THEY'VE SEEN THE HOLDOUT AND THE DAMAGE DONE: SENS SEEK $$$

          Senators Chair Rod Bryden said yesterday on the heels of
     the team's arbitration victory over C Alexei Yashin that the
     team "still intends to pursue a damages claim against" Yashin
     for his holdout last season.  Bryden: "We can't get last
     year's empty seats back.  We can't know what our performance
     would have been (with Yashin in the lineup), so we will
     continue the process" (OTTAWA SUN, 6/30).  NHL VP/Legal
     Affairs Bill Daly commented on the team's arbitration victory
     over Yashin: "I certainly think it's a helpful precedent.  I
     think it's been a long-standing league policy, ... which is
     the league has always taken a position that a player has an
     obligation to fully perform his contract before he can
     qualify for (restricted free agency)" (OTTAWA SUN, 6/30).  In
     Ottawa, Allen Panzeri writes that the ruling "will certainly
     dissuade any other players from employing the same gambit,
     meaning there will probably never be another case like this
     one.  Lesson learned, case dismissed" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 6/30).