One of the laziest narratives in hockey today is that Ottawa Senators fans are somehow partially to blame for the team’s woes on and off the ice. “Look at the attendance numbers!… “Maybe if there was more support, things would be different!… We’ve all seen the click-bait articles. We all know they’re not reflective of reality.
This week, the hockey world was treated to an example of the very best of Senators Nation. When Rick Gibbons reported that only $5,000 of the nearly $1,000,000 raised for Eugene Melynk’s The Organ Project in 2018 was actually spent on charitable programs (the rest was spent on administration and fundraising costs), the fan base stepped up:
From the latest @rick_gibbons article on Melnyk's Organ Project: pic.twitter.com/QqGZb0Y23b
— Graeme Nichols (@6thSens) June 8, 2020
Thanks to Graeme Nichols @6thSens and everyone who contributed to the $18K raised since yesterday! We also saw an increase in online registrations which will directly save lives. We encourage all Ontarians to register to become organ and tissue donors at https://t.co/zbQiaLn1aL https://t.co/U1uGkM5L0V
— TrilliumGiftofLife (@TrilliumGift) June 9, 2020
So, to anyone who still thinks that Senators fans are part of the problem in Ottawa, consider that the fan base rallied on Twitter in a matter of hours to get this done. Fans are desperate to spend their money supporting this team. They’re just waiting until it’s worth it to do so.
I’m admittedly late to the party, but will be making a donation tomorrow morning just as I did when I used this space to promote the Senators Foundation telethon. If you are in a position where you have the ability to contribute, this represents a wonderful opportunity to support an important cause.
As always, thanks for reading.