If you were team president...

I’ve wanted to see them make a white version with this logo for ages now http://content.sportslogos.net/logos/1/21/full/x8dxgo0eh0zensmq7icp.gif

But I found going to Ottawa and the All Star fan fair really made me realize how many jersey designs we’ve had over the years. It’s borderline ridiculous. I think if you were to update the red jersey I would want it to harken back to the asymmetrical red jersey that the team wore pre-Edge redesign. That was the jersey that the team wore during it’s most successful period in team history. Update that jersey, it was very unique when compared around the league.

I would switch back to the 2-D Centurion logo on our shoulder patches, and the old-school ‘S’ replacing the ‘O’ on our heritage jerseys. We’d have one black and one white, and our logo would never change again.

I would call Murray and Paulrus into my office and make my expectations clear: MacLean tells Murray what he needs; Murray gets it.

Then I would take my hands off the team, worry about signing checks, and only make changes after a year-end review.

1. Spend to the cap every year (unless we were in the middle of a 3-year rebuild).
2. Appoint a Director of Hockey Operations and then not involve myself in the day-to-day operations of the club.
3. Before every game, select 4-6 Ottawa fans at random to watch the game in the Owner’s Box with me (and my security).
4. Make parking at SBP $10 instead of $11. $11 is a stupid amount to have to pay.
5. Start a personal rivalry with the owner of the Maple Leafs. OH WAIT, THEY AREN’T OWNED BY A PERSON THEY ARE OWNED BY CORPORATIONS.
6. Photoshop Dany Heatley out of every picture he’s in, Stalin-style.
7. Rename the training room after Lyndon Slewidge: “The Slewidge Treatment Centre”.
8. Replace the scoreboard. That’s right, I want a BIGGER scoreboard.
9. Go on the radio and make predictions concerning the team that are full of bravado and self-delusion. The Euge and I share some passions…
10. Buy all the home tickets for home games vs. the Habs and Leafs and then personally disseminate them only to Senators fans.

It’s nice to dream…
10.

1. Adopt the ‘O’ jerseys as the home jerseys, and design a white (or ‘vintage white’) edition to serve as the road jerseys. Re-institute the original centurion logo as a shoulder crest, and use that as a ‘brand’ for the team, mostly because it’s virtually impossible to brand a great big ‘O’ and generate team identity.

2. Improving OC Transpo service to Scotiabank Place would be great, but it’s just treating a symptom instead of treating the disease: Namely, stupid placement of the team’s arena. Assuming I had unlimited funds, I’d relocate the arena to downtown ASAP—and I mean downtown proper, with an arena right on Wellington in between the National Archives of Canada and the Supreme Court of Canada. Imagine the reinvigoration of Ottawa’s central business district if that were to happen? Sparks Street would be a true ‘Sens Mile,’ and would become a dynamic, cosmopolitan draw for the city to brag about (instead of a stagnating wind tunnel that closes at 5 p.m. every day). It would require collaboration from the hockey team, the city, the NCC, and PWGSC, which makes it nearly impossible, but it’s what needs to be done. If it can’t be, then Lebreton Flats is a second choice, and Bayview Yards a third.

Wherever the building is, it would need to incorporate Ottawa’s trademark gothic architecture, echoing the Parliament Buildings, rather than trying to look like the Coliseum or something. Sure, this team uses Roman and Greek imagery to build up a brand, but they’re still the Ottawa Senators, and I think there’s ample room to incorporate more Ottawa and less Rome.

3. Continue investing in the team’s scouting staff, and don’t let it stagnate as happened in the mid-2000s. Teams are built through the draft, and it costs money to pay the league’s elite scouts and development staffs—but that money is paid for, and then some, with team success and young and highly marketable league stars.

4. Bring an AHL team to a small yet somewhat close city, such as Kingston or Kitchener-Waterloo, and affiliate with them. Both of those cities are university towns so there’d likely be a good draw if you reach out to the students (especially since the university year coincides with the hockey season). Don’t be afraid to invest in the team; build a winner. Players would be closer to Ottawa, would understand playing in Ontario, and—perhaps best of all—the Senators would gain traction and a fanbase in a city which is likely 75-90 per cent Leafs fans. By chipping away at the Leafs market dominance in Ontario, the Sens benefit.

5. This one’s a little selfish, but I’ll say it anyway: Reach out to new media, and open yourselves up to them. Make players available. Offer exclusive opportunities that lend themselves better to new media than traditional media. More and more fans are reading blogs instead of newspapers and listening to podcasts instead of radio; embrace that change instead of resisting it, and everyone will benefit.

… I’m sure I could come up with more, but this comment is way too long already.

My first goal as a team president would be to give the fans a shot at the stanley cup every year and to do so (ok I might sound crazy, hang yourself to your chair…)
I’d first trade Milan Michalek Ok ok, calm down I’ll explain you why.
Milan is a goal scorer, but he is only by streches. In the last 3 years (time he has spend in ottawa), he has been good, bad or injured. He has rarely been outstanding. The guy is 27 and is supposed to be in his prime and if what I’m seeing this season is his prime then I’d said he is a great second line winger on an excellent team. From my stand point, he cannot be asked to carry such a big part of a team (a good one) offense like he does in Ottawa. Yes 23 goals looks good but the overall look is still 23 goals, 10 assists and minus 6 (5 on 5 play) in 50 games. Milan have some value this season and when he was hot (before his recent slump) I would have trade him because, nothing is certain with him and it has always been that way. We don’t know if/when he’s going to get injured, we don’t know if this year (23 goals through 50games) is a fluke and we’ve never had his true measure when It mattered due to an injury (2009-2010 playoff, 1gp 0points). You cannot not know so much things about your first line 27yo winger. For all those reasons, I do think we should try to get an upgrade on that first line winger position.

Here’s my proposal on that. Many (I won’t name anyone) were ok to trade prospects/picks to get a player like Ryan (Bobby). I never agreed because I’ve always thought we should held to our rebuilt plan, be patient with our kids (We got GREAT prospects) and not get over excited by the early year success.
That said, I would be perfectly ok to trade a player like Michalek (while hot) for Ryan because I think it is a true upgrade and It don’t sacrifice any piece of our future. Yeah I know It might take more to get Ryan so let’s say (hot) Michalek+Foligno for Ryan? That trade would give us a great first line winger and open up a spot for a guy like Silfverberg or even Stone on that second line for next year.

Second, I’d trade P. Kuba before he hits the free agency and try to get the max (prospects, picks) for him. He has a more value now then he has ever had as a sens, playing on that 1st pairing but we don’t know if i’ll be back next year and if he does, I don’t think he’ll be as dominant as this year. So I’d trade him.

I have many many other crazy moves coming in my mind but for now, I’d just trade those two.

On a final note, I’m a huge sens fan and as an 18y kid living in gatineau (qc) who has been intimidated, ridiculed, abused for been a senator, I gotta say this site is awsome, It’s quite hard to find a true sens fanbase in the canadien flow and your site have been just that. I found it out a couple of weeks ago and I read every article posted ever since. It’s always interesting and educative. It’s great work. Thanks guys for that, keep it up!

and i would do only two things:
1) look at the burgeoning international market; competitions, content/broadcasts,cheap merch, stuff. especially to australia. specifically, my house. (i want a heritage jersey… baad!)

2) drop the “sens” moniker altogether. wtf is a ‘sen’ anyway? checking never in the history of the english language has the word ‘sen’ ever been used to mean senator. you don’t need a nickname for a nickname.