Welcome to Ottawa Hockey Now with Danny McCloskey

Welcome to Ottawa Hockey Now, your new home for everything Ottawa Senators, with writer Danny McCloskey!

About Me

Let me start with my background. I’m 32 years old, born and raised in Ottawa. That means that I came into this world the same year that the Senators did, in 1992. I suppose that makes me one of the lucky fans that did not have to endure those brutal first few seasons since I was a literal baby. Instead, I joined in on the fun as Alfredsson, Redden, Hossa, and the rest of the boys worked their way to regular season dominance, only to lose to the Maple Leafs in the playoffs every year. There was also the Jeff Friesen heartbreak. And then, the Hasek injury. And years later, of course, Chris Kunitz. Needless to say, I’ve felt the same pain that so many other Senators fans have over the years. 

It hasn’t been all bad, though. I was in the building for the Senators only Stanley Cup win in 2007 against the Anaheim Ducks. I was there for the Pageau four goal playoff game, including the double overtime winner, against the New York Rangers. I’ll also never forget watching Alfredsson send the Senators to the Stanley Cup against the Buffalo Sabres. My dad jumped so violently he almost broke our tv. Growing up playing hockey, I wore number 11 in Alfie’s honour. Needless to say, I’ve been involved with the passion of hockey and the Senators my entire life. 

My Time as a Hockey Writer

All of that is why, a few years ago, I decided to pursue the world of hockey writing. Having gone through school as an English major, I thought it made sense to try to tie two of my favourite things together- hockey and writing. I’ve had several articles published over the years. They range from why the Senators should draft Jake Sanderson (not all my takes work out like this one), to breaking down all the Senators game seven losses (I’m not sure Sens fans enjoyed this article very much), and many more. I have a passion for not just the Senators, but the research process when writing. There’s something about having 15 tabs opened and scrolling through endless amounts of player stats that gets me fired up. Needless to say, I take pride in trying to be as well-informed as I can be in everything I write. 

To go along with writing, I also like to break down Senators plays on X. I really appreciate the details of the game of hockey. When the game is played at such a high speed, it takes such small mistakes to lead to a goal against. I love looking for a deeper understanding of why different goals ended up in the back of the net. Being able to interact with many Senators fans during these breakdowns has been a great benefit. Hopefully, these passionate fans can continue to interact with my content as I move forward. 

Creating Ottawa Hockey Now

Moving ahead to a couple of weeks ago, I finalized a deal to help lead the way with Ottawa Hockey Now. As part of the National Hockey Now brand, this is an opportunity to bring in-depth, local coverage, on a national level for the Ottawa Senators and their fans. My goal is to bring my passion for the Ottawa Senators to help make Ottawa Hockey Now your go to spot for all things Ottawa Senators. I will strive to provide objective writing with a focus on attention to detail. 

Ottawa Hockey Now will bring quality coverage ranging from pre and post-game stories to analysis pieces and much more! I am thrilled to join the many great writers at National Hockey Now who help bring fantastic content for many different NHL cities. I hope you can join me throughout this journey to help Ottawa Hockey Now become a prominent force in the hockey world!