What does it mean to be a Sens fan?
Photo taken by Jenn G | Jennthulhu Photos
Written By: Julio Hashem
What does it mean to be a 'Sens fan'? Growing up as a hockey fan in Ottawa can mean something different to everybody. Perhaps your childhood took place before Ottawa had an NHL franchise, forcing you to choose between Gretzky (cool), Detroit/Chicago/New York/Boston (yuck), Montreal (yuckier), or even Toronto (yuckiest!). Or perhaps you were lucky enough to be a kid in the thick of the “glory days”; when the Sens were kicking ass, taking names, and Alfie was growing into a GOD among humans.
As someone who was born in the early '80s, and in middle childhood by the time we were awarded our beautiful franchise... I loved Gretzky (who didn't?), I liked the Habs (eww) and the Leafs (sad but true), but my heart wasn't promised to anyone until our beautiful home became an NHL city.
One day, they said “Ottawa is getting an NHL team!” and as a child, I couldn't quite believe it or process it. What does this mean? I don't HAVE to be a Habs or Leafs fan? Well, that's pretty good. Little did I know, this event would change my life forever. The Ottawa Senators Hockey Club of the National Hockey League. What a concept!
To be clear – I was that kid who was obsessed with pro sports – specifically hockey. My grade 3 public speaking assignment was entirely a summary of the NHL and its history – read nervously from cue cards in both English AND French. So, needless to say, my first experience watching a REAL NHL TEAM playing a short 10-minute drive from my childhood home was... AMAZING.
It was a preseason game against Hartford (YES THE HARTFORD WHALERS!) ahead of the Senator’s inaugural season. I'll never forget walking out of the Civic Centre concourse and into the rink – and just being STUNNED, completely in awe. After only being able to watch the NHL on TV and listening on the radio, I was here, seeing it LIVE IN PERSON IN MY HOMETOWN! What a time to be alive! A moment I truly didn't appreciate at the time due to my youth – but I now understand how special it was.
I was instantly hooked. It didn't matter to me that the team was awful. It didn't matter to me that they were given the worst expansion draft in the history of sports. It didn't matter to me that they won only 10 games all season, including a grand whopping one (1) away game, which happened very late in the season and was like our Stanley Cup. None of this mattered to this young, bright-eyed Ottawa sports fan. We had a team that was all ours and nobody could take that away from us.
Ok ok ok... maybe they almost took it away from us a couple of times? It wasn't looking great. But, we're still here. We never left. Through thick and thin, WE ARE SENS-PILLED NO MATTER WHAT. It's been a tough 6+ years (and even longer than that), including our fair share of misery and embarrassment. But, for me, as part of the “old guard” of Sens fandom, I am so proud to see the younger generation come up and just DOMINATE the NHL online and in the stands. Sens fans have a reputation now, and it's a GOOD one. For a team that has had such a drama-filled, frustrating history, this fan base is STRONG AF, and only getting stronger. WHEN we win the Cup, it's gonna be a festival of celebration for young AND old alike, and I can't wait to hug every single Sens-pilled individual I can find. Regardless of who they are, or how their journey as a Sens fan began. We are all Sens. Go Sens Go.
