Quest for the Cup

It’s hard not to become a hockey fan once your city’s team enters the playoffs: people adorn their cars with flags, proudly flying their team’s logo as they drive around town; the bars are filled with cheering fans every other night; and there’s a certain camaraderie and sense of optimism between friends and strangers alike, all of whom are certain that this year will be the year their team wins the Stanley Cup.

This year, the Ottawa Senators, or the “pesky Sens”, are desperately fighting to bring the Cup back to their city for the first time in 87 years — coincidentally the same number as Sidney Crosby, the guy they have to shut down in order to move on to the next round. They upset the Montreal Canadiens in the first round thanks to the outstanding play of their goalie Craig Anderson. Now, in the second round, they face an extremely difficult challenge in the Pittsburgh Penguins — arguably one of the favourites to win the Cup after adding some talented players to their already scary lineup.

            Down 2-1 in a best-of-seven series, the Senators are coming off a rollercoaster, double-overtime win which saw none other than Daniel Alfredsson score a short-handed goal to tie up the score with 29 seconds left in the third period. How fitting is that?

After a grueling back-and-forth first overtime period, which produced many scoring chances for both teams, the players went back into their respective dressing rooms to prepare for another period — and leaving this fan dangerously close to having a heart-attack. After a well-deserved break, the players returned to the ice with the hopes of ending the game as soon-as-possible. Sure enough, thanks to a juicy rebound from an Andre Benoit shot, Colin Greening was able to slide the puck past Tomas Vokoun 27 minutes and 39 seconds into the second overtime period — a goal which turned Scotiabank Place into a frenzy of screaming, towel-waving fans.

With the win, the Senators give themselves a better chance at doing something that has never been done in franchise history: coming back after trailing two games to none in a series — a feat which would have seemed almost impossible had they lost game three.

For the Senators to win the series, they will need: Alfredsson to…well…be Alfredsson; Anderson to continue playing like he has all-year-round; Karlsson and Spezza to provide the offensive flare that they are capable of; and the supporting cast to continue to abide by Paul MacLean’s — and his mustache’s — style of play. Not too much to ask, right?

While obviously rooting for the Senators in this David-versus-Goliath matchup, I have been amazed at the skill level of some of the Pittsburgh players, most notably: Sidney Crosby. I mean, I knew he was good, but when you watch someone play on a more consistent basis, you tend to notice them more…and Crosby makes it hard for anyone to not notice him when he’s on the ice.

With that said, I truly hope that Ottawa finds a way to win, not only this series, but the Stanley Cup as well, if not for the city, then for the man who has been the face of the franchise since being named captain in 1999; the man who wears number 11 on his back but plays for the logo on his chest, the man who carries the weight of the city on his shoulders every time he puts on his jersey; the man who has contributed not only on the ice, but who has immensely impacted the community which he now calls home; the man who the city has adopted as their hero: Daniel Alfredsson.

Although unconfirmed by Alfredsson, this could be his last season wearing the only NHL jersey he has ever known, and seeing him lift the Stanley Cup would be the fairy-tale ending to a hall-of-fame career. Winning the Cup is no easy task, but if the Senators can continue to "out-pesky" their opponents, they should see their playoff success continue all the way to the Cup final...hopefully.

Welcome to Canada; we take our hockey extremely seriously.

Go Sens Go.