OTTAWA — Thomas Chabot is the new captain of the Ottawa Senators, becoming the 11th captain in modern franchise history and the first francophone to wear the 'C' for the nation's capital. The 29-year-old defenseman succeeds Brady Tkachuk in a milestone week that also saw him become a father for the first time.
The announcement came on Tuesday at Canadian Tire Centre, where Chabot spotted his wife Marion and newborn daughter Romy in the building and thought to himself, "OK, something is up here." "It kind of obviously clicked," Chabot told reporters. The Senators later released a video of owner Michael Andlauer and management introducing Chabot as captain in the dressing room. "It's a big honour, I'm kind of shaking right now," Chabot said to his teammates before joining general manager Steve Staios and head coach Travis Green upstairs to face the media.
From Ste-Marie-de-Beauce, Que., Chabot is the longest-serving Senators player and the only one remaining from the club's 2017 run to the Conference Final, though he did not get on the ice as a rookie during that postseason. Drafted 18th overall in 2015, he lived through the darkest years of the Eugene Melnyk era and a deep rebuild that only eased over the past two seasons, finally reaching the playoffs the past two springs in losing causes. "I think part of leadership is experience and moving through some tough times... dealing with that adversity and learning from that," Staios said. "And part of Thomas that I think gets a little misunderstood is that while he's an offensive defenceman, can wheel around the ice and make plays, he's tough as nails."
Jake Sanderson and Tim Stutzle, the two other main captain candidates, will wear 'A's along with veteran Claude Giroux. Green said Chabot "exemplifies everything you want in a captain," not just in the room and on the ice, but in the community. Chabot, who speaks easily in both official languages, said he leads with energy and togetherness. "I take a lot of pride in coming in every day with a smile on my face and enjoying and supporting my teammates as much as I can," Chabot said. "Like Travis said, it's trying to bring everybody together to push in the same direction." Staios added, "Thomas doesn't have to be anything other than who he is." Chabot cited Boston Bruins great Patrice Bergeron — "the perfect human" — as his ultimate leadership model after training with him in Quebec City as a teenager.
Management had identified Chabot as its choice for some time but waited to see the group together, with veterans mixing with prospects like Hoyt Stanley, and to work around the pending birth of Romy. As one of the last C-less clubs in the NHL, Ottawa did not rush the decision. "Ottawa is home for us," Chabot said. "We bought our first house here. We've had our first child here. Ottawa will always be close to our hearts, no matter what." He closed a whirlwind week simply: "It's a lot, but it's fun. It's been nothing but pure joy. Seeing my new little daughter every day, it's been awesome. To top it off with being captain, it's awesome. I don't have many words for it, if I'm being honest."