UFC 83 set a landmark for Canada; for the first time, Dana White, alongside Matt Serra, Georges St. Pierre and other top level fighters, brought the UFC to The Bell Centre in Montreal. It seemed the entire city came out to watch as the sellout crowd (including me) lined up for what seemed like forever. After a great night of fights and excitement, it finally concluded with Georges “Rush” St. Pierre redeeming his recent loss of the Welterweight Title, as he won his belt back from Matt Serra. In an interview afterward, Dana White said that he had never heard a crowd as loud as when the official decision was announced by Bruce Buffer. It seemed like this would spark a new reign of sports entertainment in Canada.

However, after an altercation at a recent Titan Fighting event, The QAC (Quebec Athletic Commission) has been trying to change the regulations of mixed martial arts, and therefore, the rules governing the UFC for their next trip to Canada. At the Titan Fighting show, a gentlemen’s contract was issued to the fighters. The contract stated that the fighters were to keep all fights standing along with other small changes to the regular MMA rules. It seems somebody decided to neglect one fighter, as James Thompson shot for a take down instantly in the main event. The crowd rioted and charged the cage as the two fighters (Thompson and Steve Bosse) and referee Yves Lavigne ran. After this debacle, the QAC underwent a process to try and change their rules. The new set of rules excluded elbows, knees and takedowns, and may even regulate cage sizes moving forward. The QAC has notified the board of directors of the UFC that in order to hold UFC 97 at the Bell Centre as planned, they would have to comply with these new rules, or there would be no show.

Canadian fighter Jason MacDonald stated that he was concerned for the well being of the Canadian fans. He expressed strong views that he wants UFC 97 to go ahead as planned although he still remains pessimistic. In an online interview he stressed that UFC representatives and the Director of Regulatory Affairs would sit down with the members of the Commission in Quebec and try to sort things out. Personally, I question projecting the unfortunate results from a smaller event onto the juggernaut that is the UFC, especially since the largely self-governing promotion would almost certainly not run into a similar situation.

Whether it happens in Montreal or not, the card suggests that their will be some amazing fights, including Anderson Silva v. Thales Leites, “The Iceman” Chuck Liddel v. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and an appearance from Ed Herman. Also, finalist of last season’s Ultimate Fighter, Krzysztof Soszynski, will be making his second appearance in the UFC. Canadian born Jason Macdonald will also be fighting against Nate ‘The Rock’ Quarry (who won fans over at the first Canadian UFC event), along with Sam Stout, who is rumored to be fighting on the undercard.

If UFC 97 goes ahead as planned in Montreal, then it is sure to be another night for the record books for UFC. One thing if for sure, the UFC will always have a place in Canada, whether it’s on TV or in live action. Hopefully the QAC and other provincial directors will allow Dana White and his superstars to fight live for the Canadian fans.

Signs of a turnaround for the Ottawa Senators are appearing everywhere; Cory Clouston seems to be finding his groove as the new head coach of the Ottawa Senators. After four games, Clouston has finally found a way to motivate his team enough and coached them out of a three game losing streak. As of late, the young coach has been able to provide his Senators with an extra jump in their stride.

Dany Heatley’s offensive play as of late has shown sudden signs of life as he has netted three goals in four games. Jason Spezza has also stepped up his offensive presence as he posted two goals and two assists in the past four games. The Captain of the Sens, Daniel Alfredson, has apparently been taking a greater leadership role in the dressing room. This could mean the return of the forceful, and much dreaded Big Three Offense. The improved play could not have came at a more pivotal time for the Sens as the playoff picture heats up.

The Senators put together four straight wins for the first time this season. The small streak includes a series sweep over Buffalo in a home and home. This isn’t necessarily a large accomplishment against a struggling team like the Sabers, but at this point in the season the Sens will take anything they can. Winning the home and home series against the Sabers must have tightened some loose bolts on the team as the Senators came out strong Thursday night and put away the Flyers, who currently sit fourth place in the Eastern Conference. They followed it up Saturday with a big come from behind win over Minnesota.

Rookie goalie Brian Elliot has taken over the starting role for the Senators and in the past four games (all wins) he has averaged 25 saves and only allowed 8 goals in total. He has rewarded the Sens for placing their confidence in him with his stellar play, though he struggled some on Saturday.

Last month the Sens were only able to muster up four wins in 12 games, raking in just 10 points towards the standings. So far this month, with Clouston behind the bench, they have taken 9 points in seven games (all in the last five). If the tear continues, they could be looking at their best month of the year (their previous month high was 11 points).

Despite the results for the Senators they have not been tested by the best teams. Their next two games (Nashville and Colarado) continue the line of teams all sitting around the .500 marker. The Senators next real test does not come until they play at home to the Vancouver Canucks on the 19th. The Canucks are currently 13-9-4 on the road this year, with Daniel Sedin in the top-20 for scoring and Roberto Luongo sporting a .913 save percentage.

A home stand spanning from February 24th to March 11th gives the Sens a chance to win some fans back as they host provincial rivals Toronto on two separate occasions. They also play against the Sabers, whom they beat to start their recent hot streak. Hopefully the eight straight home games will help the Senators improve their 12-9-5 home record, possibly projecting them into late season playoff contention.

Yes it’s true, the recent play of Ottawa has been impressive in comparison to the first half of the season, but is it enough? Are the Senators going to be able to turn their season around enough to move up four spots (representing 14 points) in the standings with only 28 games remaining? The team remains optimistic but many outside viewers think that the recent spark in play is just too little and too late. Personally, I think they’ll need their big stars to continue to step up and get more contributions from role players like Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly, but the Eastern Conference playoff picture is open enough for the Senators to sneak in.

On February 2nd, the Ottawa Senators fired Craig Hartsburg after leading the team to a 17-24-7 record. Hartsburg is one of many coach firings in the NHL so far this year. With the firing of Hartsburg many questions were raised for the Sens, primarily, do you break up the so called ‘Big Three’? Or do you tank the season and look for an early first round draft pick to rebuild around? One question, though, stands out in many minds – who is the next coach to get the boot?

All season, good teams have been slumping due to a lack of morale in the change-room and less emotion and effort on the ice. Of course, the coach of the last place team in the league, the New York Islanders, Scott Gordon has to be considered. Their record is a paltry 16-29-5, however, recently the team has played with an extra spark, winning four straight games last week. With the scoring power of Ilya Kovalchuk, John Anderson has to be thought of as on the hot stove as well. Nine home wins is unacceptable for any team, but when you can’t win with one of the league’s best scorers, there is a real problem. Likewise, the Colorado Avalanche have always been a team to be in the Stanley Cup hunt, but are last in their division with only 49 points. Tony Granato, then, is a big candidate for the dubious honor of Next Coach Fired.

While these coaches could be let go without much fanfare, one coach stands out more than the others. The Pittsburgh Penguins should be an annual Cup contender – with two of the league’s top three scorers in Malkin and Crosby, sitting just above .500 is unacceptable. Coach Michel Therrien has somehow failed to produce a team in playoff shape. The Penguins currently sit two points out of a playoff spot and their recent play (losing four of six) doesn’t show any sign of improvement for a team that had the forth best record in the NHL last year.

Michel Therrien’s inability to produce wins form a team that is highly capable shows that there could be possible tension in the dressing room. A lack of effort from the Penguins in recent play could be what sends Therrien to unemployment. One thing is for sure, coaches aren’t safe in the NHL right now – if you do not produce wins you will walk the plank.