The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Legend has it that when a news release was first sent out on plans to bring the National Hockey League back to Ottawa, some journalists thought it was a joke. Why would the NHL, just beginning to grow its presence in the United States on the strength of the Gretzky-to-L.A. trade, want to add an eighth franchise in Canada? In another small market? But Bruce Firestone was a visionary. A real estate developer with deep pockets, he put together an organization to bid for a new franchise when the NHL announced in the late 1980s that it would be expanding. The longer the idea persisted, the greater credibility it gained. Then on Dec. 20, 1991, the Ottawa Senators were granted membership into the NHL along with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The name was appropriate not only because of Ottawa's political connections, but also as an homage to the original Ottawa Senators, who had left the NHL in 1934. Ottawans, indeed many Canadians, rejoiced. But everyone knew it would be a long time before the Sens would be ready for prime time. An expansion draft stocked the Senators and Lightning rosters with mostly has-beens and never-was-beens. Ottawa's first 'stars' included one-time 40-goal winger Sylvain Turgeon, and puck-moving blueliner Norm MacIver. The ragtag group would play in the tiny Ottawa Civic Centre, which fit less than 11,000 people but would have to do until a larger, more modern facility could be built. Short-lived triumph Ottawa took its first regular season game, against the Montreal Canadiens, but the triumph was short-lived. The Senators won only 10 of 84 games in 1992-93 and bested the NHL's all-time futility record by just three points. The Senators made gradual if unimpressive progress in the following years as draft picks like Alexei Yashin, Radek Bonk, Daniel Alfredsson and the highly touted Alexandre Daigle (now considered one of the biggest busts ever) replaced the expansion draftees. Along with the evolving roster came a new arena. With a capacity of 20,500 people, The Palladium (soon renamed the Corel Centre, and later Scotiabank Place) opened in January 1996. With other key players like Chris Phillips, Wade Redden and Ron Tugnutt on board, the modern-day Ottawa Senators made the playoffs for the first time in 1997. And it was in dramatic fashion, as Steve Duchesne had to break a Dominek Hasek shutout in the final game of the regular season. Expectations were low, but Ottawa came awfully close to downing Hasek's Buffalo Sabres in the first round. Despite the stinging loss, the stage was set for future success as the Sens employed a tight defensive system under coach Jacques Martin. The Senators won their first playoff round of the modern era against the heavily favoured New Jersey Devils in 1998, but came up short in round two against the Washington Capitals. By the 1999 playoffs, the Senators were bona fide Stanley Cup contenders with 103 points. Operating on a two-goalie system with Tugnutt and Damian Rhodes, Ottawa choked when it matter, however, and were swept by Buffalo. The Sens got an unpleasant surprise for 1999-2000: team MVP Yashin demanded a trade and refused to play until he got his way. Management balked and let their captain sit out a season that ended with a first-round loss to the rival Toronto Maple Leafs. Yashin was back for 2000-01, but again the Sens failed to live up to their potential. They were swept by the Leafs and soon dealt Yashin to the New York Islanders in exchange for Jason Spezza, Zdeno Chara and Bill Muckalt. It was an shrewd move. Spezza and Chara became key cogs in an Ottawa machine that continued to rack up impressive seasons _ followed by playoff disappointments. Off the ice, there had long been concerns about the financial stability of the Senators. Those were assuaged prior to the 2003-04 season when patriotic pharmaceutical billionaire Eugene Melnyk purchased the club, promising to keep it where it was and build a contender. After another early playoff exit in 2004, starting goalie Patrick Lalime was let go in favour of Dominek Hasek. For many fans, the already-legendary Hasek was the club's first true number one netminder. High expectaions With the entire 2004-05 season wiped out by labour strife, the Senators entered 2005-06 with expectations as elevated as ever. Yet an injured Hasek played just 43 games, and his replacement, Ray Emery, could only carry Ottawa to the second round. Patience was growing thin in 2006-07. Hasek was now gone, but Emery was playing well and Spezza, Dany Heatley and Alfredsson _ known as the Cash Line _ provided a robust offensive punch. Finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference, Ottawa outgamed the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round and the New Jersey Devils in the second round. Buffalo went down next. By the time the Sens reached the Stanley Cup Final against the Anaheim Ducks, they had lost just thrice the entire post-season. Unfortunately, they were victorious only once in the Final. The heartbreak continued, and no one felt it more than captain Alfredsson, the team's heart and soul for so many years. From that moment on, it was as if the Senators had reached their pinnacle and had nowhere to go but down. They entered the 2008 playoffs seventh in the Eastern Conference and were promptly disposed of by Pittsburgh. The Senators were playoff outsiders in 2009 before returning in 2010 only to again lose in the opening round to Pittsburgh. By now Alexei Kovalev had been brought in for some added spark while a trade-demanding Heatley had been shipped to the San Jose Sharks. The Senators missed the post-season once more in 2011. In 2012, Ottawa looks in fairly good shape to return to the show, but unlike the glory days of the late 1990s and 2000s, not much is anticipated of them. Goaltending remains a question mark with Craig Anderson and Alex Auld guarding the mesh. That said, the blueline is in great shape even as the offence leaves much to be desired. Two decades after rejoining the NHL, the Senators have taken their fans on a rollercoaster ride. Expectations have gone from nothing, to everything and now to something in between. Yet no one can deny the NHL made the right move by expanding into Ottawa. Hockey at its highest level does, and always will, belong in the capital city of the sport's birthplace.
