Hey Sens fans. Lighten up.
Is there a worse way to get somebody to lighten up than by telling them to lighten up? I mean, I wrote the words and even I’m a little bit annoyed. There’s a good chance some of you have already started writing an angry rebuttal to this post after only reading the first sentence.
Seriously though, we all need to relax.
Before this gets twisted into some “you must be getting paid by the organization” bullshit, let me get something out of the way off the top. Eugene Melnyk is clearly financially incapable of operating a professional hockey team and is probably a jerk. Would an employee of the Ottawa Senators say that?! Actually, yes they probably would but that’s not the point.
And before some of you start working on your “Mr. Melnyk has done so much for us” response, let me say that I recognize that he has done good things for this city and that we are fortunate to have a pro hockey team in a precarious sports market like Ottawa.
Where was I going with this? Ah yes. Sens fans need to chill.
Everyone, Ottawa fans and hockey fans in general, recognizes that we’ve been through some shit.
Everything since May 25, 2017 has just been an almost unprecedented stretch of garbage. Sports fans have been through longer periods of torture than ours but it’s hard to think of a fam base that has taken so many kicks to the groin in such a short time. Our kicks to the groin per minute has been up the roof the last 832 days.
And you know what? There’s probably still a little more pain to come.
The Senators are embarking on a tear down rebuild of epic proportions. If you can find an expert prediction that doesn’t have Ottawa in last place this season, I’ll give you a free lifetime membership to SensChirp. Rarely is there this level of consensus about how bad a hockey team will be.
We have sucked and we will likely continue to suck in the short-term. But for the first time in a long time, there is a legitimate prospect of better days ahead. It’s going to take a couple years and it’s going to require a level of commitment from Ownership that hasn’t been there lately but there is legitimate hope for the future.
The light at the end of the tunnel is there. Unparalleled success might be a little strong but there is reason to believe that this team is on the path to building a contending hockey team.
So let’s have some fun with it.
As fans, we have expended a remarkable amount of energy being angry about things that are out of our control. Generally, that’s what being a sports fan is all about but for Sens fans, it’s focused on the sort of stuff that we really shouldn’t have to concerns ourselves with. It’s not normal to be keeping close tabs on things like the departure of a marketing executive, uber scandals, twitter bots and updates from the Buffalo City Court.
While we have spent our time rage tweeting and coordinating billboard campaigns, the hockey side of the operation has gradually been building something worthy of our attention. Something we can be excited about.
Brady Tkachuk is a year into his NHL career and is already a one-of-a-kind player.
Thomas Chabot has played just over a hundred games and looks like one of the game’s best puck-moving defenceman.
Colin White just put up 40 points as a rookie and is locked in long-term, Erik Brannstrom is among the top prospects in hockey, Drake Batherson development curve is unlike any player the Senators have had in the last decade, Logan Brown is on the verge of becoming a productive top six centre, Josh Norris is about a month away from kicking down the door and forcing his way onto the NHL roster, Jacob Bernard-Docker is poised to represent Team Canada at the World Juniors and Alex Formenton is the fastest man alive. Lassi Thomson is already turning heads, Shane Pinto is named Shane Pinto and Mads Sogaard is way taller than you are.
Christian Jaros, Christian Wolanin, Rudolfs Balcers, Filip Chlapik, Max Lajoie, Vitaly Abramov, Jonathan Davidsson are all close to becoming everyday NHLers. Anthony Duclair, Max Veronneau and Nick Paul probably already are. Filip Gustavsson, Joey Daccord and Marcus Hogberg all have a good chance to be NHL goalies.
If prudent financial management and cap flexibility are your thing, they have plenty of that. More than any other team actually. And the picks. My god the picks.
Heading into what may be one the deepest drafts of all time too.
If you want to be mad, it’s not hard to find reasons to stay that way.
This organization has put fans through the ringer the last two and a half years and in some cases, the wounds are still pretty fresh. Some great players have been shipped out the last couple years and it sucks.
But if you want to get back to enjoying your hobby and feeling good about where things are headed, there are plenty of reasons to feel optimistic.
As the team put it this morning, the kids are alright.
It’s pretty clear that DJ Smith, his staff and the young players that are expected to drive this rebuild are buying in. They believe we are building towards something special here in Ottawa and they all want to be a part of it. And while it might take some time and there are obviously going to be some bumps in the road, it seems like everyone is on the same page.
We have every reason to continue to be skeptical about Ownership. We should question the motives behind the rebuild and wonder if they can execute on the plan they have in place. We can be mad about the things that have gone wrong recently but it shouldn’t stop us from supporting this group of players and you know, occasionally finding time to enjoy our damn hobby.
A few years from now when your friend calls you up and asks if you want to head down to Elgin street a little bit early to make sure you get a good spot on the parade route, I promise you won’t be thinking about Eugene frigging Melnyk.
I have no idea what this is supposed to be but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let my “consecutive days with a post” streak end at one.
SensChirp Rising!
Oh and don’t forget about Returns for Roger’s House this weekend!
