Viewpoint

I have to agree about with the hab fan from Calgary. Spezza gave tha puck away so many times beacuse he heard foot steps or he would just dump it in and let Alfy go get it. The size difference just does not make sense. Heatly was beside the net when no one was checking him otherwise he was at the blue line. They got to go. Burns for Coach!!!

to g_roberts
Toronto

"GO LEAFS GO!!!
Sens are pathetic."

Isn't that the kettle. There are so many knowlegeable hockey fans out there, you my friend are not one of them. True Leaf fans know hockey and will look for their team to improve rather then disrespect a team who is clear better at this point. But it's easier to point the finger outward then inward I guess.

The owner of any team has to do what is best for the team in his own opinion. EM did just that. Let potential leave or stay with so-so. We'll see what happens in a year or two, lets hope it was a success decision, I believe it was.

Now to all the stupid Leaf fans out there, get off the soap box. I am not an anti-Leafs - Sens fan, I am an anti-stupid Leafs fans - Sens fans, (wow that was a mouthful). When the Leafs make the playoffs consistantly, then can make it to the conference finals or even the Cup finals, then you fans have earned the right to call any other team pathetic. Until then, say nothing and you'll be respected more.

GO SENS GO! Maple Leaves are pathetic!

Hmmm, lots of interesting comments. Time will tell of course, what the result will be. In my opinion, adding a player who hacks, hooks, cross-checks, etc., because he can no longer keep up is not going to help a team in this NHL. Perhaps a few years ago, yes. Mr. Roberts, no thanks. Having watched Mr. Murray's coaching style even under adversity has been impressive and I hope his choice of replacement is a good one. Answer this for me if you can....why do some so-called finesse players still get put on the ice when they clearly do not intend to earn their salary. I have seen time and time again (one player in particular) skate around like a prima-donna and not even touch the puck as it glides past him. In retrospec, perhaps this would be intersting....trade Mr.Spezza for Mr.Roberts

The firing of Muckler is not so much wanting to get rid of him as to keeping Murray. Murray has proven himself not only as a great coach but also a terrific G.M. Where would the Ducks be right now if he had never been behind the helm of their team? As for a new coach my choices are one of two. Patty Burns if we want eastern representation, or a coach from the west who will help Ottawa buy into the western style of play. Mainly in your face and in this era of no clutch and grab hockey in your way by virtue of perfect position hockey.
Another equation for a successful Stanley Cup run will be the acquisition of 3 more Mike Fisher type players, 3 more Chris Niel type
players (more ice time and 20 goals a season need I say more?)and another couple of Chris Phillips type players. Get rid of Wade Redden, Gerber baby and Jason Spezza. What this team needs is lots of grit to compete with the west. Oh yes and stick with Ray(zor) Emery.

For what it is worth, my heart is not even remotely bleeding for John Muckler. I have not, and likely will never forgive him for what he did to Ted Nolan. Regardless of the differences that they had, how Muckler handled it was appalling. I was very glad to see Ted get another opportunity finally! When I find myself deciding the lesser or 2 evils getting to hoist the cup this year(Pronger or Muckler) there was no choice. I bid you goodnight Mr Muckler.

Murray got the job because the Blue Jackets were pursuing him. I would guess he used this as some leverage to move out Muckler who he had stopped speaking with, and who was well passed (his suspect) prime. I am fine with the move. Murray is respected throughout the league and in the community.

Muckler gaffed on Redden, Chara, Arnason, (getting nothing for) Havlat, (not re-signing) Hasek, Gerber, (not re-signing) Pothier, and Bondra. The only good move he ever made in the Sens organization was signing Corvo, and lucking into Comrie.

It has been said before, and I'll say it again, apart from the Hossa-Heatley trade, Muckler didn't do anything good.

Year after year, he traded away the team's young prospects in the AHL in order to acquire Trade Deadline Busts (Bochenski for Arnason comes to mind). Just look at Binghamton, the team's AHL affiliate, they just had a miserable season because most of the young prospects are gone.

This might hurt in a few years, the organisation can be thankful that atleast the average age on the team is low.

The draft, and the time leading up to it, might be very interesting.

That's just my 2 cents.

What is this obsession with Roberts? He's barely a marginal player now. And even at his best he may well have held the record for the most untimely penalties taken in the final minutes of crucial games. The edge and scoring he brought we're nearly balanced out by the games he lost with stupid penalities, all throughout his career.

He sure didn't help the Pens.

Gary Roberts may be a decent player but his value has been overrated by the Toronto media. There are a number of reasons the Sens didn't win the Stanley Cup but the failure to acquire Gary Roberts is not one of them.

I think this is basically true but I think there are other factors involved. When you look at Muckler's track record over 5 years, you would have to conclude it wasn't that great despite the Sens going to the Final this year. Outside of the Heatley trade, Muckler didn't do much. Plus, he signed Redden to a ridiculous contract and let Chara go. There was also the Hasek fiasco in which Muckler failed to get Hasek to play in the playoffs when the Sens needed him. Apparently, Murray and Muckler never spoke after that. Have no problem with this move

We could use a good GM in Edmonton!

Add not signing Hasek for 3/4 million dollars and instead signing Gerber for big bucks when it was obviously not necesary to do so.

The writing was on the wall when Hasek landed in Detroit as their number one guy.

The decision to fire Muckler at the end of this season was made in October 2006

john you should not turned your back on bryan because he has been sharping the knife. sit out and let them pay you. senators now will start free-fall. good luck john.

I agree with the analysis of Mr. Lundy. As a note on the possible and desired Roberts deal, I believe Don Cherry got it right when he pointed out that the last place Gary Roberts would be traded to was Ottawa because of the spiteful character of a former Senators coach who was now the GM in Florida. There was no way the Senators would have got Roberts without a King's ransom and probably not even then! There were other questionable stand pat positions taken by Mr. Muckler. I believe the game was moving faster than Mr. Muckler but he did manage to keep an excellent core. Paying Gerber over Emery and keeping Redden over Chara I think were two glaring Muckler errors in the outcome of this year. Now they have to get ready for some signings. Comrie impressed but his price tag is higher than his production. Phillips is the key and leader on that defence and he needs to be recognized as such. Alfredson shone forth this year as the acclaimed Captain and not just an appointed one and Phillips was the clear leader as an assistant captain.
I am sorry for Mr. Muckler, on balance he did a reasonable job and we will never know how much of what he did was dictated by the financial constraints of Mr. Melnyk this past year.

It makes no difference who the GM or Coach is in Ottawa. They will never win the Cup with Alfie as their leader. He's the one who should be moved.

I heard that Don Cherry was taking the job as coach. By "heard", I mean made up.

If you can't cheer for your team's success, enjoy the misery of others... GO LEAFS GO!!!

In my view this situation is more about placing Murray in a job that he has (and they)have been planning. It's clear Muckler is expendable for many reasons...ie. his age and the fact they really don't need him around.
This is not about anything Muckler did or didn't do.
It's a matter of executive restructuring to secure a Stanley Cup for the organization.
Any type of deal would have been fruitless as the Senators were clearly defeated by a team which was better in the ice and behind the bench.

You are still not late to acquire Roberts this time as a coach.

Muckler's kindof the face of failure for the Sens.
They had a great playoff run in 2007, but everyone will remember him slamming his fist down, cursing a bluestreak when Pominville put one past Emery to put the Sens out of playoffs in 2006.
Or pick any loss to the Leafs in the playoffs when he took on the face of vulnerability for the Sens.

Leaf nation should take a long hard look at the Senators. Ottawa is 3 wins shy of the Cup and they shake things up because their goal was not met. Toronto misses the playoffs for the second straight year, yet the status quo seems to be the thought for the day. I am sure if Toronto had the same high standards as Ottawa they would have at least made some noise in the playoffs by now.

I think Murray should hire an assistant GM to help him with those duties ..but stay on as coach himslef...at least for one more year. The team will need him this year .. a new coach will just mess up the chemistry.

This is another sure sign that whenever we don't get our own way or don't get what we want, we just have to stamp our feet and turn on everybody else. Why not just be happy that you got to the finals with terrific playing, cooperation from team members and do better next year. Remember, the GM and coach are just as good as the team they represent.I feel the Senators had some terrific games that were exciting to watch. Good thing they were only second best, otherwise everyone might have been fired!

I can't imagine Mr Muckler was released because he didn't or wouldn't sign Gary Roberts, an over the hill hockey player at best.
Having Roberts in the line up wouldn't have secured the Stanley Cup for the Senators.

Muckler's time had come and gone. The man is 73! And he failed to get a lot of things done for the Sens ie. signing Redden and not Chara, getting nothing for Havlat, no Gary Roberts, Gerber for 2 more years at 3.6 mill for each, and not getting the Cup back to Ottawa. Murray is going to be great for the future of the franchise.

Muckler is credited with bringing in Brian Murray and trading Marion Hossa for Danny Heatley. Murray is a five star.....wonder what Marion Hossa would have done with the present Ottawa line up.

What else has John Muckler done that is out of the ordinary?

I think the Sens made a good change.

Yes, probably good long term but certainly could have a negative impact short term. The Senators are losing their coach, a good coach who brought them to the Stanley Cup final, and that can have as much impact on a team as losing a star player. It could take a couple of years with a new coach to get back to where they are now. I would be much happier with this move if Murray was going to remain the coach.
Who he picks to replace him will be critical!

Muckler's a good man, but he did make some bad moves. Good ones were made (Comrie), but everyone remembers the bad ones. Replacing Murray will be tough (go for Quinn???), but having Pontiac blood as GM of a team is always a good thing.

Just goes to show you the lack of class in this organization when he is so rewarded after building this team that gets them to the final.

In retrospect, Muckler did a good job but was slow on the draw and this cost him in the end. Not getting Gary Roberts may have hurt the Senators (although I don't really think that he would have been the cure-all for the team's ills), but it was the continual indecisison when retaining or trading players away that proved to be his downfall. Not winning the Cup was the icing on the cake.

Since Claude Julien has been tapped by Boston, Murray will have to search a little harder to bring a respected coach to the Ottawa bench. If he ever decides to approach Pat Quinn, then I know this management isn't serious about winning the Cup. Quinn would not be a good fit for Ottawa's system. Period.

Expect some player moves before the beginning of training camp. Preissing, Comrie, Gerber, maybe Corvo and possibly Redden will have new addresses come October. It's high time for the team to dump some of the dead wood and get some key character players and a reliable backup goalie.

It is sad to think that Gary Roberts is the catalyst to these changes. I for one and happy that Muckler did not make that move - that being said I think that Murray will be a great General Manager. It certainly seems that this was in the blueprints from the beginning. One more thing... where do I send my resume for head coach?

Pat Burns as new head coach... now that would be sweet!

please let burns be the new coach, if not him then cunneyworth

Pat Burns as new head coach... now that would be sweet!

good move...while we may lose Murray as a coach, we now have a GM who will trade guys who are non-compliant when it came to playing better without the puck, which hopefully translates to incentive. I'll miss the post game scrums, so will the media.

Like the saying says you don't preform you get the axe!!Roberts would of been a great addition to the Ottawa Senators better then Mike Comrie which quite frankly shouldn't be playing after a couple of dumb plays he has made!They were so close and blew it again what is it going to take to get this team the cup!!Definately well deserved team if any well sorry for the misfortune senators hopefully next year!!!Maybe

A good GM can make a difference look at the Toronto Raptors. The Maple Leafs may wish to take advantage of John Muckler's experience and reward the fans with progress including post season play.

GO LEAFS GO!!!

Sens are pathetic.

What tremendous disrespect. Who'd want to work for this employer? You lead a team to the Stanley Cup Final, the last thing you need to think about is job security...this team should be focusing on minor tweaks NOT a major overhaul...totally and completely ridiculous.

I was going to consider Ottawa picking up Claude Julien for head coach, that was until from what i've heard Boston grabbing him. Other possibilities are Pat Quinn or even a coach in their farm system.

Muckler was a good GM for Ottawa, and it won't suprise me with the reputation he has given himself from last season if he gets signed to another team during the off-season.

Thank God he is fired!!

Go Habs Go

They need to draft a goalie in the first round-let him develop-the way Buffalo did with high draft pick Ryan Miller.
Emery is not the answer-and we'll never know about Gerber.
Also as Cherry correctly pointed out-there was no way-Jacques Martin,GM/coach of the Panthers(and former coach of the Sens) would've traded Roberts to Ottawa. After all-Muckler fired Martin as coach.

Murray wanted playoff grit type players after last year,he said they were close.What he got was comrie,saprykin,corvo,priessing,no grit there.I knew muckler was gone after the trade deadline.Besides muckler is senile.

Ottawa deserved to be in the Stanley Cup final -their talent and grit got them that far. But Anaheim was a better team and Murray (the GM) got the Ducks there. As the Habs of the 1970s and 1980s proved over and over again, smart GMs assemble the talent you need and inspiring coaches bring it out in clutch situations. I wish Ottawa all the best. Next year should be interesting.

Sure signs of Spring in Canada: robins, snow melting, the Sens choking. So... Spring came a little later this year. They made the finals and then... choked. Firing Muckler was a good move. Next fire Daniel Classless-son or Gutless-son or whatever his name is. And then give the rest of the team remedial math lessons so they can count past 5. At least when a Western Canadian team makes the finals, we take it to 7 games.

I think John Muckler did a very good job. He made some great moves, including the addition of Mike Comrie. He deserves a lot of credit. Do you really need to replace a guy who got you to the cup final? A lot of teams would love to have Muckler and his pedigree. Job well done John, hold your head high.

Ottawa fans will regret this day for many years to come. As he has shown before, Murray is NOT the man to lead them to the promised land. He's had some success, but he's not a "winner". And don't be surprised if Muckler comes back to haunt the Sens.

maybe the leafs and sens should swap losers.

Senators rule! Too bad Muckler is gone. But he did acquire Comrie and Saprykin. Gary Roberts would have been a bad fit in Ottawa I think because of his past with Ottawa's "other" bad blood rivals the Maple Leafs. Ottawa should have played a different strategy against the Ducks. Dump and chase doesn't work against teams that have shut down D like the Ducks. I would very much be interested to see some like Claude Julien be hired by the Senators

I think it's ridiculous... they made it all the way to the final but didn't win the cup... how is that the GM's fault? Roberts really helped Pittsburgh out didn't he? (no offence to Robert's he's a great player but...)

this coach should be the G.M I love him

Finally! This move was long overdue. Muckler did make some great moves and put a great team together but I think he was unwilling to pull the trigger every time the playoffs approached. Too much of a long-term thinker, unwillling to give up some young talent for a veteran gritty player we so desperately needed in the playoffs.
And, let's not forget who put at least half of that Ducks team together...
As for a new coach - how come no speculation over the two Pats? Quinn and Burns. I'd be happy with either one.

I agree with all those that contend the wrong man got fired. Even during the lean times, the small market Ottawa team was the envy of the much richer big city teams. Why? It is largely because of a good GM who provided the pertinent coaches with the right tools. Having not signed one player or another is not good reason to fire a GM. I hope everything works out well; otherwise, we might live to regret the decision.

I think it a wise move by Melnyk to think to the future of the club. He doesn't want it to be a one trick pony club. If he'd left Bryan Murray in limbo with a 1 year contract that would've been nasty, as well. From the sounds of the news conference they did offer Muckler a chance to stick around. But he chose not to go with it. So, that's that. Onto the future. Yes, I'm sure Muckler is bitter but then again, this is major league sports and decisions have to be made, at times. Not easy ones, but good ones. Look at the fans in Ottawa. We WANT a good team, and will call for a head if we don't get one. GO SENS GO!

I think the move is just plain good business sense. Being pro-active is always better then being re-active which is what they would be doing a year from know. Brian Murry has proven himself to be a top-flight hockey person, both in the front office and behind the bench. The Senators need to make some player adjustments as well so why not make it all happen at once. Go Sens Go.

Please Bryan: No poor man's coaches. I liked Randy Cunnyworth as a player and John Paddock is a great AHL coach or assistant, but let's get a name in there that will command some respect. Good luck in 2007/08 Sens!

My husband and I are season ticket holders and we have seen our Senators play through bad times, good times and Great Times.

As the old song says: "GOOD TIMES ARE HERE AGAIN"

We have never been comfortable or happy with Mr. Muckler as the Senators GM, since the sneaky and unprofessional way he treated fan favourite "Marion Hossa", when he traded him away. It was very bad optics indeed and showed a sense of disrespect unbecoming a GM.

Many times Mr. Muckler allowed the "Trade Deadlines" to come and go with no player pickup as the fans expected, however, when he did, the players were a bust.

We got the impression right or wrong that he could never make that crucial decision to help the team when they needed it the most.
We realize in his heydays he was a great coach and GM, but, the old days, old ways they don't work no more.

Brian Murray is the best thing that has happened to the Senators team. Leading them into the future as GM is icing on the cake. Good luck Brian. Go Sens Go.

Hey, bring in Pat Quinn!!!! That would be hilarious, not to mention a pretty good choice.

Muckler ain't that good. He took a great team in Edmonton and made them good. He took Hasek in Buffalo and traded him for nothing. I could do better if I had an owner dumb enough to hire me.

maybe it's for the best and best for the team???????

There are reasons for a change in management at this critical time. Expect Murray to make significant player changes before or at the draft and they may surprise many on who stays and who goes. He's had a first hand look at some players and is best positioned to make changes. If Muckler made the same changes, many would not understand his moves. With Murray, many will say that there is a reason behind his madness and people will accept it more easily. Watch out for some major surprises.

Bringing in Gerber would also have been a huge hit against Muckler. He built a solid foundation though, and Murray will have that to build a championship team next year...the rumour mill is now open!

Muckler and Murray did not get along especially this year. They did not have a good personal/professional relationship. So if one is going to go, it had to be Muckler. Murray's contract was up and he is a legit GM; Muckler is 73 with only one year to go (making him 74), Melnyk did not have much of a decision to make. He had to choose Murray.

Ask Ted Nolan about his views of Muckler and fairness.

...as long as the head coach will not be Pat Quinn.

and of course Muckler should have gone for Roberts. Bad move. VERY bad move.

Hi,
It looks as though the Canadian teams should learn a lesson from this years play off's, the Senators could have drafted some of the top Canadian juniors over the years instead of the foreigners that they picked and maybe they would have done better then. Look at the young Canadians who won it all for Anahime

Not sure what to make of this. Muckler deserves recognition for putting up a solid team for few years now, he also deserves blame for making bad deals when dealing mattered the most. I'm no hockey expert, but it seemed all the time that at the trade deadlines, he tended to look for underachievers that could become superstars in the playoff. He was not willing to give much in order to acquire a strong contributor. In life in general and hockey in particular , you get what you pay for. You can't hope to acquire cheap talent and expect them to outperform in the playoff . I remember acquisitions like Bondra, Devries, Arnasson, ....and the list goes on.
Murray will be fine as GM, Sens need a wonderful replacement coach though

Melnyk does not just want Ottawa to win the Stanley Cup next year. He wants a dynasty in Ottawa. Murray will build through the draft and acquisitions to allow the team to replace high-priced free agents on the downswing with home-grown talent on the upswing. Muckler was great but Murray can also step behind the bench capability if the new coach does not happen to pan out, without missing a step!

I remember back to a game of Wpg Jets vs Edm Oilers many yrs ago-where Muckler refused to shake the hand of the Jets coach after a hard fought series-the fans saw him as very unsportsmanlike and cocky-at the time, I thought of him as an arrogant and spoiled coach. While he may have made inroads as the Senators GM, I (and many friends) always thot of him as "boorish", without a lot of class. Maybe he should make a move to Nashville...??

This move says alot about the Ottawa Senators. There was a day they never paid their player's in the playoffs....because they decided not too.

Then they thought they had to bring in some good talent and management. They achieved both and have dispersed of good personnel both on the ice and off.

With the last move....who would want to coach in Ottawa? There seems to be no loyality at all...again...it is all about $$$$$.

Ottawa will likely get a coach who has been out of the NHL for sometime or a AHL coach...It seems like a watered down league with the teams making all the money..

Only time will tell whether this was the right decision or not. It takes guts to win but you will not win by maitaining the status quo like some other teams maintain. It may not be fair to Muckler who is an above average executive, however as a loyal Senators fan I hope that this decision was the right one.

GIVE SPEZZA AND HEATLEY THE BOOT!!!

This may shock most Sens fans but I think Heatley and Spezza need to get the boot. It's great to have guys like Spezz and Healtey in the lineup in a 6-2 no hitting game where they can get 3-4 pts a piece, but it was quite obvious that both of them could not match the intensity and physical play that the Ducks brought to the series. The Sens need more guys like Alffy who can raise their game when it's gut check time. You can't blame inexperience either because Perry, Penner, and Getzlaf did quite a number on the Sens...

Several reasons: (1) They would lose Murray if Muckler was still around, given their current contracts. (2) Muckler had age against him. (3) Muckler was not Melnyk's guy. That's normal-course politics (being the owner's guy) whether in sports or business.

I am not sure aquiring Gary Roberts would have made much of a difference. It seem like a Maple Leafs-Type solution to our defence problem. Why hire an aging vet, when we can draft and develop a young star? Perhaps the next Gary Roberts?

Remember when Ottawa had trouble on the offense? We did not hire old men to fill the spots. We developed the stars of today, or hired young stars.

This is the solution. Muckler did a good job, and he will be missed.

Ottawa's loss will be someone else's gain. I think John Muckler is a fine GM with lots of hockey smarts. He has a winning record and He knows what it takes. Hopefully John will be back to build another team into a contender. The NHL needs people of his calibre for the weaker teams to get strong. He may be 73, but what does age have to do with it? His experience would be invaluable to another francaise. I believe Ottawa made a mistake to let him go and it is unfair to punish or single Muckler out for a team which did fold in the finals with not much of a team effort. After all Muckler wasn't actually playing the games on the ice. You can draft them; teach them and lead them; but you can't play for them. The failure of the Senator's to get the BIG PRIZE, rests solely on the players themselves. They ran out of gas - or choked in the final, whatever you want to call it. I don't believe Anaheim was better - looking at each game in the final, the Senator's actually beat themselves with sloppy, disorganized play and they seamed to lack a team effort. Most of the players were playing as individuals, there was no concentrated and concerted effort by the group for a complete 60 minute game. The Senators were not the same team they were in the first three rounds and I don't think the layoff was the problem. Game 1 they had but let it slip. Game 2 was a disaster. Game 3 they actually got some lucky bounces and won (something I think the Ducks got a lot of in the other games). Game 4 they started well and fell apart again. Game 5 became a nightmare. Best wishes for both John Muckler and the Senators in their respective futures - unfortunately apart.

Well looks like the fans from earlier this season got their wish, i didnt want to see him go but im not torn up about it. Now let the speculation begin about who the new coach will be