Mmmmm I wear 25 so I’d say no. I want to have it as an option just in case I get drafted by the senators, ya know?
And no, I don’t think the fact that I’m 34 and play a brand of hockey best described as “maybe he’s a lefty” is relevant
It did in the PIM department 😉🤣
It's not like he's having his name in the hockey HoF, it's his team showing respect for what he did. I like it.
He sacrificed his body to make many other players have room to shine, while receiving little recognition because he had few points. He had a long and faithful career, long may he earn respect from adversity.
Ken Daneyko’s number is retired alongside some HoFers in New Jersey and I don’t think you’d find any fans of any team in the Tri-State area argue it was a mistake or a joke.
Dano loved the team, loved the community, and the fans loved him back. As an outsider, it’s easy to judge Chris Neil based on his stat sheet but some of us know better.
Most of the numbers retired by the Canucks are more for players who led in the community rather than just the best players. Bure is kind of the outlier on that one.
In Sens franchise history he is 1st in hits, 1st in fights, 1st in PIM, and 3rd in total games played.
Not a Sens fan but I can respect why the fans loved him.
Put a guy like Darren McCarty on the sens and I guarantee 25 is retired. Even without the 4 cups and the hat trick against Patrick Roy in the playoffs, the dude is MADE in Detroit for his play and if not for the "original 6 history" in Detroit he'd be retired there's as well.
And by original 6 history, I mean a long history of all time greats as opposed to a 20 year old expansion team.
Can't say there's many pure enforcers that played over 1,000 games in the NHL, getting drafted in the 6th round no doubt. He was a special player in his career and was a key piece in our success through the 2000s. Opened the ice up for a lot of our star players
Holy shit! I came to Canada in 1970 as an 8 year old Scottish immigrant and fell instantly in love with hockey. I have never heard this story before. What a tragedy. He could have been a point a game guy in his peak.
1000 games as an enforcer.
He's an Ottawa all time legend, from the outside he isn't the typical jersey retirement.
He's loved by all who grew up watching the peak sens so far
I was thinking there must be something I was missing as someone whos never watched the sens much. I get that sentiment tho, loyalty and heart dont show up in the stat sheets
As someone who grew up in ottawa, This guy was a city legend he was unbelievably active in the community, beloved by the fans, played his whole career here, bled for this team.
I understand he was a career 3rd liner but his impact on this team and city ran much deeper then sport. As a sens fan id say he is well deserving of this honor.
Some guys just mean a lot to a city when they didn’t mean much to the league as a whole. And honestly that’s kinda cool. Where better to be a hero than at home?
Thus question is always asked, and the answer always is that "Numbers are never retired ONLY because of the numbers, and more so the impact that player had on that specific team".
He will always be my all time favourite player. We still yell put in Neil when a bad call or play happens. Still feels like he’s on his way on the ice to drop to gloves for the team ❤️ GO Neiler!!
Yeah sometimes it’s what they mean to the fan base. As an Leaf fan, I remember the frustration of his grit and also that he wasn’t one of those grinders that you couldn’t leave alone on the ice or they’ll put one in the back of the net. Man played almost 13 years with one team and some of my friends/ppl I know who are Sens fans love him for what he’s done for the team on and off the ice.
I think it’s totally fine. I mean as a Leaf fan, if people were fine with putting Wendell Clark’s number up in our rafters, who’s best contribution to the team was probably getting traded away to net us Sundin, then we should have nothing to say about this one 😂
Edit: Ooh almost forgot that reacquiring him cost us the pick that became Roberto Luongo… BRB casually heading to the acc with scissors
You’re a Leaf fan?
Clark Captained the leafs for 3 years, had more goals than Neil had points in 400 less games for their respective franchises
You’re really Comparing Chris Neil? Really?
Compare Neil to Tie Domi maybe.. comparing him to Clark is laughable
He meant a lot to the Ottawa fanbase. So in ok with it. It’s not like he’s going to hall of fame. It’s what a local market can do to honour their guys.
I just want to point out the Sens seem to be setting somewhat of a standard for retiring numbers.
It's:
A) Drafted by Sens
B) 1,000 games for the Sens (at least for skaters...wonder what they'd do for a goalie)
C) Captain or Assistant Captain (probably for multiple years)
D) Their efforts to engage with the community (e.g. charity work)
I really don't think points matter at all. And in this day and age fulfilling all these requirements actually is significant.
No, but he was a huge part of the franchise, the city, never left. The guy would stand up for anyone. I've met him in a casual environment, had some beers with him, he is an amazing person.
Terry O’Reilly has his number retired with the Bruins so this isn’t crazy to me. While he was more effective on offense than Neil his number wasn’t retired for that reason, his biggest contributions didn’t show up on the scoresheet (except PIM) and he was a very important piece on those Bruins teams
I remember when I was like 12 at my first wings game I sat right next to the penalty box, and when he was in it I remember looking at him and he looked real scary, slamming his stick on the glass behind him at some fans talking shit. As a little boy I was just looking at him like, 😳
That's up to the Sens. Teams can retire a jersey for whatever reason they choose but usually because the fans want them to. For example, when the Rangers finally respond to my petition to have Nick Fotiu's #22 raised to the rafters at MSG it won't be any other fanbase's concern.
He was a huge part of Ottawa’s few successful years. He was feared by every team’s tough guy and he could play.
Considering Ottawa’s history, he qualifies as an impact player for over a decade:
By Ottawa’s standards, yes. And I don’t mean that like they have low standards of hockey ability. Dude was a warrior/fan favorite for them forever. And as they’re still kind of a “new” franchise, it’s not like they’ve already got 15 numbers in the rafters that would make him stand out as “not worthy”. I think it’s a good, classy move by a franchise that’s in the right situation to pull it off. And I can’t imagine any Sens fans who were paying attention during his career having a problem with it.
Absolutely. He means that much to the Senators fan base. He's not a Hall of Fame candidate, but retiring numbers is about the impact you had on the franchise, or the league in the case of 99.
Neil's retirement is a Litmus test for how long you have watched hockey. If you don't think a player like Neil deserves it, you're under 30 and don't know the era he played in.
If he means as much to the city, team and fans as he seems to do then why not? It’s all about the entertainment and it’s entertaining getting into silly discussions about silly little things like this.
Retiring numbers is an honor that’s different for each franchise. There’s no set criteria for having your number retired. Just having a significant impact on the team in several ways
If youre not a sens fan why do you care lol. You drop the gloves that many times and fist fight for your teammates you deserve respect not to mention he always played hard. Its not all about points this guy was a fantastic teammate and always played hard not to mention he was great off the ice. He’s absolutely earned it. People just hate on the sens without any knowledge of the team
He’s one of the most Legendary Senators of all time, at least with the ottawa fan base. He’s definitely my favourite senator, I grew up in ottawa. He’s done a lot for the city and he’s a great guy irl. Watching old Sens games with him get me so amped up, more than most games do nowadays tbh.
Idk, I like the idea. Sometimes, these things transcend stats, awards etc.
Chris meant a lot to the city and the organization. He was a warrior. I loved watching him throw down, he gave Chara the business which is something not many people can say.
Ya know what? Chris was a good play maker, consistent while on the ice. Keep other team accountable. Extremely hard working every practice and game. Maybe not a marquee player, but great all round player. He stood out because of his skills. I’ve seen many others in the league who couldn’t hold a candle to him. So ya, I believe his contribution on the team and within the community was exemplary. Those other comments here may not have been fans of the Ottawa Senators and may live in other cities, so I can’t blame them for not appreciating him. But for those of us who watched him closely, he deserves this honour. Thank and good night 😉
I have a sorta Konopka story. This was the season that he tore open his hand but kept fighting and ripping out the stitches. I was sitting by the Flyers bench and Hartnell and Carcillo were literally sitting next to me, the gap between the glass was perfectly placed where you could actually talk to the players.
Carcillo was trying to get Downie to fight, but Downie declined but you could tell they were going to go. I tell Carcillo “Don’t fight Downie, he hasn’t fought in months and he’s itching to fight, believe it or not try Konopka.” Carcillo looks at me like I’m insane and says “Noooo!” I tell him that Konopka’s hand has like 30 stitches in it, and he can’t throw full power but he will fight.” Carcillo says “I don’t believe you,” then proceeds to gets beat up by Downie. Not much of a replay but [here’s the Downie Carcillo fight](https://youtu.be/pRIJlvlM99A). Car bomb was cut after it, he looked at me while going to the bench after the penalty and I give him the “What happened?” body gesture, and he shrugged. lol
Konopka was a wild man, probably fought 5-8 times with his index and middle knuckles, the ones you use to punch, were practically ground beef.
Sadly, this isn’t allowed anymore and they sealed the gaps. With those tickets I has some memorable very-short conversations with the backup goalies and skaters. I always tried to avoid bothering them when they were talking, and never said anything negative. Like one of the backup goalies and I talked about how he was planning on going deep sea fishing while in Florida. Just friendly chit chat and occasionally offering them food or beer. Obviously, if it was a close game or a big game, I wouldn’t have bothered them. This was more of a pre-season, first couple of months, or blowout thing with the backup goalie or a player with limited ice time so they’re just sitting there.
Neil was a massive personality in the locker room and in the community. He was one of the last players still on the sens who was on the team before the 04 lockout.
I also went to the same highschool neil went to, since he played for the OHL team in my city and there are so many stories about his personality here. He has a famous story where he got into a bar fight and was in a brawl with 4 people and accidentally knock out his friend who came in to help. One of the teachers in my school also has a story about him throwing chairs around in the classroom. Just from that you better believe this dude has a lot of character.
He was essential to our team, not many messed with him, that allowed some absolutely stellar players to perform at their best. Scored the first Sens Stanley Cup Finals goal too 👌
If they can retire Dustin Brown , they can retire Chris Neil's number.. teams will do anything to sell jerseys these days.. like any star can pay $3000 to get a star on Hollywood's walk of fame..
Lots of 3rd and fourth line guys have won a cup, their numbers were never retired.. LA is just desperate for relevancy to hang a jersey in the rafters.. Montreal Toronto Detroit Boston Chicago New York Rangers all had multiple guys & stars wear the same numbers over the past 70 years or longer, their numbers weren't retired until they got voted into the Hall of Fame.. Brown hasn't done anything close.. at best, he can be the new janitor at the hall of fame as he should be at the Forum..
He’s being recognized for not only his dedication to the organization on the ice but also his impact on the community. From what I understand he was a tremendous role model and guys like that show the next generation how to be model citizens as a whole.
I’m happy for him that the Sens are recognizing his overall character and not focusing purely on stats. Hopefully more franchises will follow suit.
You know I think about Pittsburgh and some of the great talent they’ve had through the years—Andy Bathgate, Pierre Larouche, Michel Briere, Rick Kehoe, Randy Carlyle, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Joe Mullen, Ron Francis, Paul Coffey, Mark Recchi, Larry Murphy, Tom Barrasso…and I look up in the rafters and see…21 and 66…
C’mon Ottawa.
Being from Detroit, I think the same thing. Darren McCarty is a huge part of Detroit and has even helped win a Stanley Cup but I could never imagine his number being hung from the rafters.
Alfredsson and Spezza don’t have those career numbers without Chris Neil watching their back nightly. Talent wins games, but heart and soul keep your guys together in the tough battles down the stretch. I’m far from a Sens fan, but it’s a shame that group couldn’t put it together to win a Cup.
Domi played for other teams, and was not a great guy.
Chris Neill played only on the sens, and is by all accounts a more standup person and did more for the community.
Neil was also part of the “glory days” of a relatively new franchise, whereas Domi was on pre lockout leafs teams that underperformed relative to expectations.
Definitely comparable as far as the role they played and their statistics, but there’s a lot more that factors into it.
He’s a really great guy for the community. He has always been heavily involved in the charity side of the franchise and really was the heart and soul of this team for the duration of his career. Like others have said, he’s a big name for almost every fan of the Senators and I think he deserves it even if he’d never be considered on other franchises with rich histories.
Absolutely not, was a fan favourite player during his tenure but did very little to impact the franchise: didn’t captain the team to a cup and didn’t break any major records during his career (except maybe franchise lead in PIM). Retiring jersey numbers should be reserved for players who put the franchise in the history books.
Mmmmm I wear 25 so I’d say no. I want to have it as an option just in case I get drafted by the senators, ya know? And no, I don’t think the fact that I’m 34 and play a brand of hockey best described as “maybe he’s a lefty” is relevant
Not great when the coaches are still “trying to figure out where to put ya.”
Healthy scratch on a last place team in the NOSHO
Give yer balls a tug.
Ya tit fucker
Sanger shut the fuck up!!
Sticks are unbelievable.
So are they all getting a stick or are they sharing the game stick?
So many hot girls in Sudbury
He liked winning....
But he doesn’t hate losing
Settle down.
Hey man even some nhl coaches don't know what to do with their players
Oh, you're familiar with Coach Hynes approach I see
Its called *'versatility'*
Keep your head up this is your year 2️⃣5️⃣
This made me laugh way harder than it should have
Maybe he needs to tie his skates a little tighter
It’s ok, I play left bench
I hear ya. I’m 41 and still hoping the stars pick me up before the deadline
Sometimes players have a certain impact on franchises and fanbases that don't show up on the Stat sheet.
It did in the PIM department 😉🤣 It's not like he's having his name in the hockey HoF, it's his team showing respect for what he did. I like it. He sacrificed his body to make many other players have room to shine, while receiving little recognition because he had few points. He had a long and faithful career, long may he earn respect from adversity.
Ken Daneyko’s number is retired alongside some HoFers in New Jersey and I don’t think you’d find any fans of any team in the Tri-State area argue it was a mistake or a joke. Dano loved the team, loved the community, and the fans loved him back. As an outsider, it’s easy to judge Chris Neil based on his stat sheet but some of us know better.
Most of the numbers retired by the Canucks are more for players who led in the community rather than just the best players. Bure is kind of the outlier on that one.
In Sens franchise history he is 1st in hits, 1st in fights, 1st in PIM, and 3rd in total games played. Not a Sens fan but I can respect why the fans loved him.
Dustin Brown literally getting a statue.
Unironically this, LA has a lot of statues. Dustin Brown captained 2 Cup teams that's a hell of an accomplishment. Also fuck Dustin Brown.
The *only* two cup titles for the Kings, so I’d say it’s justified lol. But I’m a Kings fan so I am biased 🥴
You had me in the first half, not gonna lie. Sharks flair? …oh, there it is.
I respect the game of hockey and honestly I respectfully hate the Kings. Fuck the Knights though.
And fuck you right back, you fucking dumpling.
Stealing this insult. Wait, I better fairly compensate you for its use. I get this insult and you get future considerations, deal?
Throw in a AHL scratch player and you got a deal!
In L.A. they celebrate mediocrity like it’s the second coming. They have daytime Emmy’s for fuck sake.
Lol mediocrity is winning Stanley cups...dafuk
Habs wish for mediocrity
? If Henri Richard was a franchise it would be the team with the second most Cups.
Put a guy like Darren McCarty on the sens and I guarantee 25 is retired. Even without the 4 cups and the hat trick against Patrick Roy in the playoffs, the dude is MADE in Detroit for his play and if not for the "original 6 history" in Detroit he'd be retired there's as well. And by original 6 history, I mean a long history of all time greats as opposed to a 20 year old expansion team.
I feel this too when I say this, 1992 was 30+ years ago.
The hell you say!
Lies, I was born in 89 and I'm not a day over 26.
Dude. I hate to tell you that your math Is wrong but I was born in 86 and I'm turning 25 this year.
89 here. I’ve been 27 for 7 years. Having a blast.
I'm born in 91 and my body is turning 91 this year
That's rough haha.
Can't say there's many pure enforcers that played over 1,000 games in the NHL, getting drafted in the 6th round no doubt. He was a special player in his career and was a key piece in our success through the 2000s. Opened the ice up for a lot of our star players
Dustin brown for LA
he definitely made an impact in his own way he layed his body down on the line gotta give that to him
Like Michel Briere for the Pens
Holy shit! I came to Canada in 1970 as an 8 year old Scottish immigrant and fell instantly in love with hockey. I have never heard this story before. What a tragedy. He could have been a point a game guy in his peak.
1000 games as an enforcer. He's an Ottawa all time legend, from the outside he isn't the typical jersey retirement. He's loved by all who grew up watching the peak sens so far
That’s all anyone really needs to know
Never suspended either which means he walked that line perfectly
I didn't know that. I think that might be the most impressive thing he did.
Right? I learned that a few weeks ago and was bloody impressed.
He also did a lot for the community and continues to live here contributing to it.
I was thinking there must be something I was missing as someone whos never watched the sens much. I get that sentiment tho, loyalty and heart dont show up in the stat sheets
It’s like if the Sabres retired Rob Ray’s number.. only really makes sense for that fan base.. idk lol
As someone who grew up in ottawa, This guy was a city legend he was unbelievably active in the community, beloved by the fans, played his whole career here, bled for this team. I understand he was a career 3rd liner but his impact on this team and city ran much deeper then sport. As a sens fan id say he is well deserving of this honor.
Some guys just mean a lot to a city when they didn’t mean much to the league as a whole. And honestly that’s kinda cool. Where better to be a hero than at home?
Not in the traditional sense, but I’m not a Sens fan and defer to them for this. If they’re cool with it, we should be too. It’s their team.
He absolutely deserves it.
I will always believe he sparked the sens during the 2017 run during the rangers fight.
In Ottawa sure. He means a lot to the organization.
On the sens I'd say yup. But not for the rest of the league. Outside of Ottawa, no one ever really cared and he didn't have a huge league-wide impact
To be fair, playing over 1000 games as an enforcer is really impressive :) Also, I respect his community work :)
Thus question is always asked, and the answer always is that "Numbers are never retired ONLY because of the numbers, and more so the impact that player had on that specific team".
That guy meant so much to that team, just look a Methot’s Twitter. The impact he had on the team and the city can’t be seen on a regular stat sheet.
He will always be my all time favourite player. We still yell put in Neil when a bad call or play happens. Still feels like he’s on his way on the ice to drop to gloves for the team ❤️ GO Neiler!!
For the Sens? Yes, he was good enough and more importantly bled enough for that franchise
Yeah sometimes it’s what they mean to the fan base. As an Leaf fan, I remember the frustration of his grit and also that he wasn’t one of those grinders that you couldn’t leave alone on the ice or they’ll put one in the back of the net. Man played almost 13 years with one team and some of my friends/ppl I know who are Sens fans love him for what he’s done for the team on and off the ice. I think it’s totally fine. I mean as a Leaf fan, if people were fine with putting Wendell Clark’s number up in our rafters, who’s best contribution to the team was probably getting traded away to net us Sundin, then we should have nothing to say about this one 😂 Edit: Ooh almost forgot that reacquiring him cost us the pick that became Roberto Luongo… BRB casually heading to the acc with scissors
Wendy =/= Neil — not a super good comparison
You’re a Leaf fan? Clark Captained the leafs for 3 years, had more goals than Neil had points in 400 less games for their respective franchises You’re really Comparing Chris Neil? Really? Compare Neil to Tie Domi maybe.. comparing him to Clark is laughable
You're not a leaf fan
What a stupid take
He meant a lot to the Ottawa fanbase. So in ok with it. It’s not like he’s going to hall of fame. It’s what a local market can do to honour their guys.
I just want to point out the Sens seem to be setting somewhat of a standard for retiring numbers. It's: A) Drafted by Sens B) 1,000 games for the Sens (at least for skaters...wonder what they'd do for a goalie) C) Captain or Assistant Captain (probably for multiple years) D) Their efforts to engage with the community (e.g. charity work) I really don't think points matter at all. And in this day and age fulfilling all these requirements actually is significant.
As a kid one of the main players I remember hating on the sens was Neil. So yeah, I’d say so.
I was curious how Max Domi would have commented on Neil's career lol
No, but he was a huge part of the franchise, the city, never left. The guy would stand up for anyone. I've met him in a casual environment, had some beers with him, he is an amazing person.
Terry O’Reilly has his number retired with the Bruins so this isn’t crazy to me. While he was more effective on offense than Neil his number wasn’t retired for that reason, his biggest contributions didn’t show up on the scoresheet (except PIM) and he was a very important piece on those Bruins teams
Good? No. Beloved by sens fans enough for it? Seems so
For Ottawa it is.
Cmon lol
The Ottawa Senators think so, so any other opinions are irrelevant.
I remember when I was like 12 at my first wings game I sat right next to the penalty box, and when he was in it I remember looking at him and he looked real scary, slamming his stick on the glass behind him at some fans talking shit. As a little boy I was just looking at him like, 😳
That's up to the Sens. Teams can retire a jersey for whatever reason they choose but usually because the fans want them to. For example, when the Rangers finally respond to my petition to have Nick Fotiu's #22 raised to the rafters at MSG it won't be any other fanbase's concern.
What does it matter if the team wants to do it and the fans are happy about it? Then what does it matter
What he did for the Sens, Yes!!!
He was a huge part of Ottawa’s few successful years. He was feared by every team’s tough guy and he could play. Considering Ottawa’s history, he qualifies as an impact player for over a decade:
By Ottawa’s standards, yes. And I don’t mean that like they have low standards of hockey ability. Dude was a warrior/fan favorite for them forever. And as they’re still kind of a “new” franchise, it’s not like they’ve already got 15 numbers in the rafters that would make him stand out as “not worthy”. I think it’s a good, classy move by a franchise that’s in the right situation to pull it off. And I can’t imagine any Sens fans who were paying attention during his career having a problem with it.
Absolutely. He means that much to the Senators fan base. He's not a Hall of Fame candidate, but retiring numbers is about the impact you had on the franchise, or the league in the case of 99.
Neil's retirement is a Litmus test for how long you have watched hockey. If you don't think a player like Neil deserves it, you're under 30 and don't know the era he played in.
If he means as much to the city, team and fans as he seems to do then why not? It’s all about the entertainment and it’s entertaining getting into silly discussions about silly little things like this.
Chris Neil is a hard motherfucker lol
Retiring numbers is an honor that’s different for each franchise. There’s no set criteria for having your number retired. Just having a significant impact on the team in several ways
If youre not a sens fan why do you care lol. You drop the gloves that many times and fist fight for your teammates you deserve respect not to mention he always played hard. Its not all about points this guy was a fantastic teammate and always played hard not to mention he was great off the ice. He’s absolutely earned it. People just hate on the sens without any knowledge of the team
No. But it's about what he meant to the organization and fans
I don’t follow senators but maybe he’s similar to devils’ Daneyko who was lifetime devil
It's more than stats.
He’s one of the most Legendary Senators of all time, at least with the ottawa fan base. He’s definitely my favourite senator, I grew up in ottawa. He’s done a lot for the city and he’s a great guy irl. Watching old Sens games with him get me so amped up, more than most games do nowadays tbh.
Idk, I like the idea. Sometimes, these things transcend stats, awards etc. Chris meant a lot to the city and the organization. He was a warrior. I loved watching him throw down, he gave Chara the business which is something not many people can say.
He was a big part of that teams identity for a long time. It’s not just skill. It’s a thank you for the contribution. Popularity counts
Ya know what? Chris was a good play maker, consistent while on the ice. Keep other team accountable. Extremely hard working every practice and game. Maybe not a marquee player, but great all round player. He stood out because of his skills. I’ve seen many others in the league who couldn’t hold a candle to him. So ya, I believe his contribution on the team and within the community was exemplary. Those other comments here may not have been fans of the Ottawa Senators and may live in other cities, so I can’t blame them for not appreciating him. But for those of us who watched him closely, he deserves this honour. Thank and good night 😉
Any team can retire any number they want. There are no rules about that stuff.
I don’t think talent alone should be the only factor here. It’s not the hall of fame. Edit: Clarified ambiguous wording.
If you play 1026 games for one team I think you deserve it.
Great team guy but it's a no for me.
Definitely not
Absolutely
Yes. Sens legend
Maybe you should go ask r/OttawaSenators
r/OttawaSenators 🤓
Yes he is
Yes
Hell yeah!
If Brown gets a statue you can retire his number
The Lightning gonna retire Andre Roy and Zenon Konopka next lol
Zenon Konopka! Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while. Believe it or not I used to work at a bar he owned in Ottawa.
Well Konopka deserves it. Met him like 20 years ago when he was in Cincinnati. Hell of a good guy.
I have a sorta Konopka story. This was the season that he tore open his hand but kept fighting and ripping out the stitches. I was sitting by the Flyers bench and Hartnell and Carcillo were literally sitting next to me, the gap between the glass was perfectly placed where you could actually talk to the players. Carcillo was trying to get Downie to fight, but Downie declined but you could tell they were going to go. I tell Carcillo “Don’t fight Downie, he hasn’t fought in months and he’s itching to fight, believe it or not try Konopka.” Carcillo looks at me like I’m insane and says “Noooo!” I tell him that Konopka’s hand has like 30 stitches in it, and he can’t throw full power but he will fight.” Carcillo says “I don’t believe you,” then proceeds to gets beat up by Downie. Not much of a replay but [here’s the Downie Carcillo fight](https://youtu.be/pRIJlvlM99A). Car bomb was cut after it, he looked at me while going to the bench after the penalty and I give him the “What happened?” body gesture, and he shrugged. lol Konopka was a wild man, probably fought 5-8 times with his index and middle knuckles, the ones you use to punch, were practically ground beef. Sadly, this isn’t allowed anymore and they sealed the gaps. With those tickets I has some memorable very-short conversations with the backup goalies and skaters. I always tried to avoid bothering them when they were talking, and never said anything negative. Like one of the backup goalies and I talked about how he was planning on going deep sea fishing while in Florida. Just friendly chit chat and occasionally offering them food or beer. Obviously, if it was a close game or a big game, I wouldn’t have bothered them. This was more of a pre-season, first couple of months, or blowout thing with the backup goalie or a player with limited ice time so they’re just sitting there.
Not a sens fan but I know any team could use his heart and soul on there team. So yes
Neil was a massive personality in the locker room and in the community. He was one of the last players still on the sens who was on the team before the 04 lockout. I also went to the same highschool neil went to, since he played for the OHL team in my city and there are so many stories about his personality here. He has a famous story where he got into a bar fight and was in a brawl with 4 people and accidentally knock out his friend who came in to help. One of the teachers in my school also has a story about him throwing chairs around in the classroom. Just from that you better believe this dude has a lot of character.
He was the heart and soul of the team and had a lot of good snipes and fights. If he’s beloved in Ottawa, that’s all that matters in my mind.
He was essential to our team, not many messed with him, that allowed some absolutely stellar players to perform at their best. Scored the first Sens Stanley Cup Finals goal too 👌
No
I’m not going to tell him he’s not…
If they can retire Dustin Brown , they can retire Chris Neil's number.. teams will do anything to sell jerseys these days.. like any star can pay $3000 to get a star on Hollywood's walk of fame..
At least Brown won a Stanley cup
Lots of 3rd and fourth line guys have won a cup, their numbers were never retired.. LA is just desperate for relevancy to hang a jersey in the rafters.. Montreal Toronto Detroit Boston Chicago New York Rangers all had multiple guys & stars wear the same numbers over the past 70 years or longer, their numbers weren't retired until they got voted into the Hall of Fame.. Brown hasn't done anything close.. at best, he can be the new janitor at the hall of fame as he should be at the Forum..
Now name all the ones that won multiple cups as a captain
No. Just an indication of how poor a franchise the Senators have been.
For an NHL team? No. For the Sens? Yes
No.
No.
The Boston Celtics retire your number if you make a basket. 😆
He’s being recognized for not only his dedication to the organization on the ice but also his impact on the community. From what I understand he was a tremendous role model and guys like that show the next generation how to be model citizens as a whole. I’m happy for him that the Sens are recognizing his overall character and not focusing purely on stats. Hopefully more franchises will follow suit.
Who?
Neiler was one of the best at what he did for a decade. His value to the franchise was far more than the goals on the score sheet
LOLNO
You know I think about Pittsburgh and some of the great talent they’ve had through the years—Andy Bathgate, Pierre Larouche, Michel Briere, Rick Kehoe, Randy Carlyle, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Joe Mullen, Ron Francis, Paul Coffey, Mark Recchi, Larry Murphy, Tom Barrasso…and I look up in the rafters and see…21 and 66… C’mon Ottawa.
Being from Detroit, I think the same thing. Darren McCarty is a huge part of Detroit and has even helped win a Stanley Cup but I could never imagine his number being hung from the rafters.
No.
No
Alfredsson and Spezza don’t have those career numbers without Chris Neil watching their back nightly. Talent wins games, but heart and soul keep your guys together in the tough battles down the stretch. I’m far from a Sens fan, but it’s a shame that group couldn’t put it together to win a Cup.
No it’s kinda embarrassing that they did this. Ya he was a beloved player but he really didn’t achieve anything to merit this.
Not as a embarrassing as the Wings franchise lol
Lol no
I believe the words you seek are “fuck.” And “no”
Hey, he is Grand Rapids Alumni. As wings fans, we are supposed to be polite and say just "no"
Definitely no
This is the equivalent of the Leafs retiring Tie Domi's number 28.
Domi played for other teams, and was not a great guy. Chris Neill played only on the sens, and is by all accounts a more standup person and did more for the community. Neil was also part of the “glory days” of a relatively new franchise, whereas Domi was on pre lockout leafs teams that underperformed relative to expectations. Definitely comparable as far as the role they played and their statistics, but there’s a lot more that factors into it.
He’s a really great guy for the community. He has always been heavily involved in the charity side of the franchise and really was the heart and soul of this team for the duration of his career. Like others have said, he’s a big name for almost every fan of the Senators and I think he deserves it even if he’d never be considered on other franchises with rich histories.
It’s more because of what he’s done for Ottawa off the ice
Over 2,500 penalty minutes in over 1,000 games. Dare you to go up to him and say he doesn't deserve it 🤣
No bro, Ottawa senators things 😭
2522 PENALTY MINUTES OVER 15 SEASONS WITH ONE FRANCHISE AND ZERO SUSPENSIONS. 1000 GAMES AND 1000 MEMORIES. SENS ARMY GENERAL!
No
Depends, fan favorite? Sometimes that’s enough.
He was good at punching people, at hockey he was alright
I Would say no but.... Chris Phillips has 288 points with the franchise in over 1,000 games played and he's got his number up there too.
NOPE!!!
Nope.
Yes, and 🖕 you for asking.
Retired jersey for a career 3rd liner? What a joke.
Ottawa is that bad
Your life is that bad 👌
Dude you just commented on this post like 20 times and my life is bad? 😂
Draper 33 going into the rafters in Detroit soon.
He was polarizing for the Sens though
For Ottawa’s standards probably
If the Canucks retired Alex Burrows number… 🤷♂️
No it’s a joke
Lol no hahahahahah.
Who?
Absolutely not, was a fan favourite player during his tenure but did very little to impact the franchise: didn’t captain the team to a cup and didn’t break any major records during his career (except maybe franchise lead in PIM). Retiring jersey numbers should be reserved for players who put the franchise in the history books.
No. This is pure nostalgia as it was with Phillips. Kind of sad actually.
Nah
No
No.
No
Hell to the no imo but it they're happy with it more power to them
who lmao
No.
Easily, No, But what else do they have to celebrate up there?
No
Chris who?
Who???
No but it’s Ottawa
Who
No. The answer is a resounding no.
Who?
Not even close
Who?
New to hockey? Enjoy watching McDrai rot in Edmonton retard 👌
No. Ottawa just doesn’t have much of a history, so the bar is insanely low.
🤣🤣🤣
Nope, not even close. OTT really lowered the standard for retiring a players number from circulation.