FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Please excuse my tardiness, I am mildly hungover. But the good kind of hungover. The kind of hangover you get when you spend the whole damn day celebrating the return of your favourite hockey team. And really, that’s what yesterday felt like- a celebration. From the moment the whispers of an extension started making the rounds on Thursday morning and all the way to the final horn (and then for a couple hours after that), yesterday was a celebration of the Ottawa Senators. The kind of day we’ve been waiting for in this fan base for a long time. The kind of day that reminds you why you picked this silly hobby in the first place. I’ve said it before but sports fandom shouldn’t be measured in championships but rather moments. Yesterday was one of those moments.
-It’s sort of hard to explain but last night, the rink just felt different. If you were there, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There were plenty of the predictable opening night hiccups in terms of logistics but it just felt like the place was buzzing. Just a different vibe that hasn’t really been there since the 2017 playoffs. Of course 600 days without live sports is a big part of it but it was like you could feel that a weight had been lifted off our collective shoulders. Like the fan base got its swagger back. Even with our biggest rivals filling up a good portion of the rink, it felt like Sens fans were louder. Every attempt at a Go Leafs Go chant was almost immediately drowned out. It just felt…alive. In a way that it hasn’t in a long, long time.
-These post-game thoughts are going to be a little low on hard-hitting analysis of the game. I know the Leafs sucked, the Sens ruled, the beer was cold and the officiating was terrible. That about covers it. In all seriousness, as far as season openers go, that was about the best we could have expected from this group. There were momentary lapses throughout the sixty minutes but for the most part, this was a game the Senators just deserved to win. It was one of those “full team efforts” that became a hallmark of this group down the stretch last year. Nice to see them picking up where they left off.
-Ooo boy that’s only three thoughts? I’m fading fast here. Anton Forsberg! How bout that guy? There were a few obnoxious Leaf fans sitting behind me last night and early in the game, they called Forsberg and I quote, “not even an AHL goalie”. Think Anton may have heard them. He was incredible last night, making a handful of spectacular saves and making a lot of really tough stops look routine. One thing that has become abundantly clear in the NHL the last few years is you need more than one goalie to be successful. While Matt Murray is expected to carry the load for Ottawa this year, they’re going to need two guys that they can count on. Based on last night’s effort, Forsberg looks more than capable of giving the Sens some quality minutes this year.
-And then there’s Brady. I have spent a good portion of the day watching the videos and interviews from last night and honestly, it’s probably going to continue for a few days. The mind wandered to some pretty dark places during the depths of that contract negotiation so to see him, in person, with that big dumb grin on his face was just incredible. Based on the reactions in the locker room, it seems like his teammates felt the same way. The Senators are saying all the right things about who the next Captain will be and it’s fine if they want to take their time but watching those interactions in the room, it’s pretty clear who will be the next Captain of the Ottawa Senators.
Smith’s Post-Game Comments
Player Interviews
Boxscore
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