It was just 16 years ago that former Senators forward Shean Donovan was holding court in front of reporters in the dressing room at Canadian Tire Centre.
On Thursday, it was his son Jorian’s turn. No longer the blond-haired kid running around dodging the Senators crest in the middle of the floor, this time Jorian was the man speaking to the cameras and microphones.
“This is definitely new, this is awesome, just excited to be back in the home barn, I’m fired up,” said a passionate Donovan after morning skate on Thursday.
“I’m extremely excited to be home, I mean, I’ve grown up here, I’ve been in this barn quite a few times, whether it was [when] I was ten years old with my shirt off in the stands trying to get on the jumbotron, or just like, being in the room with my dad or something like that, so no, I’m excited to be here.”
The debuts of Donovan and Yakemchuk in Detroit were one thing, but the pair will face a new test on Thursday night in Ottawa — their long-awaited introductions to a home crowd.
“As much as I want to think about playing and being here, I’m trying to not, so I can get some sleep,” said Donovan. “I think that’s the biggest thing, just trying to not think about it as much as I am.”
Yakemchuk, much more reserved than Donovan, laughed when he was asked if he’d ever be able to get used to the gaggle of almost two dozen cameras and microphones that greeted him when he returned from morning skate.
“I probably feel the same [as Donovan], I mean, it’s really exciting to be playing, a lot of nerves going into it for sure,” said Yakemchuk, the seventh overall draft pick in 2024.
“I thought [Nolan Baumgartner] did a good job sliding him in when he could, kind of feeling his way through it, and he made two big plays,” said Green of Yakemchuk’s two-point debut.
“At this time of the year, sometimes you just need a play, the games are so close. And that’s why players that have skill and play a team game are really important, because they can make a play that can change a game, and he made a couple. Especially his goal, [it] was a play that a lot of defencemen don’t have that natural instinct, and it was a real good shot.”
With Jorian’s debut on Tuesday against the Red Wings, the Donovans became the first father-son duo to play for the Senators. Awaiting him and the Senators on the opposite side of the rink tonight are the Penguins, foremost amongst them Erik Karlsson, his father’s former teammate.
“He was my favourite player growing up, so it’s pretty cool to be able to play against him,” said Donovan.
“Probably expect him to get a few more minutes tonight now that we’re at home and we can get the matchups,” said Green about Donovan, who played 4:42 in his debut, recording a shot.
Green also stressed that he didn’t want to rein in any of Donovan’s energy ahead of another big game in the standings. “I don’t ever want to change a person,” he said.
“We talk about bringing energy to every game, he’s got a lot of it. He’s got a high compete level, as well, he’s not afraid to drop the gloves. He hopefully has a bright future in the NHL, [Baumgartner] is doing a lot of work right now with some of these young D, using that energy in the right areas, not getting ahead of yourself, and defending hard.”
