The Ottawa Senators met with the media on Saturday, May 3 at the conclusion of the 2024-25 NHL Season. The franchise won 45 games and finished the season with 97 points earning a playoff berth for the first time in eight seasons.
Senators' captain Brady Tkachuk opened the day as the first player to speak. His message set the tone with a sentiment that was echoed by every one of his teammates to speak afterwards: this year was a great accomplishment but there's more to come.
“We want more, and we believe that we have this group, and we trust that everybody from Mr. Andlauer down that everybody has the same vision that we really want to accomplish and share this whole experience and these memories with this community as well.”
Brady spoke, continuing:
“Just getting that taste, to be honest, this whole experience of playing in front of this fanbase in playoffs, and even the regular season, the energy, the excitement, the atmosphere was — the only way I can describe it, it’s almost addicting. To be able to play in front of that atmosphere, it was truly the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in, and it was so special. All the credit goes to the fans, this community, and just how special it was. Every morning, I couldn’t tell you how excited I was just to step out on the ice. Those rally towels, that fire and excitement that the have. They’ve been waiting for a long eight years, to be able to share that with them it was so special.”
Linus Ullmark echoed Tkachuk's sentiment about how enjoyable playing in Ottawa has been.
“I’m happy and excited about what’s to come. Looking back at this season, being a number one goaltender for the first real time for the whole season, it was a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun. Ever since I got here, it’s been fun.”
Ullmark also noted his pride in what the team achieved this season, defying outside expectations while meeting their own and learning from their experiences.
“Playing with these guys and seeing how they adapted from game one to game six was a lot of fun. I’m very proud and I’m very happy and motivated seeing that, okay, the guys got it. It wasn’t that we got ran out of the building four straight like people might’ve thought when we lost the first one. No, we took it to three overtimes, we won one of them and we got one on the road.”
Thomas Chabot shared the feeling of pride amongst the team in what they accomplished this year, but also acknowledged that the work doesn't stop with making the playoffs.
“We’re going to go into next season and it’s not going to be any easier to get into the playoffs. We saw how tight it was this year; it’s going to be the same thing if not even harder next year. You’ve got to look back on this season, everything we accomplished, how big of a step we took as a group, and you’ve got to focus on that this summer. Everybody’s got to go home and do what they need to do to come back as healthy as they can be and as ready as they can be for next season.”
This season's taste of the playoffs has created a motivated and hungry team that fans can expect to return at a new level next season.
