When I think of Chris Neil, a couple of things come to mind:
Enforcer. Team Leader. Passionate. Hard Worker. Community Supporter.
Chris Neil was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 6th round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He played 16 seasons with the Senators during his NHL career, amassing 1,026 games, 112 goals, 138 assists and 2522 penalty minutes.
Chris Neil is one of the greatest Senators in franchise history in my eyes. I say this because he wasn’t your typical goal scorer nor was he your typical playmaker. Neil was an enforcer that protected the team when they needed him the most. He did whatever he could to provide for the Sens whether it was physical, or creating scoring opportunities. His presence on that team was incredible and made sure no one messed with their talented players.
I still remember those hockey games when we used to see fighting more often than in today’s game. Chris always got the crowd going at the Canadian Tire Centre and his team thrived off the energy. Whether he laid out a big hit or fought an opponent, he built momentum for that team every night he was on the ice.
And let me tell you: while he wasn’t the biggest and skilled player out there, he is still one of the ONLY players in NHL history to fight Boston Bruins Captain Zdeno Chara and win by pinning him down to the ice while Chara begged Neil not to throw another punch. Talk about Neil who is only 6 foot 1 going up against Chara who is almost 7 foot with skates on. He wasn’t afraid to take on any opponent no matter how big they were. How about that Playoff game back in 2013 against the Montreal Canadiens (where I have to mention Ottawa wound up winning that series 4-1) the line brawl that broke out made that arena go wild. And of course, who was in the middle of it? Your beloved Chris Neil. After the referees finally broke up all the fights, Chris Neil waved both hands in the air and started to get the crowd and his team going, and boy, did it ever work!
Chris Neil was a big part of that Ottawa Senators team back in the 2006-07 season where the group made it to the Stanley Cup final against a very talented Anaheim Ducks team. Ottawa ultimately lost the cup final 4-2 (I remember myself crying as Teemu Selanne lifted that Cup in the air) and Chris Neil was an important leader of that team. He was paramount in bringing the guys together after that loss. When things were not going the Sens way, he was the one who got them together and fought anyone to bring momentum back to the team.
Neil is now an Alumni Ambassador for the Ottawa Senators. He is responsible for supporting the team’s outreach efforts through Ottawa and Gatineau within the community. Neil still lives in Ottawa with his wife Caitlin and three children. He has helped the Ottawa community by attending and hosting charitable events.
At the end of the day, Chris Neil is an all around player and community leader that deserves to see his number to be lifted in the rafters alongside Daniel Alfresson and Chris Phillips at the Canadian Tire Centre. Hopefully when our world goes somewhat back to normal and fans are attending games again, I hope the Senators set a date to honor and retire Chris Neil’s legendary number 25.
-Alicia Scodeller
Twitter: @aliciascodeller