WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.140 Welcome to the Deep Dive. If you were searching 00:00:03.140 --> 00:00:05.419 for the definitive history of the Ottawa Senators 00:00:05.419 --> 00:00:08.279 or maybe looking for the ultimate breakdown of 00:00:08.279 --> 00:00:11.359 an NHL franchise rebuild, you are in the exact 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:13.919 right place. You definitely are. Yeah. Or honestly, 00:00:14.019 --> 00:00:16.000 if you just want a wild case study in sports 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:18.800 business strategy, because we are exploring a 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:21.800 story today that is so chaotic, filled with such 00:00:21.800 --> 00:00:24.940 extreme highs and devastating lows that, you 00:00:24.940 --> 00:00:26.879 know, it honestly reads like a Hollywood script. 00:00:27.420 --> 00:00:29.859 It really does. Today, we're looking at a comprehensive 00:00:29.859 --> 00:00:32.820 historical and cultural breakdown of the franchise 00:00:32.820 --> 00:00:36.060 sourced directly from Wikipedia. We're covering 00:00:36.060 --> 00:00:38.799 everything from the team's founding in 1992 all 00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:42.340 the way to their incredible 2024 -2025 season. 00:00:42.460 --> 00:00:44.759 And what a season that was. Oh, absolutely. And 00:00:44.759 --> 00:00:46.140 right off the bat, I really have to emphasize 00:00:46.140 --> 00:00:48.799 this. This is not just a sports story. It is 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.880 a masterclass and sometimes a disaster class. 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:54.380 For sure. In business strategy, civic identity, 00:00:54.539 --> 00:00:57.770 and just the... pure, unyielding resilience of 00:00:57.770 --> 00:01:00.700 a fan base. Exactly. So our mission for this 00:01:00.700 --> 00:01:03.600 deep dive is to completely unpack the extreme 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:05.900 roller coaster of building a modern professional 00:01:05.900 --> 00:01:08.700 sports franchise. We're talking about everything 00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:12.319 from intentionally losing games to filing for 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:14.560 bankruptcy to reaching the Stanley Cup final. 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:17.620 And then suffering a massive organizational collapse. 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:20.540 Right. And finally, executing a billion dollar 00:01:20.540 --> 00:01:23.500 resurrection. OK, let's unpack this. Take me 00:01:23.500 --> 00:01:25.959 back to the very beginning. Ottawa originally 00:01:25.959 --> 00:01:29.030 had a team also called the. senators that won 00:01:29.030 --> 00:01:31.170 11 Stanley Cups. Yeah, the original dynasty. 00:01:31.530 --> 00:01:35.129 But they left town way back in 1934. So how does 00:01:35.129 --> 00:01:37.409 a city that hasn't had an NHL team in over 50 00:01:37.409 --> 00:01:39.689 years suddenly convince the league to give them 00:01:39.689 --> 00:01:41.849 a franchise in the early 1990s? Well, that is 00:01:41.849 --> 00:01:44.030 where a real estate developer named Bruce Firestone 00:01:44.030 --> 00:01:47.189 comes in. In the late 1980s, Firestone launches 00:01:47.189 --> 00:01:50.409 this massive grassroots bring back the senators 00:01:50.409 --> 00:01:53.189 campaign. The goal was to woo both the local 00:01:53.189 --> 00:01:55.980 public and the NHL. But what's fascinating here 00:01:55.980 --> 00:01:58.299 is the business leverage angle. Firestone's firm, 00:01:58.500 --> 00:02:00.180 Terrace Investments, they didn't actually have 00:02:00.180 --> 00:02:02.760 the liquid assets on hand to finance the massive 00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:05.519 NHL expansion fee. Wait, hold on. He's pitching 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:08.400 the NHL on a new franchise, but he doesn't actually 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:10.479 have the cash to pay the entrance fee. How does 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:13.150 that even work? It was all about leverage. He 00:02:13.150 --> 00:02:15.229 essentially used the promise of a future arena 00:02:15.229 --> 00:02:18.030 to inflate the value of the surrounding dirt. 00:02:18.150 --> 00:02:21.009 Wow. Yeah. He planned to leverage a 600 -acre 00:02:21.009 --> 00:02:23.509 farmland real estate development just west of 00:02:23.509 --> 00:02:26.990 Ottawa in a suburb called Kanata. Oh, okay. The 00:02:26.990 --> 00:02:29.409 strategy was to use that projected future value 00:02:29.409 --> 00:02:32.129 of the developed land to secure the loans needed 00:02:32.129 --> 00:02:35.789 to actually pay the NHL. That is wild. And they 00:02:35.789 --> 00:02:38.129 also convinced the public to pledge over 11 ,000 00:02:38.129 --> 00:02:39.889 season tickets, showing the league there was 00:02:39.889 --> 00:02:42.560 a rabid market. And against all odds, the NHL 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:45.099 bought it. They awarded them the franchise to 00:02:45.099 --> 00:02:48.080 be in play in the 1992 -1993 season. That is 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:50.900 a massive gamble by the league. Massive. And 00:02:50.900 --> 00:02:52.699 because of that initial financial strain, the 00:02:52.699 --> 00:02:54.360 way they handled their early years on the ice 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:57.159 was incredibly unorthodox. Unorthodox is putting 00:02:57.159 --> 00:02:59.300 it mildly. I was reading through the stats for 00:02:59.300 --> 00:03:02.560 their 1992 -1993 inaugural season. They played 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:04.719 their first game and actually beat the eventual 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:07.539 Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens 5 -3. 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:10.629 A great start. The city went wild. But after 00:03:10.629 --> 00:03:13.789 that, the club floundered completely. They finished 00:03:13.789 --> 00:03:16.969 with a record of 10 wins, 70 losses, and four 00:03:16.969 --> 00:03:19.889 ties. Just brutal. They tied for the worst record 00:03:19.889 --> 00:03:22.030 in the league, just three points shy of the all 00:03:22.030 --> 00:03:25.169 -time NHL record for futility. But Firestone 00:03:25.169 --> 00:03:27.270 actually considered the season a success. He 00:03:27.270 --> 00:03:29.819 did, which... Yeah, it sounds crazy to anyone 00:03:29.819 --> 00:03:32.060 who loves sports, but you have to understand 00:03:32.060 --> 00:03:34.280 the mechanics of why they did this. It was a 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:38.300 calculated long -term plan to intentionally finish 00:03:38.300 --> 00:03:40.319 at the bottom of the standings for their first 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:42.360 few years. But wait, I have to jump in here. 00:03:42.460 --> 00:03:45.419 They intentionally put a terrible product on 00:03:45.419 --> 00:03:47.699 the ice for paying fans. How did the league, 00:03:47.819 --> 00:03:49.780 or the fans for that matter, allow them to just 00:03:49.780 --> 00:03:52.620 blatantly tank? It was controversial, absolutely. 00:03:53.219 --> 00:03:56.080 But in the NHL draft system... finishing last 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:58.379 guarantees you top draft picks. They couldn't 00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:01.000 afford expensive free agents. Because of the 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:03.539 real estate debt. Exactly. Yeah. So their only 00:04:03.539 --> 00:04:06.539 path to acquiring superstar talent was through 00:04:06.539 --> 00:04:08.939 the draft. They literally called it a plan of 00:04:08.939 --> 00:04:11.879 futility. It is an incredibly high risk business 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:15.840 strategy. On one hand, it yielded massive historic 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:19.160 draft busts. Look at Alexander Daigle, who they 00:04:19.160 --> 00:04:22.160 took first overall in 1993. Right. The infamous 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:24.360 Daigle pick. He was supposed to be a generational 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:26.779 talent and completely fizzled out. Ouch. Right. 00:04:26.959 --> 00:04:29.069 But on the other hand. The strategy eventually 00:04:29.069 --> 00:04:32.110 worked. It brought them franchise legends. They 00:04:32.110 --> 00:04:34.470 drafted Alexa Yashin, who became a superstar, 00:04:34.670 --> 00:04:37.170 and a completely unheralded rookie from Sweden 00:04:37.170 --> 00:04:40.149 named Daniel Alfredson. The captain. Exactly. 00:04:40.370 --> 00:04:42.769 He would go on to win the Calder Trophy as NHL 00:04:42.769 --> 00:04:44.670 Rookie of the Year and become the definitive 00:04:44.670 --> 00:04:47.009 face of the franchise. So they finally had their 00:04:47.009 --> 00:04:49.069 superstars, but instead of solving their problems, 00:04:49.189 --> 00:04:51.829 it creates a whole new one. By the late 90s and 00:04:51.829 --> 00:04:54.610 early 2000s, under head coach Shaq Martin, they 00:04:54.610 --> 00:04:56.550 bring in this strict defense -first philosophy. 00:04:56.810 --> 00:04:58.899 A very different style. Yeah, and they start 00:04:58.899 --> 00:05:01.720 making the playoffs. But off the ice, there is 00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:05.139 massive drama. Their first ever draft pick, Alexey 00:05:05.139 --> 00:05:07.939 Yashin, literally refuses to honor his contract. 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:11.500 He sits out an entire season holding out for 00:05:11.500 --> 00:05:13.779 more money. Which is a general manager's worst 00:05:13.779 --> 00:05:16.639 nightmare. Exactly. But that holdout actually 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:18.899 led to one of the most pivotal moments in franchise 00:05:18.899 --> 00:05:23.060 history. On the day of the 2001 NHL draft, they 00:05:23.060 --> 00:05:25.339 trade Yashin to the Islanders. A blockbuster. 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:28.459 And in return, they get this towering, terrifying 00:05:28.459 --> 00:05:32.439 giant of a defenseman, Zdeno Chara. Plus the 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:34.660 draft pick they used to select superstar center 00:05:34.660 --> 00:05:37.819 Jason Spezza. And that trade fundamentally alters 00:05:37.819 --> 00:05:40.139 the trajectory of the team on the ice. But if 00:05:40.139 --> 00:05:42.439 we connect this to the bigger picture, all these 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:45.160 on -ice maneuvers were happening while the franchise's 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:47.319 financial foundation was completely crumbling. 00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:49.160 Remember that original ownership model we talked 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:51.379 about? Right. The one based heavily on real estate 00:05:51.379 --> 00:05:53.860 and debt. The Kanata farmland leverage. Exactly. 00:05:54.019 --> 00:05:55.920 It was buckling under the weight of its own debt. 00:05:56.620 --> 00:06:00.259 By the 2002 -2003 season, The team had reached 00:06:00.259 --> 00:06:03.199 the ultimate paradox. The Ottawa Senators were 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:05.819 literally bankrupt. They entered bankruptcy protection, 00:06:06.139 --> 00:06:09.180 owing $160 million Canadian dollars for the club 00:06:09.180 --> 00:06:12.600 and $210 million for the arena. Let's pause on 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:14.519 that because I think people gloss over the word 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:18.420 bankrupt in sports. They owed roughly $370 million. 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:22.870 How does a team even function? How are they paying 00:06:22.870 --> 00:06:25.829 for hotels, flights, or the players' salaries 00:06:25.829 --> 00:06:28.970 when they are functionally insolvent? It was 00:06:28.970 --> 00:06:31.370 an operational nightmare. They needed emergency 00:06:31.370 --> 00:06:34.569 financing from the league and from banks just 00:06:34.569 --> 00:06:36.810 to finish the regular season. Creditors were 00:06:36.810 --> 00:06:39.129 constantly threatening to lock the arena doors. 00:06:39.410 --> 00:06:41.910 Just padlock the rink. Literally. Yeah. The players 00:06:41.910 --> 00:06:43.889 were showing up to the rink not knowing if their 00:06:43.889 --> 00:06:45.790 paychecks were going to bounce or if the team 00:06:45.790 --> 00:06:47.730 was going to be sold and relocated to another 00:06:47.730 --> 00:06:49.649 city by the end of the week. Think about that 00:06:49.649 --> 00:06:51.629 for a second. Imagine you're a player dealing 00:06:51.629 --> 00:06:54.470 with that level of existential anxiety. And what 00:06:54.470 --> 00:06:57.250 do they do? They block out all the noise and 00:06:57.250 --> 00:06:59.009 win the president's trophy. It's incredible. 00:06:59.230 --> 00:07:02.009 They had the absolute best regular season record 00:07:02.009 --> 00:07:04.170 in the entire National Hockey League that year 00:07:04.170 --> 00:07:06.769 and came within one single game of making the 00:07:06.769 --> 00:07:08.769 Stanley Cup final. Yeah. It's an unbelievable 00:07:08.769 --> 00:07:11.509 display of focus. It really is one of the most 00:07:11.509 --> 00:07:14.730 remarkable seasons in NHL history. And that dramatic 00:07:14.730 --> 00:07:17.850 against all odds peak is what saved them. It 00:07:17.850 --> 00:07:19.529 caught the eye of a pharmaceutical billionaire 00:07:19.529 --> 00:07:22.769 named Eugene Melnick. Ah, here we go. He saw 00:07:22.769 --> 00:07:25.300 a team that was bankrupt on paper, but... brilliant 00:07:25.300 --> 00:07:28.899 on the ice. So in August 2003, Melnick bought 00:07:28.899 --> 00:07:31.720 the team and the arena out of bankruptcy for 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:35.319 roughly $130 million Canadian dollars. He secured 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:37.620 the franchise's immediate future, stabilized 00:07:37.620 --> 00:07:40.500 the debt, and set the stage for what would become 00:07:40.500 --> 00:07:42.620 their golden era. And here's where it gets really 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:44.660 interesting. With the finances finally stable, 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:47.319 the team enters the Brian Murray era in the mid 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:49.620 -2000s, and they put together one of the most 00:07:49.620 --> 00:07:51.860 terrifying offensive lines in modern hockey. 00:07:52.100 --> 00:07:55.620 They called it the CASH. Legendary line. It stood 00:07:55.620 --> 00:07:58.480 for Captain Alfredson, Spezza, and Heatley. Danny 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:00.839 Heatley was an absolute machine, scoring 50 goals 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:03.160 in back -to -back seasons. But why was this specific 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:06.180 line so dominant right at this specific time? 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:08.519 It came down to timing and a massive shift in 00:08:08.519 --> 00:08:11.959 the NHL's rulebook. Following the 2004 -2005 00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:14.339 NHL walkout, the league realized the game had 00:08:14.339 --> 00:08:16.759 become too slow and defensive. What fans called 00:08:16.759 --> 00:08:19.589 the dead puck era. Exactly. So they instituted 00:08:19.589 --> 00:08:22.290 new rules to open up the game. They created strict 00:08:22.290 --> 00:08:25.189 crackdowns on hooking, holding, and clutching. 00:08:25.670 --> 00:08:27.970 Suddenly, if you were a slow defender trying 00:08:27.970 --> 00:08:30.269 to grab a fast forward, you were going straight 00:08:30.269 --> 00:08:32.429 to the penalty box. You couldn't just water ski 00:08:32.429 --> 00:08:34.909 off the fast guys anymore. Right. And the Senators 00:08:34.909 --> 00:08:37.649 played an up -tempo, highly skilled style that 00:08:37.649 --> 00:08:40.669 perfectly capitalized on those new rules. The 00:08:40.669 --> 00:08:43.549 C -ash line was fast, they were incredibly creative, 00:08:43.809 --> 00:08:46.830 and they simply overwhelmed opposing defenses. 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:49.919 could no longer legally slow them down. And it 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:53.330 all culminated in the 2007 Stanley Cup run. For 00:08:53.330 --> 00:08:54.970 you listening, just picture this atmosphere. 00:08:55.210 --> 00:08:57.509 The entire city of Ottawa is completely swept 00:08:57.509 --> 00:09:00.149 up in the excitement. The Sens army literally 00:09:00.149 --> 00:09:02.529 takes over the city. Oh, the visuals from that 00:09:02.529 --> 00:09:04.970 year are amazing. Fans are dressing up in full 00:09:04.970 --> 00:09:08.210 Roman legionary armor to matches. A massive six 00:09:08.210 --> 00:09:10.710 -story likeness of Daniel Alfredson is hung on 00:09:10.710 --> 00:09:13.190 a downtown building. The city officially closes 00:09:13.190 --> 00:09:15.870 down Elgin Street, dubbing it the Sens mile for 00:09:15.870 --> 00:09:18.029 spontaneous massive street celebrations after 00:09:18.029 --> 00:09:20.789 every playoff win. They absolutely tear through 00:09:20.789 --> 00:09:22.730 Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Buffalo. They looked 00:09:22.730 --> 00:09:26.649 unstoppable. They did. But then comes the heartbreak. 00:09:26.990 --> 00:09:29.690 In the 2007 Stanley Cup final, they run into 00:09:29.690 --> 00:09:32.169 the Anaheim Ducks. And this is where tactical 00:09:32.169 --> 00:09:34.889 matchups really matter. Oh, yeah. The Ducks were 00:09:34.889 --> 00:09:38.149 the exact opposite of Ottawa. They were a heavy, 00:09:38.250 --> 00:09:41.149 physical team known for a defensive buzzsaw approach. 00:09:42.169 --> 00:09:44.690 Anaheim completely smothered the Seacash H -line. 00:09:44.789 --> 00:09:46.830 They didn't try to outscore Ottawa. They just... 00:09:47.100 --> 00:09:49.580 physically punished them, forcing Brian Murray 00:09:49.580 --> 00:09:51.740 to split up his star players. Just beat them 00:09:51.740 --> 00:09:54.740 up on the ice? Pretty much. Yeah. Anaheim's goaltender 00:09:54.740 --> 00:09:56.960 outplayed Ottawa's and the Ducks won the series 00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:59.500 in five games. It was a devastating end, but 00:09:59.500 --> 00:10:02.220 it perfectly illustrates how quickly a championship 00:10:02.220 --> 00:10:04.960 window can open in professional sports and how 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:07.279 violently it can snap shut when you meet your 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:09.019 stylistic nightmare. Yeah, that window closed 00:10:09.019 --> 00:10:12.539 incredibly fast. But even as the team's fortunes 00:10:12.539 --> 00:10:15.139 fluctuated over the next few years, the culture 00:10:15.139 --> 00:10:17.779 of the team remained incredibly unique. If you've 00:10:17.779 --> 00:10:20.159 never been, just imagine the atmosphere inside 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:22.919 the Canadian Tire Centre. It's loud. You've got... 00:10:23.100 --> 00:10:26.460 Sparta cat, this giant anthropomorphic lion mascot 00:10:26.460 --> 00:10:29.100 roaming the stands. Whenever the Sens score, 00:10:29.379 --> 00:10:32.480 a massive goal horn blares. And it's not just 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:36.200 any horn. It's a real Nathan Erkheim from a retired 00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:39.220 VIA rail train. That horn is iconic. And then 00:10:39.220 --> 00:10:41.399 Blur's song, too, pumps through the arena speakers. 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:44.899 It is pure adrenaline. And beyond the adrenaline, 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:47.279 structurally and culturally, it's a deeply unique 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:50.539 market. The Senators operate in a truly bilingual 00:10:50.539 --> 00:10:52.710 environment. which is rare for North American 00:10:52.710 --> 00:10:55.309 sports outside of Montreal. Right. With an estimated 00:10:55.309 --> 00:10:57.970 40 % of their season ticket base being Francophone, 00:10:58.190 --> 00:11:01.110 the business relies heavily on operating in both 00:11:01.110 --> 00:11:03.649 English and French. How does that actually look 00:11:03.649 --> 00:11:05.669 in practice, though? Well, it's embedded in everything. 00:11:06.090 --> 00:11:08.389 The Canadian national anthem is sung in a bilingual 00:11:08.389 --> 00:11:11.669 format before games, alternating languages. All 00:11:11.669 --> 00:11:14.490 in -arena announcements are dual language. Even 00:11:14.490 --> 00:11:17.110 their lucrative local TV broadcast rights are 00:11:17.110 --> 00:11:19.490 split to serve both demographics. Oh, interesting. 00:11:19.690 --> 00:11:22.009 The English language games go to the TSN network, 00:11:22.230 --> 00:11:24.629 while the French language broadcasts are handled 00:11:24.629 --> 00:11:27.549 by the RDS network. This duality isn't just a 00:11:27.549 --> 00:11:30.210 gimmick. It's a core operational part of their 00:11:30.210 --> 00:11:33.309 civic identity and business strategy. Which naturally 00:11:33.309 --> 00:11:35.870 leads us to their rivalries, because... Nothing 00:11:35.870 --> 00:11:38.230 brings a divided city together like a common 00:11:38.230 --> 00:11:40.409 enemy. First, you have the Battle of Ontario 00:11:40.409 --> 00:11:43.389 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was a massive 00:11:43.389 --> 00:11:45.830 mental hurdle for Ottawa in the early 2000s. 00:11:45.830 --> 00:11:48.169 They lost to the Leafs in the playoffs four times 00:11:48.169 --> 00:11:50.690 in a row. A huge psychological block. Total block. 00:11:50.909 --> 00:11:52.850 And of course, the rivalry flared right back 00:11:52.850 --> 00:11:56.419 up in 2025. But while the Toronto rivalry is 00:11:56.419 --> 00:11:59.200 historic, the rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens, 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:01.720 that one gets spicy. Spicy is an understatement. 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:04.639 Just looking objectively at the history provided 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:06.980 in the sources, the Ottawa -Montreal matchups 00:12:06.980 --> 00:12:09.120 have been incredibly intense, highly emotional, 00:12:09.220 --> 00:12:11.480 and occasionally downright ugly. Yeah. In the 00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:14.360 2013 playoffs, there was a brutal open ice hit 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:17.639 in Game 1, which escalated the bad blood so much 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:20.720 that by Game 3, it erupted into a full five -on 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:23.179 -five line brawl. Wow. Just total chaos on the 00:12:23.179 --> 00:12:26.100 ice. Total. chaos. And it spilled over to the 00:12:26.100 --> 00:12:28.240 coaches and players talking to the media. The 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:31.360 tensions were so high that Montreal forward Brandon 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:35.340 Prust famously hurled a bizarre insult at Ottawa's 00:12:35.340 --> 00:12:38.159 head coach Paul McLean, calling him a bug -eyed 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:40.879 fat walrus. That escalated quickly, and it didn't 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:43.059 stop there, did it? No, it didn't. The bad blood 00:12:43.059 --> 00:12:46.320 lingered. Two years later, in the 2015 playoffs, 00:12:46.659 --> 00:12:49.580 Montreal's P .K. Subban delivered what Ottawa 00:12:49.580 --> 00:12:52.480 forward Clark MacArthur called a lumberjack slash 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:55.519 on Ottawa's Mark Stone. Oh, I remember that. 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:57.600 It was a vicious chop that actually fractured 00:12:57.600 --> 00:13:00.460 Stone's wrist. It created this massive weeks 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:02.639 -long debate between the two fan bases and coaching 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:06.000 staffs over intent, player safety, and basic 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:08.600 respect. When these two teams play, it's rarely 00:13:08.600 --> 00:13:10.740 just a regular hockey game. It's a proxy war. 00:13:11.049 --> 00:13:13.429 So keeping that intense passion and high stakes 00:13:13.429 --> 00:13:15.309 in mind, let's fast forward and bring the story 00:13:15.309 --> 00:13:18.330 to 2017. The Sens are on another magical run. 00:13:18.389 --> 00:13:20.330 They are exactly one goal away from returning 00:13:20.330 --> 00:13:22.590 to the Stanley Cup final. They push the defending 00:13:22.590 --> 00:13:25.309 champion Pittsburgh Penguins to double overtime 00:13:25.309 --> 00:13:28.090 in game seven of the Eastern Conference final. 00:13:28.529 --> 00:13:31.610 The tension is unbearable and they lose. And 00:13:31.610 --> 00:13:34.730 then suddenly, almost inexplicably, the absolute 00:13:34.730 --> 00:13:37.970 bottom falls out. The collapse was swift and 00:13:37.970 --> 00:13:41.289 it was total. The following season, the locker 00:13:41.289 --> 00:13:43.970 room chemistry completely dissolved. There were 00:13:43.970 --> 00:13:46.230 highly publicized interpersonal issues among 00:13:46.230 --> 00:13:48.389 the players, and management decided the only 00:13:48.389 --> 00:13:51.629 way forward was to execute a complete scorched 00:13:51.629 --> 00:13:53.649 earth rebuild. Give me the timeline on that, 00:13:53.690 --> 00:13:55.990 because to go from double overtime in the conference 00:13:55.990 --> 00:13:59.309 finals to a fire sale is jarring. It happened 00:13:59.309 --> 00:14:02.220 in the blink of an eye. By the 2018 -2019 season, 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:04.059 they had traded away their captain and generational 00:14:04.059 --> 00:14:06.600 superstar defenseman, Eric Carlson. They traded 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:08.539 their top forward, Mark Stone. They shipped out 00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:10.320 almost every key piece that had gotten them to 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:12.419 that Game 7. Everyone was gone. And the result. 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:14.820 After being one goal away from the finals, they 00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:17.700 finished the 2018 -2019 season dead last in the 00:14:17.700 --> 00:14:21.519 entire NHL. Dead last. But here's the craziest 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:24.759 part. If the on -ice product wasn't bad enough, 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:28.379 the off -ice drama was somehow even worse. For 00:14:28.379 --> 00:14:30.440 years, the team had been working on a proposal 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:33.879 to build a new arena downtown at Labretton Flats. 00:14:33.940 --> 00:14:36.159 Right, the Dream Arena. It was supposed to be 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:39.600 this glittering new home, a massive real estate 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:41.659 development that would secure the team's financial 00:14:41.659 --> 00:14:45.360 future for decades. But right as the team hits 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:48.299 rock bottom on the ice, the massive partnership 00:14:48.299 --> 00:14:50.940 to build the arena completely falls apart. And 00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:53.179 it didn't just fall apart quietly. It exploded 00:14:53.179 --> 00:14:56.509 into litigation. The Senators ended up suing 00:14:56.509 --> 00:14:58.929 their own development partner for $700 million 00:14:58.929 --> 00:15:01.190 Canadian dollars, alleging conflicts of interest. 00:15:01.429 --> 00:15:03.490 The partner turned around and countersued for 00:15:03.490 --> 00:15:06.159 $1 billion. This raises an important question. 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:09.080 How does a franchise survive when both the on 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:10.779 -ice product and the off -ice infrastructure 00:15:10.779 --> 00:15:13.340 completely collapse at the exact same time? You 00:15:13.340 --> 00:15:15.840 have a team finishing in last place, a fan base 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:17.700 mourning the loss of their favorite generational 00:15:17.700 --> 00:15:20.159 players. An owner making controversial comments 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:23.840 to the media. Yes. And a billion dollar lawsuit 00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:27.789 destroying the team's future arena plans. So 00:15:27.789 --> 00:15:29.950 they are essentially homeless in terms of a future 00:15:29.950 --> 00:15:33.889 arena and talentless on the ice. It was, as local 00:15:33.889 --> 00:15:36.570 media accurately called it, the gloomiest period 00:15:36.570 --> 00:15:39.429 in the history of the franchise. The business 00:15:39.429 --> 00:15:41.750 was bleeding goodwill and the team was bleeding 00:15:41.750 --> 00:15:44.909 goals. It seemed like an impossible hole to dig 00:15:44.909 --> 00:15:47.159 out of. But as we've learned with the senators 00:15:47.159 --> 00:15:49.080 over and over again, they always find a way to 00:15:49.080 --> 00:15:51.940 resurrect themselves. Tragically, owner Eugene 00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:54.879 Melnick passed away in 2022 after a long illness. 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:57.899 The team was subsequently put up for sale. Given 00:15:57.899 --> 00:15:59.679 all the drama, you'd think the value would be 00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:02.120 tanked. Exactly. But it was eventually purchased 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:04.159 by Michael Ann Lauer and a group of investors 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:07.480 for a massive valuation, reported to be somewhere 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:10.220 around $800 million to a billion dollars. Huge 00:16:10.220 --> 00:16:12.399 money. And Lauer immediately started cleaning 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:14.879 house and changing the culture. He brought back... 00:16:14.889 --> 00:16:17.750 former beloved executives and hired former player 00:16:17.750 --> 00:16:20.690 Steve Stios as general manager. And crucially, 00:16:20.809 --> 00:16:23.750 the deeply painful on -ice rebuild that began 00:16:23.750 --> 00:16:27.169 in 2018 finally started to bear fruit. Because 00:16:27.169 --> 00:16:29.649 they were so remarkably bad for those few years, 00:16:29.750 --> 00:16:32.919 they secured elite draft picks. They drafted 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:35.299 foundational pieces like Tim Stutzel and Jake 00:16:35.299 --> 00:16:38.299 Sanderson. Great picks. They drafted Brady Twikacek, 00:16:38.299 --> 00:16:40.980 who brought this incredible, infectious physical 00:16:40.980 --> 00:16:43.980 presence to the team and was named the 10th and 00:16:43.980 --> 00:16:46.799 youngest captain in franchise history at just 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:50.259 22 years old. They had committed to a completely 00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:53.399 new core. And under Ann Lauer's ownership, the 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:56.460 dark clouds finally started to lift. Which brings 00:16:56.460 --> 00:16:59.429 us to the thrilling climax of our story. The 00:16:59.429 --> 00:17:03.470 2024 -2025 season. Now, it does not start perfectly. 00:17:03.649 --> 00:17:05.769 The NHL actually docked the team a first -round 00:17:05.769 --> 00:17:07.910 draft pick due to front office negligence regarding 00:17:07.910 --> 00:17:10.230 a past trade, which led to the general manager 00:17:10.230 --> 00:17:12.170 resigning. A little bump in the road. Yeah, they 00:17:12.170 --> 00:17:14.349 struggled early on. But new head coach Travis 00:17:14.349 --> 00:17:16.549 Green stepped in and completely righted the ship. 00:17:16.690 --> 00:17:19.650 He leads this young core on an absolute tear, 00:17:19.869 --> 00:17:22.630 finishing with an incredible 97 -point season. 00:17:22.829 --> 00:17:25.049 They clinched their first playoff berth in eight 00:17:25.049 --> 00:17:27.349 years. The energy in the city completely shifted 00:17:27.349 --> 00:17:29.940 back. It was electric. They drew the Toronto 00:17:29.940 --> 00:17:32.000 Maple Leafs in the first round, the Battle of 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:34.700 Ontario renewed. They fell behind 3 -0 in the 00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:37.359 series, fought back to win two gritty games before 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:40.279 ultimately losing in six. But the point is, the 00:17:40.279 --> 00:17:43.740 energy is back. Plus, just to put a bow on the 00:17:43.740 --> 00:17:47.440 whole saga, in August 2025, a brand new land 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:50.000 sale agreement for LeBreton Flats was finally 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:52.950 signed. It's an incredible turnaround. If we 00:17:52.950 --> 00:17:54.549 look at the business and structural mechanics 00:17:54.549 --> 00:17:57.230 of this franchise, the Senators prove that a 00:17:57.230 --> 00:17:59.910 sports entity can endure staggering organizational 00:17:59.910 --> 00:18:03.490 chaos. You can survive failed plans, billion 00:18:03.490 --> 00:18:05.970 -dollar lawsuits, and actual bankruptcies as 00:18:05.970 --> 00:18:08.289 long as you eventually commit to a new core strategy 00:18:08.289 --> 00:18:10.490 and follow through with patience. It takes a 00:18:10.490 --> 00:18:12.609 lot of patience. It does. The pain of the rebuild 00:18:12.609 --> 00:18:15.049 was severe, but the resulting foundation is incredibly 00:18:15.049 --> 00:18:18.180 strong. So what does this all mean? Summarizing 00:18:18.180 --> 00:18:20.440 this whole wild ride, the Ottawa Senators are 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:22.839 absolute proof that sports franchises aren't 00:18:22.839 --> 00:18:24.900 just businesses on a spreadsheet. They're living, 00:18:25.019 --> 00:18:26.940 breathing entities that reflect the resilience, 00:18:27.220 --> 00:18:29.380 the frustrations, and the triumphs of their cities. 00:18:29.819 --> 00:18:32.759 Absolutely. The structural endurance of this 00:18:32.759 --> 00:18:36.160 franchise is a fascinating case study. I mean, 00:18:36.180 --> 00:18:37.900 think about how you handle the rebuilds in your 00:18:37.900 --> 00:18:40.380 own life or business. When things fall apart, 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:42.940 do you have the patience to start from scratch? 00:18:43.409 --> 00:18:45.630 Because Ottawa didn't take shortcuts during their 00:18:45.630 --> 00:18:48.690 darkest years, and that discipline, both in overhauling 00:18:48.690 --> 00:18:50.609 the front office and staying patient with their 00:18:50.609 --> 00:18:53.049 draft picks, is exactly what led to their eventual 00:18:53.049 --> 00:18:55.130 return to the playoffs and their renewed arena 00:18:55.130 --> 00:18:57.869 deal. That is a great point. And as we wrap up, 00:18:57.910 --> 00:18:59.529 I want to leave you with a final provocative 00:18:59.529 --> 00:19:03.140 thought to mull over. Think about the crazy symmetry 00:19:03.140 --> 00:19:06.440 of this entire story. The modern Ottawa Senators 00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:10.200 were born in 1992 using a 600 -acre real estate 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:12.960 development in Kanata as financial leverage just 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:15.039 to pay the league's entrance fee. Full circle. 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:18.619 Now, over 30 years later, after surviving bankruptcies, 00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:21.660 deep playoff runs, and massive rebuilds, their 00:19:21.660 --> 00:19:24.559 future stability once again hinges on a massive 00:19:24.559 --> 00:19:27.119 real estate deal, this time downtown at La Breton 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:30.589 Flats. It really makes you wonder. In the modern 00:19:30.589 --> 00:19:32.990 era of professional sports, are we really cheering 00:19:32.990 --> 00:19:36.150 for hockey teams or are we just emotionally invested 00:19:36.150 --> 00:19:38.750 in billion dollar real estate portfolios that 00:19:38.750 --> 00:19:40.730 happen to wear ice skates? That's a great question. 00:19:40.890 --> 00:19:42.230 Think about that the next time you hear that 00:19:42.230 --> 00:19:44.970 VIA rail goal horn. Thanks so much for joining 00:19:44.970 --> 00:19:47.289 us on this deep dive. Keep exploring, stay curious, 00:19:47.349 --> 00:19:48.650 and we'll catch you next time.