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Photo by Justin Tang / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Ruszkowski and Deziel want to re-connect with the community in a big way. Remember when the likes of Daniel Alfredsson, Chris Phillips, Mike Fisher and Chris Neil were rubbing shoulders with the masses at community functions?

“We have a roster of players that are under-known,” Deziel says. “And we need to find opportunities, in fun ways and maybe cheeky ways, deep emotional ways, to connect their story to people in our community.

“They want to win. Be part of our community. Bolster our city.”

Fan experience is at or near the top of the list of priorities. To that end, the Senators are about to introduce an “executive creative director” to wow the crowds at games, regardless of whether the power play is 2-for-4 or 0-for-4.

Win or lose, there are ways to create a party atmosphere at the rink — look at the transformation at Lansdowne Park by the Redblacks.

“Let’s have some damn fun,” Deziel says, bluntly.

To that end, there is a goal of being more inclusive with the fan base. Reaching out to Francophones on both sides of the Ottawa River. To bring in newcomers to the community, a younger demographic.

“I would love to see us attract more new Canadians,” Deziel says. “What better way to wrap our arms around immigrants and new Canadians than to indoctrinate them into our wonderful game.

“A broader, more diverse crowd would be a good sign that we are making progress.”

All this and more will be part of a major branding relaunch — based on an in-depth market survey — over the next week or so.