So let me just start by saying that this post was never meant to be split into parts, however so much has happened surrounding the Senators that I felt it necessary to divide up the work. Nobody wants to read a blog post longer than the Nile.
I know I'm late to the party here with this but I'm usually late to every other party I go to anyway so might as well stay on brand here. I also only made this blog a few months ago so cut me some slack okay?
A lot has changed since the ECF in 2017, and these past few years have been a wild ride. It seemed that on occasion, everything was quiet, and then at others it was just one shitstorm after another.
Now I'd like to point out that while some of these stories are funny, some of them are serious or even genuinely heartbreaking. I do not want it to come across like I am making light of these situations. The tragic stories have been included in this post because I still want to keep this factual and also don't want to ignore the fact that they did happen. I want to acknowledge the stories and give my best wishes to those affected.
Anyway, this senscyclopedia (ha, get it?) will aim to detail as much as possible that has happened, but forgive me if I miss anything...
January 2018
The year started off fairly quiet in terms of news, with the most signficant story being Darren Dreger letting slip that the infamous Hall for Larsson, one for one trade, could have in fact been Hall for Ceci. With Ceci falling further out of favour with fans, this news left many wondering what it would've been like having Taylor fucking Hall on the team. However, let's face it- we probably would have traded him anyway.
February 2018
Speaking of Hall, the former potential senator started February's newslines off after he was the unfortunate victim of an Alexandre Burrows tantrum, who was given a 10 game suspension for kneeing Hall in the head. This kickstarted a wave of news mostly comprising on and off-ice shuffling, that could have almost distracted from the Senators poor performances. Almost.
The trades began with Nate Thompson and Dion Phaneuf being shipped off to LA in exchange for Marian Gaborik (who seems to have disappeared into the LTIR abyss) and Nick Shore (who was later flipped). Phaneuf's legacy with the Sens will never be forgotten, mainly because we retained so much salary that for a while he was one of the highest paid players on our blue line, despite not being on our blue line.
Soon after the Thompson/Phaneuf trade, Chris DiDimenico was traded to the Blackhawks in return for Ville Pokka (who ended up going to the KHL), and Gabriel Dumont was claimed off waivers by the Lightning. You know, the same team that put him on waivers in the first place.
Shortly after this, in another memorable threeway (trade), the Sens announced a deal that actually seemed to go well- we lost Derick Brassard but in return got top prospect Filip Gustavsson, Ian Cole (who was flipped instantly), a 2018 1st and a 2019 3rd.
Johnny Oduya was placed on waivers and claimed by the Flyers, and then perhaps the most significant trade at the deadline... didn't happen. Erik Karlsson remained a Senator (as did his bonus throw-in/addition, Bobby Ryan).
In the midst of all of the trade chaos, we saw our beloved owner announce himself as the new CEO of the Sens, replacing Tom Anselmi. Anselmi left the organisation at the beginning of the month, an event completely overshadowed (and arguably covered up) by the announcement of a contract extension for GM Pierre Dorion. Melnyk's self-appointment was met with widespread criticism, not only because the Sens' front office can't get any smaller, but also because nobody wants Mr Burns running everything.
It was all of this perhaps that put one fan over the edge. Spencer Callaghan, writer and fellow depressed Sens fan, tweeted out that he was creating a gofundme page in order to really show our good buddy Eugene what many fans thought. And it worked.
Within a few days, the campaign had raised enough money for several billboards to go up around Ottawa with the simple hashtag:
#MELNYKOUT
(Full honestly here, I can't actually remember who coined the hashtag, or who brought it to the forefront of Sens twitter, so credits to all involved).
The Billboards caused quite a stir, with some fans criticizing it because after all, ya know, Uncle Euge saved the team. However, many fans either donated to the campaign or showed support by using the hashtag, which is still in use to this day (because you know, he hasn't sold the team yet).
March 2018
March, by comparison, was relatively quiet.
The billboards went up, but aside from that, the season was winding down and the tank was in full swing, with the Sens and Sabres competing for the coveted last place and best odds at getting Dahlin.
The end of March however, brought sadness to many across not just the Senators organisation and fanbase, but to the hockey community as a whole. In a heartbreaking announcement, Melinda Karlsson and husband Erik revealed the loss of their son, Axel, just before his due date. The captain took a few days off to mourn with his wife before returning to the Sens lineup. Even now, writing over a year after it happened, I'm still sending my best wishes to Melinda and Erik (not that they'll ever read this but you know).
April 2018
In true melancholic fashion, the beginning of April then saw the end of Erik Karlsson's time as a Sen. In what was to be his last home game, Karlsson took the puck at the end of the game and pocketed it, leaving fans speculating as to whether or not he would be leaving the organisation. This unfortunately was to be true, however this wasn't confirmed until September.
April 4th brought us the heartbreaking news of the passing of Jonathan Pitre, a bright, brave, and courageous teenage boy who had suffered with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa, a moderate to severe form of EB. This is a condition where the skin is so fragile that any slight trauma or friction can cause the skin to blister. Jonathan, an avid Sens fan, had previously been signed as an honorary scout in 2014, travelled to the 2015 NHL Awards, and had been visited by Senators players in the UofM Children's Hospital in 2017. The Jonathan Pitre Award was later created in his honour, to be given to the hardest working player at the Sens Development Camp. He is still an inspiration and I'm glad his memory lives on.
Then, things got weird. Across the days of April 10-11, three town hall events were held during which Eugene Melnyk himself and Pierre Dorion made themselves available for questions.
Questions of course that were only allowed to be asked by Season Ticket Holders.
Who also had to be okay with a ban on any recording of sound or video.
Who also had to be happy travelling to the CTC in the offseason.
Only pen and paper or social media was an accepted method of documenting the events, as if people weren't going to record it anyway. The town halls appeared to be met with mixed reviews from what I saw on twitter, however for a much better write up I'll refer you to the writings of my good friend Beata:
https://www.silversevensens.com/2018/4/11/17227366/recapping-senators-three-town-halls-melnyk-dorion
May 2018
May was a month the Sens gave us relatively little to stress about. The playoffs continued on without us- we hadn't finished dead last, but still had a shot at a good pick. It also felt like we had a breather from heartbreak and drama for a little while.
Of course, that didn't last long, but at least it was drama we could all relate to.
May ended with Daniel Alfredsson, Sens hero, being caught saying what most of us are thinking- in that he hopes the Senators get a new owner. A feeling many still share today, if not more than ever before.
June 2018
June.
Was.
Wild.
The month in which I returned to Canada was a whirlwind from start to bloody finish.
It all started on the very first day of the month when Assistant GM (and man whose parents gave him the wrong name) Randy Lee was detained in Buffalo on charges of harassment. He was charged after allegedly rubbing the shoulders of a nineteen year old bus driver without any permission, continuing to do so after being asked to stop, and making several inappropriate and lewd comments regarding his own genitalia as well.
Yes you heard me, nineteen years old.
While this behaviour isn't acceptable in any circumstance, let's remember that nineteen is roughly the same age as many of our rookie players who play down in Belleville.
You know Belleville.
Where Randy Lee was GM.
And it took the Senators organisation TWO BLOODY WEEKS to suspend Lee.
My heart goes out to the young man affected by this and I'm still mad even now about how blasé the Senators were regarding the situation.
On June 4th, it was announced that little onesies sold by the org for those perfect mini fans out there had been recalled over fears of a choking hazard, because not even baby fans are safe from this fucking organisation.
Then, on June 12th it came to light that Melinda Karlsson had applied for a peace bond/filed an order of protection against Monika Caryk, girlfriend of Mike Hoffman. Melinda alleged that she had been victim to cyberbullying from Monika for an extended period of time up to and including when her and husband Erik tragically lost their son. Caryk and Hoffman obviously vehemently denied the claims, however the damage had been done once the story came out, and just a week later Hoffman was shipped off to San Jose, where he was then flipped across to Florida in a fleecing so bad that would make sheep feel like they had it easy.
June 22-23rd brought the draft to us. Myself and a selection of fellow Sens twitter users descended upon the Senate Tavern in Byward in order to watch the first round selections (something that completely baffled the poor waitress). The Sens picked 4th and instead of giving up the pick to Colorado, they selected Brady Tkachuk, a choice which initially did anger us. I've already spoken about how fucking wrong we were, and how much I now adore the little shit, so I'll move swiftly on. In perhaps one of his smartest moves, Dorion then traded the 1st, placed at 22nd overall, to the Rangers for the 26th overall pick and the 48th overall pick at the draft- useful as the Sens did not have a 2nd round pick. These became Jacob Bernard-Docker and Jonny Tychonick (selected the next day) respectively. The Sens then selected Jonathan Gruden, Angus Crookshank, Kevin Mandolese, Jakov Novak and Luke Loheit in the following rounds. Actual draft itself aside, it was honestly a pleasure to finally meet so many friends I'd made through my shitty twitter account, and I can't wait to come back to Canada soon.
The last news in June was that Alexandre Burrows was bought out, signalling the final end to an idea that should never have happened.
July 2018
On July 1st, free agent Freddie Claesson left the organisation. He was somewhat of a fan favourite, having brought humour to a team which so often lacked it, but such is the game of hockey that UFA's often move on.
A few weeks later, the news then broke that former Sens goalie Ray Emery had passed away. He tragically drowned after a swimming accident in Hamilton, his home town, at the age of just 35. While Emery had a fair share of off-ice problems and issues (including being arrested for assault of his ex-fiancee), his death was still upsetting, not only to his friends and family but also to fans of the team. Emery had gone with the Sens to the Stanley Cup final against the Ducks in 2007 and he has left a lasting legacy behind.
It was revealed in late July that (just a few months earlier), another incredibly tragic incident occurred. Once again, I do not wish to make light of this, just provide an account. During an evening gathering at the home of (now former) Sens player Cody Ceci back in May, Hana Engel (the partner of one of Ceci's former 67's teammates, Jake Caldwell) was horrifically injured. The players and their partners were sat around a tabletop fireplace when Jamie Thompson, Ceci's partner, noticed one of the cylinders was low. The fuel bottle Thompson used to refill the burner then caught fire itself, and in her panic, she threw the bottle, which then accidentally hit Engel, engulfing her. Engel suffered second and third degree burns across 35% of her body and was placed in a medically induced coma for three weeks. Since that evening, she has had an incredibly long recovery process, including skin grafts, physiotherapy, and more. Over a year on, I hope Hana is continuing to progress with her mental and physical recovery, and I hope she is getting stronger every day. I also wish her the best with the lawsuit she has chosen to file.
August 2018
Speaking of Cody Ceci, after the Sens were unable to come to an agreement with him, the deal went through arbitration, a fate Mark Stone actually avoided, much to the delight of Sens fans... Until we saw the deal. He signed for a year.
One fucking year.
And with that, we knew Stoner was pretty much out of the door quicker than you could say Melnykout.
The end of August did give the Sens some good news- Randy Lee resigned, and we were heading toward training camp with our captain in tow.
September 2018
The good news was quickly revealed to be false hope, as September brought with it a lot of sadness and despair, however it also blessed us with some iconic content we could at least laugh at to hide the pain.
The 11th saw the release of the video that I affectionately call the "SO LET'S TALK HOCKEY" video. A bizarre PR disaster, it saw fan favourite Mark Borowiecki sit down with our beloved owner to discuss the upcoming season. It was filled with sound bites such as the aforementioned "So let's talk hockey", "Right now we're kind of in the dumpster", and "So you get excited because they're excited, (which) gets me excited, gets all of our fans excited and our sponsors".
Yes, that was an actual utterance that came out of Eugene's mouth.
A sentence so bad, one that was so much of a mess, that the Steve Dangle Podcast turned it into a fucking t-shirt.
To relive the nightmare, here's the link to the original tweet and video.
You're welcome.
https://twitter.com/Senators/status/1039334041219084289
Training camp was fast approaching and concerns from fans regarding the future of Erik Karlsson were growing by the second, especially after that video. We were very much on edge with many wishing that a trade would be announced just so we at least knew where we stood.
And then, it happened. Not quite a friday, but on the 13th September, Erik Karlsson was traded to the San Jose Sharks alongside Francis Perron for Dylan DeMelo, Chris Tierney, Rudolfs Balcers, Josh Norris, and several picks and conditional picks I still don't understand now. Over a year on his departure has left, well, quite frankly, a massive Erik Karlsson-shaped hole on the team that perhaps only Thomas Chabot can fill now.
To add insult to injury, or rather in this case, injury to insult, it was then announced that Jean-Gabriel Pageau had suffered a torn achilles tendon ON THE SAME DAY. It was another blow for the Sens before the season had even started. Luckily, Pageau returned to the lineup much quicker than expected and has thankfully recovered well. He was sorely missed however.
Then, on the 18th, perhaps one of the best memes was born. Pierre Dorion was being interviewed on Sportsnet during the pre-season. When asked by Sportsnet anchor David Amber about what the number one thing he was optimistic about in terms of the Ottawa Senators, Dorion simply answered:
"We're a team".
A quote so accurate and on the nail at the time that even now it still makes me laugh. I've just named my fantasy hockey team after that god damn quote.
The attempt at camaraderie from Dorion failed to reach Zack Smith however, who was placed on waivers just a week later. Even now, the motivation for this is still unclear- whether it was to kick his ass into gear or to shake up the dressing room, it angered many of the his teammates and seemed to alienate the players from their GM even further.
It also acted as a brilliant indicator of the shitstorm of a season we were about to enter.
To be continued...
I know I'm late to the party here with this but I'm usually late to every other party I go to anyway so might as well stay on brand here. I also only made this blog a few months ago so cut me some slack okay?
A lot has changed since the ECF in 2017, and these past few years have been a wild ride. It seemed that on occasion, everything was quiet, and then at others it was just one shitstorm after another.
Now I'd like to point out that while some of these stories are funny, some of them are serious or even genuinely heartbreaking. I do not want it to come across like I am making light of these situations. The tragic stories have been included in this post because I still want to keep this factual and also don't want to ignore the fact that they did happen. I want to acknowledge the stories and give my best wishes to those affected.
Anyway, this senscyclopedia (ha, get it?) will aim to detail as much as possible that has happened, but forgive me if I miss anything...
January 2018
The year started off fairly quiet in terms of news, with the most signficant story being Darren Dreger letting slip that the infamous Hall for Larsson, one for one trade, could have in fact been Hall for Ceci. With Ceci falling further out of favour with fans, this news left many wondering what it would've been like having Taylor fucking Hall on the team. However, let's face it- we probably would have traded him anyway.
February 2018
Speaking of Hall, the former potential senator started February's newslines off after he was the unfortunate victim of an Alexandre Burrows tantrum, who was given a 10 game suspension for kneeing Hall in the head. This kickstarted a wave of news mostly comprising on and off-ice shuffling, that could have almost distracted from the Senators poor performances. Almost.
The trades began with Nate Thompson and Dion Phaneuf being shipped off to LA in exchange for Marian Gaborik (who seems to have disappeared into the LTIR abyss) and Nick Shore (who was later flipped). Phaneuf's legacy with the Sens will never be forgotten, mainly because we retained so much salary that for a while he was one of the highest paid players on our blue line, despite not being on our blue line.
Soon after the Thompson/Phaneuf trade, Chris DiDimenico was traded to the Blackhawks in return for Ville Pokka (who ended up going to the KHL), and Gabriel Dumont was claimed off waivers by the Lightning. You know, the same team that put him on waivers in the first place.
Shortly after this, in another memorable threeway (trade), the Sens announced a deal that actually seemed to go well- we lost Derick Brassard but in return got top prospect Filip Gustavsson, Ian Cole (who was flipped instantly), a 2018 1st and a 2019 3rd.
Johnny Oduya was placed on waivers and claimed by the Flyers, and then perhaps the most significant trade at the deadline... didn't happen. Erik Karlsson remained a Senator (as did his bonus throw-in/addition, Bobby Ryan).
In the midst of all of the trade chaos, we saw our beloved owner announce himself as the new CEO of the Sens, replacing Tom Anselmi. Anselmi left the organisation at the beginning of the month, an event completely overshadowed (and arguably covered up) by the announcement of a contract extension for GM Pierre Dorion. Melnyk's self-appointment was met with widespread criticism, not only because the Sens' front office can't get any smaller, but also because nobody wants Mr Burns running everything.
It was all of this perhaps that put one fan over the edge. Spencer Callaghan, writer and fellow depressed Sens fan, tweeted out that he was creating a gofundme page in order to really show our good buddy Eugene what many fans thought. And it worked.
Within a few days, the campaign had raised enough money for several billboards to go up around Ottawa with the simple hashtag:
#MELNYKOUT
(Full honestly here, I can't actually remember who coined the hashtag, or who brought it to the forefront of Sens twitter, so credits to all involved).
The Billboards caused quite a stir, with some fans criticizing it because after all, ya know, Uncle Euge saved the team. However, many fans either donated to the campaign or showed support by using the hashtag, which is still in use to this day (because you know, he hasn't sold the team yet).
March 2018
March, by comparison, was relatively quiet.
The billboards went up, but aside from that, the season was winding down and the tank was in full swing, with the Sens and Sabres competing for the coveted last place and best odds at getting Dahlin.
The end of March however, brought sadness to many across not just the Senators organisation and fanbase, but to the hockey community as a whole. In a heartbreaking announcement, Melinda Karlsson and husband Erik revealed the loss of their son, Axel, just before his due date. The captain took a few days off to mourn with his wife before returning to the Sens lineup. Even now, writing over a year after it happened, I'm still sending my best wishes to Melinda and Erik (not that they'll ever read this but you know).
April 2018
In true melancholic fashion, the beginning of April then saw the end of Erik Karlsson's time as a Sen. In what was to be his last home game, Karlsson took the puck at the end of the game and pocketed it, leaving fans speculating as to whether or not he would be leaving the organisation. This unfortunately was to be true, however this wasn't confirmed until September.
April 4th brought us the heartbreaking news of the passing of Jonathan Pitre, a bright, brave, and courageous teenage boy who had suffered with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa, a moderate to severe form of EB. This is a condition where the skin is so fragile that any slight trauma or friction can cause the skin to blister. Jonathan, an avid Sens fan, had previously been signed as an honorary scout in 2014, travelled to the 2015 NHL Awards, and had been visited by Senators players in the UofM Children's Hospital in 2017. The Jonathan Pitre Award was later created in his honour, to be given to the hardest working player at the Sens Development Camp. He is still an inspiration and I'm glad his memory lives on.
Then, things got weird. Across the days of April 10-11, three town hall events were held during which Eugene Melnyk himself and Pierre Dorion made themselves available for questions.
Questions of course that were only allowed to be asked by Season Ticket Holders.
Who also had to be okay with a ban on any recording of sound or video.
Who also had to be happy travelling to the CTC in the offseason.
Only pen and paper or social media was an accepted method of documenting the events, as if people weren't going to record it anyway. The town halls appeared to be met with mixed reviews from what I saw on twitter, however for a much better write up I'll refer you to the writings of my good friend Beata:
https://www.silversevensens.com/2018/4/11/17227366/recapping-senators-three-town-halls-melnyk-dorion
May 2018
May was a month the Sens gave us relatively little to stress about. The playoffs continued on without us- we hadn't finished dead last, but still had a shot at a good pick. It also felt like we had a breather from heartbreak and drama for a little while.
Of course, that didn't last long, but at least it was drama we could all relate to.
May ended with Daniel Alfredsson, Sens hero, being caught saying what most of us are thinking- in that he hopes the Senators get a new owner. A feeling many still share today, if not more than ever before.
June 2018
June.
Was.
Wild.
The month in which I returned to Canada was a whirlwind from start to bloody finish.
It all started on the very first day of the month when Assistant GM (and man whose parents gave him the wrong name) Randy Lee was detained in Buffalo on charges of harassment. He was charged after allegedly rubbing the shoulders of a nineteen year old bus driver without any permission, continuing to do so after being asked to stop, and making several inappropriate and lewd comments regarding his own genitalia as well.
Yes you heard me, nineteen years old.
While this behaviour isn't acceptable in any circumstance, let's remember that nineteen is roughly the same age as many of our rookie players who play down in Belleville.
You know Belleville.
Where Randy Lee was GM.
And it took the Senators organisation TWO BLOODY WEEKS to suspend Lee.
My heart goes out to the young man affected by this and I'm still mad even now about how blasé the Senators were regarding the situation.
On June 4th, it was announced that little onesies sold by the org for those perfect mini fans out there had been recalled over fears of a choking hazard, because not even baby fans are safe from this fucking organisation.
Then, on June 12th it came to light that Melinda Karlsson had applied for a peace bond/filed an order of protection against Monika Caryk, girlfriend of Mike Hoffman. Melinda alleged that she had been victim to cyberbullying from Monika for an extended period of time up to and including when her and husband Erik tragically lost their son. Caryk and Hoffman obviously vehemently denied the claims, however the damage had been done once the story came out, and just a week later Hoffman was shipped off to San Jose, where he was then flipped across to Florida in a fleecing so bad that would make sheep feel like they had it easy.
June 22-23rd brought the draft to us. Myself and a selection of fellow Sens twitter users descended upon the Senate Tavern in Byward in order to watch the first round selections (something that completely baffled the poor waitress). The Sens picked 4th and instead of giving up the pick to Colorado, they selected Brady Tkachuk, a choice which initially did anger us. I've already spoken about how fucking wrong we were, and how much I now adore the little shit, so I'll move swiftly on. In perhaps one of his smartest moves, Dorion then traded the 1st, placed at 22nd overall, to the Rangers for the 26th overall pick and the 48th overall pick at the draft- useful as the Sens did not have a 2nd round pick. These became Jacob Bernard-Docker and Jonny Tychonick (selected the next day) respectively. The Sens then selected Jonathan Gruden, Angus Crookshank, Kevin Mandolese, Jakov Novak and Luke Loheit in the following rounds. Actual draft itself aside, it was honestly a pleasure to finally meet so many friends I'd made through my shitty twitter account, and I can't wait to come back to Canada soon.
The last news in June was that Alexandre Burrows was bought out, signalling the final end to an idea that should never have happened.
July 2018
On July 1st, free agent Freddie Claesson left the organisation. He was somewhat of a fan favourite, having brought humour to a team which so often lacked it, but such is the game of hockey that UFA's often move on.
A few weeks later, the news then broke that former Sens goalie Ray Emery had passed away. He tragically drowned after a swimming accident in Hamilton, his home town, at the age of just 35. While Emery had a fair share of off-ice problems and issues (including being arrested for assault of his ex-fiancee), his death was still upsetting, not only to his friends and family but also to fans of the team. Emery had gone with the Sens to the Stanley Cup final against the Ducks in 2007 and he has left a lasting legacy behind.
It was revealed in late July that (just a few months earlier), another incredibly tragic incident occurred. Once again, I do not wish to make light of this, just provide an account. During an evening gathering at the home of (now former) Sens player Cody Ceci back in May, Hana Engel (the partner of one of Ceci's former 67's teammates, Jake Caldwell) was horrifically injured. The players and their partners were sat around a tabletop fireplace when Jamie Thompson, Ceci's partner, noticed one of the cylinders was low. The fuel bottle Thompson used to refill the burner then caught fire itself, and in her panic, she threw the bottle, which then accidentally hit Engel, engulfing her. Engel suffered second and third degree burns across 35% of her body and was placed in a medically induced coma for three weeks. Since that evening, she has had an incredibly long recovery process, including skin grafts, physiotherapy, and more. Over a year on, I hope Hana is continuing to progress with her mental and physical recovery, and I hope she is getting stronger every day. I also wish her the best with the lawsuit she has chosen to file.
August 2018
Speaking of Cody Ceci, after the Sens were unable to come to an agreement with him, the deal went through arbitration, a fate Mark Stone actually avoided, much to the delight of Sens fans... Until we saw the deal. He signed for a year.
One fucking year.
And with that, we knew Stoner was pretty much out of the door quicker than you could say Melnykout.
The end of August did give the Sens some good news- Randy Lee resigned, and we were heading toward training camp with our captain in tow.
September 2018
The good news was quickly revealed to be false hope, as September brought with it a lot of sadness and despair, however it also blessed us with some iconic content we could at least laugh at to hide the pain.
The 11th saw the release of the video that I affectionately call the "SO LET'S TALK HOCKEY" video. A bizarre PR disaster, it saw fan favourite Mark Borowiecki sit down with our beloved owner to discuss the upcoming season. It was filled with sound bites such as the aforementioned "So let's talk hockey", "Right now we're kind of in the dumpster", and "So you get excited because they're excited, (which) gets me excited, gets all of our fans excited and our sponsors".
Yes, that was an actual utterance that came out of Eugene's mouth.
A sentence so bad, one that was so much of a mess, that the Steve Dangle Podcast turned it into a fucking t-shirt.
To relive the nightmare, here's the link to the original tweet and video.
You're welcome.
https://twitter.com/Senators/status/1039334041219084289
Training camp was fast approaching and concerns from fans regarding the future of Erik Karlsson were growing by the second, especially after that video. We were very much on edge with many wishing that a trade would be announced just so we at least knew where we stood.
And then, it happened. Not quite a friday, but on the 13th September, Erik Karlsson was traded to the San Jose Sharks alongside Francis Perron for Dylan DeMelo, Chris Tierney, Rudolfs Balcers, Josh Norris, and several picks and conditional picks I still don't understand now. Over a year on his departure has left, well, quite frankly, a massive Erik Karlsson-shaped hole on the team that perhaps only Thomas Chabot can fill now.
To add insult to injury, or rather in this case, injury to insult, it was then announced that Jean-Gabriel Pageau had suffered a torn achilles tendon ON THE SAME DAY. It was another blow for the Sens before the season had even started. Luckily, Pageau returned to the lineup much quicker than expected and has thankfully recovered well. He was sorely missed however.
Then, on the 18th, perhaps one of the best memes was born. Pierre Dorion was being interviewed on Sportsnet during the pre-season. When asked by Sportsnet anchor David Amber about what the number one thing he was optimistic about in terms of the Ottawa Senators, Dorion simply answered:
"We're a team".
A quote so accurate and on the nail at the time that even now it still makes me laugh. I've just named my fantasy hockey team after that god damn quote.
The attempt at camaraderie from Dorion failed to reach Zack Smith however, who was placed on waivers just a week later. Even now, the motivation for this is still unclear- whether it was to kick his ass into gear or to shake up the dressing room, it angered many of the his teammates and seemed to alienate the players from their GM even further.
It also acted as a brilliant indicator of the shitstorm of a season we were about to enter.
To be continued...
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