It's Like a Part of Me Died

Of all of the teams that my favorite player could have signed with it had to be the team that tops my most despised list. Today was the first day of NHL free agency, and also very likely the end of the Ottawa Senators as my favorite team. Wade Redden signed with the New York Rangers for 6 years at $6.5 million per season. I have been in love with Wade Redden forever, with someone stalker-ish results. When I was in Grade 11 I wrote an essay about Wade Redden for an English class, for the record this is the most creepy thing I have ever done in relation to a professional athlete and I'd like to think that he would be somewhat flattered rather than entirely creeped out but really I was in high school. I also wrote one about Ian Thorpe for the 2000 Olympics but not the point here.

So now I'm torn, do I stick with the Sens or abandon ship and go with someone else? I won't ever be a Rangers fan but the Oilers are still pretty high up there for me. Granted I've been a horrible hockey fan as of late so maybe this shouldn't really matter to me but it still does. Gah! I'm so angry. What are the 5 stages of grieving again? Anger, denial... CRAP!

But let's throw in a picture of Wade in a Sens jersey for old times sake.

I wonder if it's my fault

I am one of those people who believes that the things that I do affect other things. For example last year during the NHL playoffs I fell asleep watching a Senators game. The Sens were ahead when I fell asleep and as soon as I woke up the Penguins scored. I fell asleep again during intermission and when I woke up the Senators had gotten ahead again and then 1 minutes later the Penguins scored again. The Senators lost the game and I blame myself.

On Tuesday I wrote this post about changing my computer desktop. And wouldn't you know Novak Djokovic lost in straight sets to Marat Safin at Wimbledon yesterday. While it seems like the two things are completely unrelated I can't help but feel somewhat responsible for the loss.

Is it too early to give up on my team?

As you all know by now I'm a bit of a sports nut. There are some sports that I just can't get into, NBA basketball for example. To clarify I say NBA basketball because I do watch college basketball, or at least I do in March. One sport that I am way into is hockey. I've loved hockey since I was about 12. Right around the time I quit figure skating. I should say here that I'm a terrible hockey player. But I do enjoy watching it.

This year has been a really bad year for my hockey fandom. Part of the problem is that I just have no energy anymore. It used to be that Saturday nights for me involved me, my couch and the Hockey Night in Canada double-header. This year I think I've watched about 4 regular season games, but I promised myself I'd watch at least one game a night through the playoffs. So far so good on that front.

However watching my favorite team, the Ottawa Senators, get destroyed by the Penguins is brutal. The first game and a half the Senators just played poorly. Last night, well I don't even know what happened last night. It was all tied at 1-1. It seemed like I went to switch my laundry and suddenly it was 3-1.

The series is now 3-0 for Pittsburgh and I'm ready to give up on my Senators. I guess I'm not being much of a fan but really they're not giving me a whole lot to work with.