Season Opener Was A Symbolic Broom to the Melnyk Era

Leaving the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday, it dawned on me that I had just experienced one of the most fulfilling Senators game day experiences in recent memory.

I don’t say that lightly.

This relaxed sense of comfort and chillness was palpable right from the moment I walked up to the Gate 1 pregame festivities. The vibes were incredible.

One of my favourite things to do when I go to games is jersey watch to see what kind of names and eras people are rocking and this afternoon did not disappoint. There was an assortment of Brady Tkachuks, Tim Stützles and Daniel Alfredssons, but there was also an Alexandre Daigle, a Radek Bonk, an Andrej Meszaros, a Dylan Gambrell and one of the most obscure Sens jerseys I’ve ever seen, a Radim Bicanek (!?!?).

Even in the most cynical, dredge-filled days of the Melnyk era, one of the things the organization did well was its pregame ceremonies. Today’s did not disappoint.

Placing Daniel Alfredsson unexpectedly into the athletic therapist and trainers queue during the staff introductions which led to a spontaneous “Alfie! Alfie! Alfie!” chant was brilliant. As the camera panned down the line, it eventually culminated with a shot of Josh Norris. As the only player on the parent roster who isn’t in the lineup because of his recovery from shoulder surgery and the team’s lack of cap space, Norris received a hearty round of applause from the fan base. Reading his body language, you could feel how much this injury is taking a toll. He desperately wants to be out there with his teammates.

With the Philadelphia Flyers in town and Claude Giroux recording his 1,000th career NHL point during the team’s final home game of the 2022-23 season, the Senators used the opportunity to honour the former captain of the Flyers.

As a Hall of Famer who scored more than 1,000 points with the Senators, Alfredsson was called upon to present Giroux with his commemorative gold stick. In an incredibly thoughtful gesture, the team had Brady Tkachuk give mini gold sticks to Giroux’s two sons, Gavin and Palmer.

It led to one of the best photo opportunities of the young NHL season.

From there, the franchise paid homage to its history by inviting owners from previous eras like Bruce Firestone, Rod Bryden, and the Melnyk daughters (to represent Eugene) to come out for a ceremonial puck drop where new owner Michael Andlauer was introduced to the fans for the first time. It was an unprecedented show of respect and goodwill to a group of individuals who helped keep this franchise in this city during some tough financial times.

Andlauer was received with a standing ovation and deservedly so. From beefing up the hockey operations side of the business to bringing Cyril Leeder back as the organization’s president and CEO.

If there was anything missing from the pregame festivities, it was an opportunity to give Leeder his due too, but his fingerprints were all over today’s festivities.

Another familiar face who made his return today was anthem singer Lyndon Slewidge. Dressed up in a tuxedo with a glittery silver vest, the iconic voice has not stepped onto the Canadian Tire Centre’s ice to sing the anthems since his contract was not renewed for the 2016-17 season.

With his trademark close of a wink, a blown kiss and a thumbs up, Slewidge symbolically ushered out the Melnyk era.

I don’t know if Slewidge’s return is a one-off or whether he will appear on a permanent or semi-regular basis, but fans need to rally around it and start a “Slew!” chant.

Cranking up the nostalgia a step further was the return of superfan Cameron Hughes. The sports entertainer got his start at a Senators game back in 1994, the Ottawa native “inadvertently boogied his way into a career of t-shirt twirling and stair-strutting for audiences around the world.”

Hughes was featured prominently during numerous stoppages in play and at one point, he found himself beside the owner’s suite where he encouraged Andlauer to get up, and handed him a t-shirt to wave. The new owner stood up, smiled, helicoptered the t-shirt around and stirred the crowd into a frenzy. In case anyone needed another example of being in a new era, it’s here.

Not to be outdone, the crowd was exceptional. The chants were on point. The ‘Alfie’ chants organically swelled the moment the legend appeared on the big screen. The ‘Zub’ chants were loud every time the popular defenceman breathed or did anything of consequence on the ice. The “We want Pinto!” chants echoed through the building during the final two periods and sent a clear message to management to stop fucking around and get this important piece back into the lineup.

On the ice, it was an excellent effort after a poor defensive showing against one of the league’s best teams in the Hurricanes. It feels weird to say that the Senators needed to win this one because it was just the second game of the season, but they needed this one. With a relatively soft October schedule, there should be a lot of pressure on this team to win games and build up a points cushion that can give them a bigger margin for error when the schedule gets more difficult.

After Daniel Alfredsson contrasted the differences between this iteration of the Senators and the group that he came up with, it was encouraging to see the Senators limit the Flyers to 21 shots — which was half of what they allowed in Carolina.

If the NHL ever had reason to introduce the shot clock, it was for a game like this. The Flyers just seemed content to pass and control the puck around the perimeter without ever taking any threatening shots. But, full marks to the Senators for playing a much more structured game and not allowing too many threatening chances. NaturalStatTrick credited the Senators with generating 60.24% of the expected goals.

Ottawa’s blue line looked great. Its top three of Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychrun looked fantastic. Brady Tkachuk had an inspired effort highlighted by two goals. The Senators’ best players were their best players and when that happens, they tend to win.

After the game, the team revealed that it was replacing its tanning sunglasses with an Ottawa Fire Services helmet to award to its ‘Player of the Game’.

“Alright boys, the Ottawa fire department gave this to us as a ‘Player of the Game’ helmet,” explained Brady Tkachuk. “I think it’s going to be great for us to be able to represent the community that supports us day in and day out.”

It was a nice touch and an awesome way to conclude the day.