Oh captain, my captain. 1179 contests. It’s more time than Don Sweeney spent as a Bruin. It’s longer than Bob Gainey and Jean Beliveau’s stints in the red, white and blue, and it outlasts Dave Keon’s stay as a Maple Leaf. After 18 seasons with the Senators, Chris Phillips is stepping away from the game of hockey.
99% sure Chris Phillips will announce his retirement tomorrow. Great player, pro and man. Don’t know anyone who doesn’t like/respect him.
— Dean Brown (@PxPOttawa) May 26, 2016
The first overall pick in the 1996 draft, Phillips is the Senators franchise leader in games played, sits seventh in assists, and second to Chris Neil for penalty minutes. Although he was rarely found in the spotlight, Phillips’s contributions to the Senators and the city of Ottawa are innumerable. Just this year he and his wife Erin donated $50,000 to the Hope Rising mental health campaign, along with leading the way to raise funds for those affected by the Fort McMurray fires.
On the ice, Phillips was the same strong leader, and although his contributions have been limited in recent years due to injury, that shouldn’t take away from the memories he’s given Sens fans. His goals were few and far between but they’re the moments that Phillips should be remembered for.
After 23,000 minutes played, the stoic blue-liner is prepared to say farewell, but I’m not sure the same can be said for the fan base. Phillips is just one of two players remaining from the 2006-07 roster that made a run to the Stanley Cup Final (Neil), and his departure doesn’t just signal the end of his career, it closes the curtain on an era.
The Sens are a new team, and they have been for a while, but as with the retirement of Daniel Alfredsson this isn’t just the retirement of a player. It’s the retirement of a role model. The keystone not of a roster, but an entire franchise. Chris Phillips is the Ottawa Senators. He’s everything Bryan Murray wanted in a player, and he’s every bit the consummate professional hockey players are made out to be. With his exit the sport isn’t just losing another veteran player, it’s losing one of the true gentlemen of the game, and one of the best ambassadors hockey has ever seen.
Alfredsson’s retirement ceremony in Ottawa was overwhelmed with emotion, with respect, and with thanks for the time given to the team, and to the city. Chris Phillips deserves the same, and one can only hope that the Senators and their fans give him the send-off he deserves.
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