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I had a random thought yesterday. The Senators have had some awful days over the past two years, and there have been plenty of them over the course of their entire history as well. I love comparing things, so I sent out this poll on Twitter:
Twitter is unfortunately only able to have four options on a poll, but I definitely would have added more if possible. The crazy thing I found about that poll is just how close it was, because all of them were equally devastating for different reasons. As I’m writing this, the 2017 ECF is in the lead and I bet a chunk of that is mainly due to recency bias, although it was certainly a painful loss. So today I wanted to ask the readers of the site what they would consider the most devastating day in Senators history.
I will list seven options, and I honestly think you could make a reasonable case for every single one of them, depending on how you interpret the question. Furthermore, our individual experiences will be different, especially for younger fans like myself who hardly remember the 2003 Conference Finals at all (feel old yet?). Below, I will make my personal case for each of the seven days being the most devastating, and of course I'm sure there will be others mentioned in the comments:
2003 Conference Finals Game 7
The Devils were the best team the Senators had to play in those playoffs, and Ottawa would have almost definitely won the cup if not for Jeff Friesen. I can’t say I vividly remember this day as I was only seven years old, but for those who are at least a few years older than me, I’m sure this loss is still incredibly painful to think about. But at the time, Ottawa was still incredibly good and poised for another run.
2017 Conference Finals Game 7
Ottawa was not expected to go far in the playoffs that season, and their run was gravy on a fun season. However, they could have easily won the cup this season too, as the Predators looked very beatable with a shaky Pekka Rinne and an injured Ryan Johansen. In the back our minds, fans knew it was going to be very hard to get back to this point, so that’s why you could say this game seven loss was even more devastating. At the same time, my personal connection to this game is an odd one. I was in Rome at the time and the game ended around 5:30 am or so, and I had to leave to get to the Vatican about an hour later, so my sleep felt very strange.
Since I was on vacation, I didn’t dwell on the loss too much, and if I was at home, I think I would have been hit harder. This loss looks even worse considering what came afterwards, but in the moment I remembered being in a state of shock simply because Ottawa had gotten every bounce to go their way and for some reason I had full confidence they would win in overtime.
2007 Cup Finals Game 5
If I were to pick the most devastating day for myself, I think I would pick this one. I was 11 at the time and thought the Senators were invincible, so seeing them lose made me cry. The Finals were extremely anti-climatic though, so I don’t expect other people to have this as their “top” choice. However, it did represent another golden missed opportunity.
2006 Conference Semi-Finals Game 5
If Dominik Hasek didn’t get hurt in the Olympics, this could have easily been another season with a cup win for the Senators. The Buffalo Sabres were also a very good team, but Ottawa was the 2nd best in the league that season, and another early playoff exit stung harder than normal. I think that was the best team the franchise has ever had too, as they tied the team record of 113 points and also had their best ever goal differential of +103.
Alfie Leaving Part I
If you interpret this question as which event had the most damaging effects, Daniel Alfredsson leaving is certainly the answer. Him signing with Detroit on July 5th, 2013 came out of nowhere, which made it more devastating than it could have been, but at the same time, he was also 41 years old and did not have the best years ahead of him like Erik Karlsson or Mark Stone did. It was mainly devastating because his legacy felt tarnished as he was destined to be a lifetime Senator.
That day was always seen as a dark one (even though they also acquired Bobby Ryan and Clarke MacArthur), but now it looks even worse because there was clearly a trickle down effect with Karlsson not liking how Eugene Melnyk treated Alfredsson. You could make a legitimate case that most of the teams problems in terms of top talent not wanting to stay can be traced back to this day, which retroactively makes it incredibly devastating.
Karlsson Traded
#MelnykOut began as the Karlsson rumours first began, but not everybody was on the movement until he was actually traded. I think a lot of people’s minds changed that day, as it became clear that this team wasn’t going to be good for a long time. It was devastating to see one of the best defensemen of all time leave in his prime, but then again, fans had been prepared for about eight months.
So technically, the day he was traded might not have been as bad just because everyone saw it as inevitable. For myself, I knew Karlsson was long gone, so I was simply apathetic. Still though, it was the final straw for many people.
Stone Traded
For others, the final straw was Mark Stone being traded. The rationale for moving him was even more idiotic considering there were no questions about his injuries or “leadership” and he really wanted to stay in the city. This process was also drawn out like Karlsson’s so the devastation didn’t come out of nowhere, but it was impossible to not like Stone on and off the ice. If they would’ve been able to re-sign Stone, they could have advertised that as an ability to keep some star players around, but now, many fans have no hope for the future. It was not necessary to trade him even during a rebuild, and the implications of the trade makes this rank right up there with other awful days in Senators history.
The fact that there are at least seven days that qualify for “devastating” for the franchise in the past 16 years is insane, but what else should you expect by following the Ottawa Senators? I’m very curious to see how the poll turns out, so make sure to cast your vote below! (After voting, click "see previous responses" to see how the voting breaks down)
(Yes, you are all very funny and original if you list the day that Melnyk bought the team as the most devastating day)
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