CNNSI.com - Hockey - Say It Ain't So Reactions: Ottawa Senators

Reactions

Senators fans remember the heartbreakers

CNNSI.com looked at a few of the transactions that made Senators fans shout, "Say It Ain't So." Then we opened the mailbag and let users vent on those and other dirty deals from over the years. Here is a sampling of your reactions:

Martin Straka had a career-high 95 points in 2000-01 for the Penguins.Rick Stewart/Allsport

Have you heard the one about the throw-in to a blockbuster trade who eventually outshines everyone else involved? Ottawa has. When we were forced to trade Bryan Berard for Wade Redden and Damian Rhodes, no one in Ottawa thought twice about giving up Martin Straka as a side to the deal. But after a short stay with the Islanders, Straka went on to explode with Pittsburgh, becoming an offensive catalyst for the Pens.

These days, the Sens would give up almost anything for that kind of scoring up front, especially now that Cashin' Yashin is apparently trying to revive the glory days of Long Island. Pierre Gauthier made some good trades in his day, but considering he was forced to trade his No. 1 overall draft pick, tossing in a 95-point player just seems silly. After the Demitra trade, the Straka throw-in was his worst move.
Brad Caya, Ottawa, Ontario

Pavol Demitra for Christer Olsson. Anyone who cheered for the Sens back then knew this was trouble. That year Ottawa had a defence consisting of offensive-minded Steve Duchesne, an impressive rookie named Wade Redden, steady D-men Jason York and Janne Laukkanen, and thumper Lance Pitlick. So what do they do? With only ONE 20-goal scorer from the previous season, they trade a potential future sniper for another defenceman. Absolutely brutal.
Andrew Walasek, Toronto

More Tales of Woe
CNNSI.com is going team-by-team to look at the biggest heartbreakers in sports history. Click here to visit our archive. Want to be a part of it? We want you to send us your least favorite roster moves of all time. Click here to send us your heartbreaker, which we might include in a future edition of "Say It Ain't So."

What about the Bob Kudelski trade in 1993-'94? OK, bear with me here. In the '93-94 season, Ottawa is an expansion franchise coming off a string of some of the worst seasons in NHL history. Here in Ottawa, the luster of NHL hockey was losing its appeal due to the fact that we had a hard time winning 10-15 games a year. The Sens were playing in the Civic Center (possibly the worst NHL arena in modern history), and plans for a new arena were constantly being delayed. To top it all off, Alex Daigle wasn't scoring, but ... Bob Kudelski? This guy came out of nowhere to score 26 goals in only half a season, and the whole city was in shock that we could, maybe, possibly, have a 50-goal scorer. Then, we went and traded him to Florida for Scott Levins and late draft picks. In retrospect, Kudelski never really matched those numbers again in his career, but to loyal Ottawa fans, it was a clear message from management that the fight to actually win games was going to get worse before it got better.
Brad Caya, Ottawa, Ontario

We could have had Kariya! We could have had Pronger! We HAD Demitra and Straka ... but there's no sense whining about the past. We have an elite team now and I like this Spezza guy. Good riddence Daigle and Yashin!
Carl Kearley, Kanata, Ontario

As a loyal Sens fan, I still have dreams about Pavol Demitra playing with the likes of Arvedson and Alfredsson ... Gauthier just refused to give Pavol a chance to develop, and dealing him for Christer (who?) Olson still stings. Especially when Demitra pots 37 goals for the Blues and shines as an NHL All-Star, playing on both sides of the rink.
Matt Grant, Ottawa, Ontario

For us Sens loyals; the day the Sens traded away Pavol Demitra for a bag of hockey pucks.
capper7, Ottawa, Ontario

The Web

SI.com

SI.com GROUP: Sports Illustrated | Life of Reilly | SI for Kids | TBS/TNT Sports