Thirty years of memories, part 3

A lot can happen in 30 years.

As the Senators organization celebrates the 30th anniversary of Canadian Tire Centre, we had fun digging through our memories to find the most memorable sporting and cultural moments from the largest arena in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

Today, we present the events ranked 20th to 11th on our list. The rest of our rankings will be available on Saturday.

No. 10: March 19, 2015 – Curtis Lazar eats a hamburger off the ice

The Hamburglar's crazy saga was marked by several memorable moments. At the height of the celebrations on March 19, 2015, Curtis Lazar was so enthusiastic that he ended up going a little too far. The Senators had just defeated the Boston Bruins thanks to a two-goal surge in the third period. With a fifth consecutive victory, the team was back in the playoff race. Andrew Hammond's fans began bringing hamburgers to the arena so they could throw them onto the ice in case of a victory. At the end of the game, Lazar took the time to pick up one that had been wrapped in plastic wrap. He took a big bite in front of the cameras. “It was missing a little ketchup. That burger was pretty dry,” he admitted as he returned to the locker room.

No. 9: Jan. 29, 2012 – A star-studded weekend

Senators fans responded to the call in droves. Back when fans could vote to select the players who would participate in the NHL All-Star Game, they wanted to make sure their favorites would be well represented. In the end, four players (Daniel Alfredsson, Erik Karlsson, Milan Michalek, and Jason Spezza) took part in the festivities. Canadian artist Drake, a rising star on the global hip hop scene, performed on the ice during an intermission. Alfredsson was the undisputed star of the weekend. Fans didn't miss this opportunity to show their love for the player who was completing his 16th season in the capital. "It was surreal. I felt like I was walking on air," said the veteran forward at the end of the weekend. However, Alfredsson's team lost to the other captain, Zdeno Chara. Marian Gaborik, a future member of the Senators, was named player of the game.

No. 8: Dec. 29, 2016 – Alfredsson jersey retirement

Very quickly, when the Senators made their return to the NHL, they took care to retire the number 8, which had belonged to the legendary Frank Finnigan when Ottawa had an NHL team in the early years of the 20th century. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the second number to be retired by the Senators would be 11. The ceremony immortalizing Daniel Alfredsson took place in 2016, just under two years after the Swede played his last game in the NHL. “I didn't know what to expect, really. I can tell you now that it was a perfect event,” said Alfredsson after a beautiful ceremony that preceded the game between his two NHL teams, the Senators and the Detroit Red Wings.

No. 7: April 29, 2017 – Two chicken breasts, four goals

Chicken parmesan has never been so popular in Ottawa homes. Before Game 2 of the second round of the playoffs, Jean-Gabriel Pageau ate two breaded chicken breasts. He was worried he had overdone it. The 24-year-old center ultimately realized he had eaten just enough. When the game started, he scored four goals, including the game-winning goal in the second overtime period. The 6-5 victory gave the team a 2-0 lead in the series against the New York Rangers. Pageau really played a great game. To send the Senators into overtime, he scored two goals off Henrik Lundqvist in the final four minutes of the third period. “I've played against him a lot in the past. I knew he was a pain in the butt. I’m telling you, he competes,” said teammate Dion Phaneuf.

No. 6: May 5, 2013 – Pageau, Pageau, Pageau

Pageau had already scored a hat trick in the playoffs during his career. In his third career playoff game, his first in front of Senators fans, the Hull native beat Carey Price three times in a one-sided game against the Montreal Canadiens. In fact, the game was close after one period. It was 1-1. Pageau scored Ottawa's second and third goals. In that game, which Ottawa ultimately won 6-1, there were a few memorable moments. There was a bench-clearing brawl dominated by the five Ottawa players. There was the timeout called by Senators head coach Paul MacLean at the end of the game, which caused his counterpart Michel Therrien to lose his cool. And finally, there was the song that spontaneously broke out in the stands and still follows Pageau to this day.

No. 5: May 2, 1998 – A first series won

People who attended that game say, nearly 30 years later, that they have never heard anything like it. When Russian defenseman Igor Kravchuk pushed the puck into an empty net at the end of the game, the Corel Centre nearly exploded. That goal, which can be seen on YouTube, confirmed the first major victory in Senators history. The young team, which had finished the regular season in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, was set to face the powerful New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs. Kravchuk's goal ended the series in Game 6. In that game, Damian Rhodes got the better of young Martin Brodeur.

No. 4: April 12, 1997 – Duchesne dominates the Dominator

Before they could win their first series, the Senators had to qualify for the playoffs. It was possibly the most famous goal in franchise history. In a game where Jacques Martin's team desperately needed a win to extend their season, an extra level of difficulty had been added. Dominik Hasek, at the height of his glory, was at the other end of the rink. With less than four minutes left in the game, Steve Duchesne scored the only goal of the game. Commentator Dave Schreiber's description of the goal is perhaps as memorable as the goal itself.

No. 3: April 15, 1999 – Gretzky’s final game in Canada

Throughout the Canadian Tire Centre, there are reminders of the game played on April 15, 1999. However, there was no winner in that game. It ended in a 2-2 tie. At the end of the season, the Senators were guaranteed to finish at the top of the Northeast Division standings. The visitors, the New York Rangers, had already been mathematically eliminated. A few hours before the game, however, a rumor began to spread. The greatest player in hockey history was about to hang up his skates. The evening thus became a celebration of sorts for Wayne Gretzky. At the end of the game, players from both teams took the time to shake hands with the greatest goal in the history of the NHL. It was his very last game in Canada. Three days later, at Madison Square Garden, Gretzky played his last career game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

No. 2: Jan. 3, 2009 – Eberle’s heroics at WJC

They always say you have to play until the very end of the game. Despite his young age, Jordan Eberle demonstrated this perfectly in the semifinals of the 2009 World Junior Championship. In front of a packed arena — Ottawa was about to break an attendance record for the tournament — the young Edmonton Oilers prospect scored the most important goal of his career. With 5.5 seconds left in the third period, he scored the tying goal against Russia. The hockey gods rewarded Eberle, allowing him to score the game-winning goal, which completed his hat trick, in overtime. Two days later, Eberle capped off his tournament by scoring one last goal in a 5-1 final victory over Sweden.

No. 1: June 2, 2007 – The first Stanley Cup finals game

In total, the Senators have played 75 home games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Thirty years after opening their permanent home in the west end of the city, they are still searching for the ultimate goal. In June 2007, the Senators returned home trailing 0-2 in the Stanley Cup Final. Back in front of their fans, they showed that the series was far from over. The Anaheim Ducks took an early lead, but Chris Neil tied the score before the end of the first period. The Ducks managed to regain the lead twice in the second period, but goals from Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson brought the teams back to square one each time. The fourth line—thanks to Dean McAmmond—finally gave the Senators the lead. Anton Volchenkov scored the insurance goal in the third period. Those feeling nostalgic can relive part of that night here.