When the Ottawa Senators take on the Washington Capitals tonight at the Canadian Tire Centre, it will be a special moment for one of the most loyal and dedicated players in the history of the franchise.
Chris Phillips plays game number 1,179 tonight passing Daniel Alfredsson for the franchise lead in that category. There’s a special pre-game ceremony planned that will include Alfie, as well as some other Sens’ alumni including defenceman Wade Redden.
I’m half expecting Alfredsson to bring his uniform and gear along with him so he can suit up and hold on to that games played record for a little longer.
Drafted 1st overall back in 1996, Chris Phillips has spent his entire career wearing Senators’ colours. 1,178 regular season games. 288 points including 71 goals. He played another 114 playoff games, which is where the Big Rig did some of his best work.
Chris Phillips is the type of player that always found a way to elevate his game at playoff time. Whether it was with Anton Volchenkov or Zdeno Chara by his side, Phillips seemed to play his best hockey when the stakes were the highest.
While nobody would ever confuse Phillips for an elite defenceman, at his peak he was considered to be one of the best defensive defenceman in the game.
Today’s NHL is a young man’s game yet Phillips has found a way to hang around and continue playing the game that he loves. He’s certainly not the top pairing, big minute guy he once was but he’s great in a 6th or 7th defenceman role. He’s always had a terrific work ethic on and off the ice and been a great example for the young defenceman that enter the organization.
And while offence was never really his thing, he’s scored some big goals along the way. Game 6 against the Devils and his 1000th game immediately jump to mind.
He’s also been fiercely loyal to this organization and to this city. It’s the kind of loyalty that is pretty rare in today’s NHL but the kind you have to appreciate when you see it.
With today’s analytic-heavy approach to hockey analysis, some fans seem to place less and less value on things like heart, leadership and loyalty. If you can’t measure it then it doesn’t exist.
We have a tendency to talk about players like they’re robots and forget about the human side of the game. But as Chris Phillips plays game 1,179, we are reminded of just how important things like heart and leadership really are. Nothing is guaranteed for a player that hears his name called on draft day but through hard work and dedication, Phillips has been able to carve out an impressive career.
Congratulations, Chris Phillips on an amazing accomplishment and a special moment in Ottawa Senators history.
Line up notes coming later this morning. In the meantime, here’s a great interview with Phillips has he reflects on his career and talks about how significant this record is for him.
(UPDATE 2:36 PM)– Just an optional game day skate for the Senators this morning so the line up will remain a bit of a mystery until puck drop. With that said, it looks like Dave Cameron will go with the same forwards and swap out the bottom pairing on defence. Here’s how the Senators are expected to line up for this one.
MacArthur-Zibanejad-Ryan
Hoffman-Turris-Stone
Michalek-Legwand-Lazar
Condra-Pageau-Neil
Methot-Karlsson
Cowen-Ceci
Phillips-Gryba
Robin Lehner gets the start in the Ottawa goal.
