100 Things Senators Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die by Chris Stevenson

Author:Chris Stevenson [Stevenson, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781633199118
Google: LXZPDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Triumph Books
Published: 2018-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

Roger Neilson: a mentor and an inspiration.

“He had the courage to sit in front of us in that room and give us that message. That’s the type of human being he is.”

“I’ve been in this league for 26 years and I’ve been with 10 different teams and I got to the Final once. Enjoy this opportunity,” Neilson said, “because you never know when it will happen again.”

He shuffled out of the room on his thin, unsteady legs and went home to watch the game on television.

“I don’t know if anything else needed to be said. I don’t think anything better could have been said,” remembered Van Allen. “It just showed the character of Roger.”

“Everybody knew the importance of the game, but he put it in words that really took it to you,” Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said. “What Roger’s been through in his hockey career, he does put it in a good perspective, that this is a great opportunity that you guys have.”

Inspired by Neilson’s message and the first playoff goal for 19-year-old rookie center Jason Spezza, who also had an assist, the Senators defeated the Devils 3–1 with their most complete game of the series.

The Senators won Game 6 in New Jersey on an overtime goal by Chris Phillips but lost Game 7 at home on a goal by Jeff Friesen with 2:14 left in the third period. “We wanted to win so bad,” Phillips said. “A lot of our inspiration there was for Rog. He had some really great speeches for us there, and that one, honestly, losing that Game 7 probably stung worse than losing in the Final just because of not being able to do it for Rog. That’s what made that goal so big for me and the team, because of what was going on in the dressing room.”

It was a heartbreaking end to their season, but Neilson’s speech before Game 5 endured as one of the most touching and emotional episodes in Senators history. “I have been around a lot of things,” Van Allen said, “but I don’t know if I have been around anything like that before.”

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