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Tom Green, the local comedian and Ottawa’s longtime resident, did the honors of announcing the 23rd pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2025 NHL Draft with his beloved dog, Charlie. The behind-the-scenes shot portrayed Green proudly presenting Logan Hensler of the University of Wisconsin as their choice for the team. Some called it sweet, while others had strong opinions about the choice of announcer.
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The video, shared via the official account of the Senators, showed Green relaxing with Charlie by his side in matching outfits. The chiller style to this announcement—with one lone voice clapping from the background—gave mixed effects that some viewers enjoyed for being casual and local, whereas others started to doubt the decision of giving a comedian with little or no direct hockey background the assignment.
One such critic called the announcement a “first” done by “less relevant than Alanis Morissette,” throwing the comment box into a frenzy defending Green’s Ottawa roots and his heritage: “He lives in Canada… he has a pond or a lake next to his house that is allowed to ice over in winter and he skates on it.” Another said, “Tom is from Ottawa, and he’s more relevant to Canadian culture than the entire NHL.” What started as a discussion quickly escalated into arguments about celebrity relevance and hometown pride.
Again, the dog literally stole the show for most of them. “Charley’s little uniform is just so cute!” said one fan. Another jokingly remarked that the dog never got applause: “Charlie deserved a standing ovation for Pete’s sake!” That sort of little moment did appeal to the dog lovers, although the hockey announcement didn’t really receive unanimous praise.
Yet, Green really didn’t care about the reactions; his off-center humor just shrugged off the whole situation. It was a Tom Green delivery: unrefined and awkward, yet one of the few that gained respect, “That was great! Good job, Charlie!! And Tom!” Others, not so much: “That was fucking horrible.”
Clearly, it seemed like an attempt by the Senators to bring together hockey and a little local presentation through Green and his dog. It is a good question if the whole thing fell on its face or if it worked: there were those who saw this as whimsical and funny; there were those who thought it took away from what should have been a very serious talk about the draft. Be that as it may though, the announcement did manage to get people talking, and that’s the way it goes in the sports-entertainment business.
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The real winner, at the end of the day, might be Charlie. By virtue of his sheer adorableness, he managed to dwarf all the heated online debates; hopefully, Logan Hensler is out somewhere preparing for his NHL career and isn’t paying any heed to the drama about his draft announcement.