For the first time since stepping away from the Ottawa Senators for personal reasons, goaltender Linus Ullmark has spoken publicly - and while the setting was controlled, the message was anything but scripted.
Ullmark hasn’t played since December 27, when he was pulled during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Since then, the Sens’ goaltending situation has gone from shaky to downright unstable.
While Ullmark’s own season hadn’t been stellar up to that point, his absence has only magnified the cracks in Ottawa’s crease. With his return reportedly just around the corner - likely within the next week - the team opened the door for him to speak, but they did it on their own terms.
Rather than the traditional media scrum or a full-blown press conference, the Senators opted for a different approach: a one-on-one sit-down interview between Ullmark and TSN’s Claire Hanna. It was a deliberate decision, made after discussions between Ullmark, general manager Steve Staios, and Ian Mendes, the club’s Vice President of Communications.
Mendes explained the thinking behind the setup in his weekly column on the team’s website. His goal? To create a space where Ullmark could speak openly, without the chaos of a media scrum or the optics of the team controlling the narrative.
“We didn’t want to be the first ones asking the questions,” Mendes wrote, referencing the backlash the organization received after releasing a strongly worded statement two weeks prior. “And I had no interest in putting Linus into a scrum with a large group of reporters.”
It’s a fair point. Media scrums can be loud and impersonal - a tangle of voices, cameras, and questions that often prioritize speed over substance. For a player returning from a personal leave, and one who’s likely to face sensitive questions, the Senators felt that wasn’t the right environment.
So how did they land on Claire Hanna? According to Mendes, he and Ullmark reviewed a list of possible interviewers, and Hanna stood out. Ullmark respects her work, and with Hanna representing TSN - the team’s regional broadcast partner - the fit made sense from both a personal and professional standpoint.
There were no pre-approved questions, Mendes noted, though Ullmark and Hanna did discuss the general topics ahead of time. Once the cameras rolled, it was all Ullmark - honest, vulnerable, and, according to Mendes, "captivating."
The interview took place Saturday morning inside one of the restaurants at Canadian Tire Centre. Mendes was present but stayed off-camera, observing the conversation unfold. He described the result as “raw, genuine, and powerful,” and praised Ullmark for being willing to open up in such a personal way.
As for when fans will get to see it? That’s now in TSN’s hands. The network hasn’t yet announced when it plans to air or publish the interview.
What’s clear, though, is that the Senators - and Ullmark - wanted to do this the right way. Not just for optics, but for the player’s well-being and the integrity of the message.
With Ullmark nearing a return to the ice, this interview marks more than just a media appearance. It’s a step forward - for him personally, and for a team that’s been searching for stability in goal since the moment he left.