Ottawa Senators

Fandom is often involuntary — I couldn't stop cheering for the Sens if I wanted to — but expectations affect my reactions. I could be less emotionally invested ...

There will be things to cheer about this season, and there will be more things to cheer about in future seasons. We will get to cheer on cathartic playoff wins in the future. This was always going to be a tough year, and the Bruins deciding to play like it’s 1974 hasn’t helped things. [Summer of Pierre](https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/senators-dorion-has-plenty-to-smile-about-after-summer-of-acquisitions/), and [others](https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/canadian-nhl-teams-off-season-grades-flames-senators-earn-top-marks/) [were](https://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/nhl_team_by_team_offseason_grades/s1__37761773#slide_21) [saying](https://dobberhockey.com/2022/08/27/dobbers-offseason-fantasy-grades-ottawa-senators-3/) [the](https://thehockeynews.com/news/the-four-most-improved-teams-this-nhl-off-season) Sens had the best offseason of anyone. I can remember being on a high the whole afternoon and evening after we watched Claude Grioux rip a Game 3 against the Canadiens in 2013 was so much fun, that I found some strangers here on Silver Seven to go watch a game at a bar in downtown Toronto for Game 4 because I didn’t want to experience it alone. Thinking back, it’s easy to remember the dejection of Game 7 against the Penguins in 2017, but that whole run was still so much fun. The second is the [ Welcome To Your Karlsson Years breakdown](https://welcometoyourkarlssonyears.com/2014/10/08/game-on/) of the [Ottawa Senators](https://www.silversevensens.com)’ theme song. And it wasn’t just us; national outlets were declaring it the It perfectly sums up my feelings about how invested I am in the Sens, and makes me feel even worse when I realize how I’m invested in a hockey team that probably won’t even make the playoffs. The third is sadly behind a Washington Post paywall, but the headline paints you a pretty good picture: [If You Get Emotionally Invested in a Playoff Hockey Team, You’re a Masochist](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2016/05/06/if-you-get-emotionally-invested-in-a-playoff-hockey-team-youre-a-masochist/). When I think back over my favourite hockey writing of the past 10 years, three articles immediately come to mind.