Pride

Editor‘s note: Today we’re running a guest piece from Adam Coplan, a stalwart of the Ottawa Senators community. It’s a throwback to our old FanPosts. Enjoy! — Nkb

Like many of you, I remember exactly where I was when Chris Kunitz scored the double-overtime goal to eliminate the Senators from the playoffs in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals. I had just finished performing at my high school’s spring concert - with the game streamed on my phone resting on the music stand throughout the show - and quickly raced off with a friend to catch the start of the first overtime at his house. When that shot went in, there was a deafening silence in his living room. Neither of us said a word. We just stared at the TV showcasing the celebratory scenes in Pittsburgh in complete and utter disbelief. We were totally shell-shocked. 

Once we came to, after a few minutes of mental and emotional processing, he drove me home. I expected not to sleep much that night. But when I got into bed at nearly 2:00AM, I was overcome with an unforgettable sensation of serenity. One may have even deemed it satisfaction. I was weirded out by this at first, and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. My favourite team - an entity in which I had poured all of my heart, soul and energy into for the last two months of that gruelling playoff run - had just lost in the most heartbreaking fashion you could conceive of. Yet, I seemed to feel alright about it. What I was feeling was an immense sense of pride. 

There is no set criteria that a fan must follow in order to properly be proud of their team. It’s an intuitive feeling, often a consensus among a vast majority of the fanbase without even having to speak a word of it. I think many other Sens fans were extremely proud of that 2017 team. It just went without saying: they gave it their all, they produced unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime moments. And they gave some younger fans their first introduction to how special Sens hockey can be. They gave us an unforgettable ride. 

Pride. This word has not often been synonymous with the Ottawa Senators since that infamous night. The next seven seasons were filled with misery, embarrassment, torment, and a whole lot of losing. Fans were begging for the team to give them even an ounce of joy or success to latch onto, but it just never came. And people started to become apathetic. People started to devote less and less time and energy to the team. There was absolutely nothing to be proud of.

It was, at times, downright embarrassing to publicly out yourself as a Sens fan. When meeting new people or even just making conversation in public, I would tell people that I cheered for the Senators. This was often met with a lamentable and pitiful “ah.” For this to happen time after time in the city of Ottawa was completely degrading. The image and reputation of the team had completely shattered. The Senators were a punching bag in their own backyard. 

The once well-burning flame of fandom in this city had been smothered. The die-hards stuck around, but everyone else seemed to have just moved on. But they never really, truly moved on. They were just waiting to be roped back in. All this city needed was a pulse. And this year, they finally got it. 

There are so many storylines that people will be able to look back on and rejoice over from this past season. The first playoff berth in eight years, the official arrival of Jake Sanderson as a superstar, and the exciting new direction of the team lead by Michael Andlauer and Steve Staios, to name a few. But, for myself, I will choose to look back at this year as the season that the Sens reclaimed their market. The year they reclaimed their fans.

Ottawa is not just a hockey city; Ottawa is a Senators city. And that was showcased loudly and proudly during their first-round series against the Leafs. Sens Mile was bumping every single game night. The CTC was an absolute electric factory. I did not get the chance to go to a game, but even through the TV it was clear that Sens fans brought their absolute A-game to support their team. Not to mention several media members, players, and fans claiming that this was one of the loudest and most energetic buildings they had ever been in. 

I had almost forgotten what it was like for this city and that building to be as insane as they were. But when the puck dropped for Game 3 on home ice, I was brought right back to scenes from 2017. I felt that pride again that had been missing for so long. 

The Sens did not win this series, and in almost any other circumstance, losing to your most hated rival in the playoffs would be met with anger, frustration, and unrest from the fanbase. But I haven’t felt any of that. I could not be more proud of what Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators did this season. Ottawa is alive again. And it’s all because of them.

The future is so bright for this team. You just know they are going to come back next year better and hungrier than ever. They now know what this city can look like when they are able to deliver results. They see how loud we are, and I certainly hope they know how proud we are. It nearly took a decade, but the Senators have arrived. And I think they’re here to stay for a long time. 

Go Sens Go.