The Ottawa Senators will retire Chris Neil's No. 25 jersey before their game on Feb. 17 against the Chicago Blackhawks, the club announced Tuesday.
Neil becomes the third member of the current franchise to have his number retired -- after Daniel Alfredsson and Chris Phillips. Frank Arthur Finnigan, a member of the original Senators, also has his number retired.
A native of Flesherton, Ont., Neil is one of only three players (along with Alfredsson and Phillips) in Senators history to dress in 1,000 games for the club. He sits 20th on the NHL's all-time penalty minutes list and is one of only two players in NHL history (along with Ken Daneyko) to compile over 1,000 games and 2,500 penalty minutes while playing the entirety of his career for a single franchise.
Neil had 112 goals, 138 assists and 2,522 penalty minutes in 1,026 career games over 15 seasons with Ottawa.
"Chris was a team-first player, a physical presence who never backed down from a challenge," said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. "He earned his place every single day through hard work and dedication; he was the ultimate character player and wore the Senators sweater with as much or more pride than any other player in this team's history."
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