Chris Phillips

Chris Phillips was a defenseman for the Ottawa Senators from 1996 to 2015. He was drafted first overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. Chris Phillips holds the record for the most games played by an Ottawa Senator at 1179, one more than Daniel Alfredsson. A stay-at-home defenseman, Phillips earned the nickname "Big Rig" for his physical and defensive style of play. Following his retirement in 2016, Chris Phillips shifted his focus from defenseman to restaurateur. His jersey number (4) was retired by the Ottawa Senators on February 18th, 2020.

Career
A superstar junior defenseman and two time World Junior gold medalist with team Canada, Chris Phillips was drafted first overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1996 NHL Draft. He played his first game in the 1997-98 season, playing 72 games and scoring 16 points. At times he was played as a forward. He scored his first NHL goal in his eleventh game in a 5-2 Senators victory over the Florida Panthers. Phillips continued his solid and steady defensive play for the following years, earning a reputation as a defensive stalwart.

Phillips most memorable goal (against a another team) would come in overtime of game six of the eastern conference finals against the New Jersey Devils. Phillips drove the net and cleaned up Hossa's rebound to force a seventh and final game, which the Senators eventually lost. Over the coming years, Phillips and his defensive partner/second goalie Anton Volchenkov would establish themselves as one of the top shut-down defensive parings in the league.

Chris Phillips most infamous play came in game five of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Anaheim Ducks. Phillips would get tangled up with Sens goalie Ray Emery and score an own goal, giving the Ducks a 3-1 lead near the end of the second period. Phillips own goal (credited to Travis Moen) would eventually prove to be the game winning goal, and hence the Stanly Cup winning goal for the Anaheim Ducks. This marks the first time an own goal won a Stanley Cup, evidently the most Sens thing to ever happen to the Sens. Over the coming years Phillips would wear the A on his jersey as an alternate captain to Alfredsson, Spezza, and Karlsson. Curtis Lazar briefly lived with Chris Phillips during his time with the Senators. Because of the age difference between the two, an inside joke developed among the fandom and players that Phillips and Lazar had a father-son relationship. He played his last game on February 5th, 2015, and retired in May 2016. His jersey number (4) was retired by the Ottawa Senators on February 18th, 2020 - only the second modern Sens player to have his jersey retired (the other being Alfredsson).

The Big Rig Brewery
In 2012, Chris Phillips shifted his focus to the restaurant and brewing business. Phillips opened up the Big Rig Kitchen & Brewery in the west-end of Ottawa, and began developing his own brand of craft beer named after his nickname, the Big Rig Brew.