Ottawa has always been a hockey town at its core, and right now, the city's fans are speaking up — not to complain, but to applaud.
The Ottawa Citizen's letters to the editor on Saturday, March 28, featured readers sharing a sentiment that cuts straight to the heart of what it means to follow a team through thick and thin: pride. Specifically, pride in the Ottawa Senators for playing with genuine heart.
When Effort Earns Respect
It's easy to cheer for a team when they're on a winning streak. What's harder — and more meaningful — is recognizing a squad that leaves everything on the ice even when results don't always go their way. That's exactly what Ottawa fans seem to be responding to this season.
Letters to the editor are one of the most old-school forms of community feedback, and when readers take the time to write in about a sports team, it signals something real. These aren't hot takes fired off on social media — they're considered, heartfelt expressions from fans who care deeply about this franchise and what it represents for the city.
Ottawa's Complicated Relationship With the Sens
The Senators have had their share of ups and downs over the years, and Ottawa fans have lived through all of it — from the glory days of the early 2000s runs to the rebuild years that tested everyone's patience. That history makes moments of genuine community pride all the more meaningful.
When the city rallies around this team, it's not blind loyalty. It's earned. Ottawa fans know what bad hockey looks like, and they also know what it looks like when a group of players is genuinely competing, blocking shots, back-checking hard, and refusing to quit on a shift or a period or a game.
The Intangibles That Matter
Statistics tell part of the story. But "playing with heart" is a phrase that covers the intangibles — the compete level, the resilience after a bad goal, the bench energy, the way a team responds in the third period when things aren't going their way. When fans start writing letters to the newspaper about those qualities, it means the team is doing something right.
For a franchise that has been working to rebuild trust with its fanbase and re-establish itself as a competitive team in the Eastern Conference, that kind of goodwill from the community is invaluable.
A City Behind Its Team
Ottawa is a city that knows how to grind. Government workers, public servants, tradespeople, students — the people who make up this city's fabric tend to respect hard work and persistence over flash and hype. It makes sense, then, that what resonates most with Ottawa hockey fans isn't just wins — it's watching a team that plays the game the right way.
If the letters section of the Ottawa Citizen is any indication, the Senators have earned some real affection from their city this season — and that's worth celebrating.
Source: Ottawa Citizen Letters to the Editor, March 28, 2026
