Plenty of Nothing

Sens Oilers

Risto Siltanen. Source.

The Oilers have pretty much had their way with Ottawa this season.

Sens vs Oilers so far this season:

2021/1/31      Oilers 8 - 5 Senators

2021/2/2        Oilers 4 - 2 Senators

2021/2/8        Senators 1 - 3 Oilers

2021/2/9        Senators 2 - 3 Oilers

2021/3/8        Oilers 3 - 2 Senators

2021/3/10      Oilers 7 - 1 Senators

2021/3/12      Oilers 6 - 2 Senators

2021/4/7        Senators [2 - 4] Oilers

2021/4/8        Senators [1 - 3] Oilers

(Home team first, like in Europe.)

Ottawa Nationals vs Alberta Oilers, WHA 1972-73:

1972/10/11    Nationals 4 - 7 Oilers

1972/11/5      Oilers 3 - 5 Nationals

1972/11/26    Nationals 1 - 2 Oilers

1972/12/15    Oilers 3 - 4 Nationals

1972/12/17    Oilers 3 - 1 Nationals

1973/2/25      Nationals 3 - 2 Oilers

(Source.)

Which Finns have played for Edmonton?

Markus Granlund    (34 games, 2019 - 20)

Mikko Koskinen    (111 games, 2018 - present)

Jussi Jokinen    (14 games, 2017 - 18)

Jesse Puljujarvi    (137 games, 2016 - 19)

Lauri Korpikoski    (71 games, 2015 - 16)

Iiro Pakarinen    (134 games, 2014 - 18)

Jesse Joensuu    (62 games, 2013 - 15)

Lennart Petrell    (95 games, 2011 - 13)

Teemu Hartikainen    (52 games, 2010 - 13)

Joni Pitkanen    (63 games, 2007 - 08)

Mikko Luoma    (3 games, 2003 - 04)

Tony Salmelainen    (13 games, 2003 - 04)

Kari Haakana    (13 games, 2002 - 03)

Jani Rita    (36 games, 2001 - 06)

Jussi Markkanen    (102 games, 2001 - 07)

Janne Niinimaa    (399 games, 1997 - 2003)

Marko Tuomainen    (4 games, 1994 - 95)

Kari Takko    (11 games, 1990 - 91)

Reijo Ruotsalainen    (26 games, 1986 - 90)

Risto Jalo    (3 games, 1985 - 86)

Esa Tikkanen    (522 games, 1984 - 93)

Raimo Summanen    (132 games, 1983 - 87)

Kari Jalonen    (3 games, 1983 - 84)

Matti Hagman    (147 games, 1980 - 82)

Jari Kurri    (754 games, 1980 - 90)

Kari Makkonen    (9 games, 1979 - 80)

Risto Siltanen    (226 games, 1978 - 82)

Hannu Kamppuri    (2 games, 1978 - 79)

Sens Flames

#18 Tim Stützle was the NHL's rookie of the month for February. Source.

Ottawa host Calgary.

Tim Stützle previously played for Adler Mannheim. Have any other Germans made the Senators' squad? Yes: Erich Goldmann (1 game, 1999-2000) and Christoph Schubert (268 games, 2006 to 2009).

Names of the Senator's rinks:

1. Ottawa Civic Centre. The WHA's Ottawa Nationals and Ottawa Civics played there.

2. Palladium (during construction). A palladium is a statue of Pallas Athena, the most famous example being the one brought from Troy to Rome by Aeneas. It doesn't have much to do with buildings. The word palladian does apply to buildings, if they look like buildings designed by Andrea Palladio (1508-1580). The Canadian Tire Centre does not look like a building designed by Andrea Palladio.

a.k.a. Corel Centre (1996-2006). Corel is an Ottawa high tech company best known for Corel Draw.

a.k.a. Scotiabank Place (2006-2013). Scotiabank owns much of the Caribbean.

a.k.a. Canadian Tire Centre (2013-present). Canadian Tire is worth about $20 billion and has its own currency.

Sens versus Flames so far this season:

February 25    Ottawa 6 - 1 Calgary

February 27    Ottawa 3 - 6 Calgary

March 1           Ottawa 5 - 1 Calgary

March 4           Calgary 7 - 3 Ottawa

March 22         Ottawa [2 - 1] Calgary

March 24         Ottawa [3 - 1] Calgary

(Home team listed first.)

I was going to follow the AHL's Canadian Division, but then they went and put the Stockton Heat in it, which ruined it for nationalism purposes.

The ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers are on hiatus this season. The Brampton Beast decided to shut down permanently. But next year there will be a team in Trois-Rivières.

40th All Japan Women's Hockey Championship

Peregrine versus Daishin, October 17, 2020. Source.

It's the 40th All Japan Women's Hockey Championship, running from the 11th to the 14th of March. The teams are Vortex Sapporo, Obihiro Cranes Ladies, Kensetsu Peregrine, Kushiro Bears, Takasu Clinic Mikage Gretz, Daishin, Toyota Cygnus and Seibu Princess Rabbits.

March 11

Match No. 1:    Peregrine [11 - 0] Vortex

Match No. 2:    Cygnus [7 - 0] Mikage Gretz

Match No. 3:    Daishin [6 - 1] Kushiro Bears

Match No. 4:    Obihiro Cranes [2 - 12] Seibu Princess Rabbits

March 12

Match No. 5:    [Vortex 4 - 1 Mikage Gretz]

Match No. 6:    [Kushiro Bears 0 - 2 Obihiro Cranes]

Match No. 7:    [Peregrine 1 - 2 Cygnus]

Match No. 8:    [Daishin 3 - 4 Seibu Princess Rabbits]

March 13

Match No. 9:    [Vortex 0 - 6 Kushiro Bears]

Match No. 10:  [Mikage Gretz 0 - 4 Obihiro Cranes]

Match No. 11:  [Cygnus 1 - 0 Daishin]

Match No. 12:  [Peregrine 3 - 2 Seibu Princess Rabbits]

March 14

Match No. 13:  [Vortex 5 - 2 Mikage Gretz]

Match No. 14:  [Kushiro Bears 3 - 1 Obihiro Cranes]

Match No. 15:  [Daishin 1 - 6 Seibu Princess Rabbits]

Match No. 16:  [Cygnus 2 - 3 Peregrine]

Source.

EHC Winterthur

Keep track of Wintherthur on their webcam.

EHC Winterthur was founded in 1929. In 1963 they merged with EHC Veltheim to form Rot-Weiss Winterthur, but in 1980 they reverted to their original name.

Winterthur take their red and white colours from the city's coat of arms, like EHC Visp, and have a lion on their crest, like most of the league.

Both EHC Winterthur and FC Winterthur play in the second tier of their respective sports.

[Ajoie 5 - 2 Winterthur.]

Winterthur in the NLB/Swiss League:

2019-20    44    10    0    0    33    1    0    101    207    -106    31    11th, SL

2018-19    44      7    0    2    31    2    2      99    153      -54    29    10th, SL

2017-18    46      7    1    0    27    8    3    109    194      -85    34    10th, SL

2016-17    48    14    1    0    31    1    1    121    195      -74    46      9th, NLB

2015-16    45      6    1    0    34    2    2      99    196      -97    24    10th, NLB

1969-70    14      3    1          10                  48      91      -43      7      7th, NLB East

1962-63    14      2    0          12                  23      86      -63      4      8th, NLB East

1961-62    14      2    0          12                  32    101      -69      4      8th, NLB East

Sources: Wikipedia, Hockey Archive

EHC Winterthur in the Swiss Cup:

1957/11/17    R1    Veltheim 3 - 5 Petit-Huningue

1958/11/16    R1    Bienne 6 - 1 Winterthur

1958/11/23    R1    Gottéron 7 - 0 Veltheim

1959/11/?      R1    Veltheim 0 - 5 Bassersdorf

1959/11/14    R2    Winterthur 3 - 8 Gottéron

1960/11/12    R1    Kloten 8 - 4 Veltheim

1960/11/13    R1    Winterthur 20 - 3 Aarau

1960/11/18    R2    Winterthur 1 - 12 Bern

1961/10/28    R1    Veltheim 0 - 11 Illnau

1961/11/4      R1    Lugano 3 - 2 Winterthur

1962/11/3      R2    Lucerne 7 - 2 Winterthur

1963/10/26    R1    Rot-Weiss Winterthur 8 - 3 Petit-Huningue

1963/10/30    R2    Rot-Weiss Winterthur 1 - 5 Dübendorf

1964/10/24    R2    Dübendorf 1 - 4 Rot-Weiss Winterthur

1964/10/31    R3    Rot-Weiss Wintherthur 3 - 5 Uzwil

2014/10/1      R1    Winterthur 1 - 7 Zug

2015/9/30      R1    Winterthur 1 - 2 Lugano

2016/9/27      R1    Winterthur 2 - 5 Rapperswil-Jona Lakers

2017/9/19      R1    Winterthur 0 - 2 Rapperswil-Jona Lakers

2018/9/19      R1    Winterthur 1 - 4 Zug

2019/9/10      R1    Winterthur 0 - 9 ZSC Lions

Source: French Wikipedia

Visp

EHC Visp in the Sixties. Source.

Ajoie visit the shiny new Lonza Arena in Visp for a game against EHC Visp.

EHC Visp was founded in 1939, was Swiss champion in 1962 and won the Swiss Cup in 1964. They have been in the NLB/Swiss League since 1999.

Visp is a town in German-speaking half of the southern Swiss canton of Valais. The club takes its colours from the town's coat of arms: red and white with lions. Reminder: lions are not native to Switzerland. The French name of the town is Viège.

Sepp Blatter is from Visp.

[Visp 3 - 2 Ajoie.]

2020-21 Swiss Cup results:

2021/2/7        Bern 3 - 2 Genève-Servette        semi-final

2021/2/28      ZSC Lions [2 - 5] Bern                     final

Visp in the Swiss Cup:

1956/11/21    PR    Visp 31 - 1 Blue Stars Lausanne

1956/11/24    R1    Visp 9 - 6 Bern

1957/1/9        R2    Servette 3 - 2 Visp

1957/11/24    R1    Lugano 4 - 5 Visp

1957/11/28    R2    Visp 4 - 3 Ambrì-Piotta

1958/1/14      QF    Visp 2 - 3 ZSC Lions

1958/11/16    R2    Visp 6 - 3 Bern

1959/1/13      QF    ZSC Lions 6 - 2 Visp

1959/11/14    R2    Visp 11 - 0 Urania Genève Sport

1959/12/29    QF    Visp 6 - 2 La Chaux-de-Fonds

1960/2/2        SF    Visp 8 - 2 Lausanne

1960/3/12        F    Visp 2 - 5 ZSC Lions

1960/11/24    R2    Visp 4 - 3 Servette

1960/11/30    R3    Sierre 0 - 7 Visp

1961/1/12      QF    La Chaux-de-Fonds 1 - 8 Visp

1961/1/26      SF    Visp 6 - 1 Villars

1961/2/23        F    ZSC Lions 5 - 3 Visp

1961/11/5      R2    Breitlachen 1 - 10 Visp

1961/11/12    R3    Crans-Montana 3 - 7 Visp

1961/11/28    QF    Villars 6 - 2 Visp

1963/1/2        R4    Langnau 4 - 5 Visp

1963/1/7        QF    Visp 6 - 4 Bern

1963/2/5        SF    Young Sprinters 6 - 4 Visp

1963/11/13    R3    Genève-Servette 2 - 3 Visp

1963/12/26    QF    Ambrì-Piotta 4 - 5 Visp

1964/1/6        SF    Lugano 0 - 4 Visp

1964/3/4          F    Visp 5 - 2 ZSC Lions

1964/12/1      R4    Gottéron 4 - 6 Visp

1965/1/20      QF    Villars 2 - 0 Visp

1965/12/8      R4    Visp 7 - 4 Lugano

1965/12/26    QF    Villars 3 - 5 Visp

1966/1/18      SF    Visp 2 - 4 Grasshoppers

1972/2/5        R2    Villars-Champéry 4 - 2 Visp

1972/2/8        R2    Visp 6 - 7 Villars-Champéry

2014/10/1      R1    Visp 6 - 4 Red Ice

2014/10/29    R2    Visp 4 - 2 Davos

2014/12/15    QF    Visp 2 - 6 ZSC Lions

2015/9/30      R1    Brandis 1 - 4 Visp

2015/10/27    R2    Dübendorf 2 - 7 Visp

2015/11/25    QF    Visp 2 - 3 Bern

2016/9/27      R1    Visp 4 - 8 Langnau Tigers

2017/9/19      R1    Visp 3 - 2 La Chaux-de-Fonds

2017/10/22    R2    Visp 2 - 4 Davos

2018/9/19      R1    Visp 2 - 4 Genève-Servette

2019/9/10      R1    Visp 6 - 3 La Chaux-de-Fonds

2019/10/20    R2    Visp 1 - 4 Zug

2020/10/4      R1    Thun 3 - 6 Visp

2020/11/7      R2    Visp 1 - 4 Fribourg-Gottéron

(Source: French Wikipedia)

Thurgau

HC Thurgau emerge from the lion's mouth. Source.

Ajoie visit HC Thurgau at the Eishalle Güttingersreuti in Weinfelden, Thurgau Canton, in the Swiss northeast.

Formed from three earlier clubs, HC Thurgau bill themselves as representatives of the whole canton. They wear green and yellow with a lion emblem, drawn from the cantonal coat of arms. Unfortunately this makes them look a lot like EHC Olten, and when they play GCK it's a case of lion versus lion, so taking one thing with the other they come across as a bit of a generic Swiss hockey club.

They entered the NLB in 1992, and since then they have played every season but one in the second tier.

Ajoie have made up most of their games in hand and are now in second place, five points behind Kloten. Thurgau are fifth.

[Thurgau 3 - 4 Ajoie.]

Thurgau in the Swiss Cup:

2014/10/1      Thurgau 0 - 4 Davos

2015/9/29      Thurgau 1 - 5 Kloten

2016/9/28      Thurgau 0 - 7 Lugano

2017/9/19      Thurgau 2 - 6 Kloten

2018/9/19      Thurgau 0 - 5 Ambrì-Piotta

2019/9/10      Thurgau 0 - 6 Zug

2020/10/4      Thurgau 1 - 3 Kloten

Sens Habs

Neil Brady scores the modern Sens' first goal, October 8, 1992. Source.

Habs/Sens games this season so far:

February 4      Canadians 2 - 3 Senators

February 6      Senators 1 - 2 Canadiens

February 21    Senators 3 - 2 Canadiens

February 23    Senators [5 - 4] Canadiens

(Home team listed first, like in Europe.)

Who are the Senators' taxi squad, and have they played?

Filip Chlapik (F) played against Vancouver January 28.

Matthew Peca (F) played against Toronto February 18 and got an assist.

Micheal Haley (F) played against Winnipeg January 23rd.

Jonathan Aspirot (D) no

Artem Zub (D) has played in ten games, scoring a goal and two assists.

Joey Daccord (G) no

What is going on in Germany?

The DEL began play December 17th with a restructured format. The 14 clubs have been divided into two geographical sections (North and South) to reduce travel, but there will be some games between teams in the opposite group. The quarterfinals will feature the top four teams in each group and will be played within the group, but the semi-finals will cross over. Think of the 1971-72 NHL.

DEL2 is carrying on with a single 14-team table. The winner will be promoted to the DEL.

The Oberliga is playing as two divisions of 13 teams each. Our guys Tilburg Trappers are currently fighting for second place in the North, quite a bit behind Hannover Scorpions.

Olten

EHC Olten, big in the Eighties. Source.

EHC Olten dress in green and white, and their present-day uniform looks a bit like IF Björklöven from Sweden, except that in place of a birch leaf they have three fir trees. The club was founded in 1934, and won the NLB in 1981 and 1988. Their rink the Kleinholz Stadion can hold 6,500 spectators. The head coach is Fredrik Söderström. They have a mouse mascot.

Olten is a town in Solothurn, a canton that has the appearance of having been gerrymandered at some point in history.

At the moment Ajoie are third in the Swiss League, Olten fourth.

[Ajoie 3 - 1 Olten.]

The rise and fall of EHC Olten:

                  G     W     T      L       F       A      GD     P    Pos

1979-80    28      4    10    14    112    131    -19    18    6th, NLB East

1980-81    28    19      4      5    161      88   +73    42    1st, NLB West

1980-81    10      2      0      8      39      57    -18      4    6th, Promotion/Relegation

1981-82    28    19      0      9    159    103   +56    38    2nd, NLB West

1981-82    10      2      1      7      46      59    -13      5    6th, Promotion/Relegation

1982-83    28    16      4      8    143    109    -34    36    2nd, NLB East

1982-83    10      3      2      5      53      57      -4    10    3rd, Promotion/Relegation

1983-84    28    14      3    11    127     111   +16    31    4th, NLB East

1984-85    26    15      4      7    114      92    +22    34    4th, NLB

1984-85    14      7      1      6      55      60      -5    15    4th, Promotion/Relegation

1985-86    36    12      2    22    132    215    -83    26    9th, NLA

1986-87    36      8      2    26    119    209    -90    18    10th, NLA

1987-88    36    21      1    14    176    143   +33    43    3rd, NLB (won playoffs)

1988-89    36      9      4    23    125    169    -44    22    7th, NLA

1989-90    36    16      3    17    138    161    -23    35    5th, NLA

1990-91    36      8      1    27    111    189    -78    17    10th, NLA

1990-91    10      7      1      2      57      37   +20    15    1st, Promotion/Relegation

1991-92    36      8      3    25    102    191    -89    19    9th, NLA

1991-92    10      6      2      2      42      31   +11    14    3rd, Promotion/Relegation

1992-93    36    21      4    11    166    114   +52    46    2nd, NLB (won playoffs)

1993-94    36     8       4    24      96    176   -80    20    9th, NLA (lost playouts)

1994-95    36    12      6    18    133    173   -40    30    8th, NLB

The Swiss Cup final will be February 7th. [No it won't.]

ZSC Lions vs Bern or Genève-Servette

Source.

La Chaux-de-Fonds

La Chaux-de-Fonds, the Swiss Habs. Source.

Ajoie travel up the river Doubs to visit HC La Chaux-de-Fonds.

HC La Chaux-de-Fonds was founded in 1919. From 1967-68 to 1972-73 the club enjoyed a six-year dynasty as Swiss champion. They did it dressed like the Montreal Canadiens, which might have helped. But, like the NY Islanders, they have never won another championship. They last played in the top division in 1997-98, and have been in the second tier ever since.

Their rink is the 5,800-capacity Patinoire des Mélèzes. They currently dress in blue, white and bronze. They are coached by Thierry Paterlini, a former left-winger for the Swiss national team.

The most famous person from the city of La-Chaux-de-Fonds would have to be Le Courbusier the architect, unless it's Louis Chevrolet, co-founder of the car company.

Ajoie are currently third in the league, La Chaux-de-Fonds are sixth.

[La Chaux-de-Fonds 3 - 4 Ajoie.]

Sens Leafs

Source.

Canada is the only hockey power without its own national professional league. If this were Sweden, Finland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia or Switzerland, there'd be a national league with twelve or fourteen teams, and a second league with another dozen or so, plus lower leagues. However, this is North America, and for hockey purposes we are not a country, we're a market.

But the closed border has forced to NHL to realign. The seven Canadian clubs are obliged to play each other exclusively this season, at least until the Stanley Cup semi-finals, and so for once there's a opportunity to see what a Canadian league might look like.

The seven Canadian franchises make for a very small league. It was accepted by everyone in soccer that when the Canadian Premier League started with only seven teams it was too small. And an eight-team CFL has always been treated as a temporary evil until a ninth team could be organized. But seven teams playing Canada's most popular sport are fine from the NHL's point of view. In fact, from 1996 to 2010, six teams were fine. You'll recall that the NHL is the league that celebrated Canada's Centennial Year by adding six US franchises.

So let's follow the Ottawa Senators as they meet each of the other six North Division clubs. If the AHL follow suit and create a four-team Canadian division of their own, I'll cover those teams too.

Today the Toronto Maple Leafs visit Ottawa.

Ottawa became a hockey town before Toronto, and in the Challenge Cup era (1893 - 1914) Ottawa teams won the cup 17 times, to 2 times for Toronto. In the early years of the NHL Ottawa won the cup four times, in 1920, 1921, 1923 and 1927. During the same period Toronto teams won the cup three times, in 1918, 1922 and 1932.

The modern Senators have the better regular season results, head-to-head, with 64 wins, 46 losses, 3 ties and 10 overtime losses. But the Leafs have won all four playoff series.

[January 15: Ottawa Senators 5 - 3 Toronto Maple Leafs

January 16: Ottawa Senators 2 - 3 Toronto Maple Leafs

And just to annoy North Americans I'll be listing the home team first.]