Homecoming for Senators’ Chabot ‘a little bit of a dream’ to start big season

QUEBEC CITY — For Ottawa Senators star defenceman Thomas Chabot, it was a homecoming playing in front of his family and friends this week. 

“Itâ€s obviously a little bit of a dream,” said Chabot, “playing in front of your friends in your hometown.”

Chabot grew up 45 minutes from Quebecâ€s capital, in Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce. In an effort to grow the Senators brand, the team played two pre-season games in Quebec City, where Chabot was the star attraction. He conducted dozens of interviews and returned to his primary school at 8 a.m. on Monday to inspire the next generation of hockey hopefuls. He also convinced teammates Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Claude Giroux, David Perron and Drake Batherson to wake up at an early hour to join him. 

The children of Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce were able to see the NHL up close, thanks to Chabot. All class.

“Never expected to have the chance to play in my hometown, or at least close to it,†Chabot said. “The whole trip has been amazing.â€

Home is where the heart is, they say. It also moulds you into the person you eventually become, in Chabotâ€s case, on and off the ice. The good, the bad and the scoring ugly. 

If you ask Chabotâ€s teammates, they gleam with joy about their beloved teammate.

“I think everybody rallies behind Chabot,†said Jake Sanderson. “It’s cool to get in the playoffs, not just as a team, but for him, going through so many years without it.

“In the locker room too, just he’s a louder guy, in between periods, he’s always talking. So, yeah, a lot to love.”

“He welcomed me from Day 1,†said Tkachuk. “(I) felt we were best buddies, right from Day 1.â€

In Quebec City, Chabot was his teammates†tour guide.

“I was telling him,†said Shane Pinto, “he does it right, like he makes sure all the boys are taken care of. He gives us all the restaurants, all the spots. He’s just an awesome, awesome host.â€

However, for years on the ice, Chabot was part of the fabric of a Senators team with a losing culture. And many believed he was part of the problem. For all of Chabotâ€s flare, penchant for high-flying rushes and offensive dynamism, the defensive side of the game was amiss, which was part of the Senators’ problem as a run-and-gun losing team. 

After the 2023-24 season — the Senators†seventh straight missing the post-season — a significant portion of the blame was laid directly on Chabotâ€s shoulders. 

Even Senators coach Travis Green says he wasnâ€t sold on Chabot at the time.

“When I became the coach of the Senators, Chabot probably had a little bit of a stigma around him. I wasn’t sure what to expect,†said Green.

“’Stigma’ might not be the right word, but just if you would have asked me, ‘What do you think of Thomas Chabot?†I probably would have thought he was a very offensive defenceman that isn’t great in his own zone.†

The coachâ€s opinion of the 28-year-old changed leaps and bounds within a year, especially on the defensive side of the puck. 

“Right from our first conversation, he’s been impressive,†said Green. “He changed his game.”

In less than one season, Ottawa went from one of the worst defensive teams in the league to the top half, with Chabot becoming an analytics darling, earning his first career positive as a plus-17. At the same time, Chabot took a lesser role on the power play, quarterbacking the second unit and ceding the first to Sanderson. 

Meanwhile, Chabot also killed penalties for the first time in his career. 

“Understanding that they’re also part of the problem as well,†said Green about his coaching to Chabot and his Senators teammates. â€œAnd until they change to commit to being winning hockey players, nothingâ€s going to change, and (Chabot) is a big part of that.†

In leading the Senators back to the playoffs, Chabot posted a resurgent 45 points, the most since his sophomore season a pandemic ago. Meanwhile, in the regular season, he was fifth in the league in wins above replacement among defencemen, and 19th overall, according to Evolving Hockey. 

“He stopped playing on the move, and just a little more stop-and-start to his game, not trying to cheat for offence,†said Green.

“And, again, he doesn’t have to (cheat for offence). He’s such a good skater. He gets up the ice as good as anyone. His gap can be as good as anyone in the league. And he’s one of those guys, he likes coaching, he brings energy, he’s passionate, and that’s important.â€

One of the kids Chabot met at his primary school asked him if he always loved hockey.

Without hesitation, Chabot said, “Yes.â€

Itâ€s easier to change your game when you love it.

When Chabot was a young boy, he was watching the NHL with his mother, Claude, and he told her that one day heâ€d be on TV. Now, heâ€s inspiring the next generation from his hometown to know itâ€s possible.

“This is where I grew up. This is where I came to school for many years,†said Chabot. “This is where my dad was teaching for years and years. It means a lot. Like, it’s home, right? Like, everybody says there’s no place like home.â€

Chabot and his teammates signed autographs and took pictures for almost 30 minutes after speaking to the kids so that every fan got their chance to meet the NHL stars. 

In a similar vein, throughout pre-season, Chabot has been mentoring and playing alongside the next would-be star Senators defenceman, Carter Yakemchuk. They played excellently as a pair, with Chabot almost succeeding on a glitzy end-to-end rush against New Jersey on Sunday.

“Saving them for this season,” Chabot said, joking. 

Yakemchuk, 20, credited Chabot for taking him under his wing, with “little pointers†throughout last seasonâ€s camp and into this campaign. Yakemchukâ€s coach said his best day of camp was Sunday, paired with … guess who?

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