Canadá, Ottawa Citizen, Inglês

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On Tuesday, while Spartacat was still licking his paws, Thomas Chabot defended his furry friend.

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The Ottawa Senators alternate captain was shocked by the heat the mascot took for a social media post Monday on X in which he was wearing a jersey split between Ottawa and the colours of the Quebec Nordiques.

The post was deleted on Monday night after the Senators’ president and chief executive officer, Cyril Leeder, apologized wholeheartedly for the gaffe on social media.

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“Sparty was there just doing his job,” Chabot told reporters following the club’s optional skate at the Canadian Tire Centre. “There was nothing behind it for him that he was thinking about the Nordiques.

“It was just about, ‘You’re going to go Quebec City, the jersey is famous and everybody loves the jersey there.’ I know my dad definitely likes the jersey. At the end of the day, it was just about going to Quebec City and reaching out to a different fan base.”

The post came in the hours after Chabot accompanied Leeder and owner Michael Andlauer to the announcement that the Senators will play two preseason games at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City in September.

That didn’t cause much of a reaction until Andlauer didn’t close the door on the possibility of the Senators playing a couple of regular-season games in the former home of the Nordiques down the road.

Andlauer noted it would be up to the National Hockey League to make that decision, but it got worse when the post with Spartacat appeared and the Senators’ ambassador of fun got caught in the crossfire.

“We all went there yesterday excited to announce the preseason games,” Chabot added. “Then the poor guy (Spartacat) is getting it head-on for having his jersey with the Nordiques logo.

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“If you go to Quebec City, the people love the Nordiques there. A lot of people were mad when they left, and you’re gonna go there, and you’re just showing love to the people there. It’s the jersey they love seeing.”

Unfortunately, it triggered a fan base that has heard about the possibility of relocation to Quebec in the past. Even though Andlauer dismissed any chance of that happening when asked about it during his news conference, those words got lost in the noise.

After then-team owner Eugene Melnyk passed away in March 2022, La Presse reported the Senators were in negotiations with the NHL and the provincial government to play regular-season games in Quebec.

Those talks were stopped by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after the story leaked. Postmedia was told it could have been as many as five home games at the Videotron Centre.

“I get where the fans and everybody is coming from, but all that matters is the big logo that was in front, and that was the Ottawa Senators,” Chabot said. “That’s all we cared about when we went there. Honestly, I just feel bad for him (Spartacat) today.”

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We’re not sure who thought putting Spartacat in the jersey was a good idea in the first place, but you can be certain it won’t happen again.

There wouldn’t have been any pushback on playing exhibition games in Quebec City if it hadn’t been for the misstep of suggesting that the club is open to the idea of playing there in the regular season.

“We’ll start with the two pre-season games and we’ll go from there,” Andlauer said. “For me, that’s the vision (playing regular-season games).

“If we can play in Sweden, we can play in Quebec.”

Andlauer was likely trying to throw hockey fans in Quebec a bone because he has always been a proponent of having the Nordiques return to the NHL through expansion.

That comment about moving some regular-season games didn’t sit well with the fans and the picture of Sparty sent everybody over the top.

“I completely understand where the fans are coming from and I totally get it,” Chabot said. “The Sens aren’t going anywhere. We’re in Ottawa. We love being in Ottawa. There’s nowhere else we’d rather play than the Canadian Tire Centre every single night.”

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Chabot grew up in Quebec and doesn’t believe this preseason trip is any different than the ones the Senators have done in the past. The club will get to spend five days in the area during camp and spend some time getting ready for the regular season.

He’s excited to show his teammates the area.

“This probably blew up way more than it should have,” Chabot said. “It’s the preseason, we’ve been everywhere and we’ve played everywhere. We went to the Maritimes, we’ve been out west and we’ve been all over the map.

“It’s just exciting to have some preseason games in Quebec City. It’s home for me so it’s going to be awesome. This is a place most of the guys have never been to, and they get a chance to experience a new city, a different community and I’m excited to show that off.”

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