‘I fell in love’ with Ottawa, playoff star Ryan says
PITTSBURGH Typically, when Ottawa Senators winger Bobby Ryan chooses to speak, he’s an open book.
He has a self-deprecating sense of humour and he can see the big picture world outside of the arena, some of that, no doubt, coming from the type of childhood that few of us can imagine.
That part, of course, is an old, and rather disturbing, story.
But now that he’s on top of the hockey world — his outstanding playoff run continued by scoring the overtime game winner to open the Eastern Conference final Saturday — he has opened up about his love for Ottawa and the Senators team that continues to raise eyebrows.
“It’s funny, I played in Ottawa only one time during my six seasons with Anaheim, and honestly, I did not care for it. I didn’t care for it at all,” he writes in an article published Monday on The Players’ Tribune.
He was conditioned to a shorts and flip-flops lifestyle in California. He wasn’t keen on the long winters and the long drive from downtown to the Canadian Tire Centre. After being traded to Ottawa, though, he realized he had a “pretty warped view” of the city.
“Once I actually got here, and explored the city — really explored it — I fell in love,” he writes.
“The architecture, the culture and really just the passion these people have for hockey and life in general has made it an amazing place to live. That’s why I didn’t really hesitate when I signed a long-term deal (seven years, US$50.75M).
“Just like our team, Ottawa is only appreciated if you look a layer below the surface. When you look at this place with an open mind, you grow to realize what makes it special.”
If there was a sense of anonymity playing hockey in Anaheim, that’s certainly not the case in Ottawa.
“Engaging fans is one of the most rewarding things about making it to the NHL,” he writes. “But one thing you learn after playing in Canada for a while is that Canadian hockey fans are, honest.”
He tells the story of being stopped by an elderly lady while shopping for vegetables in a grocery story early in the season.
“You haven’t scored in a while, eh? Maybe you’re holding on to the puck too long at the point?”
Ryan says he was thinking about explaining about adopting a different role within coach Guy Boucher’s defensive-oriented system and trying to find new ways to contribute. Then he reconsidered.
“Why the hell am I talking about my job at the grocery store?” he writes.
What goes down must come up, though. After the Senators knocked off Boston in the opening round, Ryan says he was stopped by fans in a bookstore.
The message he received — “Hey, Bobby, thanks for having a great series, let’s keep it going?” — was just a tad different.
“I’ll admit it,” he writes. “That felt really good.”