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From decades of nonexistence to an unlikely rebirth, from laughing stock to Stanley Cup contender, the Ottawa Senators have a vast and varied history. The Senators, initially also known as the Ottawa Silver Seven, were one of the dominant teams during hockey's early years. From 1893 until their demise in 1934, the club won nine Stanley Cups Ð including four in the NHL Ð with stars such as Cy Denneny, Sprague Cleghorn and King Clancy gracing the roster. Under financial strain, the franchise relocated to St. Louis, becoming the Eagles for the 1934-35 season. They only lasted one season, however, before folding for good. Ottawans continued to hope that big league hockey might one day return to their city. But by the 1980s, with seven NHL teams already based in Canada, it seemed like a pipe dream. Enter Bruce Firestone. Starting in 1989, the real estate tycoon put together a bid to revive the team. Seemingly against all odds, the NHL approved the idea, announcing that Ottawa and Tampa Bay teams would join the league for the 1992-93 season. In October 1992, the modern day "Sens" Ð a feeble collection of players garnered in an expansion draft Ð hit the ice of the 11,500-seat Ottawa Civic Centre. They got off to a good enough start, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 5-3. But reality sunk in. Ottawa was an abysmal 10-70-4 that year with a roster that featured the likes of Norm Maciver, Sylvain Turgeon, Mike Peluso and captain Laurie Boschman. Top netminder Peter Sidorkiewicz won just eight of 64 games with an embarrassing 4.43 goals-against-average. The Senators would finish at the bottom of the league standings in each of the next three seasons, but there was optimism for the future thanks to draft picks like Alexei Yashin, Radek Bonk and Alexandre Daigle (who, despite a promising start, would become one of the NHL's all-time disappointments). They along with the likes of Daniel Alfredsson, Wade Redden, Steve Duchesne, Shawn McEachern and a surprisingly effective Ron Tugnutt in net helped propel Ottawa into a last-minute playoff spot in 1997. With a defence-first style (criticized by some as boring) under coach Jacques Martin, they lost to the Buffalo Sabres in seven games. Still, fans were thrilled to be out of the basement. By now, the team had moved from the tiny Civic Centre to a brand new 18,500-seat arena in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata. Originally known as the Palladium, the rink was later christened the Corel Centre and, presently, Scotiabank Place. Returning to the playoffs in 1998, the Sens upset the heavily-favoured New Jersey Devils in six games. In Round Two, however, they were polished off in five games by the Washington Capitals. Come the following spring, the tight-checking squad was for the first time considered a Stanley Cup contender, finishing the regular season with 103 points, third best in the league. Yet it just wasn't meant to be as they suffered a sweep at the hands of the Sabres. More disappointment came later that year when a contract dispute arose involving Yashin. The superstar centre and team captain would ultimately sit out the entire 1999-00 season even though he still owed the Senators one more year on his contract. Ottawa never budged, and Yashin reluctantly returned the following season. See 'Battle' P.# Con't from P.# Still, it's unlikely Yashin would have made the difference in the 2000 playoffs. Frustrated by a lack of post-season success under a two-goalie system involving Tugnutt and Damian Rhodes, the Sens acquired two-time Cup winner Tom Barrasso. It wasn't enough as Ottawa tanked in the first round to the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, marking the first installment of the "Battle of Ontario." With Yashin back in the lineup and Patrick Lalime the bona fide starter, the Senators again lost to the Leafs in the 2001 playoffs, this time in just four games. Years of frustration were taking a toll on fans. That summer, Yashin was shipped to the New York Islanders for towering blueliner Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt, and a first round pick used to draft highly-touted centre Jason Spezza. Ottawa's strong regular season performance continued as the Senators finished 2001-02 with 94 points Ð a drop of 15 from the previous year, but still very much respectable. The 2002 playoffs began with a series versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Ottawa had no problem shutting them down and captured the series in five games. That meant they would yet again take on the despised Leafs. And yet again, Ottawa came up short in a heated seven-game battle. The regular season wins kept piling up in 2002-03, but it would prove to be a difficult year for the franchise. In January 2003, the Senators filed for bankruptcy after years of financial struggles and debt problems. Play continued, however, and the players didn't let the off-ice distraction stop them from taking home the President's Trophy for earning a league-best 113 points. Fans' prayers were answered that spring with a playoff schedule that did not include Toronto. The Sens bested the Islanders in the first round and the Flyers in the second round before coming up against the New Jersey Devils. In another heartbreaking series, Ottawa came within one game of the Stanley Cup final. The Devils went on to win the big silver trophy. Some good news came a few months later when, in September 2003, wealthy pharmaceutical magnate Eugene Melnyk purchased the team (Firestone had long since resigned) and displayed a strong desire to take his acquisition all the way. By now more than a few stars were dotting the roster. In addition to Alfredsson, Spezza, Redden and Chara, there were Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat, Bryan Smolinski and, toward the end of the season, Peter Bondra. The strong nucleus earned the team a 102-point finish en route to a fourth playoff date with the Leafs. It was the same old story, with Toronto Ð who had finished one point above Ottawa in the standings Ð once more claiming victory. The bitter disappointment prompted some major changes, with coach Martin soon fired and goalie Lalime shipped to the St. Louis Blues. Bryan Murray took over as head coach and legendary netminder Dominik Hasek was signed. What again looked to be a Cup favourite sat out the 2004-05 season with everybody else when a brutal lockout canceled the season. When play resumed for 2005-06, the Sens Ð having traded Hossa and defenceman Greg de Vries for sniper Dany Heatley Ð resumed their regular-season-winning ways. Heatley became the first Senator in franchise history to reach 100 points, and Alfredsson wasn't far behind as the second. Hasek played like Hasek, brushing aside suggestions he was too old to cut it. But due to injury, Hasek was unavailable for the 2006 playoffs. The duty fell to backup Ray Emery, who helped lead his club to a first round victory over the defending Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The second round was another story, as Ottawa fell victim to Buffalo in five games. In the 2006 offseason, the Senators lost Chara to free agency and opted for goalie Martin Gerber over the injury-prone Hasek. Under salary cap pressure, they traded Havlat and Smolinski to the Chicago Blackhawks for Tom Preissing, Josh Hennessy, Michal Barinka and a second-round draft pick. Also as part of the shakeup, blueliner Joe Corvo was signed. Some have gone so far as to suggest the franchise is cursed and will never return to the Cup glory of many decades past. Might they be right? Not if the revamped Ottawa Senators have anything to say about it. Team Captains Laurie Boschman 1992-93 Brad Shaw, Mark Lamb and Gord Dineen 1993-94 Randy Cunneyworth 1994-98 Alexei Yashin 1998-99 Daniel Alfredsson 1999-present Retired Numbers 8 Frank Finnigan (from the original franchise, RW, 1923-31 and 1932-34) Franchise Scoring Leaders (modern day team only) 1. Daniel Alfredsson (672 points in 696 games) 2. Alexei Yashin (491 points in 504 games) 3. Radek Bonk (399 points in 689 games) 4. Marian Hossa (390 points in 467 games) 5. Wade Redden (336 points in 694 games) 6. Shawn McEachern (304 points in 454 games) 7. Martin Havlat (235 points in 294 games) 8. Magnus Arvedson (210 points in 393 games) 9. Andreas Dackell (180 points in 401 games) 10. Alexandre Daigle (172 points in 301 games) Individual Team Records Most Goals in a season: Dany Heatley, 50 (2005-06) Most Assists in a season: Jason Spezza, 71 (2005-06) Most Points in a season: Dany Heatley & Daniel Alfredsson, 103 (2005-06) Most Penalty Minutes in a season: Mike Peluso, 318 (1992-93) Most Points in a season, defenseman: Norm MacIver, 63 (1992-93) Most Points in a season, rookie: Alexei Yashin, 79 (1993-94) Most goaltender wins in a season: Patrick Lalime, 38 (2002-2003) Most shutouts in a season: Patrick Lalime 8 (2002-2003) Lowest G.A.A in a season: Ron Tugnutt 1.79 (1998-99) Best SVP% in a season: Ron Tugnutt (1998-99) and Dominik Hasek (2005-06) .925 Ð Compiled article, with notes from Wikipedia.
