There are usually two things that athletes do at the end of a season after being eliminated from the playoffs: clean out their locker, and send out some form of message thanking their teammates, fans and or coaches.
Thursday, the Senators season came to an end after losing to the Penguins in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference series. Following the loss, Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson took the time to share a message on Instagram, thanking his teammates for battling alongside him during during their run, and the fans for all their support.
You would have a hard time finding a single Senators fan who wouldn't credit Karlsson as the team's best player throughout their playoff run. So when Karlsson says that he and the Sens gave it everything they could, you take the captain's comments at face value.
Despite missing out on the chance to return to the Stanley Cup Final, Senators fans were very grateful for their team's effort, with a large number of supporters showing up to the airport in Ottawa in the early hours of the morning Friday to greet the team upon their arrival.
It may sting now Senators fans, but after the showing from this year's cup team looks primed for success in the future.
