Silver Seven Does it Matter if the Sens Ever Win the Stanley Cup?

[AchtzehnBaby]

Does it Matter if the Sens Ever Win the Stanley Cup?


When Ottawa set out on its latest rebuild, the bargain the team made with the fans at the time was that short-term suffering was necessary to assure long-term success. You may recall mention of Five Years of Unparalleled Success. The team’s been in the business of selling hope for several years now, and part of that hope is that we’ll get to see a parade on Bank Street one day (or should it be Elgin? These are the types of things we can debate when the team is good again).

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[Nac Mac Feegle]

Can't really give a yes or no answer to that. It really depends on circumstance.

If the team plays well, drafts well, and consistently goes beyond what the experts think (like the Boston Bruins do on a regular basis), then not winning a Cup doesn't matter that much. Knowing you beat expectations, gave some teams hell, and did it when no one thought you could, and are a competent organization top to bottom...there's pride in that. We don't exactly have that, so, ya know.....

Now if we decide to go all in, and trade away picks and prospects and make a window of 2-4 years where we're all about the Cup and fail and the window is over.....that matters. A lot. Sacrificing half a decade (lost picks and prospects) only to fail hurts.

Now if we do build the right way (patience, the draft, and smart finishing piece trades), and we come up a bit short because the puck bounces off the referees butt and into the next in overtime of game 7 of the Cup final...then no, it doesn't matter if we don't have a Cup in a circumstance like that, because you know we should've had one. (Or at least deserved a better fate.)

 

[Sun God Nika]

Absolutely, fast forward however many years if I die and the sens don't win a cup thats going to hurt. Sure the moments of Karlsson winning Norris trophy, good playoff runs, and sick OT winners are never going to be forgotten but if they don't win a cup its a joke and any fan can feel angry or sad over it. Its a failure on the team every teams goal is to win the cup.

 

[Xspyrit]

Doesn't matter, Habs almost won one for us!

Next year it could be the Leafs so everything is fine

 

[DanyHeatley]

That’d be so bad for the nhl, it can never happen

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

Seasons that don't end in a Cup win aren't failures, per see — sometimes an unexpected run with house money can be just as much fun. But does it matter? Oof. I think it does. I'm not sure I'd enjoy watching a sport knowing my team would never win a championship.

 

[Fandlauer]

I fully expect I will never see the Sens win the Stanley Cup in my lifetime. Given the size of the league, and the size of this market, it's just not going to happen. That being said, I like hockey, and was born, raised, and live in Ottawa. It is what it is. There are soccer fans that would die for their league 1 team fully knowing they will never win the EPL. There's nothing wrong with loving a team that will never win it all.

 

[dumbdick]

Even if they drew the cup winner by pulling the winning team out of a hat, statistically there would be teams that go 100 years without winning.

Obviously we want to win a cup, but I derive immense joy from being a fan regardless. If you can't say that without a cup, you're a pretty garbage fan.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

I am hopeful.

I think we will have chances. We will get to the last dance again for sure.

 

[OUTHOUSE]

We're winning it in 2035, @ me when it happens

 

[DrakeAndJosh]

I fully expect I will never see the Sens win the Stanley Cup in my lifetime. Given the size of the league, and the size of this market, it's just not going to happen. That being said, I like hockey, and was born, raised, and live in Ottawa. It is what it is. Their are soccer fans that would die for their league 1 team fully knowing they will never win the EPL. There's nothing wrong with loving a team that will never win it all.

Only four years ago we were one double-OT bounce away from being the favourites in the cup final. I know it's hard with Melnyk as our owner, but I truly believe we can win a cup someday. We might never be consistent contenders again like we were in the 00s, but I think we're building the kind of team that can do damage if they get in and maybe get a bit lucky.

And who knows, maybe one day Melnyk sells and we get an owner who is actually passionate about winning. It's not like Tampa Bay is some incredible hockey market that prints money, they just have an owner who understands that owning a pro sports team isn't about the bottom line (and winning brings more money in than losing).

 

[Speatleysson]

Yes it matters. It would give this team relevancy among the league.

 

[JimmySpaetzle]

Yeah I expect them to win a cup in my lifetime and if they don’t that’d just be sad

 

[JungleBeat]

Obviously matters. I don’t want to be watching a mediocre team forever

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Personally, I need to believe its a possibility, even if its only a bubble team cinderella possibility like it was during the B.Murray/Karlsson era.

If say Melnyk came out and said we're a cap floor team long term no matter what, which would obviously completely eliminate the possibility, I would stoop paying attention and just use my time for something else.

Knowing its such a hard thing to accomplish, especially being a low budget team, I don't think their success would ultimately be measured from this though. I highly doubt anyone expects the Senators to win it all at any point.

 

[aragorn]

Of course, it's possible & it depends on your level of commitment whether you think it matters or not, afterall it's just a sports game that a number of us happen to enjoy watching, especially our team. B. Murray got them to the finals which was great for this city & their fans, Ek got them to a Conference final which was also exciting & hopefully this new group of good young players can also make a long run to excite the city & fans again soon.

Does it matter? No, there are much more important things in life than hockey as we have seen over the past yr & a half, but it's a fun & exciting for the city to have a team to get behind & hope for their success at the highest level of their sport. It brings the city & it's fans together to celebrate their team & make the city proud to have a winning team for at least a yr as it did when the RedBlacks won a Grey Cup. It would be nice to see this team win a cup too & watch Tkachuk haul it up in the air & skate around our arena with it.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Is this article supposed to be satire?
Win me a Cup, goddamit.

 

[cudi]

Does it matter? That depends on each individual person really. We dont all care the same about everything. Id die happier with the Sens winning a cup, but either way I'll be dead so does it really matter in the end?

 

[Tuna99]

This article can only exist in one pro sports markets - Ottawa

 

[saskriders]

All I want is one. I'd love more, but I definitely want to see one and would be willing to take in years of had teams for one.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

This article can only exist in one pro sports markets - Ottawa

Hilarious, why is the Ottawa media so pitiful? It's not a Canada thing. Is it because of the bureaucratic nature of the area?
Ottawa was a force in the early 2000's, that vigor has completely fizzled.

 

[albator71]

It doesn't matter to me as long as we make the playoffs on a regular basis and go on a deep run from time to time im okay not winning a cup. But I want the Sens to play hard and be exciting to watch!

 

[Stylizer1]

it doesn't matter because the NHL is a business and the owners are on the same team.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Yes, yes it does.

If it doesn’t matter to the organization, why should fans put money or invest time into it?

 

[Tuna99]

Hilarious, why is the Ottawa media so pitiful? It's not a Canada thing. Is it because of the bureaucratic nature of the area?
Ottawa was a force in the early 2000's, that vigor has completely fizzled.

Trent Mann, DJ Smith and Pierre Dorion are bringing the swagger back.

Of course it matters if they win a Stanley Cup only to see if Dorion and co plan works to perfection. If they pull this off it will be the template rebuild for championship teams for a few decades.