Ottawa hockey fans have long wondered what it would have looked like to see a hometown kid lace up in red and black, and it turns out Calvin de Haan has wondered the same thing.
The veteran NHL defenceman, who grew up in the Ottawa area, recently opened up to The Hockey News about one of the great what-ifs of his career: playing for the Ottawa Senators. Despite spending stints with the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Montreal Canadiens over his lengthy career, de Haan never got the chance to represent his home city on the ice.
A Local Kid Who Made It
De Haan was born in Carp, Ontario — a small community just west of Ottawa — and came up through the hockey system in the region before being selected 12th overall by the Islanders in the 2009 NHL Draft. For years, Sens fans quietly hoped that one day the puck-moving blueliner might find his way back home, but the hockey gods had other plans.
Now, with his playing days winding down, de Haan was candid about his feelings. He admitted the pull of playing in front of family, friends, and the fans who watched him grow up would have been something truly special.
The One That Got Away
It's a familiar story in Ottawa sports — a local talent who excels at the highest level but never gets to do it while wearing the hometown jersey. De Haan joins a list of Ottawa-area players who carved out long NHL careers without ever suiting up for the Senators.
For a franchise that has been in rebuild mode and looking to cultivate a winning culture, the idea of adding a veteran presence with local roots is exactly the kind of move that resonates with a fanbase hungry for something to rally around. Whether as a player or in a future front-office or mentorship capacity, de Haan's connection to Ottawa isn't going anywhere.
What It Means for Sens Fans
For the Ottawa faithful, de Haan's comments are bittersweet. The Senators have been building steadily through their rebuild, and while the window for de Haan as an active player may have passed, his words serve as a reminder of the emotional pull the franchise holds — not just for fans in the stands, but for players who grew up dreaming of one day playing in the NHL's smallest big market.
Ottawa is a city that punches above its weight in producing hockey talent, and stories like de Haan's only add to the rich local hockey lore that makes this city special.
Whether he ever finds another path back to the Senators organization remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: you can take the kid out of Carp, but you can't take Ottawa out of the kid.
Source: The Hockey News via Google News