Senators honor Craig Anderson with lengthy tribute, rare goalies-only ceremonial faceoff

Craig Anderson quietly became one of the greatest players in Ottawa Senators history, and the franchise repaid the favor on Tuesday night.

Anderson signed a one-day contract with the Senators earlier in the day so he could officially retire as a member of the organization.

“I didn’t announce a retirement, because I wanted to be a Senator again,” Anderson said during his retirement ceremony.

“It means the world to myself and my family to be a part of this. There’s a lot of emotion.”

Prior to Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, Anderson and his family received a lengthy video tribute and a warm ovation upon taking the ice.

In a twist on the traditional ceremonial puck drop, Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg and Sabres netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen met at center ice to take the draw — something usually reserved for the teams' respective captains.

Although there’s an entire decade to draw from, Anderson may be especially remembered for his outstanding 2012-13 campaign, posting a sparkling .941 save % and 1.69 goals against average and earning a fourth-place selection in Vezina Trophy voting while the Senators advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

Anderson later helped the Senators push Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins to the brink, forcing the juggernaut into a Game 7 overtime situation during the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2017. Chris Kunitz scored the winner for the Penguins past a dejected Anderson in the second overtime period and the Senators haven’t been back to the playoffs since, while Pittsburgh went on to win its second consecutive Stanley Cup that spring.

The 2016-17 season also took on a life of its own for off-the-ice reasons. Anderson won the Bill Masterton Trophy, awarded annually to those who show dedication to hockey in a time of perseverance. Anderson’s wife, Nicholle, was diagnosed with throat cancer in October 2016. Throughout the season, Craig was active in taking care of Nicholle — and she announced she was cancer-free in May 2017.

On the ice, Anderson finished his career with a respectable .912 save % and a 2.86 GAA over 709 games with the Senators, Capitals, Sabres, Avalanche, Panthers and Blackhawks.

Ten of his 20 NHL seasons were spent in Ottawa.