F1 2024 Prix-view: Verstappen eyes four-peat, Hamilton’s last dance with Mercedes

The longest season in Formula One history is set to kick off this weekend in Bahrain.

A record 24 grands prix will be staged in ’24 with Imola and China returning to the jam-packed calendar. The iconic Monaco Grand Prix takes place May 26 followed by the Canadian Grand Prix a fortnight later at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 9. The season wraps up in Abu Dhabi once again on Dec. 8.

Before we say “lights out and away we go” to the 2024 F1 season, here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

VERSTAPPEN EYES FOUR-PEAT

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will be targeting a fourth consecutive drivers’ championship and you don’t have to look too far into the past to find the most recent four-peat. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton pulled it off from 2017-20 right before Verstappen’s reign kicked off.

Yes, F1 is all about eras and we’re firmly in the Verstappen Era — likely until the regulations change in 2026. Design wizard Adrian Newey and his team have nailed the current setup and have created the perfect rocketship with Verstappen in the cockpit.

It’ll be tough for the 26-year-old Dutch driver to match his dominant 2023 season featuring a record 19 wins, but expect nothing less than maximum effort from Verstappen.

THE LAST DANCE: MERCEDES/HAMILTON EDITION

Just when you thought it would be a quiet off-season, Lewis Hamilton sent shockwaves when he announced he would be opting out of his Mercedes contract and joining rival Ferrari in 2025.

It’s hard to summarize Hamilton’s legacy with Mercedes as the raw numbers — six drivers’ championships, eight constructors’ championships and 82 grand prix victories — don’t paint the whole picture. Hamilton established himself as one of the greatest of all time (if not the greatest) and a global icon and activist at Mercedes with one more season still to come.

This will be Hamilton’s record 12th year with Mercedes, surpassing Michael Schumacher (11 seasons with Ferrari from 1996 to 2006) as the driver with the longest tenure on one team. There’s another record Hamilton shares with Schumacher that he’s keen to break: most world championships. The 39-year-old Hamilton has unfinished business and is still looking to “reclaim my eighth” title he lost out on back in 2021.

Mercedes haven’t been able to provide Hamilton with a championship-calibre car since then as he’s gone winless over the past two seasons — the longest drought of his career. Mercedes teammate George Russell has just one win, the only win of his career, during that same period.

Can Mercedes give Hamilton the proper sendoff or will the focus shift entirely to Russell as the future of the team? It’ll be a compelling storyline either way.

PEREZ ON THE HOT SEAT

Verstappen could single-handedly help Red Bull claim a third consecutive constructors’ championship as well, but that doesn’t mean the team doesn’t expect Sergio Perez to make a significant contribution.

Things got heated between Perez and team advisor Helmut Marko last season, particularly when the Mexican driver struggled during qualifying. Perez missed out on Q3 a total of nine times, including a stretch of five consecutive early exits, to put him out of the top 10 on the starting grid despite having identical equipment as Verstappen.

Regardless, Perez picked up a pair of wins and finished second in the drivers’ championship as Red Bull won all but one race. But is just being good, good enough? As other teams become more comfortable with their setups, it should get closer in the standings.

Perez’s contract is up at the end of the year and look no further than Red Bull’s secondary squad Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (the name just rolls right off your tongue) where Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will be out to prove they’re worthy of a promotion. You can also add reserve driver Liam Lawson to that mix. The 22-year-old rising star held his own during a five-race stint filling in for an injured Ricciardo last season. It should be an entertaining battle if anything.

A TALE OF TWO FERRARIS

It’ll be intriguing to see how things play out this season at Ferrari between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Which one will be under more pressure lies in the eye of the beholder.

Leclerc signed a multi-year contract extension in January — a week before Hamilton’s decision to join the Scuderia squad next season. The 26-year-old Monegasque driver has captured five wins and 23 pole positions since arriving at Ferrari in 2019 and will be out to ensure he remains their main man going forward.

Although Hamilton’s arrival means Sainz will be moving on, the 29-year-old Spanish driver is in the prime of his career and will be a highly coveted free agent. Sainz, who has two wins with Ferrari and was the only non-Red Bull driver to score a victory last season, can increase his value elsewhere. Sainz will have plenty of options to choose from as only seven of 20 seats have been reportedly filled for next year.

THE SILLIEST OF SILLY SEASONS?

The drama off of the track is just as spicy as the action on it. Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for 2025 will create a domino effect to follow throughout the season beginning with his vacant seat at Mercedes.

Sainz could simply swap rides, but Mercedes also have their eyes on promising prospect Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will compete in Formula 2 this year. If Mercedes believe the 17-year-old Italian junior driver is ready to make the jump to the big leagues, they’re not going to hesitate as it appears that’s why they didn’t sign Hamilton to a longer contract last year.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff explained to Autosport.com that he wanted to ensure his options were available because he doesn’t want a repeat of what happened back in 2014 when they had the chance to sign Verstappen but were tied up long-term with Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Red Bull inked Verstappen to their Toro Rosso squad (now Visa Cash App RB F1 Team) and the rest is history.

If Mercedes feel Antonelli isn’t quite ready, how about two-time world champion Fernando Alonso? The 42-year-old Spaniard had a renaissance season with eight podiums in 2023 and would be a fine driver to have in the meantime if he wants to continue racing. How’s this for a comparison: Antonelli was only two months old when Alonso won his second world title.

Don’t rule out Esteban Ocon, who has strong ties to Mercedes from juniors right through to serving as the team’s reserve when he was out of a full-time ride in 2019. Ocon even said he was “very close” to joining Mercedes in 2020 before landing his current deal (thanks to Wolff) at Alpine.

We’ve already mentioned Red Bull’s situation, but if Aston Martin keep improving, that’ll be another desirable destination for free agents should Alonso opt to move on or retire.

ONE BOLD PREDICTION

Hamilton has second thoughts and decides to stay with Mercedes? Maybe if you’re still in the denial stage of grief, but we’re going to go with McLaren winning a grand prix this season.

With 24 races this season, the door will be open at some point for McLaren’s Lando Norris to score his first career victory. 

McLaren more than doubled their point total during the second half of 2023 and Norris and Piastri finished with a combined seven runner-up results during the season. The team should be able to build off of that positive momentum to take the next step on the podium. 

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Maple Leafs’ Joseph Woll preparing to start vs. Coyotes

Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll is preparing to make his first start since Dec. 7 when Toronto plays the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters.

Though Woll is expected to play, ultimately it will be a game-time decision as the Maple Leafs give the netminder the rest of the day to ensure he is ready.

The Maple Leafs currently have Woll, Martin Jones and Ilya Samsonov on the active roster, though Keefe says they intend to carry all three even with Woll activated.

The 25-year-old has been sidelined since Dec. 7 after he suffered a high-ankle sprain. He was loaned to the Toronto Marlies on a conditioning stint after he was able to resume practising. Woll stopped 36 of the 37 shots he faced, leading the Marlies to a 4-1 win over the Laval Rocket. He was well tested throughout the game as Laval received nine power-play opportunities.

Prior to his injury, Woll had seized the No. 1 goaltender job for Toronto, overtaking the then-struggling Samsonov.

Across 15 appearances for the Leafs this season, he has an 8-5-1 record, along with a 2.80 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.

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Canada’s Morales Williams denied world record in indoor 400 due to technicality

Canadian sprinter Christopher Morales Williams is the all-time fastest runner in the indoor men’s 400 metres — but not an official world record-holder — due to a technicality beyond his control.

The 19-year-old University of Georgia sophomore ran a time of 44.49 seconds at the Randal Tyson Track Center on Saturday to win the NCAA Southeastern Conference indoor championships. 

However, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, in a post on social media, said the mark can’t be ratified due to an issue with the starting blocks. 

According to a report on the university’s website, World Athletics advised the school’s track and field director that the time will not be considered a world record because a false start detection system was not used at the competition.

Messages left with World Athletics and Athletics Canada were not immediately returned.

The previous world record of 44.57 from American Kerron Clement — set on the same track in 2005 — will stand.

“It doesn’t change the fact that I still ran the time,” Morales Williams told the school’s website. “It’s still the fastest time in the world, so it really doesn’t bother me at all. It’s not ratified, but it’s still there. 

“It really doesn’t make too much of a difference. It doesn’t bother me.”

Morales Williams, a native of Vaughan, Ont., already owned the Canadian indoor 400 record with a time of 45.39 on Feb. 9 at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational.

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Concern for latest Josh Norris injury overshadows Senators’ skid

Throughout the season, the Ottawa Senators have had this ability to draw their fans in, tease them with a string of strong games and then fall back. 

Tease, disappoint. Tease, disappoint. 

It happened again this week. After putting together an impressive 7-2-1 run that began with a four-game winning streak, the Sens dropped a pair of games on the road, losing by a combined score of 10-4. 

Any thoughts of a rebound from Monday’s 6-3 beatdown in Washington disappeared when Ottawa fell behind in Nashville and eventually lost 4-1. 

Symbolically, the disastrous trip pushed the Senators back into eighth and last place in the Atlantic Division, a point behind Montreal. The Sens have two games in hand on the Habs. 

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This season was supposed to be about battling for a top-eight spot in the Eastern Conference, not trying to escape last place in the division. Massive disappointment. 

When it rains, it often pours. Centre Josh Norris, who has a history of major shoulder injury and repair, left the game in the second period with what looked like a damaged shoulder. 

Interim head coach Jacques Martin had no update on Norris after the game. 

Defenceman Thomas Chabot, who has been playing his best hockey of the season, also went to the dressing room late in the third period. He was hit hard into the boards, but there won’t likely be an update on him until the team skates again on Thursday. 

If Chabot is out for any length of time, the defence will be in disarray. Artem Zub remains sidelined on a day-to-day basis, Travis Hamonic has really struggled and Jakob Chychrun has been erratic since his name started to surface in trade talks. 

An egregious tripping penalty by Chychrun led to the second Nashville goal, on the power play. 

Hamonic blew a “tire” and fell, allowing easy passage to the goal late in the second period, which paved the way for Roman Josi’s second goal of the night. That was crushing, coming at 18:31 to restore Nashville’s two-goal lead. 

A power-play goal by Drake Batherson had cut the Predators’ advantage to 2-1, at 18:58 of the first period. It was Batherson’s 20th goal of the season. 

The Senators seemed to have life at this point. But despite outshooting the hosts 11-9 in the second period, the Norris injury and late goal by Nashville sucked whatever life was on the Senators’ bench.  

“The effort was there,” Martin said, in his post-game comments. “It’s a matter of playing more in the offensive zone. When we lost Norris, it affected our line combinations. In the second period, if we could have gotten the tying goal instead of giving them the third goal, it might have given us momentum in the third.”

Joonas Korpisalo allowed four goals on 36 shots. The score could have been worse as he made some impressive stops, including three in the opening minutes of the game. 

Juuse Saros, who continues to be mentioned in trade chatter, stopped 24 of 25 shots as Nashville won its sixth straight game.

In Ottawa, the two-game losing streak is overshadowed by injuries to individual players, particularly the 24-year-old Norris. 

If the injury to the centreman is serious, there will be concern not just for the player but the person, considering the setbacks he has faced early in his career. 

Since joining the roster full time in 2020, Norris has averaged 45 games per season over the past four years. 

The one anomaly was the 66 games played in 2021-22, in which Norris scored 35 goals and was handed an eight-year, $63.6-million contract. 

Norris played just eight games last season before requiring shoulder surgery. 

After Norris left the game on Tuesday, the Senators seemed to visibly sag, although weary legs also contributed to getting outshot 19-0 in the third period. 

“It definitely affected us a bit,” said Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, of the Norris injury. 

“We wanted to win it for him, but unfortunately we couldn’t.”

With three goals in the past week and 16 on the season, Norris was just coming around with his game after missing most of training camp and having a slow start.

The hit from Predators’ winger Cole Smith seemed routine, shoulder-to-shoulder behind the Nashville net, but Norris’ left shoulder struck the back of the net awkwardly. He stayed down for a moment, left the ice and went straight to the visitors’ dressing room.  

“What happened with Josh, I’m hoping and praying it’s not too bad,” Tkachuk said. “We’ll have to wait and see. At a time like this, you just want to be there as a friend for him.”

If Norris is put on LTIR, it would free up cap space for the Senators as the deadline approaches.

In the meantime, the Senators will have a day off Wednesday before preparing for a Friday visit from the Arizona Coyotes. 

The Senators have 25 games remaining in which to finish on a positive note, but only four games before the March 8 trade deadline. 

Injuries, contracts, pending free agents and an interest in making changes to his roster will all play into the thinking of general manager Steve Staios as the deadline approaches. 

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FA Cup Preview: Manchester City in contending form heading into fifth round

We’re getting down to the nitty-gritty in the FA Cup.  

The fifth round of English soccer’s oldest competition, which runs from Feb. 26-28, features some all-Premier League matches, plus a sixth-division team looking to continue its miracle run in the tournament.  

Here’s what you need to know about the FA Cup’s fifth round.  

FA Cup fifth round on Sportsnet+

The fifth round of English soccer’s oldest competition runs all weekend on Sportsnet, featuring a number of Premier League matchups and sixth-division club Maidstone United . Watch all of the matches on Sportsnet+.

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Single-elimination format  

The eight matchups that make up the fifth round are all single elimination and not two-legged, home-and-away affairs.  

Games that are tied after 90 minutes of regulation will go to extra time and penalty kicks (if necessary) to determine who moves on. Unlike previous rounds, there are no replays in the fifth round.  

The eight winners advance to the quarter-finals, which kick off on March 16.   

The marquee matchup: Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester United  

There are three all-Premier League matches in the fifth round, including Nottingham Forest hosting Manchester United on Wednesday (2:45 p.m. ET).  

The Red Devils sit sixth in the league table with a 20-point cushion over 16th-place Forest. But Forest have already defeated United at their City Ground this season, earning a 2-1 win in Premier League action in December.   

History is on Forest’s side as they have won four of their last five FA Cup games against United. A victory on Wednesday would see them qualify for the quarter-finals for the second time in three years.  

If United wins at City Ground, they’ll reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for a record 48th time. They are currently tied with Everton for the most quarter-final appearances in the history of the competition.  

Manchester City in contention to repeat  

Another battle of Premier League clubs sees Manchester City pay a visit to Luton Town on Tuesday (3:00 p.m. ET).  

Luton will have its work cut out as the reigning FA Cup champions are in fine form. Man City are unbeaten in their last 17 games (15 wins) in all competitions, a streak that dates back to December.  

City won their previous two games in this season’s FA Cup without conceding a goal and are unbeaten in their last nine encounters (five wins) against Luton in all competitions, including a 2-1 win at Kenilworth Road in the Premier League earlier this season.  

What’s more, the Blues have reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in all but one of their seven previous seasons under manager Pep Guardiola.  

Tuesday’s affair is the first FA Cup meeting between the teams since 1969 when the City earned a 1-0 win in the third round at Maine Road, their previous home stadium.  

Can Liverpool get past Southampton?  

Current Premier League leaders Liverpool will feature in the final match of the fifth round when they welcome Championship side Southampton to Anfield on Wednesday (3:00 P.M. ET).  

The Reds are riding high after Virgil van Dijk scored in the 118th minute to give his team a 1-0 win in extra time against Chelsea in Sunday’s League Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Liverpool currently tops the Premier League table by a single point over Manchester City and is still in contention for the FA Cup and UEFA Europa League.  

Southampton sits fourth in England’s second division standings and is vying to win promotion back to the Premier League for the 2024-25 season. The Saints upset top tier club Watford in the previous round in the FA Cup, so they’ll be feeling pretty good about themselves.  

However, Southampton’s recent track record at Anfield makes for dire reading, as it has lost all six of their last road games in all competitions against Liverpool. If the visitors have any chance of securing a win at Anfield, they’ll have to find a way to stop Diogo Jota. The Portuguese international has five goals and four assists in 11 career FA Cup appearances for Liverpool and Wolves dating back to 2018.  

Cinderella story: Maidstone United   

Fourth-division team Wrexham A.F.C., co-owned by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, was eliminated in the fourth round last month. But there’s another Cinderella story going on in the FA Cup that is worthy of your attention.  

Sixth-division side Maidstone United will look to continue its magical run in this year’s competition when they visit the Championship’s Coventry City on Monday (2:45 p.m. ET).  

Maidstone pulled off a major upset when it defeated second-tier outfit Ipswich Town 2-1 in the fourth round last month. In doing so, the Stones became the first team from outside of England’s top five divisions to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup since Blyth Spartans did it in 1977-78.  

Should Maidstone win on Monday, it’ll become only the second team from outside of England’s top four divisions to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals in the last 109 years, joining Lincoln City (2016-17). The semi-professional team is managed by former defender George Elokobi, who featured in 12 FA Cup matches for Wolves during his playing days.  

Player to watch: Hwang Hee-chan  

The third all-Premier League battle in the fifth round sees Wolverhampton Wanderers host Brighton & Hove Albion at Molineaux Stadium on Wednesday (2:45 p.m. E.T.)  

One player to keep close tabs on is Hwang Hee-chan, a 28-year-old South Korean forward who joined Wolves on loan from German club RB Leipzig in 2021 before signing a permanent deal with the Premier League outfit the following year.  

Hwang has 11 goals in all competitions for Wolves this season, tied with Brazilian international Matheus Cunha as the club’s top scorer. Cunha is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, so it’ll be up to Hwang to lead the attacking charge for Wolves.  

The South Korean international didn’t feature for Wolves in the last two rounds of the FA Cup as he was away on national team duty at the Asian Cup in Qatar – he scored one goal to help his country reach the semifinals. Now Hwang is focused on club matters and will be eager to open his FA Cup account and to help Wolves reach the quarter-finals for only the third time this century.  

John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.     

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Blue Jays’ Swanson to take time away from team after family emergency

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Erik Swanson will be away from the team for “a while” after his four-year-old son was hit by a car on Sunday and is recovering in hospital, manager John Schneider told reporters Tuesday.

Schneider added that Swanson’s son, Toby, is “on the road to recovery.” There is no timeline for Swanson’s return to spring training in Dunedin, Fla.

“Family comes first,” Schneider said. “Our love, support and prayers are with Erik, Madison and Toby and the rest of the Swanson family.”

The right-hander was acquired by the Blue Jays in Nov. 2022 as part of the trade that sent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners.

In seven appearances for the Blue Jays in 2023, Swanson had a 1-1 record with a 4.05 ERA across 6.2 innings.

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Maple Leafs’ Liljegren ruled out vs. Golden Knights

Toronto Maple defenceman Timothy Liljegren has been ruled out for Tuesday night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe.

The Swedish defenceman was not on the ice for practice on Monday, due to an injury that Keefe described as day-to-day.

According to Keefe, Liljegren was banged up in the Maple Leafs’ game against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, leaving the bench a couple of times in the third period, and didn’t finish the game. He logged 20:40 of ice time in the win.

In his place, the Maple Leafs will dress veteran defenceman Mark Giordano who returned to the team Monday after taking time off due to the death of his father.

With Liljegren out of the lineup, the team will be using six left-handed defencemen.

Liljegren, 24, saw his average time on ice shoot up during the recent five-game suspension served by fellow blueliner Morgan Rielly, finding himself paired with veteran T.J. Brodie. He has collected seven assists during the Maple Leafs’ recent seven-game win streak.

He has two goals and 16 points in 40 games for Toronto this season.

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Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk returns to lineup against Sabres

The Florida Panthers will get Matthew Tkachuk back in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, head coach Paul Maurice confirmed with reporters.

Tkachuk was sidelined for a game with an undisclosed injury which he sustained last week against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 26-year-old American has 20 goals and 65 points for the Panthers (37-16-4), who are just two points back of the Bruins for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and have two games in hand.

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Rink Fries: Trade notes, personality from officials and why the Flyers believe

Asked to describe what the mood is this close to NHL trade deadline one manager told me this week it’s a combination of GMs still not getting their asking prices along with an underlying fear the players they hope to move don’t get injured. 

To nobody’s surprise the Jake Guentzel injury is being looked at around the league as a cautionary tale that if you wait too long to make a deal the price you didn’t like yesterday can turn into zero tomorrow.

The Pittsburgh Penguins dodged one here with Guentzel’s injury status still keeping him on the trade boards and I think we’ve all wondered how long Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy can temp fate with Chris Tanev.

Some NHL trade notes….

• As Elliotte Friedman stole Saturday night, two teams have approached the Philadelphia Flyers about Sean Walker and Nick Seeler as a package.

• Dallas continues to search for a second pairing right shot defenceman.

• We suspect the Detroit Red Wings are looking for a forward, but don’t be surprised to see them try to pick up a defenceman with bite. The Wings may have a lot of blueliners but they don’t have anyone “smelly” (hard to play against).

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Thank you, Garrett Rank

Once upon a time in hockey officials had personality and weren’t shy about displaying it. Books were written about officials (I highly recommend Dick Irvin’s Tough Calls: NHL Referees and Linesmen Tell Their Story) and officials wrote books about their time in the sport. But since the NHL took the names off the backs of the officials’ sweaters the league has valued anonymity with them. No names, no interviews, just make the calls. 

Now, a ref like Wes McCauley has loosened it up a little with some of his colourful calls and while there’s some who think he takes it too far, the majority of fans enjoy it.

I hope we one day get to the point where refs are comfortable not just announcing penalties and reviews, but also taking time on the ice to explain why calls like goalie interference were made. Now we just get a blanket “After further review it was determined we did have goaltender interference – no goal.” A little more description would go a long way to helping fans (and broadcasters) understand what the thinking behind certain calls is.

As an aside, my favourite referee story revolves around a saying the great Mickey Ion often shared with his linesmen. He’d gather his crew to centre ice before the game, hold up the puck and say “Gentlemen, what you need to remember tonight is this: when I drop this puck the three of us become the only sane people in this building.”

You know that’s true.

When the Flyers started to believe they could be a playoff team

Interesting point made by Flyers captain Sean Couturier on my radio show this past week. When asked when the Flyers felt they could do this and really become a playoff team, he cited a couple of moments specifically.

Firstly, October 24 against Vegas when the Golden Knights were still undefeated. Philly took a 2-1 lead into the third when Paul Cotter tied it up and then Shea Theodore scored the game winner with 33 seconds left. They gave the defending Cup champs all they could handle. 

“From there on we believed we could play with anyone”, Couturier said.

Couturier also mentioned losing to San Jose a couple of weeks later (November 7), which gave the Sharks their first win of the season.

“It could have been a breaking point for us, but then we responded right away by beating Anaheim who was pretty good at the time and LA in LA on a back to back…from there it took off.”

Candidates to become the next OHL commissioner

With the Barrie Colts facing the Sudbury Wolves on Wednesday in Sudbury I’m assuming that decisions around the bounty investigation will be announced early this week.

With OHL Commissioner Dave Branch poised to retire at season’s end the search for his replacement continues.

The leading candidate heading into the process, Kitchener Rangers CEO Joe Birch who’s worked at various positions in the OHL off and on going back to 2006, pulled out and it sounds like an extension with the Rangers is imminent.

Everyone is extremely tight-lipped about who else is still involved here, but other names include North Bay Battalion GM Adam Dennis, former VP of Hockey Ops for the Los Angeles Kings and former Owen Sound Attack GM Mike Futa, and at least one other candidate.

Overage prospect of interest

Plenty of NHL interest in Oshawa Generals overage defenceman Connor Punnett, who can sign a pro deal on March 1. Punnett is 6-foot-2 and plays with a punishing edge that has piqued the curiosity of a number of NHL teams. Plenty have checked in, but seven teams have shown what is described as “sincere interest.”

A new PWHL attendance record on the horizon?

Sounds like the attendance record the PWHL set in Toronto of 19,285 may not last the season. There’s talk the April 21 Toronto-Montreal game could be played at the Bell Centre, which holds just over 21,000 for hockey.

Discussions are on-going.

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Senators’ Chabot, last link to 2017 run, focused on reaching playoffs

For some fans, it is a distant memory. 

Others recall it like it was yesterday. 

Seven years ago this spring, the Ottawa Senators were a playoff team, embarking on a three-round run that would end in double overtime of Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Over the last few years, Ottawa hockey types have often remarked that in the deep rebuilding program that eventually followed that run, not a single player remained from that Senators playoff roster. 

Sometimes forgotten: There is ONE current player who played a small role on that 2016-17 team, and who would have had a ringside seat for the Stanley Cup final, had circumstances played out differently. 

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On May 26, 2017, 20-year-old Thomas Chabot was in Windsor, playing in the semifinal of the Memorial Cup tournament. Chabot’s Saint John Sea Dogs lost 6-3 to the Erie Otters (with Alex DeBrincat), ending their tournament. 

One night later, the Senators fell to the Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final, on a long, seeing-eye shot by Chris Kunitz, his sixth shot on goal of the evening. 

Had the Senators scored on one of their numerous chances in regulation or overtime, Chabot, a first-round draft choice by Ottawa in 2015 (18th overall) was penciled in to join the Senators for the Cup final. 

 “I would have come up as a Black Ace just for the experience, which would have been pretty cool, to be around the Stanley Cup final live,” Chabot says, speaking prior to the Senators victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday. “But you know what, just starting the season (in Ottawa) was special. It was an older group. Obviously, I wasn’t around all season to know what went on, but just from knowing the guys – they knew what they had in that room.”

At 19, Chabot stuck with the Senators out of training camp, but played just one game in 2016-17.

On Oct. 18, 2016 Chabot made his NHL debut in the Senators’ fourth game of the season, a 7-4 victory over the Arizona Coyotes at the Canadian Tire Centre. Chabot played a little over seven minutes, registered one shot and was -2. He took shifts with Erik Karlsson and Cody Ceci. 

Considering how many young defencemen have eaten minutes on the Senators blueline in recent seasons, it’s instructive to note the veteran D-men on that 2017 team: Dion Phaneuf, Marc Methot, Karlsson, Mark Borowiecki. 

Seven years later, Chabot is a veteran defenceman himself with 414 NHL games played, still looking for his first playoff action with the Senators. 

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That surely frustrates him – Chabot was one of the players who spoke out during a 2022 exit meeting with then-general manager Pierre Dorion, expressing the urgent need to bring in veteran help on the blue line. 

Today’s veterans include Artem Zub, Jakob Chychrun and Travis Hamonic, plus the ageless Claude Giroux up front, but the Senators remain outside the playoff race at the moment. 

One might expect that Chabot would be annoyed at the situation, yet he is buoyed by how well the team has played recently under interim head coach Jacques Martin, who took over from D.J. Smith just before Christmas. 

“We went through a bit of a tougher stretch, probably a two-month lapse, but we’re focused on what we’re trying to build here, what we’re trying to accomplish,” Chabot said. “We’re maybe not where we want to be right now, but if you look at different organizations, different teams that had success and made it through the process – it doesn’t happen overnight.”

Hockey players focus on  … yes, playing hockey. And winning games. 

Lately, the Senators have been doing just that – 7-2-1 since Jan. 29. 

Chabot has been a fuse to light that fire, with goals in three straight games after scoring to get the comeback started in a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Anton Forsberg earned the shootout victory, stopping all three Knights shooters. It was Forsberg’s fourth straight win in a season screaming for a goaltender to take the reins.

Their playoff odds might be longer than Andrew Hammond faced before his Hamburglar run in 2015, when he went 20-1-2 to carry the Senators to a playoff berth, but try telling these Senators that this season is lost. ‘Forsbergular’ anyone?

“There’s a lot of hockey games left and I don’t think any of us are packing it in and saying the season is over,” Chabot says. “We’re trying to accomplish something, trying to build a culture. I mean, you guys have seen it in the last probably 15 games, we’ve shown the way we want to play, the way you win in this league and have success consistently.” 

New GM making calls at the deadline

So, what are the Senators just before the March 8 trade deadline?

Sellers? Yeah, in part. 

Buyers? Possibly. Although more moves are expected at the draft and over the summer. 

Will they tinker with the young core and if so, to what degree?

It is going to be fascinating to watch new GM Steve Staios and new Sr.  VP of Hockey Operations along with associate GM Ryan Bowness (first hired by Dorion) sort out this roster in the months to come. 

Chabot says he has heard “a little bit” about what the plan might be but remains focused with his teammates on the job at hand. Playing the game and making a case for themselves. 

He agreed with my suggestion that things are different this season, almost an “audition” situation for players considering all the changes, from the new ownership of Michael Andlauer on down. 

“I think that’s a good way of putting it,” Chabot said. “With Mr. Andlauer coming in, I think it’s a great thing for the city, for the fans and the organization. I think he’s here to make Ottawa a special place to play.”

This was something discussed on a recent post-game broadcast. While the Senators may not be the class of the league, yet, they have more class in ownership and management than we have seen in some time. Ottawa could be more of a destination for free agents than it was under the previous regime.

Chabot hopes he’s part of what should be a bright future. He has paid his dues. Slogged through a challenging rebuild. Incredibly, his draft day is coming up on its ninth anniversary. 

As a native of Sainte-Pierre, Quebec, Chabot thinks of Ottawa as a team close to home, close to his heart. 

He has visions of enjoying a playoff run that he can be a bigger part of than that one in 2017, when his dream could not get beyond taxi squad status on an almost-Cup finalist. 

“I think a lot of the guys feel the same way,” Chabot says. “We’ve been here multiple years, together as a group. And that’s what it’s all about. It takes time. It’s a process. But I think you’re starting to see a lot more positives.”

In Saturday’s post-game fan chatter that was sprinkled with playoff run references, Sens fanatics who had been critical of Chabot earlier in the season were now firmly in the keep-Chabot-move-Chychrun camp, regarding the two left-shot defencemen in a D-corps led by lefty Jake Sanderson. Others said, keep-em-all, swept up in the euphoria of victories over western titans like Dallas and Vegas. 

After the inspiring win over the Cup champs (albeit missing Mark Stone and Jack Eichel), Chabot was asked in a scrum where this consistent surge of team play was in October to December when the Senators dug themselves a familiar fall hole?

“Yeah, it would be easy to look back at those things but I think at the end of the day, you go through that for a reason,” Chabot said. “It made us learn a lot, and I think it’s nice to see the whole group just coming along and playing some good hockey. That’s what we’re focused on right now.”

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