Chris Phillips didn’t dread this moment.
He welcomed it.
“Today is a good day,” said Phillips, flanked by GM Pierre Dorion and senior adviser Bryan Murray, on a podium Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre.
It was the end of an era as the veteran defenceman officially hung up his skates because of back issues that have plagued him for the past 17 months. But, as it turns out, it was the start of a new chapter with a move into a community-engagement role in the Senators’ front office.
But it is days like these that make you turn back the clock, especially when you’re like me and you’ve covered the team since Day 1 in 1992, to a sweltering hot Friday afternoon in St.