Taking the opportunity to thank and honour players in the NHL is a special moment. Teams around the league retire jersey numbers of players who have shown dedication and commitment and have had an impact on the franchise. The Ottawa Senators are no exception as they have four numbers retired and taken out of circulation for current players. On top of that, the Senators also have two people in their “Ring of Honour”, which celebrates a staff member or player that may not have reached the heights of a jersey retirement.
Frank Finnagin (8), Daniel Alfredsson (11), Chris Phillips (4) and Chris Neil (25) are the four retired numbers with the Senators, while former head coach and general manager Byran Murray and defenseman Wade Redden are the two members of the Ring of Honour.
While Ottawa doesn’t have a tremendous amount of history with this franchise, there are plenty of players and staff that are in the conversation of jersey retirement or the Ring of Honour. With the help of voters from The Hockey Writers, X and Facebook, each of the following names was placed into a poll and given the option of jersey retirement, Ring of Honour, or nothing.
Erik Karlsson
Ring of Honour: 36.7%
Jersey Retirement: 32.7%
Nothing: 30.6%
Erik Karlsson is arguably the most talented player to play for the Senators. After being drafted in 2008, he didn’t take long to break into the NHL and make a name for himself. In just his third season he recorded 78 points in 81 games, securing his first Norris Trophy for the best defenseman in the league. He went on to total 518 points across 627 games with the Senators in his nine-year stint. He dealt with major injuries during his time, but will always be remembered in Ottawa for the 2017 Eastern Conference Final run.
After suffering a hairline fracture in his foot, Karlsson still mustered up the courage and willpower to play during the Sens’ 2017 playoff run, where he scored 18 points in 19 games. The Senators’ path to double overtime of Game 7 against the reigning and soon-to-be back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, Pittsburgh Penguins, was led by Karlsson on one foot. The team had plenty of heartwarming storylines, but what Karlsson was able to do in that playoff run was magical. At the time, he was contending with Sidney Crosby and very few others for the best hockey player in the world.
Related: Karlsson and the 2017 Playoffs: A Performance for the Ages
The breakup between Karlsson and the Senators was hard. Sure, looking back they got a franchise-altering package in return, but that is not what this is about. They were headed into a rebuild, Karlsson’s contract was running out and they weren’t in a position to pay him the money that other teams were willing to pay. By the end of the Karlsson saga, it was clear that he and the team were done with each other.
I think a jersey retirement is absolutely the way to go. Ring of Honour is fair, but what he did for the team, how he carried them into battle and the level of talent on display during his tenure needs to be recognized. The break-up was tough, but it doesn’t take away the fact that he is one of the best players to ever play for the Senators. In just 627 games, Karlsson ranks ninth in goals (126), third in assists (392), and third in points (518) in franchise history.
Craig Anderson
Ring of Honour: 71.4%
Jersey Retirement: 20.4%
Nothing: 8.2%
Craig Anderson is the best goalie in team history, leading the history books in games played (435), as well as the highest save percentage (.914, minimum of 100 games), wins (202) and second in shutouts (28). Was he a superstar goalie? No, not even close. He was consistent, reliable and had a long tenure with the Senators, which is what ultimately led to the votes leaning toward the Ring of Honour.
I agree that a jersey retirement would be a bit much, but there is definitely an argument to be had. There wouldn’t be too many people against the idea of it, but the Ring of Honour is a more suitable category to put him in. While manning the crease during the 2017 playoff run, the heartwarming return from his time away from the team after his wife’s cancer diagnosis, and even playing his last career game against the Senators, Anderson was and forever will be a beloved member of the team.
Jason Spezza
Ring of Honour: 65.3%
Nothing: 30.6%
Jersey Retirement: 4.1%
The mid-2000s had a special group of players and Jason Spezza was the top center in that era. A key part of the “Pizza” line with Alfredsson and Dany Heatley, this group went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007. Owning three of the 10 best seasons by a Senator, including the top two spots in points per 60 minutes by a player, his offense was crucial to team success.
He was ultimately traded due to a contract dispute, which hurt his chances at a jersey retirement. If he played out his entire career in Ottawa or at least the majority of it, he could be in that conversation. Ring of Honour is fitting as he was such an impactful player for the club for a great era of hockey. The amount of votes against both jersey retirement and Ring of Honour was quite surprising. He wasn’t among the top players in the league, but he was always a consistent, true number-one center, which is something the team has only had a handful of in their history.
Related: Alexei Yashin Trade Tree Continues To Grow
Paying respect to the career Spezza had with the Senators is a must. When you close your eyes you picture him as a Senator, even though we are almost a decade since his trade out of town. He is in the conversation for the greatest players to play for the team, and certainly one of the best centermen.
Dany Heatley
Nothing: 53.1%
Ring of Honour: 44.9%
Jersey Retirement: 2%
People remember Heatley for his 2007 season, where the Sens went to the Stanley Cup Final, coining the term “50 in ’07”, which has stuck around ever since. Another key member of the “Pizza” line, Heatley was just as impactful during that era, and he is the only Senator to score 50 goals, and he did it twice, back-to-back.
Not only is he the only player to hit that 50-goal mark, but he also earned the two top spots in season records for points in those two years with 105 and 103. He was acquired from the Atlanta Thrashers after some controversy there, and due to some struggles between him and the Senators’ coach, he requested a trade and was dealt to the San Jose Sharks in the summer of 2009. Heatley only played 317 games in Ottawa, so he doesn’t have the tenure most people look for when projecting these kinds of celebrations. Regardless of his length of time with the Senators, his goal-scoring ability is something the city has yet to see from anybody else.
It has been near radio silence from Heatley since his departure from the NHL, but his legacy in Ottawa will hang on in the record books. A jersey retirement is out of the question and it is apparent that most agree on that. Ring of Honour and nothing at all being so close was expected, and there is certainly an argument to be had both ways. On one hand, he is a one-of-a-kind player for this franchise’s history, but with the trade and such little time played, is he worthy of a celebration and place in the Ring of Honour?
Jacques Martin
Ring of Honour: 65.3%
Nothing: 34.7%
The only staff member in consideration for the Ring of Honour as of now would be Jacques Martin. In nine years of coaching, including the early 2000s, his 692 games behind the bench are by far the most by any coach in team history. Helping the team find success included the Presidents’ Trophy followed by a lengthy playoff run in 2003 amidst eight straight playoff appearances. On top of team success, he also found himself winning the Jack Adams Award in the 1998-99 season.
Though he left the organization after the 2004-05 lockout, Martin was an important factor in the development of the players that Murray took on ahead of their great runs in the late 2000s. Honouring Martin is a no-brainer for me. Murray was the obvious pick for the first member of the Ring of Honour, but Martin deserves a lot of credit for what he did as well. The Senators struggled mightily after joining the league, and once Martin arrived, the team developed into a contending team.
Tim Stutzle (Prediction)
Jersey Retirement: 83.7%
Ring of Honour: 16.3%
Nothing: 0%
These next three are predictions. While anything from a career-ending injury to trade requests or eventual contract disputes, the assumption with these is going to be that they stick around for their contracts and stay relatively healthy. The trajectory these three players are on is giving people high hopes for their career path.
Tim Stutzle has quickly developed into one of, if not the most talented forward to ever play for the Senators. In just his third NHL season he recorded 39 goals, and 90 points and did so in just 78 games. As the team gets better and hopefully healthier, his long-term eight-year deal locks him into the Senators group for a long time to come.
Stutzle’s 90-point season ranks 6th among seasons by a Senator, and he entered that year as a 20-year-old. There is little doubt that he has another step to take, and with the help of league-wide scoring going up, there is a good chance that if he sticks around for the majority of his career he could take over a lot of pages in the Senators’ record books.
Predicting a jersey retirement already seems a bit ambitious, but I have to agree with it. Again, anything can happen, but the way things are looking now, he is certainly going to be in that conversation.
Brady Tkachuk (Prediction)
Jersey Retirement: 83.7%
Ring of Honour: 16.3%
Nothing: 0%
Brady Tkachuk is such a special player. Coming off a career-high of 35 goals and 83 points, he still has room to develop and build off that. Everybody knows the Tkachuk style that Brady, his brother Matthew, and his father Keith all play. They are the purist definition of a power forward. Brady’s physicality, willingness to step up and defend a teammate, on-ice antics that rarely cross the line, and ability to hype up the team and crowd are unmatched. His point-per-game offense almost feels like a secondary ability to his game, but he does it all so effectively.
Brady is on a very similar career path to Keith, who had his jersey retired by the Arizona Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets franchise. Players like Tkachuk don’t come around very often. The Senators have built a strong team around him as he was the first major piece of the rebuild. He is the leader of the group, has fantastic chemistry with everyone, and makes his presence known on and off the ice. Predicting Tkachuk’s jersey to be retired is a pretty safe bet under the assumption he is a long-time Senator.
Thomas Chabot (Prediction)
Ring of Honour: 65.3%
Jersey Retirement: 18.4%
Nothing: 16.3%
At this point in their careers, Tkachuk and Stutzle seem to be on track for jersey retirement. The longest-tenured Senator on the current team, Thomas Chabot, looks to be just a step below them.
Predicting Chabot’s outcome here is a lot more difficult. He was given the task of playing nearly half the game each night during the rebuild where at times he was one of the only quality defensemen on the team. It is becoming apparent that all of those hard miles are catching up as he was criticized online quite a bit in 2022-23 as his defensive side wasn’t as strong and many deemed it a down year for him.
Chabot has shown that he can produce at elite rates, scoring 55 points in 70 games in his sophomore season. He has only played more games than that once, which was all 71 games in the 2019-20 season, and had his next-best offensive season in 2022-23 with 41 points. Now that the Senators have some quality pieces around him, he is in a great position to bounce back to that sophomore-season Chabot and contribute more offensively.
Ring of Honour is a fair projection for Chabot. He has been one of the most important players through the rebuild, even when it was a diminished roster, he led the team into battle each night. Coming out of the rebuild, he is still the number one defenseman and can be someone who has a very successful career in Ottawa.
Talking about potential jersey retirement and Ring of Honour candidates is always controversial but fun. Lots of players are in the conversation, but teams need to be picky with this so they don’t diminish the meaning of the titles and celebrations. That being said, if a player deserves it, give them their night.
