WRITTEN BY SENSCHIRP READER- JOE
It’s time to retire the centurion. It’s time to #GoWithTheO.
This isn’t the first time this idea’s been kicked around the Sens fan base. Spencer over at Sensnation wrote about it back in December and it seemed to come up every time the boys rocked their heritage kits this season.
But after hearing some of Cyril Leeder’s comments Friday about changes coming to The Wheelhouse and other things they’re doing to ramp up to the 25th anniversary in 2017, it seems like a good time to reboot the discussion.
The Sens reached the end of an era – abruptly – when Alfie left. The former captain was the so-called face of the franchise but for his entire tenure here there was another face of the team too – that of a centurion. And while the styling of that face changed a few times, including the unfortunate creepy-neighbour-in-the-bushes face that adorned the red sweater during the 2007 playoff run, the centurion was as much a part of the Senators mystique as Alfie, Neiler and Spezza.
For many Sens fans, the 2013-14 season was the equivalent of the rebound period after a bad breakup. We did some things that were way out of character (playing Neil in the last minute when we’re down by 1, sending Zibanejad down and keeping Da Costa up as camp broke, to name two) and we generally staggered around trying to come to terms with our loss.
Now, it seems like we’re ready to move on. The rink’s getting a fresh coat of paint, the team’s going to see more on-ice changes this summer and we’re going to head into 2014-15 with our eyes on the future – another draft, an outdoor game, new seating configurations in the CTC and perhaps another new captain. Many faces of the franchise’s golden years of the 2000s are gone. It’s time for the centurion to go with them.
The centurion logo is a product of its time. The 90s were full of oddly cartoonish crests and overly-stylized emblems. But when one thinks of iconic logos, one things of the bold and the simple. The spiked B. The winged wheel. Even the hated blue maple leaf.
And many of the Senators’ expansion era brethren have abandoned their initial offerings for something simpler – the Coyotes and Lightning to name but two. The O logo is iconic. It’s simple. It’s bold. And, as a bonus, it has a connection to history. It’s made it’s way from the shoulder patch of the crest of the alternate jerseys. Now it’s time to take the next step.
Retire the centurion. #GoWithTheO.
