FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Speechless. It’s 11:25 PM on the night of one of the most incredible regular season games in the history of the Ottawa Senators and I’m still speechless. I’ve said this after playoff wins (and losses) but hockey fandom should never be defined by Championships. Sure that’s what we all want but what really matters are moments. Whether it’s a goal, a win or something as simple as watching a game with your old man, it all comes down to those moments. That’s what really matters. Those moments are what you collect over the years. On Monday, February 15th, the Ottawa Senators gave us all another one of those moments.
-After the win against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, there was a lot of talk about it being a “much-needed” victory. The Senators have played better lately and they were due for a bounce in their direction. Stick with it and eventually you’ll get rewarded. This four-goal comeback win over the Leafs kind of feels like the same thing for Sens fans, only it has been years in the making. Not since the playoff run of 2017 have we had a night quite like that. One of those completely unbelievable, entirely unrealistic, “so that’s why I picked this stupid hobby” kind of nights. Honestly, I was shocked by my own reaction to Evgenii Dadonov’s tying goal and then overtime winner. The sound that came out of my mouth hasn’t been made since Ryan Dzingel scored the tying goal in Game 7.
-There’s really nothing that I could write in these thoughts that will effectively summarize the ridiculousness of what we saw on Monday night. I’ve watched the highlights four times (in a couple different languages) and listened to the radio call for good measure. I’m still not entirely sure what just happened. I watched Sheldon Keefe say the Leafs handed the game to the Senators, I watched Evgenii Dadonov try to explain it in his second language and I attempted to explain to Mrs. Chirp why this was the best Sens moment since 2017. You think you have a team and a sport figured out and then something like this happens. Sometimes hockey just doesn’t make sense and that’s what so great about it.
-So what did happen? How did the 31st place Ottawa Senators spot the 1st place Toronto Maple Leafs a four-goal lead only to score five unanswered goals and walk-away with one of the most dramatic wins in the history of the franchise? First of all, the Leafs were born for this shit. When you’ve been losing for that long and in that spectacular a fashion, you have to find new and creative ways to disappoint your fans. This is a team that blew a four-goal lead in Game 7 and lost to a zamboni driver. This is what they do. But that doesn’t mean the Senators didn’t earn this one. The identity of this team is hard-work and a refusal to quit and we got to see them grow into that identity in real time on Monday. Paul. Zub. Brown. Dadonov. Dadonov. Game.
-As much as I know a moment like this calls for some degree of humility, I am simply not capable of it. Believe me, I tried. I am entirely aware that the Senators sit in 31st overall and I recognize that we have to play this same Toronto team two more times this week. Act like you’ve been there before, as the old saying goes. Sorry. Not this time. I haven’t been here before. Wins like this need to be celebrated. You need to drink three more beers than you had planned and you need to watch the highlights six or seven more times than usual before bed. Enjoy this one, Sens fans. Remember it. Talk about it. Have some fun with it. There’s beauty in the struggle. Go Sens Go.
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