Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators
2011–12 Ottawa Senators season
Conference Eastern
Division Northeast
Founded 1990 (Expansion team)/(Revival)
(began play in 1992)
History Ottawa Senators

1992–present

Home arena Scotiabank Place
City Ottawa, Ontario
Colours Red, black, gold and white

                   

Media Sportsnet East
RDS
TVA Sports
Team 1200
Owner(s) Eugene Melnyk
General manager Bryan Murray
Head coach Paul MacLean
Captain Daniel Alfredsson
Minor league affiliates Binghamton Senators (AHL)
Elmira Jackals (ECHL)
Stanley Cups 0[nb 1]
Conference championships 1 (2006–07)
Presidents' Trophies 1 (2002–03)
Division championships 4 (1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2005–06)

The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Senators play their home games at the 19,153 seat (20,500 capacity) Scotiabank Place which opened in 1996.

Founded and established by Ottawa real estate developer Bruce Firestone, the team is the second NHL franchise to use the Ottawa Senators name. The original Ottawa Senators, founded in 1883, had a famed history, winning 11 Stanley Cups[1] and playing in the NHL from 1917 until 1934. On December 6, 1990, after a two year public campaign by Firestone, the NHL awarded a new franchise, which began play in the 1992–93 season.[2] The current team owner is Eugene Melnyk,[3] and in 2011, the club was valued by Forbes Magazine at $201 million.[4]

The team has had success, qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs in twelve of the past fourteen seasons, four division titles, the Presidents' Trophy in 2003 and appeared in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. The success has been reflected in attendance. The club has averaged over 18,000 fans per game since 2005–06, peaking at 19,821 in 2007–08.[5]

History

Ottawa had been home to the original Senators, a founding NHL franchise and eleven-time Stanley Cup champions. After the NHL expanded to the United States in the late 1920s, the original Senators' eventual financial losses forced the franchise to move to St. Louis in 1934 operating as the Eagles. The team was unsuccessful in St. Louis, and was permanently suspended after just one year.

Fifty-four years later, after the NHL announced its plans to expand by two teams, Ottawa real estate developer Bruce Firestone decided along with colleagues Cyril Leeder and Randy Sexton that Ottawa was now able to support a NHL franchise, and the group proceeded to put a bid together. His firm, Terrace Investments, did not have the liquid assets to finance the expansion fee and the team, but the group conceived a strategy to leverage a land development. In 1989, after finding a suitable site on farmland just west of Ottawa in Kanata on which to construct a new arena, Terrace announced its intention to win a franchise and launched a successful "Bring Back the Senators" campaign to both woo the public and persuade the NHL that the city could support an NHL franchise. Public support was high and the group would secure over 11,000 season ticket pledges.[6] On December 12, 1990, the NHL granted franchises to Firestone's group, as well as a group in Tampa, Florida, to start play in 1992.[2]

1992–1996: First seasons

The new team hired former NHL player Mel Bridgman, who had no previous NHL management experience, as its first General Manager in 1992. The team was initially interested in hiring former Jack Adams Award winner Brian Sutter as its first head coach, but Sutter came with a high price tag and was reluctant to be a part of an expansion team. When Sutter was eventually signed to coach the Boston Bruins, Ottawa signed Rick Bowness, the man Sutter replaced in Boston. The new Senators played their first game on October 8, 1992, in the Ottawa Civic Centre against the Montreal Canadiens with lots of pre-game spectacle.[7] The Senators would defeat the Canadiens 5–3 in one of the few highlights that season. Montreal would eventually finish the season with a Stanley Cup victory. Following the initial excitement of the opening night victory, the club floundered badly and would eventually tie with the San Jose Sharks for the worst record in the league, winning only 10 games with 70 losses and 4 ties for 24 points, three points better than the NHL record for futility. The Senators had aimed low and considered the 1992–93 season a small success, as Firestone had set a goal for the season of not setting a new NHL record for fewest points in a season. The long term plan was to finish low in the standings for its first few years in order to secure high draft picks and eventually contend for the Stanley Cup.[8]

Original General Manager Mel Bridgman was fired after one season and team president Randy Sexton took over GM duties. Firestone himself soon left the team and Rod Bryden emerged as the new owner. The strategy of aiming low and securing a high draft position did not change. The Senators finished last overall for the next three seasons. Although 1993 first overall draft choice Alexandre Daigle wound up being one of the greatest draft busts in NHL history,[9] they chose Radek Bonk in 1994, Bryan Berard (traded for Wade Redden) in 1995, Chris Phillips in 1996, and Marian Hossa in 1997, all of whom would become solid NHL players and formed a strong core of players in years to come. Alexei Yashin, the team's first ever draft selection from 1992, emerged as one of the NHL's brightest young stars. The team traded many of their better veteran players of the era, including 1992–93 leading scorer Norm Maciver, and fan favorites Mike Peluso and Bob Kudelski, in an effort to stockpile prospects and draft picks.

As the 1995–96 season began, star centre Alexei Yashin refused to honor his contract and did not play. In December, after three straight last-place finishes and a team which was ridiculed throughout the league, fans began to grow restless waiting for the team's long term plan to yield results, and arena attendance began to decline. Rick Bowness was fired in late 1995 and was replaced by Prince Edward Island Senators head coach Dave Allison. Allison would fare no better than his predecessor, and the team would stumble to a 2–22–3 record under him. Sexton himself was fired and replaced by Pierre Gauthier, the former assistant GM of Anaheim.[10] Before the end of January 1996, Gauthier had resolved the team's most pressing issues by settling star player Alexei Yashin's contract dispute, and hiring the highly regarded Jacques Martin as head coach.[11] While Ottawa finished last overall once again, the 1995–96 season ended with renewed optimism, due in part to the upgraded management and coaching, and also to the emergence of an unheralded rookie from Sweden named Daniel Alfredsson, who would win the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year in 1996.[12]

1996–2004: Jacques Martin era

Martin would impose a "strong defence first" philosophy that led to the team qualifying for the playoffs every season that he coached, but he was criticized for the team's lack of success in the playoffs, notably losing four straight series against the provincial rival Toronto Maple Leafs.[13] Martin outlasted several general managers and a change in ownership.

In 1996–97, his first season, the club qualified for the playoffs in the last game of the season, and nearly defeated the Buffalo Sabres in the first round. In 1997–98, the club finished with their first winning record and upset the heavily favoured New Jersey Devils to win their first playoff series.[12] In 1998–99, the Senators jumped from 14th overall in the previous season to 3rd, with 103 points—the first 100-point season in club history, only to be swept in the first round. In 1999–2000 despite the holdout of team captain Alexei Yashin, Martin guided the team to the playoffs, only to lose to the Maple Leafs in the first Battle of Ontario series.[14][15] Yashin returned for 2000–01 and the team improved to win their division and place second in the Eastern Conference. Yashin played poorly in another first round playoff loss[16] and on the day of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, he was traded to the New York Islanders in exchange for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt, and the second overall selection in the draft, which Ottawa promptly used to select centre Jason Spezza.[17]

The 2001–02 Senators regular season points total dropped, but in the playoffs, they upset the Philadelphia Flyers for the franchise's second playoff series win. Yet the Sens would lose in game 7 of the second round of the playoffs. Despite speculation that Martin would be fired, it was GM Marshall Johnston who left, retiring from the team,[18] replaced by John Muckler, the Senators' first with previous GM experience.[19]

In 2002–03 off-ice problems dominated the headlines, as the Senators filed for bankruptcy in mid-season, but continued play after getting emergency financing.[20] Despite the off-ice problems, Ottawa had an outstanding season, placing first overall in the NHL to win the President's Trophy. In the playoffs they came within one game of making it into the finals.[21] Prior to the 2003–04 season, pharmaceutical billionaire Eugene Melnyk would purchase the club to bring financial stability.[22] Martin would guide the team to another good regular season but again would lose in the first round of the playoffs, leading to Martin's dismissal as management felt that a new coach was required for playoff success.[23]

2004–present: Bryan Murray era

After the playoff loss, owner Melnyk promised that changes were coming and they came quickly. In June 2004, Anaheim Ducks GM Bryan Murray of nearby Shawville, became head coach. That summer, the team also made substantial personnel changes, trading long-time players Patrick Lalime[24] and Radek Bonk,[25] and signing free agent goaltender Dominik Hasek.[26] The team would not be able to show its new lineup for a year, as the 2004–05 NHL lockout intervened and most players playing in Europe or in the minors. In a final change, just before the 2005–06 season, the team traded long-time player Marian Hossa for Dany Heatley.

The media predicted the Senators to be Stanley Cup contenders in 2005–06, as they had a strong core of players returning, played in an up-tempo style fitting the new rule changes and Hasek was expected to provide top-notch goaltending.[27] The team rushed out of the gate, winning 19 of the first 22 games, in the end winning 52 games and 113 points, placing first in the conference, and second overall. The newly formed 'CASH'[28] line of Alfredsson, Spezza and newly acquired Dany Heatley established itself as one of the league's top offensive lines.[29] Hasek played well until he was injured during the 2006 Winter Olympics,[30] forcing the team to enter the playoffs with rookie netminder Ray Emery as their starter.[31] Without Hasek, the club bowed out in a second round loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

2006–07: Trip to the Stanley Cup finals

In 2006–07, the Senators reached the Stanley Cup Finals after qualifying for the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons. The Senators had a high turn-over of personnel and the disappointment of 2006 to overcome and started the season poorly. Trade rumours swirled around Daniel Alfredsson for most of the last months of 2006. The team lifted itself out of last place in the division to nearly catch the Buffalo Sabres by season's end, placing fourth in the Eastern Conference. The team finished with 105 points, their fourth straight 100 point season and sixth in the last eight.[32] In the playoffs, Ottawa continued its good play. Led by the 'CASH' line, goaltender Ray Emery, and the strong defence of Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov, the club defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, the second-ranked New Jersey Devils, and the top-ranked Buffalo Sabres to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

First Stanley Cup finals in the capital in 80 years

The 2006–07 Senators thus became the first Ottawa team to be in the Stanley Cup final since 1927 and the city was swept up in the excitement.[33] Businesses along all of the main streets posted large hand-drawn 'Go Sens Go' signs, residents put up large displays in front of the their homes or decorated their cars.[34] A large Ottawa Senators flag was draped on the City Hall, along with a large video screen showing the games. A six-storey likeness of Daniel Alfredsson was hung on the Corel building.[35] Rallies were held outside of City Hall, car rallies of decorated cars paraded through town and a section of downtown, dubbed the 'Sens Mile', was closed off to traffic during and after games for fans to congregate.[36]

In the final, the Senators now faced the Anaheim Ducks, considered a favourite since the start of the season, a team the Senators had last played in 2006, and a team known for its strong defence. The Ducks won the first two games in Anaheim 3-2 and 1–0. Returning home, the Senators won game three 5–3, but lost game four 3–2. The Ducks won game five 6–2 in Anaheim to clinch the series. The Ducks had played outstanding defence, shutting down the 'CASH' line, forcing Murray to split up the line. The Ducks scored timely goals and Ducks' goaltender Giguere out-played Emery.[37]

2007–2010: A team in decline

In the off-season after the Stanley Cup Final, Bryan Murray's contract was expiring, while GM John Muckler had one season remaining, at which he was expected to retire. Murray, who had previously been at GM for other NHL clubs, was expected to take over the GM position, although no public timetable was given. Owner Melnyk decided to offer Muckler another position in the organization and give the GM position to Murray. Muckler declined the offer and was relieved from his position. Melnyk publicly justified the move, saying that he expected to lose Murray if his contract ran out. Murray then elevated John Paddock, the assistant coach to head coach of the Senators. Under Paddock, the team came out to a record start to the 2007–08 season. However, team play declined to a .500 level and the team looked to be falling out of the playoffs. Paddock was fired by Murray, who took over coaching on an interim basis. The club managed to qualify for the playoffs by a tie-breaker, but was swept in the first round of the playoffs to the Penguins. In June, the club bought out goaltender Ray Emery who had become notorious for off-ice events in Ottawa and lateness to several team practices.

For 2008–09, Murray hired Craig Hartsburg to coach the Senators. Under Hartsburg's style, the Senators struggled and played under .500. Uneven goaltending with Martin Gerber and Alex Auld meant the team played cautiously to protect the goaltender. Murray's patience ran out in February 2009 with the team well out of playoff contention and Hartsburg was fired, although he had two years left on his contract, and the team also had Paddock under contract. Cory Clouston was elevated from the Binghamton coaching position. The team played above .500 under Clouston and rookie goaltender Brian Elliott, who had been promoted from Binghamton. Gerber was waived from the team at the trading deadline and the team traded for goaltender Pascal Leclaire, although he would not play due to injury. The team failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 12 seasons. Auld would be traded in the off-season to make room. Clouston's coaching had caused a rift with top player Dany Heatley (although unspecified 'personal issues' were also noted by Heatley) and after Clouston was given a contract to continue coaching, Heatley made a trade demand and was traded just before the start of the 2009–10 season.

In 2009–10, the Senators were a .500 team until January, when the team went on a team-record 11-game winning streak. The streak propelled the team to the top of the Northeast Division standings and a top-three placing for the playoffs. The team was unable to hold off the Sabres for the division lead, but qualified for the playoffs in the fifth position. For the third season in four, the Senators played off against the Penguins in the first round. A highlight for the Senators was winning a triple-overtime fifth game in Pittsburgh, but the team was unable to win a playoff game on home ice, losing the series in six games.

2011–present: Rebuilding

The Senators had a much poorer than expected 2010-2011 campaign, resulting in constant rumours of a shakeup right through until December. The rumours were heightened in January after the team went on a lengthy losing streak. January was a dismal month for the Senators, winning only one game all month. Media speculated on the imminent firing of Clouston, Murray or both. Owner Melynk cleared the air in an article in the January 22, 2011 edition of the Ottawa Sun. Melnyk stated that he would not fire either Clouston or Murray, but that he had given up on this season and was in the process of developing a plan for the future.[38] On Monday, January 24, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported that the plan included hiring a new general manager before the June entry draft and that Murray would be retained as an advisor to the team. A decision on whether to retain Clouston would be made by the new general manager. The article by Roy MacGregor, a long-time reporter of the Ottawa Senators, stated that former assistant coach Pierre McGuire had already been interviewed.[39] Murray, in a press conference that day stated that he wished to stay on as the team's general manager. He also stated that Melnyk was allowing him to continue as general manager without restraint. Murray said that the players were now to be judged by their play until the February 28 trade deadline. Murray would attempt to move "a couple, at least" of the players for draft picks or prospects at that time if the Senators remained out of playoff contention.[40] At the time of Murray's comments the team was eight games under .500 and 14 points out of a playoff position after 49 games.

Murray started with the trading of Mike Fisher to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2011 draft. Fisher already had a home in Nashville with new wife Carrie Underwood. The trading of Fisher, a fan favorite in Ottawa, lead to a small anti-Underwood backlash in the city with the banning of her songs from the play lists of some local radio stations. Murray next traded Chris Kelly, another veteran, to the Boston Bruins for a second-round pick in the 2011 draft. A few days later, pending unrestricted free agent Jarkko Ruutu was sent to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2011. A swap of goaltenders was made with the Colorado Avalanche which brought Craig Anderson to Ottawa in exchange for Brian Elliott. Both goalies were having sub-par seasons prior to the trade. Under-achieving forward Alex Kovalev was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a seventh-round draft pick. On trade deadline day, Ottawa picked up goaltender Curtis McElhinney on waivers, and traded Chris Campoli with a seventh-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for a second-round pick and Ryan Potulny. Goaltender Anderson played very well down the stretch for Ottawa, and the team quickly signed the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent to a four-year contract. After media speculation on the future of Murray within the organization, Murray was re-signed as general manager on April 8, to a three-year extension.[41] On April 9, head coach Cory Clouston and assistants Greg Carvel and Brad Lauer were dismissed from their positions. Murray said that the decision was made based on the fact that the team entered the season believing it was a contender, but finished with a 32-40-10 record. Former Detroit Red Wings' assistant coach Paul MacLean was hired as Clouston's replacement on June 14, 2011.

Team identity

Logo and jersey design

The team colours are red, black and white, with added trim of gold. The team's away jersey is mostly white with red and black trim, while the home jersey is red, with white and black trim. The club logo is officially the head of a Roman general, a member of the Senate of the Roman Empire,[42] projecting from a gold circle. The original, unveiled on May 23, 1991, described the general as a "centurion figure, strong and prominent" according to its designer, Tony Milchard.[42]

The current jersey design was unveiled on August 22, 2007, in conjunction with the league-wide adoption of the Rbk EDGE jerseys by Reebok for the 2007–08 season.[43] The jersey incorporates the original Senators' 'O' logo as a shoulder patch. At the same time, the team updated its logos, and switched their usage. The primary logo, which according to team owner Eugene Melnyk, "represents strength and determination" is an update of the old secondary logo.[44] The old primary logo has become the team's secondary logo and only appears on Senators' merchandise.[43]

In 2011, the Senators introduced their current third jersey design. Mostly black, the jersey incorporated horizontal striping intended to be reminiscent of the original Senators' 'barber-pole' designs. Shield-type patches were added to the shoulders. The design of the shield-type patches was intended to be similar to the shield patches that the original Senators added to their jerseys after each Stanley Cup championship win. The patches spell the team name, one in English, and one in French. The design was inspired by a local Gatineau, Quebec fan's design circulated on the internet since 2009.[45]

Attendance and revenues

On April 18, 2008, the club announced its final attendance figures for 2007–08. The club had 40 sell-outs out of 41 home dates, a total attendance of 812,665 during the regular season, placing the club third in attendance in the NHL.[46] The number of sell-outs and the total attendance were both club records. The previous attendance records were set during the 2005–06 with a season total of 798,453 and 33 sell-outs.[47] In 2006–07 regular season attendance was 794,271, with 31 sell-outs out of 41 home dates or an average attendance of 19,372. In the 2007 playoffs, the Senators played 9 games with 9 sell-outs and an attendance of 181,272 for an average of 20,141, the highest in team history.[47]

On November 29, 2011, a Forbes Magazine report valued the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club at $201 million, (17th highest in NHL). The valuation was based on $27 million for the sport, $70 million for the arena, $80 million for the market and $25 million for the brand. For 2010–11, the club had an operating income of $2.8 million on revenues of $100 million. The gate receipts for the 2010–11 season were $46 million and player expenses were $57 million. The operating income followed two years where the team posted a loss. Forbes estimates that the organization has a debt/value ratio of 65%, including arena debt.[4] Eugene Melnyk bought the team for $92 million in 2003.[3]

Arena entertainment

At many home games the fans are entertained both outside and inside Scotiabank Place with a myriad of talent - live music, rock bands, giveaways and promotions. The live music includes the traditional Scottish music of the 'Sons of Scotland Pipe Band' of Ottawa along with highland dancers.[48] Before and during games, entertainment is provided by Spartacat, the official mascot of the Senators, an anthropomorphic lion. He made his debut on the Senators' opening night: October 8, 1992.[49] Anthems are usually sung by Ontario Provincial Police Constable Lyndon Slewidge. Slewidge sings the bilingual version of O Canada containing both English and French words.[50] The Senators have their own theme song Ottawa Senators Theme Song which is played as the team comes on the ice and is also used in Sens TV web videos. It was composed locally in Ottawa.[51]

Sens Army

The fans of the Senators are known as the Sens Army.[52] Like most hockey fanatics, they are known to dress up for games; some in Roman legionary clothing. For the 2006-2007 playoff run, more fans then ever before would wear red, and fan activities included 'Red Rallies' of decorated cars, fan rallies at Ottawa City Hall Plaza and the 'Sens Mile' along Elgin Street where fans would congregate.[53]

Sens Mile

Much like the Red Mile in Calgary during the Flames' 2004 cup run and the Copper Kilometer in Edmonton during the Oilers' 2006 cup run, Ottawa Senators fans took to the streets to celebrate their team's success during the 2006-07 playoffs. The idea to have a 'Sens Mile' on the downtown Elgin Street, a street with numerous restaurants and pubs, began as a grassroots campaign on Facebook by Ottawa residents before Game 4 of the Ottawa-Buffalo Eastern Conference Final series.[54] After the Game 5 win, Ottawa residents closed the street to traffic for a spontaneous celebration.[55] The City of Ottawa then closed Elgin Street for each game of the Final.[56]

Broadcasting and media

On television, home and away games are broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet within the Ottawa River valley and Eastern Ontario.[57] Rogers Sportsnet also broadcasts Senators games in Quebec, the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland and Labrador as part of its 'Sportsnet East' network.[58] CBC's Hockey Night in Canada[59] and TSN[60] broadcast the Senators nationally in Canada. Dean Brown is widely regarded as "the voice of the Ottawa Senators", and he provides play-by-play for most Senators' games broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada. He is joined on the Sportsnet broadcasts by Ottawa native and former NHL player Denis Potvin.

On radio, all home and away games are broadcast on a network of local stations in eastern Ontario.[57] The 'flagship' radio station is the Ottawa station Team 1200, which produces the broadcasts and provides the play-by-play announcers.[57] Radio broadcasts on Team 1200 began in 1997–98 and the contract extends through the 2013–14 season.[61] The Team 1200 audio is available over the Internet,[62] and games are simulcast from the NHL main web site.[63]

During the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons, several games were only available in video on pay-per-view or at local movie theatres in the Ottawa area.[64] The "Sens TV" service was suspended indefinitely as of September 24, 2008.[65]

The Senators' organization operates predominantly in English, but provides French services. The Senators' web site is in both languages. Arena announcements and press releases are in both languages. The Senators' ticket agency CapitalTickets.ca operates in English and French.[66] The French-language cable television network RDS broadcasts a selection of Senators games.[67] On the RDS network, former Senators goaltender Patrick Lalime is the colour analyst, starting in the 2011–12 season.[67] The Senators are broadcast on radio in French through CKOI 104.7 in Gatineau, Quebec.[68] Play-by-play is done by Nicolas St. Pierre and the colour commentary of Alain Sanscartier.[69]

Players and personnel

Current roster

Updated December 24, 2011.[70]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
11 Alfredsson, DanielDaniel Alfredsson (C) RW R 39 1994 Gothenburg, Sweden
41 Anderson, CraigCraig Anderson G R 30 2011 Park Ridge, Illinois
35 Auld, AlexAlex Auld G L 31 2011 Cold Lake, Alberta
16 Butler, BobbyBobby Butler RW R 24 2010 Marlborough, Massachusetts
39 Carkner, MattMatt Carkner D R 31 2007 Winchester, Ontario
22 Condra, ErikErik Condra RW R 25 2006 Trenton, Michigan
2 Cowen, JaredJared Cowen D R 21 2009 Allan, Saskatchewan
23 Daugavins, KasparsKaspars Daugavins LW L 23 2006 Riga, Soviet Union
71 Foligno, NickNick Foligno LW L 24 2006 Buffalo, New York
55 Gonchar, SergeiSergei Gonchar D L 37 2010 Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union
14 Greening, ColinColin Greening C L 25 2005 St. John's, Newfoundland
65 Karlsson, ErikErik Karlsson D R 21 2008 Landsbro, Sweden
28 Konopka, ZenonZenon Konopka C L 31 2011 Niagara Falls, Ontario
17 Kuba, FilipFilip Kuba D L 35 2008 Ostrava, Czechoslovakia
5 Lee, BrianBrian Lee D R 24 2005 Fargo, North Dakota
9 Michalek, MilanMilan Michalek LW L 27 2009 Jindřichův Hradec, Czechoslovakia
25 Neil, ChrisChris Neil RW R 32 1998 Flesherton, Ontario
4 Phillips, ChrisChris Phillips (A) D L 33 1996 Calgary, Alberta
13 Regin, PeterPeter Regin  C L 25 2004 Herning, Denmark
15 Smith, ZackZack Smith C R 23 2008 Maple Creek, Saskatchewan
19 Spezza, JasonJason Spezza (A) C R 28 2001 Mississauga, Ontario
7 Turris, KyleKyle Turris C R 22 2011 New Westminster, British Columbia
18 Winchester, JesseJesse Winchester  C R 28 2008 Cornwall, Ontario

Team captains

Nat From To
Laurie Boschman 1992 1993
Mark Lamb 1993 1994
Brad Shaw
Gord Dineen
No captain 1994 1995 (lockout)
Randy Cunneyworth 1995 1998
Alexei Yashin 1998 1999
Daniel Alfredsson 1999 present

Source: Ottawa Senators 2009–10 Media Guide, p. 206.

Lamb, Shaw and Dineen were co-captains for the 1993–94 season.

Head coaches

Nat From To Regular Season Playoffs
G W L T OTL Pct G W L Pct
Rick Bowness[71] 1992 1996 235 39 178 18 .204
Dave Allison[72] 1996 1996 25 2 22 1 .100
Jacques Martin[73] 1996 2004 692 341 234 82 20 .592 66 31 35 .470
Roger Neilson[74] 2002 2002 2 1 1 0 0 .500
Bryan Murray[75] 2005 2008 182 107 55 20 .643 34 18 16 .529
John Paddock[76] 2007 2008 64 36 22 6 .609
Craig Hartsburg[77] 2008 2009 48 17 24 7 .427
Cory Clouston[78] 2009 2011 198 95 83 20 .530 6 2 4 .333
Paul MacLean 2011 present

General managers

Nat From To
Mel Bridgman 1991 1993
Randy Sexton 1993 1995
Pierre Gauthier 1995 1998
Rick Dudley 1998 1999
Marshall Johnston 1999 2002
John Muckler 2002 2007
Bryan Murray 2007 present

Source: Ottawa Senators 2009–10 Media Guide, p. 206.

Honoured members

Hall of Famers

Retired numbers

All-time players

Team record

Season-by-season record

For the full season-by-season history, see List of Ottawa Senators seasons

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Last five seasons
Season GP W L OTL Pts GF GA Finish Playoffs
2006–07 82 48 25 9 105 288 222 2nd, Northeast Lost in Finals, 1–4 (Ducks)
2007–08 82 43 31 8 94 261 247 2nd, Northeast Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 0–4 (Penguins)
2008–09 82 36 35 11 83 213 231 4th, Northeast Did not qualify
2009–10 82 44 32 6 94 225 238 2nd, Northeast Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2–4 (Penguins)
2010-11 82 32 40 10 74 192 250 5th, Northeast Did not qualify

Records as of end of the 2010–11 NHL season.

All-time
GP W L T OTL
All-Time 1282 562 530 115 75
Home 641 306 232 60 43
Away 641 256 298 55 32

As of the end of the 2008–09 season.[79][80]

Team scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history, post-1992, after the 2010–11 season:

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game average;

Player Pos GP G A Pts P/G
Daniel Alfredsson*[A] RW 1,056 389 634 1023 .97
Jason Spezza*[B] C 526 192 340 532 1.01
Alexei Yashin C 504 218 273 491 .98
Wade Redden D 838 101 309 410 .49
Radek Bonk C 689 152 247 399 .58
Marian Hossa RW 467 188 202 390 .84
Dany Heatley LW 317 180 182 362 1.14
Mike Fisher C 675 167 181 348 .51
Shawn McEachern LW 454 142 162 304 .67
Chris Phillips*[C] D 945 60 177 237 .25

* current Senators player

Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season. Totals contain only games played for Ottawa.

Sources:
† Ottawa Senators.[81]
^ A. NHL.[82]
^ B. NHL.[83]
^ C. NHL.[84]


NHL awards and trophies

Presidents' Trophy[85]

Prince of Wales Trophy[86]

Calder Memorial Trophy[87]

NHL Plus/Minus Award[88]

Jack Adams Award[89]

NHL All-Rookie Team

NHL First All-Star Team

NHL Second All-Star Team

Team records

Franchise record Name of player Statistic Year(s)
Most goals in a season Dany Heatley 50 2005–06
2006–07
Most assists in a season Jason Spezza 71 2005–06
Most points in a season Dany Heatley 105 2006–07
Most points in a season, defenceman Norm MacIver 63 1992–93
Most points in a season, rookie Alexei Yashin 79 1993–94
Most penalty minutes in a season Mike Peluso 318 1992–93
Highest +/- rating in a season Daniel Alfredsson +42 2006–07
Most playoff games played Daniel Alfredsson 101 (milestone)
Most goaltender wins in a season Patrick Lalime 39 2002–03
Most shutouts in a season Patrick Lalime 8 2002–03
Lowest G.A.A. in a season Ron Tugnutt 1.79 1998–99
Best save percentage in a season Ron Tugnutt .925 1998–99

Source: Ottawa Senators.[97]

See also

Notes

Footnotes

  1. ^ NHL Media Guide 2010. The original Senators (also known as the Ottawa Hockey Club) organization won eleven Stanley Cups, not the current organization founded in 1990. Neither the NHL or the Senators claim the current Senators to be a continuation of the original organization or franchise. The awards, statistics and championships of both eras are kept separate and the NHL franchise founding date of the current Senators is in 1991.

Citations

  1. ^ NHL counts 11. Hockey Hall of Fame count is 10.
  2. ^ a b Finnigan, p. 201
  3. ^ a b "#14 Ottawa Senators". Forbes. November 8, 2007. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/31/biz_07nhl_Ottawa-Senators_318444.html. Retrieved January 22, 2008. 
  4. ^ a b "Ottawa Senators on the Forbes NHL Valuation List". Forbes. November 30, 2011. http://www.forbes.com/teams/ottawa-senators/. Retrieved November 30, 2011. 
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References

External links