Neil hangs up his skates
The biggest battle for Chris Neil Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre was fighting back tears as he announced his retirement.
On the ice, he was a heart-andsoul player for the Senators for 16 seasons and as the 38-year-old Neil bid a tearful farewell to an outstanding career he made sure to thank everybody that helped along the way — including the organization, the front office staff, the people in the building, his teammates and, of course, his wife Caitlin and their family.
“One of things I’ve always been most proud of is that I’ve always been an underdog,” said Neil.
It’s true, not only did Neil have to fight nearly every time he pulled on the No. 25 jersey during the 1,026 games he suited up with Ottawa, this is a player who was taken in the sixth-round of the 1998 NHL draft, No. 161 overall before amassing more than 600 penalty minutes in the International Hockey League trying to get to the next level.
“I miss playing the games. Those are the fun times and that’s what you put all the hard work in for,” said Neil. “For me, I don’t miss the grind of the day-to-day that goes on behind the scenes, but I truly do miss being there with the guys. That’s the fun part. “That’s something I’ll always have to look back on.”
He knew the minute the Senators drafted him that he was going to have to work for everything he got and it pushed him to get to the next level. The time was right to step away because while he enjoyed playing the game he wasn’t sure if he could handle another year of putting in the work that goes with it.
“I always had something to prove and I never took it for granted that I was on the team and it didn’t matter if I had a contract or not,” Neil said. “I always showed up and proved that I had something to prove so they knew they could get the most out of me.”
General manager Pierre Dorion, who flanked Neil with assistant GM Randy Lee on the podium at the rink, called Neil “one of the greatest Senators of all time” and that’s a good way to describe him.
“Chris was a leader, a warrior and one of the toughest men to ever wear the jersey. Definitely one of the toughest and grittiest Senators’ of all time,” Dorion said. “He was a player who was always there for his teammates.
“He was feared by the opposition and he made defencemen and forwards keep their heads up for many years.”
Of course, Neil has plenty of memories. He never hid the fact his favourite coach was the legendary Bryan Murray, who lost his battle with cancer last August. He loved tough hockey players and it’s no accident that Neil played some of his best hockey when Murray was behind the bench.
Neil pointed at the trip to the 2007 Stanley Cup final with the Senators under Murray as something he’ll never forget as he hangs up his skates.
“The year we went to the Stanley Cup final was a remarkable year,” Neil said. “We had a group of guys that came together and played for one another. We played for our coach. He had everyone going on all cylinders.
“It didn’t matter when you played two minutes or you played 22 minutes, he had everyone on the same page. That’s just the way Bryan was. All those guys in that locker room would go through the wall for him.”
Make no mistake while Neil is at peace with stepping way, this wasn’t easy.
“It’s a tough decision,” Neil said. “The way my makeup is I felt like Benjamin Button, I felt like I could play forever but I knew the reality was that I was closer to the end than to the beginning.
“I took in some offers from the other teams and it just wasn’t the right fit. I was so spoiled playing in Ottawa as a Senator my whole career, it just didn’t feel right. There’s a lot of stuff you miss out (when you’re playing). Yes, you’re very blessed and fortunate to play in the NHL, but you sacrifice a lot from a young age and a lot of people don’t realize that.”
The next step for Neil is to get ready for the alumni game Friday on Parliament Hill.
He’ll play with the likes of former Senators’ captains Daniel Alfredsson, Randy Cunneyworth, Laurie Boschman and Alexei Yashin along with Chris Phillips, Wade Redden, Mike Fisher, Patrick Lalime and Jason York.
“I’m hoping Philly might take me in the first round,” said Neil with a smile.
Neil can also wear a wide smile as he looks back on his career.