Silver Nuggets: How did you become a Senators fan?
A little bit of a different topic today. After a day in which four Ottawa Senators were voted into the All-Star team, the Senators themselves won 4-1 and capped off by first round pick Mika Zibanejad scoring the overtime winner in the U20 World Championship, I ask you the following: how did you become an Ottawa Senators fan?
For the really young readers, you might have been a kid in Ottawa while the Senators were already there. Some of you may have lived in Ottawa all of your life but used to be a fan of the Leafs or the Canadiens or some other NHL team before switching.
Then there are the oddballs like me who didn't grow up in Ottawa at all nor lived there for a significant period. Having grown up in the Toronto area, for whatever reason, I just didn't like the Leafs. I love the city, I like the Blue Jays and now I like Toronto FC too (basketball and the CFL suck though), but the Maple Leafs just rubbed me the wrong way. In the 90s I followed the Dallas Stars and even had one of those green jerseys.
In the early part of the 2000s, when the Senators drafted Martin Havlat (my first favourite Senators player) and then when they kept losing to Toronto in the playoffs, my love for the Senators grew. It wasn't until after the lockout, with internet streaming that I moved from being a casual fan to a loyal supporter. Now with NHL Centre Ice, I have watched at least part of every single game for over three seasons.
What is your Ottawa Senators story?
Last game
- Game recap. (Silver Seven, Ottawa Sun, Senators Extra, Raw Charge)
- Post game video from Paul MacLean. Kyle Turris is in the playlist too. (Ottawa Senators)
- Mika Zibanejad's overtime winner caused one Swedish newspaper to put a picture of him on a stamp, Foppa style. It is not a real stamp for those wondering. (SportBladet)
- If you didn't like Peter's report card, what the !@#$ is wrong with you? But if you want to read another one, here it is. (SenShot)
- Don Brennan thinks Paul MacLean should be the coach of the year so far. (Ottawa Sun)
- Tim Baines tells Leafs fans that they blew it on all-star voting. (Ottawa Sun)
- The Senators playoff chances are now 50.7% according to SportsClubStats who consider goal difference. PlayoffStatus.com do not seem to consider goal difference and thus have the Senators chances at 60%.
- Erik Karlsson wore a Mika Zibanejad jersey at practise while Gonchar wore a yellow helmet. (Ottawa Senators)
- Chris Phillips returned to practise and Jared Cowen appears to have been relegated to the bottom pairing with Matt Carkner. Pairings are: 1) Kuba-
ZibanejadKarlsson, 2) Phillips-Gonchar, 3) Cowen-Carkner. (Sylvain St-Laurent) - Forward lines remain the same. 1) Greening-Spezza-Michalek, 2) Condra-Turris-Alfie, 3) Foligno-Smith-Butler, 4) Daugavins-Konopka-Neil. (Sylvain St-Laurent)
- Ian Mendes weighs on some Sens topics from the first half. They include how there is no question of trading Alfie or Spezza now (although there appears to be a random Getzlaf for Spezza rumour on twitter). Mendes mentions Erik Karlsson's spectacular season and wonders about what his contract demands might be. Not all is well on defence though, with the Senators near the bottom in goals allowed, but they are scoring a lot, especially in the third. It's probably best if you read the whole thing though. (Sportsnet)
- Once more in a shameless plug (this will happen a lot), read my post if you want go with us to Sens/Oilers game on 11 February or Sens/Pens in March. (Adnan)