It's not too late to cheer on the Ottawa Senators.

As the last Canadian club standing this postseason, the Senators are welcoming fans aboard their bandwagon, especially those cheering for Lord Stanley's return to the Great White North.

"For me, hockey is very important for every Canadian, for the most part," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion told reporters Thursday. "I think it's an honor to be the last Canadian team playing. I think we should be very humbled. I think it's something we take at heart.

"I think there are a lot of good stories to be told about the Senators organization this year, and hopefully a lot of people in Canada can jump on our bandwagon and follow us and find out what the Senators are all about."

It's been a memorable year in Ottawa, from Mike Condon's strong play during Craig Anderson's time away from the team as his wife battled cancer, to Clarke MacArthur's heroic return after missing most of the past two years with concussion symptoms.

The Senators and Edmonton Oilers were the only two Canadian teams to advance to the second round, but while the Oilers fell to the Anaheim Ducks, the Senators knocked off the New York Rangers in six games.

The Senators are now one of four teams remaining, with Ottawa set to appear in its third conference finals since 2003. Ottawa has never captured the Stanley Cup, while no Canadian squad has won it all since Montreal in 1993.

Dorion believes the Senators have the pieces in place to end Canada's curse.

"I think our players are pretty special," Dorion added. "People are finding out how good Erik Karlsson is. I've been preaching that for seven years now, how good he is. I think people realize how good and special he is, but we also have other elements."

The GM also touched on Anderson, who he feels is underrated and rarely gets the credit he deserves. Among netminders with at least 40 starts this season, Anderson finished second to only Sergei Bobrovsky with a .926 save percentage.

But the most notable performance on the Senators this postseason has come from captain Karlsson, with the blueliner collecting 13 points in 12 contests.

"I'm an okay GM," Dorion quipped. "Guy's a pretty good coach. But we have pretty special players. I think they've really stepped up."

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