YOUNG SENATORS GETTING SOME VETERAN LEADERSHIP
‘It probably means I’ve been around too long,’ Hainsey says of selection as alternate
The new look Ottawa Senators will have new leadership at the top.
As training camp got under way with medicals at the Canadian Tire Centre, the day started with the announcement of the decision by general manager Pierre Dorion and new head coach D.J. Smith to name returning veterans Mark Borowiecki and Jean-Gabriel Pageau as the new alternate captains along with 38-year-old newcomer Ron Hainsey.
There weren’t any surprises in the group chosen to lead this season, because Dorion and Smith want to give youngsters such as Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot time to learn from the older players before they’re moved into those roles. The Senators are trying not to rush their top prospects and that’s why they want the veterans in those spots.
“It’s important for the young guys to see how (the older players) handle the media and the day-to-day in the NHL,” Smith said. “It’s not an easy thing for a young kid when he’s trying to carve out his own career.
“I want them concentrate on hockey and worry about their own game and let the older guys kind of teach them for now. In time, some of the young guys will get the responsibility to be the leaders.”
He’s right because that’s the reality of the situation. The veteran players in Ottawa know they’ll be passing the torch to the likes of Tkachuk and Chabot down the road. This is about showing them the right way to do things, the approach to take to be a pro and handling the difficult questions the players may face, especially if the losses start to pile up.
“It probably means I’ve been around a bit too long,” Hainsey said jokingly when asked what it meant to have a letter on his jersey. “It doesn’t change much. You’ve got to be the same person day in and day out, win or lose. We’ll be focused on creating a great environment here, a process here and improving this group every day.”
As Borowiecki noted, there’s no need to be in a hurry to give someone the “C” right now. The time to pass the torch will come down the road, and, yes, that could be as early as next season.
“I don’t know if we have a captain this year, so why would you thrust somebody into that role?" Borowiecki asked. “Thomas and Brady are going to be there. Those guys aren’t only stars in this league, they’re going to be leaders in this league, too.
“But at this stage in their careers, with the path that we’re going down with this organization right now, why thrust them into that role with all that added pressure? It’s not fair to them as a young player or as a young person.
“The focus on them is for them to get their house in order, continue to thrive and grow and then saddle with them with that responsibility when the time is right.”
With three groups taking the ice Friday — including two scrimmages — there’s no shortage of work to be done in the next three weeks as the Senators prepare for the season. Smith wants to put his stamp on this team, and while he’s a fun-loving guy off the ice, he’ll be all business in his approach on a daily basis.
“The expectation will be that we’re going to come in, roll the sleeves up and go to work on a daily basis regardless of what happened (in the game) the previous night,” said Hainsey, who spent the last two seasons with Smith in Toronto. “The attitude and the enthusiasm that we’re going to need everybody to come to the rink with every day is going to be important.”
Smith said the right people are in the leadership roles.
“When you finish 30th and 31st place something has to change,” Smith said. “When I say the word ‘culture’ ... I think of a guy like Ron Hainsey, who’s won a Stanley Cup and he sees the way it should be with Sidney Crosby and these guys.
“Some of the guys who have come in, like Connor Brown — I’ve seen how hard he works every day. I know the right way to success is through hard work and these guys are going to teach these young kids that you don’t just work some days, it’s every day. The guys we brought in are going to teach them that.”
The lessons learned this season will come in handy down the road.
Thomas and Brady are going to be there. Those guys aren’t only stars in this league, they’re going to be leaders in this league, too