The 50 Greatest Ottawa Senators Of All-Time: #20 – #11
By Jack Leiper
We are just one post away from the top 10,
if you missed any of the others. Be sure to check them out here:
Part One: #50 – #41
Part Two: #40 – #31
Part Three: #30 – #21
20. Chris Neil
Oct 18, 2014; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators forward Chris Neil (25) during the warmup period before the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Stats: 893 GP, 106G, 233P
Height/Weight: 6foot1, 215lbs
Acquired: 1998 NHL Entry Draft (6th Round)
Sure, he’s never been more than a 3rd or 4th line player and his time is winding up in Ottawa, but how do you leave the 3rd most tenured Ottawa Senator off the top of the list?
You don’t.
Chris Neil has been an absolute warrior for the Senators over the past decade or so. He may be looking at his last season in Ottawa but his value was best seen during the days in which the Senators were a contender. Neil played in all 20 of the Senators’ 2007 playoff games and has 93 of those under his belt.
He’s a seasoned veteran and a guy with over 2200 penalty minutes. His career high in points is 33 (actually, not bad) and he had 16 goals that year. That said, Neil has never been a scorer aside from beer league play but he has been one of the NHL’s toughest customers for greater than a decade. Safe to say, aside from the frequent frustrations, it has been an absolute pleasure to see such a character guy inside the Senators organization for what has now been 13 years.
Kudos to Neil on making himself quite the NHL career. He’s a UFA next year and may not be resigned as a 36-year-old. He stands at 893 games played, and you know he’d love to hit the exclusive 1000 marker before his career winds up.
Next: #19: A Swedish Force, Two-Way Forward