It’s sort of hard to explain.
When the Ottawa Senators play the Toronto Maple Leafs in an empty Canadian Tire Centre later tonight, it’s just a game. Sure it’s the Battle of Ontario and yea, it’s the regular season opener but ultimately, just a game.
Yet as I think ahead to puck drop later tonight, it feels like one of the most significant moments in Sens history. Okay maybe not in their history but in my history with them.
I think we’ve all learned a lot about ourselves in the last ten months. We’ve learned what we value and what’s important to us. Perspective does that, I suppose. It lets you see what really matters in life. Family. Health. Certainty.
But the other interesting thing about the last ten months, is it has given me this whole new appreciation for the little things in life. And since I was like eight years old, the Ottawa Senators were one of those little things. Okay, maybe “little” isn’t the right word for it. My life has often revolved around this silly hockey team.
So as I think about later tonight- sitting down, cracking a beer and finally, FINALLY watching the Ottawa Senators play an actual hockey game again, I feel these emotions that I can’t really put into words. It’s just…it’s just been a long time is all.
310 days later, the Ottawa Senators are back.
This is obviously going to be a season unlike any other.
Condensed schedule. Divisional play. And like everything else in life right now, it all comes with the general uncertainty of trying to do anything in the middle of a global pandemic.
On the ice though, it’s an important year for the Senators. Even though the so-called experts/Leaf fans in disguise remain skeptical and almost everyone assumes Ottawa is destined for another basement finish, expectations are different internally. You can hear it in the voices of the team’s key players- this is the point in the rebuild where the losing stops. Or stops being acceptable, anyway. We’re through the worst of it. This team may not be ready to compete just yet but they’re ready to start learning what it takes.
And that’s what’s going to make this year so intriguing.
General Manager Pierre Dorion has built a unique roster. They added at the top of the depth chart- a new first line right winger in Evgenii Dadonov, a first pairing defenceman in Erik Gudbranson and a starting goalie in Matt Murray. At the same time, the team is littered with respected veterans eager to prove they still belong. In a few cases, these are guys fighting for their NHL careers.
Around those new additions and wily veterans are some of the most intriguing young players in the game.
Guys like Josh Norris and Drake Batherson have proven they can do it at the AHL level and now they need to show it on the big stage. Meanwhile Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot have already shown that much and now need to take that next step. From good to elite.
And then there’s Timmy. Er Jimmy.
The now 19-year old Stützle rolls into Ottawa with all the tools to be a good player in the National Hockey League. But if you watched him closely at the World Juniors, it’s clear that he has the potential to be so much more than good. He could be great. It may not happen overnight but then again, maybe it starts tonight.
And that’s a big part of what makes this team so intriguing.
The young core that will ultimately define the success of this rebuild, together, making that transition from promising prospects to everyday NHLers. It’s going to be a hard-working group that refuses to back down. The experts clearly underestimate the Senators but their opponents better not.
Credit to Trevor Shackles for the amazing video, by the way.
The Senators are on the ice for their morning skate and it looks they’ll stick with the same combinations from yesterday’s practice. Colin White and Alex Galchenyuk are the odd men out up front and Mike Reilly is the healthy scratch on defence.
Here’s how the Coach had them lined up.
Tkachuk-Norris-Batherson
Stützle-Stepan-Dadonov
Paul-Tierney-Brown
Paquette-Anisimov-Watson
Chabot-Gudbranson
Wolanin-Zaitsev
Coburn-Brown
Matt Murray gets the start in goal.
HOLY SHIT THERE’S A SENS GAME TODAY!
As we reach the finish line of what seemed like an eternal stretch, I want to take a moment to thank all of you. When the Senators were taken away from us more than 10 months ago, I really thought SensChirp would go too. The idea of running a site like this through an extended period without hockey seemed basically impossible. And at times, sort of pointless. I didn’t think it would happen over night but it seemed inevitable that the lights would finally go out at SensChirp.
Except, a weird thing happened- you all just kept coming back.
You talked about the news of the day, politics and public health mostly, and when there was time (and there was so much time), about every possible topic involving the Ottawa Senators. Regulars would leave from time to time only to reappear a couple weeks later to say hello. As the world around us learned the value of community, the same thing happened in our weird corner of the internet.
And it turned out I needed this place more than I realized. So, thanks.
Now, let’s watch a Sens game, shall we?
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 1-0-0 | Undefeated |
| Goals For | 5.00 (T-3rd) | Soon |
| Goals Against | 4.00 (T-23rd) | Never |
| Power Play | 50% (T-3rd) | Perfect |
| Penalty Kill | 33.3% (28th) | Perfect |
| Shots For | 34.0 (8th) | Soon |
| Shots Against | 32.0 (14th) | Nope |
| Leading Scorers | Who cares | Tkachuk- 0 pts Dadonov- 0 pts Chabot- 0 pts Stützle- 0 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Felix Potvin 266-260-85 2.76 GAA, .905 sv% |
Matt Murray 0-0-0 0.00 GAA, 1.000 sv% |
And while I know most of you will spend the day lost in the beauty of the HEAD2HEAD table, please find 26 minutes to check out Episode 14 of The SensChirp Podcast featuring Chris Phillips!
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The SensChirp Podcast
