Ottawa Senators
Great Stories from the NHL's First Dynasty
AUTHOR: Chris Robinson
FORMAT: 5.5 x 8.5 pb / 128 pages
ISBN-10: 1-55153-790-7
ISBN-13: 9781551537900
The Ottawa Senators have had a long and storied history as one of the original - and dominant - Canadian franchises. Stocked with skilled and adventurous players, the early Senators were known for their aggressive play and never-say-die attitude. The fascinating story of the team continues into the present with the thrilling account of how a new franchise was secured, complete with hopes for Stanley Cups in the future.
Prologue
Ottawa, May 23, 2003. Conference Final. Game Seven.
Despite season-long ownership, payroll, and bankruptcy troubles, the Ottawa Senators are one game, one goal, away from reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1927. They have rallied from a 3-1 game deficit against the mighty New Jersey Devils to even the series at 3-3.
The Senators head into the third period down 2-1. Less than two minutes into the period, an Ottawa defenceman poke checks the puck away from Devils' forward Jeff Friesen. Ottawa's Marian Hossa grabs the puck near centre and skates into the New Jersey zone. He spots Radek Bonk on the left side and passes. Bonk takes the feed and blasts the puck past Devils goalie, Martin Brodeur. The crowd explodes. The building shakes. The score is 2-2.
Inspired by Bonk's goal, along with the deafening roar of 18,500 fans, the Senators take the play to the Devils. They come close to taking the lead, but can't beat Brodeur.
With just over three minutes to go, the game remains tied. The Corel Centre is filled with a level of tension and anticipation that it has never experienced before. It looks like the game will go into sudden-death overtime.
All of a sudden, Devils' forward Jeff Friesen dumps the puck towards the left side of centre ice. Winger Grant Marshall collects it at centre and skates towards the Senators zone. As Marshall races down the left side of the Senators zone, both Ottawa defencemen converge on him. What they don't realize is that Friesen is now wide open and heading towards the Senators goal. Marshall quickly fires the puck over to Friesen. Defenceman Wade Redden, realizing his mistake, races back to check Friesen before the puck reaches him. But as he turns, he stumbles slightly and the puck passes him. Friesen collects it. He dekes to the left on the Senators goalie, and shoots the puck....
About the Author
Chris Robinson lives in Ottawa with his wife and son. He is the artistic director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival and writes a controversial monthly column called The Animation Pimp for Animation World Magazine (Los Angeles). His first book, Between Genius and Utter Illiteracy: A Story of Estonian Animation, was published in May 2003.
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