Ottawa 67’s Beat – Dress Rehersals Are Over & Win Tickets to 67’s Opener!
The Ottawa 67’s concluded their exhibition schedule last week with a 4-4 tie in Kingston on Wednesday night and a 3-0 loss to the Belleville Bulls at home on Friday. Against Kingston, the 67’a erased a 4-0 deficit to come back and earn the tie. The uneven performance against the Bulls was just one of those nights that nothing went right. Disappointing, but they are better off having one of those games in the preseason than after the games begin for real!
The club finished the preseason with a 2-2-1 record, despite missing at least 10 regulars for most games, who were at NHL rookie and training camps. I had a chance to speak with owner Jeff Hunt during the 67’s “Kids Pass” event at Pro Hockey Life on Saturday, and he is very optimistic about the team’s chances this year. He told me the exhibition record is a little misleading due to so many stars being absent, and that the team will look a lot different when those guys get back. Ottawa was among the teams with the most players in the OHL at NHL camps, and guys like Toffoli, Prince Mrazek and Martindale (among others) will be returning, which obvioulsy makes a huge difference.
I tend to agree, and as good as some of the replacements played, there is no substitution for the level of talent they were missing. Yes, the teams they played against were also missing players, but the talent that was absent from Ottawa’s lineup was substantial.
It is kind of a catch 22 this week, as one part of 67’s fans and management are hoping that some (or all) of the players will be returned to the club in advance of the season opener Friday night. The other part of the equation is the hope that the players fare well in NHL training camps and get to make an impression, even if it means missing the first weekend of OHL action.
Either way, the puck will still be dropping at 7:30 on Friday night, against the visiting Belleville Bulls. The 67’s will then take back to the ice for a Sunday matinee against the Kingston Frontenacs at 2:00 pm to complete the season opening weekend homestand.
DO YOU WANT TO BE THERE?
I have a 4-pack of tickets to give away this week for the home opener on Friday night. This will be a twitter contest, and anyone who tweets out with the hashtag #ottawa67sopenerthisfriday will be entered into a draw for the tickets. The draw will take place Thursday morning, so that I can award the tickets to someone who can definitely attend.
Get Tweeting!