The saddest saga in the NHL continued this week when the Ottawa Senators decided to waive veteran forward Zack Smith. Now I'm sure many of you have no clue who Zack Smith is and are probably a bit confused by how this could possibly be in the same category as the numerous other disasters in Ottawa. Granted this may not be on the level of player's wives and girlfriends accusing each other of cyberbullying or trading away all the talent on the roster for pennies on the dollar but it's just astonishing how dedicated this franchise is to imploding this season.
Zack Smith is a veteran forward and was an assist captain for the Ottawa Senators. He's described as one of the best liked players both on and off the ice. He's well respected by his peers and before this week was a staple of the Ottawa franchise. Then the Senators went and waived him.
It was another bizarre story out of Ottawa that just shouldn't shock anyone at this point. How often do teams waive a player from their captain group? It's unheard of but then again this entire year has been unheard of when it comes to the Senators.
Shortly after the news landed, current Ottawa Senator Matt Duchene was getting interviewed and was asked about the move by management and responded by saying "it's a kick in the balls". Rarely do you get such a blatantly honest answer out of a hockey player and Matt Duchene has never been an outspoken player throughout his career. Reports started to surface that management had wanted to send a message to the players. Clearly that message was received and the players did not take it well.
If there was ever a time for a team to mutiny on the owner and management of a sports organization, that time might be right now down in Canada's capital.
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