Former Ottawa Senators defenseman Michael Del Zotto did not hesitate to say publicly that he was treated as a scapegoat by the organization in the Canadian capital.
Del Zotto, recently retired, played 26 games for the Sens in 2021-2022. This was his last appearance in the NHL; he then played in the American Hockey League for several years.
“When I was in Ottawa, I was sent to the farm club because they wanted to wake up the team,” Del Zotto told the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, as reported by the website PuckEmpire. At the end of the season I was told that I was the scapegoat and that my teammates loved me and that they had to “break me down” for something to happen. In what world is this normal?
Del Zotto played several seasons in the National Hockey League. He also played 736 games on the Bettman circuit and collected 262 points.
He wore the colors of eight teams: the New York Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Nashville Predators, the Vancouver Canucks, the St. Louis Blues, the Anaheim Ducks, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Senators.
It was with the Rangers, his very first team, that he experienced his best moments, scoring 41 points in the 2011-2012 season, a record for him.