Ottawa players await next chapter in their careers as season halted
There was an air of inevitability as Ottawa Senators players left the Staples Center following Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
Nothing was official at that point, but the writing was on the boards, in the dressing room, on their phones, on the TV screens all around them. When the NBA announced the suspension of its season during the warm-up before the Senators-Kings game, the expectation was that the
NHL would follow suit.
Accordingly, there was a weirdness to the contest that followed. For trivia buffs, it was the last NHL game played before the league postponed the season due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Instead of taking their scheduled Thursday charter flight to Chicago for Friday’s game against the Blackhawks, the Senators were in limbo. Once the NHL’s board of governors made the expected decision to postpone the season, the Senators rerouted themselves, flying back to Ottawa on Thursday afternoon.
In a world full of unknowns in the era of COVID-19, Senators players, coaches, management and staff have no idea when they’ll play or practise again.
But when the Kings’ Martin
Frk scored the game-winning goal late in the third period against 38-year-old Senators goaltender Craig Anderson, there was the very real possibility that it was the last time Anderson would play in the NHL, perhaps the final piece of a 17-year career in which he has played 648 games.
“I feel good, I feel like there’s another 10 years left,” Anderson said, with a smile. “We can’t worry about the what ifs and the speculation. It’s not what we’re very good at. We have to stay within our bubble and figure out what we need to do to stay safe and make sure this thing kind of stays out of our room.”
As for the overall health and safety of the general population, Anderson also has reason for concern. He’s the father of two sons, and his wife, Nicholle, went through her battle with a rare throat cancer three years ago. They’re living in Florida.
“(The children) are on spring break,” said Anderson. “And my wife, with the cancer, so she’s got an immune system that has been compromised, so it’s definitely in the back of our minds as far as what to do and where to go. Hopefully, everyone is able to stay safe and we’re able to clean this up rather quickly.”
That was the general sentiment. Different players have different points to prove at different stages of their careers, but everyone involved understands the crisis. While Jayce Hawryluk has made his mark since joining the Senators off waivers from Florida — he scored against the Kings on Wednesday — in a bid to re-sign with the organization in the summer, he sees the big picture.
“It’s unfortunate, but that’s in the hands of the NHL and the NHL (players association) and they’re going to do what’s best to protect us and the fans,” he said. “You can’t have people coming to the games and contracting the virus and getting sick.”
Over in the Kings’ dressing room, the mood was similar. The final game began amid the NBA news and the Staples Center was half empty, lacking in atmosphere and volume.
“The night felt strange,” said Kings coach Todd McLellan. “It didn’t feel like a normal game. The players heard the news before (about the NBA), so it was a little bit unemotional (on the ice). The guys aren’t dumb. They’re aware of it. I could feel it in the warm-up that the energy wasn’t the same — between both teams.”
When he first heard news about the virus, McLennan said he never would have expected the NHL to suspend the season.
“I wouldn’t have thought that, but I’m like anybody else. I’m watching TV and listening to health experts talk about how rapidly this spreads and how it can affect people. By the hour, you begin to realize this is real. We’re not fooling around with anything. It’s not the sniffles. As the day’s gone on, we, I, have come to understand the complexity of it. No, to begin with, yes, now.”
McLennan said it isn’t his place to speculate on what happens next.
“I don’t think that’s a fair question for me to throw out there,” he said. “There are so many people involved in it, and I have one small opinion. Let’s just get through the next few days and let the league and the health people do what they need to do. The bodies, the minds, the health of everybody is way more important than a game, in my opinion.”
Absolutely. kwarren@postmedia.com Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren