Craig Anderson's Cancer Stricken Wife Thanked The Ottawa Senators For Helping Her Through A Tough Year

A year you would think I would want to forget, but I couldn't be prouder of our team! Great year and memories that will last a lifetime!

— Nicholle Anderson (@xonichollexo) May 26, 2017

Oh, come on! As if I didn't already feel bad enough for not feeling totally disenchanted by the more unlikable team advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals on the back of a series clinching, double overtime goal from a guy that somehow managed to make Sidney Crosby's continued employment of him pay off in the biggest of ways. I already sort of hated myself for hoping Cinderella lost her slipper while the evil stepsisters (Crosby and Kunitz) danced on into the night. It's not that I wanted to pull for the franchise that gave their suddenly resurgent, long time starting goalie the rawest of deals after one "bad" period during which the whole active roster decided to play hooky instead of hockey. I simply had to hope the underdog got put down in the name of back-and-forth, two way play that's not predicated on suffocating the skill set of the opponent.

I don't want to throw the b-word out there, because it was tough not to feel drawn in by the hottest of hot streaks from a defenseman that somehow dominantly hobbled his way through all three zones to attain his well deserved recognition while playing on 1.5 healthy feet. I don't want to disparage the defensive approach of a team that needed to adopt it - and was crazy successful in doing so - to get as far they did, because the man that served as the last line of that defense has spent all season overcoming something so much more important than sports. That said, the Ottawa Senators - for all their feel good stories (don't worry Clarke MacArthur, I didn't forget about you) - were, by their own admission, just kind of...well...boring.

So full disclosure, I wasn't initially the most disappointed person with my eyes glued to the television when that one-timer fluttered in suspiciously close to midnight, but I'll be damned if I didn't regret it after Nicholle Anderson did everything in her power to bring a tear to my eye. Pittsburgh versus Nashville is going to provide us with the more outstanding brand of hockey to end the season, but neither of them can tug on the heartstrings quite like Cinderella and a story that - while not exactly a page turner - feels like it ended a bit too soon.

Real special moment after Senators Game 6 win. Craig Anderson goes to see his wife Nicholle, who is battling cancer. pic.twitter.com/1QfcJBnMr3

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 23, 2017