Senators Goalie Linus Ullmark Speaks To Media For First Time Since Taking Leave Of Absence

For the first time since stepping away from the Ottawa Senators to take a leave of absence for personal reasons, starting goalie Linus Ullmark spoke to the media on Saturday to tell his story.

Ullmark has been away from the team since being pulled from a game on December 27th against the Toronto Maple Leafs. While Ullmark hasn't had the best season himself, the Sens' goaltending has worsened in his absence.

It's believed that Ullmark will return to the lineup sometime in the next week, so it's only natural the club would make him available to local reporters as he prepares to make his return.

But Ullmark didn't hold the usual news conference, nor did he field questions in a scrum with reporters. The Senators opted to grant a recorded interview to one hand-picked local media member, TSN's Claire Hanna.

Ian Mendes, the club's Vice President, Communications, outlined the thinking behind the decision in his weekly Monday column on the team's website.

Mendes says that after meeting with Ullmark and GM Steve Staios to discuss strategy, he told them he favoured a quiet, authentic setting for Ullmark's first interview back.

After a long and successful media career, Mendes certainly could have pulled that off himself, and as his longtime former work colleague, I can assure you he would have asked all the right questions.

But Mendes was fully aware it wouldn't be a good look if Ullmark's first public statements came filtered through a Senators channel.

"Some (fans and media) hammered us for putting out a fiery statement two weeks ago," Mendes wrote. "So we can’t be the first ones asking the questions to the player at the centre of it all."

But Mendes also didn't want a free for all.

"I had no interest in putting Linus into a scrum with a large group of reporters," Mendes wrote. "Given the nature of what Linus will be asked, I didn’t think a scrum setting was an appropriate backdrop for this line of questioning. Scrums are inherently impersonal, with reporters often talking over each other to ask questions."

So, with a quiet one-on-one decided upon as the proper way to proceed, how did the organization decide who it would be? It's an interview that literally every Sens day-to-day reporter would want.

"Linus and I went down the list of potential candidates, I pitched the idea of a sitdown interview with Claire Hanna from TSN. Linus has a lot of respect for Claire, and since she works for TSN, there was an opportunity to work with our regional (TV and radio) rights holder on this one."

Mendes says TSN initially balked at the interview having any ground rules or PR-approved questions, but when Ullmark agreed to be an open book, they proceeded. Mendes did say that Ullmark and Hanna chatted about topics that would be covered before cameras began to roll.

"The result was a raw, genuine and powerful interview that took place on Saturday morning inside one of the restaurants inside Canadian Tire Centre," Mendes wrote. "I sat by and watched the entire interview, captivated by every word that escaped Linus’ mouth. I’m really proud of him for being authentic and vulnerable."

Mendes says he truly believes this was the correct way for Ullmark to have his story told.

So, when can you see and hear Ullmark's Saturday interview? That ball is entirely in TSN's court, which has not yet announced its plans.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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