Senators Face a Summer Sting

The wall between love and hate can be a short one to scale.

Ask fans of the Ottawa Senators who have seen two of the franchise’s most adored icons travel from love territory into hate territory . . .  lickety-split . . . over the course of just two-and-a-half weeks.

But look at the bright side, it very well could have easily been a trifecta of heart-ripping defections earlier this week. (More on that near calamity in a minute).

First, of course, was the departure of beloved captain Brady Tkachuk. Young Brady was set to go down as the second-most popular player in Ottawa’s near 34-year history. (More on No. 1 on that chart in a second). Since arriving on the scene for his first skate as a slim, baby-faced Senator in 2018, to his growth into one of the more feared power forwards in the game, Brady Tkachuk evolved into the absolute face of a franchise that desperately needed identity.

While the team struggled and missed consecutive after consecutive season of playoff play, Brady, the all-in captain, gave the jittery fan base hope on a nightly basis.

He fought, he hit, he scored and he put his heart on the line.

Until he didn’t.

Whether it was the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 or the American gold-medal win at this past winter’s Olympics and the following lovefest at the White House, something seemed different. It appeared Brady had lost his drive and desire to carry this team. (Mind, you a troubling early season thumb injury this past fall didn’t help).

The introduction of a podcast with brother Matthew, a renowned villain in Ottawa, this winter also didn’t help. Rumblings say the pod caused a strain in the Senators’ room.

Meantime, during the last two seasons rumours started to form – Brady wanted out.

Initially he denied and denied while Ottawa GM Steve Staios followed suit calling the rumours ‘nonsense.’

Then they weren’t.

Brady gave the club a short-list of teams he would accept a deal to with Florida, and brother Matthew, being at the very top.

When the trade went down it rocked the hockey world.

In a flash, Brady Tkachuk went from team icon to the most despised player in hockey around these parts.

Licking their collective wounds, Ottawa fandom took another knee to the groin just two weeks later – THE most popular player in Senators’ history had chosen to leave Eastern Ontario for, yup, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

And you thought Florida was bad enough?

Former long-time captain Daniel Alfredsson was off to the abhorred Leafs as an associate coach. In fairness to Alfredsson, his contract was done with Ottawa, and he has made no secret of his desire to pursue the coaching carousel; eventually and hopefully at the head coaching position in the NHL.

In the blink of an eye, Ottawa’s hockey addicts had been gutted.

The quips via X started rolling in, as Postmedia’s Callum Fraser pointed out.

A sampling?

“This is like Ronald McDonald leaving and joining Burger King”

“God has fallen. Praise Alfie no more.”

“Can we just have one normal day of being a Sens fan”

“Beautiful Day (Alfredsson’s signature song) is hereby banned at the CTC. Devastating day.”

From Mark Stone to Erik Karlsson to Dany Heatley to Jason Spezza . . . and now Alfredsson and Tkachuk. Ottawa’s been dealt some anvils to try and swim and stay afloat with in its history.

But.

(Yes, there is a small but).

There was a stitch of good news this past week. Assistant captain Claude Giroux shrugged off reported offers from the Leafs and Edmonton Oilers and his former team in Philadelphia to remain with the Senators.

He’s certainly not as impactful at the age of 38 as he was in his prime, but Giroux brings stability and a touch of calm to an organization in desperate need of a dose.

This certainly does not mitigate the overall slings and arrows of the past month, but it was a positive move.

The on-ice product will sport a different look come the fall with new leadership in place. Jake Sanderson, long-time Senator Thomas Chabot, Giroux and Tim Stutzle take the mantle from Tkachuk.

Getting over the hurt of the last month, well, that’ll take considerable time.

thegrossgame@yahoo.com