Phillips and Neil line-up together again as Alumni Ambassadors

During this week's season seat member town halls, it was confirmed that Chris Neil would rejoin the Senators organization as an Alumni Ambassador after officially retiring from professional hockey back in December. Fans were elated to hear that #25 was back with the team and so was his long-time friend friend, teammate and now co-worker Chris Phillips.

"It's great news. We've been in close contact since we both stopped playing about what my role was," said Phillips. "He saw what I was doing and wanted to know how he could get involved so to get him on board is terrific. He has a huge connection to so many fans in the community so for them to have a guy like that who wears his heart on his sleeve and really cares about this city and organization is fantastic for everyone."
Phillips became the Sens' first Alumni Ambassador after retiring back in 2015 and now that Neil has begun to embrace life after the NHL, Phillips sees it as an opportunity for him to continue to be a pillar in the Nation's Capital.
"He's fully immersed," Philips said of Neil's retirement. "He has three kids now who are in school and minor sports and he's out there like any other dad watching their kids. He's playing men's league hockey and he's just a regular guy but one who's been a fixture in this community for a long time. It's great that this role enables him to be out there even more."

While #25 has undoubtedly had a huge impact on the city both on and off the ice, it's his work with Roger Neilson House in recent years that stands out. Neil and his wife, Caitlin, were named honourary co-chairs of palliative facility back in 2011 and his new role as Alumni Ambassador should only amplify the great work being done by this initiative.
"He's so closely related to Roger Neilson House so for him to be able to remain active in those kinds of important programs as an Alumni Ambassador is great," said Phillips. "He's always talking about the great work they do at Roger Neilson House and visiting with his wife Cait so it's going to be a big plus for everyone involved."
For Phillips, he's pretty excited to work so closely with his friend again. The pair have already begun attending community events together and according to Phillips, it's like "old times".
"We were at all three of the season seat member town halls," shared Phillips. "It's funny, for the one that took place on Wednesday morning out in the east end, he called and asked me what time he should pick me up. We carpooled in together just like old times so it's going to be a lot of fun having him around in this role."
It's also great to see that even though both have retired from the NHL, their hockey mentality has transferred over to their new roles and Phillips was quick to remind me who the "veteran" Alumni Ambassador is.
"He's the rookie again," Phillips joked. "So if there are a few odd jobs here and there that might not be the most appealing…he's getting them."