An Eventful Day For The Ottawa Senators

With news that 90% of 2023-24 season ticket holders are renewing their seats, Senior Vice-President of Marketing and Development Jeff Harrop introduced 28 theme nights, including popular favourites Sparty’s Birthday, Star Wars, and Country Night.

Throwback Thursday will also be held, featuring specific music themes and reduced concession pricing on several items. A big day will be “Sensgiving.” The Ottawa Senators play at 1 p.m. on the Thanksgiving holiday, October 14. Fans will receive a Zamboni-shaped gravy boat.

Senators Vice-President of Business Operations Chris Phillips provided an update stating the club is close to alleviating exit parking conditions. Fans may soon be permitted to use a highway on-ramp previously used by buses only for a quicker postgame exit.

In addition, Phillips announced comedians Jim Gaffigan and Jerry Seinfeld will perform on January 11 in support of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

A full-time partnership with prized female Brooke Henderson seemed inevitable. Henderson, a former minor hockey goalie and Senators fan, will display branded towels and water bottles. At the same time, Brooke and her caddy, sister Brittany, will don “Sens” colours at least once per tournament.

On team expectations:

“My expectations are more immediate – day-to-day. My expectations are that we’re going to be a infused, competitive team, day in and day out – that includes practice. My expectations are that we handle ourselves with professionalism, commitment, team first attitude. Those are my expectations. I think as far as the expectations of what the results are at the end of the season, that’ll be up to the group. But I do think that if you set the standards and Travis (Green) and staff are talking about that, and set the identity of what an Ottawa Senator is, the results at the end of the day will look after itself. I have belief that there’s internal growth with this group, but I believe that the leadership qualities of the veteran players that we’ve got in there will impact this group. I believe our goaltending has been strengthend with Linus (Ullmark) and a healthy Anton Forsberg. So I guess the expectations are what tomorrow looks like, and that’s standard.”

Josh Norris shoulder rehabilitation recovery update:

“I think he has done arguably everything to get prepared for the season. I think it’s all moving in a positive direction. I would say it’s moving towards that.”

In preparation for the coming season after a tumultuous 2023-24 campaign:

“The coaches have put in an extraordinary amount of time preparing. And, you know, they’ve been here through the summer. They’re here again now, preparing for training camp and setting the right standard for this group. So stability, I think you know having confidence, feeling good about yourself, just taking it one day at a time, instead of trying to put it ahead of ourselves. Certainly to me at this point in time, and I know things will be thrown at us this NHL season, but I do think that the experience that we had last year as a group and as individuals, I think it’s prepared us for what’s to come down, and that experience is valuable as much as it was to go through some of these things last year. I think we’ve all grown as people and as a team.”

A highlight of Wednesday was the first in-person appearance of the team’s prized netminding acquisition, Linus Ullmark. Ullmark previously met the media via Zoom call upon being dealt to the Senators by the Boston Bruins.

The newcomer brought his affable charming wit, endearing personality and honesty that Bruins’ fans were used to Ottawa for the first time in a media setting.

On Ullmark’s initial impression of the city of Ottawa:

“I would say calm. It’s nice, peace and quiet. For us, it’s all quite different in a way. The past three years we’ve always heard sirens. We lived really close by the city. So now, wer’e outside, it’s nice to have that peace and quiet when you move in.”

On adjusting to a new city as a family:

“We are doing alright. It’s been a long process. It still is, and I think that with us, being very honest with them (two children) right from the start, that we have to move. We have to do this. Unfortunately, my son had a lot of friends, so it took he took it pretty hard, I would say. But then once again, when they started here in Ottawa. We started saying, hey, there’s some snow. There can be snow for Christmas, for once. And got all excited. And then there we get to skiing as well. So now we’ve started to tell them about the good things and about the positive things and all the things we can do here. He got very excited about it. And once he kind of celebrated all of us, he felt like a good fit, I would say and we’re happy to be here.”

On learning of the trade minutes before the puck drop of Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final:

‘Oh yeah, they called me, like at 1:30 in the night. So yeah, we have two kids who take most of our time, so I’m asleep at that time. I try to get up early in the morning and sleep early in the night. So yeah, it was, it was a roller coaster. Obviously, you’re in dreamland. I’m having a good dream, and all of a sudden, the GM calls you, or, first of all, the agent calls me, but then it’s just one phone call after another, and then you realize everyone like, oh, well, this is a big thing. So that was an experience that I’m gonna have to say at least.”

On team expectations:

“High. but every year there’s high expectation. Doesn’t matter if you’re Ottawa, Boston or Edmonton, or whatever team you are, everybody has high expectations for your team. And it’s the same thing here and that’s why in my mind, you we all play to win. We don’t play for fun. I’ve said it before, so for me, the first step is to create culture, obviously, and try to get back into the playoffs as our first step. And then once we get there, win the first round, then they go on to play a new one. We always have these steps along the way we have to kind of achieve to be able to ultimately play for example.”

On waiting to sign a contract extension with the Senators, wanting to get to know the area:

“Definitely for me, this is the first priority when it comes to me and my career, my family. I play with us, on my family, I think this speaks to a lot of other people that have kids themselves. If things are not taken care of off the ice, it can be hard to focus on what’s important on the ice. You don’t have all these troubles or problems that you have to deal with, or I try to think of it as apps on your phone. You have all these apps that are always on in your phone and just draining energy at all times. So you want to close those off? You want to shut them down. You want to be able to close them just one, and then you can just prioritize that one that will help you to manage your energy and your emotions and all of that, instead of being always tired, cross or whatever, because they say, now that’s taken care of you can only focus on luck.”

Summing up his strong suit as a player:

“Carefree – and I base that often, because I’m both a goaltender and I can’t draw from the best, because what happens, happens.  We go through so many shots, so many goals go in. You know, I’m not perfect every night, never perfect, basically. And I wasn’t really that carefree. I still “care” in a way to be able to perform. At the same time. I tend to let things go very easily.”

There is excitement surrounding the Ottawa Senators.