The Ottawa Senators Uber video is a bad look for everyone involved

A leaked video of Ottawa Senators players trashing their team and coaches leaked on Monday. This is a bad look for both the Sens and Uber.

By now, most of the hockey world has seen the incriminating video of the group of Ottawa Senators players in a Uber in Arizona, trashing their team and coaching staff. Surely, Marty Raymond has seen it as well. The players have since apologized.

This is bad news all-around for the Senators organization, which is already in shambles after an abhorrent offseason. However, the worst part about this story might be that it got out in the first place.

Here’s the video, for those who haven’t seen it:

Anyone who’s played on a sports team, at any level, knows what these kids are going through. Venting about coaches, plays, systems is common across every sport. Players won’t always see eye-to-eye with coaches and letting off some steam with teammates is a regular occurrence. Of course, it’s usually done in a private setting.

Personally, I can’t think of a coach I played for that I agreed with 100%, let alone a coach I didn’t joke about when around teammates in private settings. This is a part of sports and now these players are going to be skewered for it.

Is this video troublesome for the Senators? Yes, it is. The fact that this got out is troublesome and obviously there are going to be some extremely awkward and uncomfortable meetings/practices in the next couple of days.

That being said, these players and coaches are adults. Most NHL coaches know they aren’t universally loved by everyone in the room at all times. There’s a good chance Marty Raymond saw this, shrugged it off and added a few “cardio” drills to his next practice.

Here is a key takeaway from the whole ordeal. This Uber driver is a clown. To film these players without them knowing, then release this video is an all-time a**hole move. This guy’s sense of professionalism is lower than his Uber rating is going to be after this whole debacle.

The next Senators practice will likely be a tough one for the guys involved in this spectacle, but it won’t be the undoing of the team (current ownership might be, though). The Sens were a mess long before this video and now we’re just piling on.

I understand why Uber drivers set up cameras in their vehicles, but there has to be a better way of notifying passengers that they are being filmed. This entire situation shouldn’t have happened and the Senators should have been left to rest in peace at the bottom of the standings.

NHL players are known for being candid in interviews or at events, etc. Now, they will have to pay more attention to what they say and when they say it, which hurts us, the fans, more than it hurts them. Uber, this part is on you.

Nothing big is going to come out of this story and the Sens will most likely deal with it in-house, where Matt Duchene will undoubtedly be paying attention for the first time in three weeks. If Marty has a plan to fix the Sens penalty kill, now is his chance to put it in place.

Finally, before you chastise the players, let’s all keep in mind where this Senators team is at right now. It’s not like they have much to be excited about.