Ottawa Senators announce they're retiring the jersey of a former player who had a career high of 33 points
When you think of fixtures of the early Ottawa Senators, you think of names like Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Chris Philips. If someone asked you which other Senators player deserved their jersey retired, you'd probably have to go along way before coming up with Chris Neil. But that's exactly who the Senators have announced will have his number retired.
According to the Ottawa Senators official Twitter account, Neil will have his number 25 raised to the rafters when the Senators host the Chicago Blackhawks on February 17th, 2023.
Neil played 1026 games with the Senators between 2001 and 2017 he scored 112 goals and added 138 assists for a total of 250 points. Not exactly the statistics for someone you'd usually see having their jersey number retired. While Neil's longevity in the NHL should be commended, especially for the role he played, is raising his number to the rafters truly deserved?
Neil was definitely a team first guy, and he did everything possible to protect his teammates, but this seems like a participation trophy from the Senators. Jersey retirements are usually reserved for great players who were the greatest for the franchise. A guy that put up 250 points in 1026 games doesn't really fit that bill.
Fans quickly reacted to the Senators decision.
There is no way of measuring what Neil meant to the franchise and the City of the Ottawa, and it's clear this meant just as much to Neil. While his numbers don't likely call for this, he as a person definitely deserves it.
| POLL | ||
Should the Senators be retiring Chris Neil's number? | ||
| Yes, he gave the franchise everything | 121 | 65.1 % |
| No, his numbers don't justify it | 50 | 26.9 % |
| We're a team | 15 | 8.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
