Sens deny Ottawa Citizen reporter access to the team following Ubergate

It seems like the Ottawa Senators have found another way to defend their players in the ongoing Ubergate saga as some shocking news was revealed on Friday by the Ottawa Citizen before the club headed out to the Tampa Bay, where they will face the Lightning on Saturday night. 

As you know, a viral video released by the Ottawa Senators and reporter Ken Warren earlier this week, several players of the Senators openly joked about their penalty-killing abilities, mocked one of their coaches, Martin Raymond, and laughed at the ineffectiveness of special-team meetings in a candid video from their Uber car ride during a team’s road trip. The video — since taken down — appears to have been shot in Phoenix on Oct. 29 or 30 during the team’s western road swing. 

On Friday morning, a colleague of Warren, Gregory Strong of the Canadian Press, revealed that Warren was denied access to the team’s charter. 

“Ottawa Citizen says hockey writer Ken Warren was denied access to Senators’ team charter today. Development comes two days after newspaper declines to take down secretly recorded video of Sens players in Uber vehicle.”

This happening just two days after the newspaper said it would not take down a secretly recorded video of several Senators players from an Uber vehicle.

Warren was expecting to take the team charter to cover the Senators’ game at Tampa Bay on Saturday but was denied access to the flight, Ottawa Citizen editor-in-chief Michelle Richardson said.

“I can confirm it happened this morning,” Richardson said. “For us, it doesn’t really change our fundamentals. We’re still committed to covering the Senators, both the good and the bad. Our coverage is important to our readers and to their fans and that’s not going to change.”

According to the Toronto Sun, this isn't the first time owner Eugne Melnyk has tried to bury a reporter. 

"Also on the Senators’ growing no-fly list is TSN reporter Brent Wallace who, prior to the team’s Parliament Hill game last December, had the audacity to ask owner Eugene Melnyk about a report that suggested he had been withholding bonus money from his employees.

Once the cameras were turned off, bystanders saw him turn to Wallace and say, “I’m going to bury you.”

Since then, Wallace’s seat on the charter has also been revoked, leaving Sylvain St-Laurent of French-language newspaper Le Droit with one of the remaining few seats."

This is another negative thing taking place in Ottawa. The Sens have been dealing with a string of problems on and off the ice since. They currently hold a 6-7-3 record this season.