As Battle of Ontario looms, Sens fans get ready to take it to Toronto
Date with 1st place Leafs ahead as Sens snap 8-year playoff drought
If there were any uncertainties about the general vibe ahead of Ottawa's first NHL playoff run in years, Mark Sutcliffe is putting them to rest.
"Why is there a Maple Leafs fan here?" the mayor asked of a bearded, jersey-clad gentleman standing outside Ottawa City Hall on Wednesday, before leading a squad of councillors, business folks and dignitaries — all wearing Sens gear — in a round of good-natured booing.
They were all there to hoist the Ottawa Senators flag at city hall and officially open Sens Mile, both foreign sights in the nation's capital since 2017, the last time the long-suffering Senators made the playoffs.
And with Toronto's win on Tuesday night, the two sides are guaranteed to face off in the first round of what's being dubbed the Battle of Ontario.
"I believe we have a team that is built for the playoffs, so I'm very excited to see [the Sens] play," Sutcliffe later said, before also declaring it to be "Ottawa Senators Playoff Fever Day."
"And if that means we have to deny the Toronto Maple Leafs a Stanley Cup for the 58th consecutive year, I'm OK with that."
'A new season'
While Sutcliffe may be outwardly confident, historically speaking, the Battle of Ontario has rarely gone Ottawa's way.
The Senators and the Maple Leafs have faced off four times in the playoffs, with the Leafs winning every matchup:
- They bested the Sens in six games in the first round back in 2000.
- They swept them the next year, again in the opening round.
- They met up for a third straight year in 2002, this time winning in seven in the conference semifinals.
- They beat the Sens in another tight seven games in the opening round in 2004.
And while the two lineups are radically different since last meeting in the playoffs 21 years ago, Toronto will head into this series as the Atlantic Division title-winners and — on paper — the likely favourite.
But there's also the fact the fourth-place Sens won all three regular season clashes, something that didn't go unnoticed Wednesday by Sens owner Michael Andlauer.
"It shows that we match up quite well with them," he told reporters. "But it's a new season right now. We're all starting from scratch."
WATCH | Sens fans gearing up for first-round clash with Toronto
Ticket plan in place
Along with the impending battle on the ice, there's also the battle to keep Leafs fans from drowning out the Canadian Tire Centre crowd when the seven-game series gets underway.
The team has a plan for that, Andlauer said. Loyal season ticket holders will get the chance to buy two extra tickets for family members, neighbours — or anyone whose allegiances are rooted in the nation's capital, really — when they go on sale tomorrow.
"You're not left with much for Leafs fans [to snap up]," he said. "I don't know the exact numbers, but I think [there will be] probably about 2,500 tickets left for the general public. So you won't see much blue."
As for the recipient of today's booing, Sandy Gendron — who showed up intentionally at city hall Wednesday to make his Leafs fandom felt — hopes to catch at least one playoff game.
He also had both a message for fans and his own confident prediction.
"Please, fans, on both sides, don't fight. You don't get a plaque in your team's dressing room if you're gonna do that. Let's have fun," said Gendron, decked out in Maple Leaf blue and white.
"But go Leafs go — in four."
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With files from David Fraser