLean, fired when the team had an 11-11-5 record in early December. That was then. Compliments of a dramatic surge from about mid-February on, Cameron carried a 21-13-6 record into Sunday’s game against Philadelphia.
Asked to cite his own contribution, Cameron fell back on a favourite saying of longtime coach Tom Watt. A coach is “only as good as his team,” and that a winning coach gets too much credit, a losing coach too much heat.
“A lot of times as coach, you’re the flavour of the week, so you seek that balance,” Cameron says. “Anybody that survives in this business, regardless of the level, if it’s your profession, you have to find that balance to last.”
Cameron describes coaching and deploying personnel as a “bunch of science experiments.
“Every time you lose a game, you go a little more in-depth. Did I have the right guy on the ice at the right time, did I start the right goaltender, did I have the right matchup?
“All that stuff. But at the end of day, you can’t second guess all the time, but you try to learn. But you have to let it go, otherwise you drive yourself nuts.”
If Cameron was under public siege for starting Craig Anderson, instead of Hammond, against the Boston Bruins last week, he’s come out of it well. That 3-1 defeat was the Senators’ first regulation loss since Feb. 16, and now the coach has the luxury of having two goaltenders ready to play. Cameron says he will continue to monitor the big picture with his goalies, including schedule and fatigue. As a lessexperienced goalie, Hammond will not be left in a game too long if he ever has a night when he’s struggling, Cameron says.
Cameron has instructed his players to collapse through the middle to protect Hammond, and not be running around in their own zone. So far, so good.
“We’ve played consistently a style we think gives us the best chance to win, and as a coach that’s the most exciting point,” Cameron says.
EMERY’S BACK
Ray Emery knows something about a hot start by a rookie goalie. Emery went 9-0 in his first NHL starts with the Ottawa Senators.
“I don’t remember too much about it, to be honest with you,” said Emery, 32, who started for the Flyers against his former team. “You’re definitely excited when you start playing (in the NHL), and I think it’s even more special in a Canadian city.”
To Senators rookie Andrew Hammond, Emery tips his cap.
“I’ve taken notice; I think the whole league has taken notice of Hammond over there, and that’s exciting,” Emery says. “It’s good to see a young guy come and really take advantage of an opportunity.”
In a 12-year pro career that began with his NHL debut during the 2002-03 season, Emery has had his ups, downs and controversies, and even a year in the KHL. At this stage, he says, “the downs are just as fun as the ups — you get to come back.”
And Emery’s key to lasting a long time in the NHL? “Don’t read the papers.” The papers were lively when Emery was a local citizen and motorist.
MACARTHUR SKATES
Winger Clarke MacArthur has been skating on his own, and is considered farther along the path to recovery than goaltender Robin Lehner, but neither player is symptom-free after suffering concussions during a Feb. 16 collision.
“Clarkie is ahead of Robin, in terms of going longer periods without re-occurring symptoms,” Cameron said. Meanwhile, forward Zack Smith (broken wrist) has been cleared to play, but may need an unexpected development in order to crack this lineup.