Viral playoff song creator reacts to cursing the Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are back in the playoffs, but things haven’t gone well so far.
What’s to blame? According to many Sens fans, it’s all due to a corny, yet catchy, hype song.
The Senators have lost their first two games to the Carolina Hurricanes, with some fans pointing directly to Ottawa musician Kyle Ivan’s “Timmy Stu and Shane Pinna” lyrics as the reason behind the misfortune.
View this post on Instagram
When it comes to criticism, Ivan says he’s heard all in previous years, but that hasn’t stopped him. Last week, Ivan released a song called “Pesky Sens,” spoofing Eminem’s 2002 hip-hop hit “Without Me” — a jingle fans say has cursed the team.
“You have doomed the entire franchise,” one comment on Ivan’s video reads.
“I’m embarrassed to share a team with you,” wrote another.
Speaking about the alleged curse to Offside, Ivan said he didn’t believe it at first, but now that the puck hasn’t been bouncing the Senators’ way, he thinks fans might be right.
Last year, Ivan also made a Sens-themed playoff hype song set to Blur’s mega-hit “Song 2,” only for the team to lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games.
Kyle Ivan and his alt-rock band recording the “Pesky Sens” video outside Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre during fan appreciation night. (Photo courtesy of Kyle Ivan)
“These videos were intended to share my joy and passion for my team, but it has completely backfired, turning me into the biggest Sens villain since Chris Kunitz,” Ivan said. “Many people have blamed me for the bad luck, and they could be right.”
Despite people in the comment section calling him a fake fan, Ivan is a diehard who bleeds black and red and has the receipts to prove it.
He has spent years around Canadian Tire Centre working merchandise booths and selling 50/50 tickets, hoping to catch even a small glimpse of his favourite hockey team.
But in recent years, he’s stayed connected to the team through his passion for music and Senators hockey, creating playoff hype songs.
Though with the Senators down two games, the situation has now become so extreme that Ivan has fled Canada.
You’re welcome Sens fans. pic.twitter.com/gyQ5NBNFHt
— x – Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 23, 2026
On Thursday, he posted a satiric video from the streets of Taiwan saying he was “sent to Asia” by the Ottawa Senators in an effort to keep him as far away from Canadian Tire Centre as possible for Games 3 and 4.
Even though he says he’d much rather be on Sens Mile than 10,000 kilometres away in Taipei, Ivan plans to wake up at 7 a.m. local time to cheer on his beloved Senators.