Ottawa Senators named top Canadian team in ESPN poll

As far as ESPN is concerned, there is no team better than the Ottawa Senators north of the border. In ESPN’s annual poll, it has the Senators ninth overall out of 122 pro sports franchises in North America. The Sens were No. 3 overall among NHL teams (trailing only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks) in the list that also included squads from the NBA, NFL and MLB.

“Our fans are always one of the Senators organization’s most important priorities,” Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said in a statement. “This year’s ESPN ranking is a testament to the ongoing commitment of our entire organization to continually focus on providing the best possible experience for our great fans. We are thrilled and extremely proud to be recognized as Canada’s top professional sports team and to achieve an overall top-10 ranking in all of professional sports.”

It’s great news for the Senators, but the timing is a little odd. The Senators went through a rocky breakup with long-time captain Daniel Alfredsson over the offseason and are looking to turn over a new chapter in the franchise’s history with Jason Spezza as the new captain.

Still, it’s hard to argue with the numbers. Despite losing Spezza, stud defenseman Erik Karlsson, goaltender Craig Anderson among others to serious injuries last year, the Senators made the playoffs and put the Montreal Canadiens away in the first round. This season, they’re looking for an even better year after making a big splash in acquiring Bobby Ryan from the Anaheim Ducks.

This new excitement has Senators fans itching for the regular season to start. The team has more than 12,000 season tickets sold already and there’s a chance they’ll have 13,000 sold by the time they open the season against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 4.

Sports Interaction has the Senators at -167 to make the playoffs and at +500 to win the Atlantic Division outright.