FIVE FINAL THOUGHTS
-They played a damn near perfect game. Going into a winner-take-all Game 7 against the high-flying Penguins in a hostile building, that was exactly the game they had to play. Lights out goaltending from Craig Anderson, defend well and counter-attack when the opportunity presented itself. They were right there. And a bounce the other way and we’re making plans for the Stanley Cup Final this morning. It was that close and for that reason, this one is going to sting for a while. That fluttering puck will be etched in my memory for an eternity. But every single player in that locker room can walk away from the rink knowing that they did everything they could to give themselves a chance in this game, in this series and in this season.
-Wasn’t really sure how I would feel the morning after a loss like that but the prevailing emotion continues to be pride. There’s sadness that it’s over, frustration over how it ended, uncertainty over where they go from here and excitement over what comes next. But more than anything, I woke up just feeling incredibly proud of our Ottawa Senators. The unlikely run they took us on over the last couple months was one of the most memorable stretches in franchise history and though they ended up falling just agonizingly short, I could not be more proud of the year they put together.
-From the outside, you could tell there was something special about this team. The way they battled adversity throughout the year and consistently found a way to prove people wrong, it was clear that this was a unique group. But listening to the comments from Guy Boucher after the game and the quotes from the players, it’s obvious that there was even more going on here than we realized. There have been a lot of good Ottawa Senators teams over the years but perhaps none as close, as united, as this 2016/2017 group. These guys legitimately cared about each other and really felt like they could win it all. Sports is full of great teams but this Ottawa Senators group was truly special.
-As a young sports fan, I used to feel losses like this for weeks. I used to get hung up on what went wrong and what the team could have done differently. But as I got older, I decided that my life as a sports fan was not going to be decided by Championships but by the moments along the way. The goals, the saves, the dramatic wins- the games that stick out in your mind. And the last three rounds of playoffs have had more of those moments than a fan could ever expect. And for that, thank you Ottawa Senators. Thank you for reminding everyone in this city just how much fun being a hockey fan can be.
-Lastly, a quick thank you to the SensChirp Community. It wasn’t always easy running the site this season but the last couple months was a much-needed reminder of just how much fun this place can be when things are going well. It blows my mind that so many of you continue to make this website such a central part of your hockey watching experience and for that I am extremely grateful. Hope you’ll all stick around during the summer months or at least stop by to say hello from time to time. And I hope you all enjoyed this playoff run as much as I did. Thanks.
The Karlsson pass to Brassard.
The Karlsson pass to Hoffman.
Dion Phaneuf’s OT rocket.
Bobby Ryan’s OT redemption.
Clarke MacArthur’s series clincher.
The Karlsson Bank.
P4geau.
Brassard’s late game miracle, OT winner by Turris.
Ryan to Karlsson at MSG.
Ryan’s Game 1 stunner.
The first period of Game 3.
Hoffman’s Rocket.
