The Ottawa Senators' Ring of Honour was established to recognize players and team personnel who served the organization with distinction but don’t quite fit into the categories of team jersey retirement or the Hockey Hall of Fame.
There are six men in the Hockey Hall of Fame who once wore the centurion crest: Daniel Alfredsson, Tom Barrasso, Zdeno Chara, Dominik Hasek, Marian Hossa, and former coach Roger Neilson.
The Senators' retired numbers are Chris Phillips, Daniel Alfredsson, and Chris Neil. When the modern-day expansion Senators returned to the ice, they tipped their cap to the original Senators by retiring the number 8 of Frank Finnigan, a star player in the 1920s and ’30s who helped owner Bruce Firestone and his crew with the Bring Back the Senators campaign in the early '90s.
As an aside, I'm not sure why having your jersey retired should remove you from Ring of Honour contention. To me, that's like making a defenseman ineligible for the Norris Trophy because he won the Hart.
Who Are The Top Five Fighters In Ottawa Senators History?My old pal, Liam Maguire, the greatest hockey trivia mind in the world, was making the rounds in Renfrew last Friday, roughly an hour west of Ottawa. Along with Liam's passion for NHL trivia, I've never met a man who likes seeing a good hockey fight more than he does.
Ironically, the Ring of Honour is the easiest of the three accolades to achieve, and yet it has the fewest members. Currently, it includes just three: former head coach and general manager Bryan Murray, longtime defenseman Wade Redden, and team doctor Donald Chow.
With new ownership and management focused on being "Best in Class," it might be time to throw a few more hats in the Ring. We can't put Brady Tkachuk or Erik Karlsson up there right now. But here are five retired players who wouldn’t look out of place right now on the Sens' R.O.H.
1. Craig Anderson
This one feels like a no-brainer. Anderson is the franchise leader in almost every goaltending stat and metric. He backstopped the team to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017, coming within a single goal of the Stanley Cup Final. Unfortunately, the image of him vainly trying to see through J.G. Pageau as a flutter puck from Chris Kunitz found its way past him will be burned into our memories forever. But the good times were many. The undisputed greatest goalie in team history deserves a spot in the Ring of Honour.
2. Marian Hossa
Some argue Hossa wasn't in Ottawa long enough to be considered Ring-worthy, but he played 467 games here and was emerging as one of the NHL’s truly elite players. He scored 390 points as a Senator and ranks 14th all-time in games played for the club. He didn’t ask out. He signed a contract in good faith, only to be immediately traded by GM John Muckler in a package deal for Dany Heatley. Doesn't that make you want to extend an olive branch to one of the most skilled players to ever wear a Sens jersey?
3. Alexei Yashin
Don't start throwing tomatoes at me. Yashin is the only Senator ever considered for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. He sits 13th in games played with 504 and racked up 491 points. Yes, his contract holdouts were fiercely frustrating at the time, but few players have ever been more talented in a Sens uniform. I've always felt like this was just a kid getting some really bad advice from his agent.
4. Jason Spezza
Spezza ranks sixth all-time in games played (686) and scored 251 goals and 687 points, nearly a point per game. Yes, some were disappointed that he was named captain in 2013–14, only to request a trade by the end of the season. But his behind-the-scenes exhaustion during the Eugene Melnyk years surely played a big role in that. If you believe that, then Spezza deserves a little grace. He was an excellent Senator for a long time and absolutely belongs in the Ring of Honour.
5. Dany Heatley
You could definitely make a case against this one because Heatley only played four seasons for the Senators. But the only 50-goal scorer in club history (he did it twice) will never look out of place on the Ring. Heatley was part of the most entertaining line in team history with Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza. The Senators took the first step by publicly reuniting the Pizza Line last year. Why not complete the tribute?
You could also twist my arm on Zdeno Chara or Mike Fisher, by the way.
I get it. Some of these options are borderline for varying reasons. But frankly, I'm willing to be flexible right now. Because for an NHL team that's 33 years old, having a ring of honour with just one player on it isn't a very good look.
It's time to get some star names up there and beef this thing up.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
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