Today’s review is going to look a little different as I highlight three journalists instead of one. When researching the Ottawa Senators media, I came across an interesting segment called The Sens Panel. Hosted by Ottawa Senators journalists Bruce Garrioch, Ken Warren and Don Brennan, The Sens Panel breaks down recent developments with the team, and each panel member gives his opinion on a wide array of topics in weekly episodes.
The Sens Panel – Covering the Hottest Topics
The Senators are currently in Colorado to face off against the Avalanche, marking Matt Duchene’s first return to the Pepsi Center since being traded from the Avs back in November 5th, 2017. In this week’s episode which was released on Thursday, October 25th, Don Brennan stated, “I expect there will be a lot of boos, I expect he’s going to be putting a lot of pressure on himself to do well” talking about the atmosphere in the arena for Friday night’s game. So for Sens fans who are reading this article before puck drop, that will certainly be a game to keep an eye on.
Each episode is released with a short article attached that discusses another Senators topic from the week. With the return of Duchene to the Mile High City, and a controversial forearm from defenseman Mark Borowiecki to the face of Boston Bruins defenseman Urho Vaakanainen that resulted in a one-game suspension, there has been no shortage of news to cover in an organization that is off to a better start (4-3-1) than most media members across the league would have predicted.
In this week’s article Garrioch follows up on the incident against Boston by collecting quotes from Borowiecki himself who showed great remorse from the way the hit played out against the Bruins. Its the little things sometimes like talking to a player after a controversial play on the ice that show a person’s true colors. It is clear from the article that Borowiecki didn’t mean for the incident to turnout how it did. And for Sens fans that were looking to hear from their now veteran defenseman, they can rest assured knowing he reached out to the Bruins to see how Vaakanainen was doing after the play.
Experience Counts
Both Garrioch and Brennan have been covering the Senators since they joined the league back in 1992. That in itself should add some validity to the panel. While the Senators did reach the Stanley Cup final during the 2006-07 season before losing to the Anaheim Ducks, the franchise has certainly had its ups and downs, and the last year is certainly no exception (I won’t write it all out for everyone don’t worry). So you know these guys are (very) seasoned veterans, as far as hard times go. In addition, Don Brennan does put a disclaimer in his bio stating, “Warning: I’m not everybody’s cup of tea” so take that for what its worth when interacting with his material.
After watching multiple episodes of The Sens Panel, I can confirm that all three members have solid takes (that don’t always agree with each other), and their writing is up to par with any professional journalist you’d find across the National Hockey League.
If you’re an Ottawa Senators fan looking to up your intake of content, I’m a firm believer that video is a great way to do just that. I haven’t seen anything quite like The Sens Panel since I have been researching NHL media across the league, and I’m all about experimenting with different ways of engaging hockey fans.
You can see the most recent episode of The Sens Panel below.
Are you already familiar with The Sens Panel or the work of Bruce Garrioch, Ken Warren or Don Brennan? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
You can find The Sens Panel at the Ottawa Citizen by clicking here. You can follow Bruce Garrioch on twitter @SunGarrioch, Ken Warren @Citizenkwarren and Don Brennan @SunDoniB.
