MacLean Named Adams Finalist For 2nd Straight Year

For the second straight season, Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean has been named as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award. The Adams is handed out as the league's best coach in case you didn't know. Quite the honor to be named in back to back years, especially when they were your first two seasons as an NHL coach.

MacLean guided the Sens to surprise consecutive playoff appearances, and this year helped Ottawa make the post season and win their opening round against Montreal, without most of their key players for the majority of the season. He guided the Sens to a 25-17-6 record in the regular season, good for the 7th seed, while playing 14 rookies at points this year. The other finalists are Anaheim's Bruce Boudreau and Chicago's Joel Quenneville.

Typically, the Adams is awarded at the NHL Awards at the end of June, but because of the shortened season, the award will be given out during the Stanley Cup Finals. A series MacLean hopes to be coaching at the time. Even Pittsburgh's coach Dan Bylsma thinks MacLean should win.

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Jersey Foul 104

Thanks to Aaron Nilsen for sending this in

An incredible double jersey foul, as apparently someone who was a Sens and Pens fan, had these Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby Sens jerseys made to support both teams in games 3 and 4 here in Ottawa. Once again, I am speechless. Just when you think you've seen every possible jersey foul, something like this happens. If you see a jersey foul you want to share email it to me at senstown@gmail.com or send it to me on twitter @SensTown

Did Sports Experts Steal T-Shirt Design From Local Duo?

So what's a business to do when a local pair of Sens fans came up with a t-shirt idea that's taking Ottawa by storm? Notice anything similar in the picture above? Does it remind you of this shirt from 10 days ago? Minus the covered FUCK part of course, which is the whole point of the shirt. This version just says "don't mustache with the walrus" and that makes zero sense. Other than that, it's an identical copy.

Sports Experts, a sports chain that has multiple Ottawa locations, has started carrying a bootleg version of the popular tee that was created by Eric Chamois and Jamie McLennan, without their permission. Obviously the duo was none too pleased by this, so I caught up with them to get their side of the story and get the timeline of events that lead to the making of this now iconic tee.

Discipline May Decide This Series

If you're an Ottawa Senators fan, you have to be going through a bunch of emotions as you await the start of their 2nd round series against Pittsburgh tonight. On one hand, you have to be feeling supremely confident after the Sens demolished the 2nd seeded Habs in round 1. On the other hand, you can't help but be worried about facing the Pittsburgh Penguins and their 182 potential hall of famers. They looked like the run away Stanley Cup favorites before being brought down to earth a bit by the Islanders, who took them to 6 games in round 1.

There are a ton of story lines to zero in on. There's Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, there's Jarome Iginla's chase for his first championship, can Anderson keep up the amazing play, there's the Fleury/Vokoun goalie controversy, can the Sens rookies keep contributing, and who could forget the Cooke/Karlsson incident.

Co-Sign

At least on media member has come to his senses. How Sens GM Bryan Murray isn't a finalist for GM of the year I'll never know. Not only should he have been nominated, he should be the runaway winner, considering all the rookies and injury concerns we had to deal with this season. Plus Most of the team was drafted by Murray. I just don't get it. At all. No accounting for taste I suppose.