A Home Opener for the ages

Home opener has come and gone and the only word to sum up the day is WOW! 

The day kicked off at 10:30 for fans with a bevy of plaza activations including the Molson beer tent, pickle ball, face painting, photo booths, a live concert by Eastbound of Bytown, and more!

Once the doors opened it was a seemingly never ending list of surprises for fans in the pre-game ceremonies. First, the spotlight panned up to the ceiling where Sparty began rappelling down to the ice! About half way down he unleashed his Go Sens Go banner and got the fans rocking!

Next up the players were introduced and burst onto the ice in front of a freshly updated LED background!

Following player intros it was time to recognize Claude Giroux for scoring his 1000th NHL point which he scored in the final home game of last season. He was joined on the red carpet near centre ice by his wife Ryanne, and sons Gavin and Palmer. First, there was a tribute from his teammates from both the Senators and Flyers, including Flyers GM and former teammate Danny Briere. 

After the tribute it was time for the presentations. First Thomas Chabot presented Ryanne with a bouquet of flowers, followed by Senators President of Hockey Operations, Steve Staios presenting Giroux with a crystal on behalf of the NHL. 

Then came the presentation of his gold stick with a special twist that no Senators fan knew was coming. Giroux was presented his stick by fellow 1000 point scorer and Senators legend Daniel Alfredsson. At which point the entire arena erupted into "Alfie" chants!

If you thought that was the end of Senators legends surprising Canadian Tire Centre for the day you'd be wrong. When it came time for the pre-game national anthems the announcer called out for everyone to rise if they are able to as Lynson Slewidge was to sing the national anthems. Once again Canadian Tire Centre erupted to see someone so integral to the fabric of the Ottawa Senators make his return.

In keeping with the past meeting the present theme of pre-game ceremonies for the day the puck drop was truly something special. As most expected, the first puck drop of the season would come at the hands of new owner Michael Andlauer. What few knew was that Michael would not be alone for this momentous puck drop. Alongside him he representatives from every ownership group through out the Ottawa Senators history to drop the puck. A classy gesture that just goes to show the character of Michael Andlauer.

The game itself was a blast from start to finish. Jakob chychrun dominated the opening period striking twice early to give the Sens the edge. After Jake Sanderson added to the tally with a one-timer from just inside the blue line, it was all Brady Tkachuk to carry the Senators to victory. The captain potted two goals to put the game out of reach and secure another home opener victory for the fans at Canadian Tire Centre.

For a full recap of the day watch the video: