"David Hale's reaction to being a survivor on the Ottawa Senators defence is much like his game. Simple. Straightforward. No nonsense. Just because he's part of the 23-player roster leading up to Friday's regular-season opener against the Buffalo Sabres, he's not about to perform cartwheels. The way he sees it, nothing is finalized yet. "I'm not satisfied, but I'm definitely happy," said the 29-year-old Hale, who is without question the most surprising name remaining on the roster. "I got six preseason games in, and they went pretty well." Hale essentially beat out 19-year-old Jared Cowen for the remaining defence spot in a roster battle complicated by the fact Cowen could only be sent back to the Spokane Chiefs of the major-junior Western Hockey League and not Binghamton of the American Hockey League. Hale, on the other hand, could be assigned to Binghamton at any time. He arrived in camp with little fanfare, and the Senators appeared loaded with young prospects, including Cowen, Patrick Wiercioch and Eric Gryba, all of whom were deemed to be in a battle for the bottom end of the defence roster with Brian Lee. Even when Filip Kuba broke his right leg on the first day of camp, Hale received little attention. It was all fine and dandy for Hale, who says his extensive background helped him block out all the potential distractions as Cowen, Wiercioch and Gryba were all sent elsewhere. A native of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a former first-round pick (22nd overall) by the New Jersey Devils in 2000, Hale has bounced back and forth between the National and American hockey leagues. Now heading into his eighth pro season, he has played 302 NHL games with New Jersey, Calgary, Phoenix and Tampa Bay. He's a bread and butter defensive defenceman, and any points he produces — just three goals and 21 assists in the NHL — are a bonus." Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/hockey/ottawa-senators/surprising David Hale/3617544/story.html
