Banner night vs. Caps: Senators' post-Melnyk plan results in massive change

OTTAWA – On Tuesday, Daniel Alfredsson walked out to centre ice from the Senators dressing room and electrified a capacity home opener crowd.

Two nights later, Anna and Olivia and Melnyk stood at centre in a decidedly more sombre occasion, paying homage to their late father, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk.

In a video montage shown pregame, the sisters spoke about their dad. Anna reflected on the one-on-one time she enjoyed with her father, talking hockey during a game. Olivia noted how her dad was “very passionate about winning” and about community.

“He was the best dad ever,” she said.

As they walked off the ice along the red carpet, the sisters received polite applause from the crowd of 14,210.

Before the puck drop, a banner was raised in Melnyk’s honour, a white "EM" in a dark circle, the same emblem the Senators wore on their jerseys last spring, after Melnyk’s death in March. Above the emblem, the name – MELNYK – is written in white lettering on a red banner, similar to those of retired Senators players. Melnyk has a place right next to the banner of No. 8 Frank Finnigan, the early era Senator, and two over from Alfredsson himself.

In this way, Melnyk is being afforded the same treatment as the late Ed Snider, the founder and owner of the Philadelphia Flyers for nearly 50 years. With ties to the NFL Eagles and basketball 76ers as well as the Comcast network, Snider is arguably the most influential sports executive in Philadelphia history. His banner was raised in April 2016, just after his death.

The two Ottawa ceremonies, involving Alfredsson and Melnyk, could not have been more different, and yet they are also inextricably linked. Without the transition of ownership and the passing of Melnyk, it’s unlikely the organization could have experienced the triumphant return of Alfredsson, the former captain, heart and soul of the franchise.

To be polite, Melnyk’s relationship with staff, fans and even Senators players was complicated at times. Staff came and went, especially at the executive level. Fans felt the prod of Melnyk’s musings, and temporarily had a grassroots campaign pleading for a change. Under Melnyk’s ownership, Alfie left the organization once as a player (signing with Detroit) and again as a senior advisor of hockey operations, five years ago.

In those five years, Alfredsson was rarely seen at the Canadian Tire Centre. Even when he was in the building, he made himself scarce, a legend in the shadows of the very rink he made famous. In June 1996, Alfie won the Calder Trophy as top NHL rookie, five months after he and his Senators teammates played their first game in the Palladium, as the Kanata arena was first called.

It wasn’t a coincidence that the team’s succession plan brought Alfredsson back into the fold and changed just about everything about the perception of the organization. Over the past six months, the team’s board of directors has approved a massive hike in hockey operations spending and welcomed back estranged alumni such as Alfredsson and Chris Phillips, both of whom have had their numbers retired. This spring, for the first time, the organization officially endorsed Alfredsson as a Hockey Hall of Fame candidate – he was announced as a new HHOF member in late June and will be inducted next month.

Behind the encouragement of the Melnyk sisters, the Senators have altered their brand to become more inclusive, diverse and engaging online – to the delight of fans in the community.

The winds of change continue to blow, and scattered seeds are taking root.

Before he died, Melnyk had overseen a bid to have a new arena built in LeBreton Flats, and in June that was named the preferred bid. Considering Melnyk had been at war with city hall and local developers in a previous attempt to build downtown, the new bid has a real chance this time with Senators executives Anthony LeBlanc and Erin Crowe representing the team and a wealth of big-time players are onboard as business partners.

And so it’s possible to salute the man who bought the franchise in 2003, at the same time as welcoming the badly needed change that comes with succession after his passing.

Bruise cruise vs. Caps

The Senators showed they could be front-runners in their 7-5 home opening win versus the Boston Bruins Tuesday. On Thursday, the new-look Sens displayed the ability to come from behind, down 2-0 after the first period to Washington, before posting a 5-2 win with two empty-net goals.

Centre Shane Pinto, who scored the winner in the third period, his third of the season, said the bounce-back was an illustration of the group’s maturity.

“We responded in the second and third,” Pinto said. “But that first period, we’ve got to start better there. There’s no excuses there.”

Head coach D.J. Smith admitted he wouldn’t mind bottling up the final 40 minutes as a way his team needs to play. Fast and physical. Two power-play goals by Drake Batherson tied the game and then Ottawa needed a couple of big penalty kills to hang on, plus a huge third period save from goaltender Anton Forsberg. Also notable was a second period shift from the grind line of Mark Kastelic, Parker Kelly and Austin Watson that sent Caps bodies flying everywhere.

“As you can see, we’re growing together,” Smith said. “Our power play gets us a couple back and then we kill a couple. And that Kastelic shift in the second period, I just think that elevates the whole group.”

The third line of Pinto, Tyler Motte and Mathieu Joseph might have been Ottawa’s best. Motte was rewarded with an empty-net goal. Alex DeBrincat got his first of the season, also into an empty net.

Forsberg was smiling as he was asked about the save on Marcus Johansson – Forsberg stretching across to his left to snare the shot aimed for an open left side of the net.

“I just tried to get something over there, and I was lucky it went into my glove,” Forsberg said. “Obviously, it’s one of those saves you want to do as a kid. So, it’s nice.”

Though the Sens outshot Washington 44-24, Forsberg was the unsung hero of the night, making a couple of big stops in the first period when the Caps had a chance to go up by three. With Cam Talbot injured, Forsberg said he is enjoying starting every game, with games nicely spaced spaced a couple of days apart.

The Senators close out their homestand with three games: against Arizona on Saturday, Dallas on Monday and Minnesota next Thursday.