# 1995–96 Ottawa Senators season

The 1995–96 Ottawa Senators season was the fourth season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season was plenty of change for the club. The club changed coaching staffs twice, changed their general manager and moved into the new Palladium arena in Kanata. The team again finished last in the league, even though they knocked the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils out of playoff contention in the last game of the season, allowing the Tampa Bay Lightning to clinch the playoff berth at the expense of the Devils.

## Offseason

Prior to the season, on August 2, 1995, Brian Smith, former NHL hockey player and sportscaster at Ottawa TV station CJOH-TV was killed. He had been the primary reporter on the Senators for the station. The Senators honored him with a patch on their jerseys, with his nickname 'Smitty' and number 18, which they wore on their jerseys for the whole season. The team raised a banner in his memory.

## Regular season

The Senators finished last in wins (18), points (41), goals scored (191), even-strength goals scored (132), power-play goals scored (53) and power-play percentage (12.33%). They also tied the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning for fewest short-handed goals scored (6).
There were some bright spots during the season, rookie Daniel Alfredsson led the team offensively with 61 points (26 goals-35 assists), while Alexei Yashin was out of the lineup for 36 games. Alfredsson won the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL's rookie of the year.
After getting off to a good start with a 6–5–0 record, the Senators lost their next eight games, which ended up costing head coach Rick Bowness his job, as the club replaced him with Dave Allison, who was previously the head coach of the Senators AHL affiliate, the Prince Edward Island Senators. The Dave Allison era did not last long in Ottawa, as the club won two of 25 games (2–22–1) before he was replaced by Jacques Martin. Under Martin, the Senators was more competitive, going 10–24–4 in his 38 games to finish the year with an 18–59–5, their fourth straight season at the bottom of the NHL standings.

### Highlights

After taking over from the fired Randy Sexton as General Manager, on December 6, 1995, Pierre Gauthier made three moves to strengthen the club. He hired Jacques Martin as head coach, signed hold-out Alexei Yashin to a contract and engineered a blockbuster trade on January 23, 1996, dealing away Don Beaupre, Martin Straka, and Bryan Berard, while acquiring Damian Rhodes and Wade Redden. It was a three-way trade between the Senators, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the New York Islanders and was necessary because Berard, the Senators' first-round pick, was refusing to report to the Senators.
The Senators left the Ottawa Civic Centre and played their first game in The Palladium on January 17, 1996, against the Montreal Canadiens. The raising of the Senators' Stanley Cup banners failed, leaving the banners obscuring some fans' view of the scoreboard. The Senators lost 3–0 to the Canadiens.
On April 13, 1996, the Senators played the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils, who must win to clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators played the role of spoiler, defeating New Jersey 5–2, officially eliminating the Devils from post-season play and giving the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team that entered the league the same year as the Senators, its first playoff berth.

### Final standings

Northeast Division :
| No. | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS |
| 1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 49 | 29 | 4 | 362 | 284 | 102 |
| 2 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 282 | 269 | 91 |
| 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 40 | 32 | 10 | 265 | 248 | 90 |
| 4 | Hartford Whalers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 237 | 259 | 77 |
| 5 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 33 | 42 | 7 | 247 | 262 | 72 |
| 6 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 18 | 59 | 5 | 191 | 291 | 41 |
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Philadelphia Flyers | ATL | 82 | 45 | 24 | 13 | 282 | 208 | 103 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NE | 82 | 49 | 29 | 4 | 362 | 284 | 102 |
| 3 | New York Rangers | ATL | 82 | 41 | 27 | 14 | 272 | 237 | 96 |
| 4 | Florida Panthers | ATL | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 254 | 234 | 92 |
| 5 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 282 | 269 | 91 |
| 6 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 40 | 32 | 10 | 265 | 248 | 90 |
| 7 | Washington Capitals | ATL | 82 | 39 | 32 | 11 | 234 | 204 | 89 |
| 8 | Tampa Bay Lightning | ATL | 82 | 38 | 32 | 12 | 238 | 248 | 88 |
| 9 | New Jersey Devils | ATL | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 215 | 202 | 86 |
| 10 | Hartford Whalers | NE | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 237 | 259 | 77 |
| 11 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 33 | 42 | 7 | 247 | 262 | 73 |
| 12 | New York Islanders | ATL | 82 | 22 | 50 | 10 | 229 | 315 | 54 |
| 13 | Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 18 | 59 | 5 | 191 | 291 | 41 |
Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast
bold – Qualified for playoffs

## Schedule and results

1995–96 regular season :
October: 5–5–0 (home: 2–2–0; road: 3–3–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
1LOctober 7, 19951–3Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)0–1–09,567Recap
2LOctober 13, 19952–6@ Florida Panthers (1995–96)0–2–010,895Recap
3WOctober 15, 19957–4@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)1–2–013,488Recap
4WOctober 19, 19954–2Calgary Flames (1995–96)2–2–08,424Recap
5LOctober 21, 19951–4@ New Jersey Devils (1995–96)2–3–017,620Recap
6WOctober 22, 19954–2@ New York Rangers (1995–96)3–3–018,200Recap
7WOctober 24, 19952–1@ Detroit Red Wings (1995–96)4–3–019,512Recap
8WOctober 26, 19955–4Los Angeles Kings (1995–96)5–3–010,575Recap
9LOctober 28, 19951–4Florida Panthers (1995–96)5–4–08,660Recap
10LOctober 29, 19952–5@ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)5–5–017,328Recap :
November: 1–11–1 (home: 0–5–1; road: 1–6–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
11WNovember 2, 19955–0@ Hartford Whalers (1995–96)6–5–010,458Recap
12LNovember 4, 19954–5Hartford Whalers (1995–96)6–6–08,794Recap
13LNovember 8, 19951–7Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)6–7–010,137Recap
14LNovember 9, 19953–4@ Boston Bruins (1995–96)6–8–017,261Recap
15LNovember 11, 19952–3Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96)6–9–08,988Recap
16LNovember 15, 19952–3@ Hartford Whalers (1995–96)6–10–07,641Recap
17LNovember 16, 19953–5@ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)6–11–017,220Recap
18LNovember 18, 19951–5@ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)6–12–017,302Recap
19LNovember 19, 19950–6@ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)6–13–010,697Recap
20LNovember 22, 19951–3Winnipeg Jets (1995–96)6–14–08,426Recap
21TNovember 25, 19953–3 OTBoston Bruins (1995–96)6–14–19,419Recap
22LNovember 28, 19952–7@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)6–15–116,162Recap
23LNovember 30, 19953–5New York Islanders (1995–96)6–16–18,167Recap :
December: 2–12–0 (home: 0–5–0; road: 2–7–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
24LDecember 2, 19952–4New York Rangers (1995–96)6–17–18,194Recap
25LDecember 5, 19951–4@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96)6–18–115,746Recap
26WDecember 7, 19955–2@ Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96)7–18–117,552Recap
27LDecember 9, 19953–7Colorado Avalanche (1995–96)7–19–19,169Recap
28LDecember 12, 19951–2@ San Jose Sharks (1995–96)7–20–117,190Recap
29LDecember 13, 19952–6@ Los Angeles Kings (1995–96)7–21–111,221Recap
30LDecember 15, 19952–4@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96)7–22–117,174Recap
31LDecember 17, 19951–4@ Vancouver Canucks (1995–96)7–23–116,006Recap
32LDecember 18, 19951–3@ Edmonton Oilers (1995–96)7–24–18,419Recap
33LDecember 23, 19952–4Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)7–25–18,615Recap
34LDecember 26, 19954–6@ New York Rangers (1995–96)7–26–118,200Recap
35WDecember 27, 19954–3@ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)8–26–112,175Recap
36LDecember 30, 19951–4Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)8–27–110,575Recap
37LDecember 31, 19950–3Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)8–28–18,522Recap :
January: 1–10–1 (home: 1–5–1; road: 0–5–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
38LJanuary 3, 19961–4@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)8–29–115,632Recap
39LJanuary 5, 19962–4@ Hartford Whalers (1995–96)8–30–112,239Recap
40LJanuary 6, 19964–5@ New York Islanders (1995–96)8–31–112,175Recap
41LJanuary 11, 19961–6@ Washington Capitals (1995–96)8–32–111,511Recap
42LJanuary 13, 19961–4@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)8–33–121,829Recap
43LJanuary 17, 19960–3Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)8–34–118,500Recap
44LJanuary 22, 19963–7Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96)8–35–113,872Recap
45LJanuary 24, 19963–4Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)8–36–117,149Recap
46LJanuary 25, 19962–4Detroit Red Wings (1995–96)8–37–116,882Recap
47TJanuary 27, 19962–2 OTToronto Maple Leafs (1995–96)8–37–218,500Recap
48WJanuary 29, 19964–2St. Louis Blues (1995–96)9–37–213,125Recap
49LJanuary 31, 19961–3Boston Bruins (1995–96)9–38–215,795Recap :
February: 3–8–1 (home: 0–4–1; road: 3–4–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
50LFebruary 1, 19962–4Washington Capitals (1995–96)9–39–212,322Recap
51LFebruary 3, 19962–3 OTNew Jersey Devils (1995–96)9–40–218,280Recap
52LFebruary 6, 19961–3@ Calgary Flames (1995–96)9–41–216,442Recap
53LFebruary 8, 19962–6@ Winnipeg Jets (1995–96)9–42–28,673Recap
54WFebruary 10, 19965–3@ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)10–42–217,535Recap
55WFebruary 12, 19964–1@ New York Islanders (1995–96)11–42–27,567Recap
56TFebruary 15, 19962–2 OTSan Jose Sharks (1995–96)11–42–313,556Recap
57LFebruary 17, 19961–2 OTNew York Rangers (1995–96)11–43–318,500Recap
58WFebruary 20, 19967–1@ St. Louis Blues (1995–96)12–43–319,736Recap
59LFebruary 22, 19962–3@ Dallas Stars (1995–96)12–44–314,818Recap
60LFebruary 25, 19962–4@ Colorado Avalanche (1995–96)12–45–316,061Recap
61LFebruary 28, 19962–3 OTBuffalo Sabres (1995–96)12–46–313,419Recap :
March: 3–10–1 (home: 3–5–1; road: 0–5–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
62LMarch 1, 19962–3Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)12–47–318,500Recap
63LMarch 2, 19961–4New Jersey Devils (1995–96)12–48–315,510Recap
64LMarch 7, 19961–5@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)12–49–313,377Recap
65LMarch 9, 19962–3@ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)12–50–317,959Recap
66WMarch 13, 19964–1Dallas Stars (1995–96)13–50–313,226Recap
67WMarch 15, 19962–0Vancouver Canucks (1995–96)14–50–317,850Recap
68WMarch 17, 19965–0Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)15–50–315,102Recap
69LMarch 19, 19962–5@ Florida Panthers (1995–96)15–51–312,255Recap
70LMarch 21, 19961–3@ Boston Bruins (1995–96)15–52–317,565Recap
71TMarch 22, 19961–1 OTHartford Whalers (1995–96)15–52–413,596Recap
72LMarch 24, 19962–3Edmonton Oilers (1995–96)15–53–413,188Recap
73LMarch 27, 19962–4Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)15–54–415,183Recap
74LMarch 29, 19960–5@ Washington Capitals (1995–96)15–55–418,130Recap
75LMarch 30, 19961–3Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)15–56–418,500Recap :
April: 3–3–1 (home: 2–2–1; road: 1–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
76TApril 1, 19961–1 OTBoston Bruins (1995–96)15–56–513,335Recap
77WApril 3, 19963–2Florida Panthers (1995–96)16–56–513,074Recap
78WApril 5, 19964–2New York Islanders (1995–96)17–56–516,541Recap
79LApril 6, 19963–4Washington Capitals (1995–96)17–57–515,101Recap
80LApril 10, 19962–5@ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)17–58–515,111Recap
81LApril 11, 19963–5Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)17–59–518,500Recap
82WApril 13, 19965–2@ New Jersey Devils (1995–96)18–59–519,040Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Senators only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Senators only.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 11 | Daniel Alfredsson | RW | 82 | 26 | 35 | 61 | −18 | 28 |
| 19 | Alexei Yashin | C | 46 | 15 | 24 | 39 | −15 | 28 |
| 7 | Randy Cunneyworth | LW | 81 | 17 | 19 | 36 | −31 | 130 |
| 28 | Steve Duchesne | D | 62 | 12 | 24 | 36 | −23 | 42 |
| 76 | Radek Bonk | C | 76 | 16 | 19 | 35 | −5 | 36 |
| 17 | Tom Chorske | LW | 72 | 15 | 14 | 29 | −9 | 21 |
| 82 | Martin Straka‡ | C | 43 | 9 | 16 | 25 | −14 | 29 |
| 9 | Dan Quinn‡ | C | 28 | 6 | 18 | 24 | −8 | 24 |
| 4 | Sean Hill | D | 80 | 7 | 14 | 21 | −26 | 94 |
| 23 | Jaroslav Modry‡ | D | 64 | 4 | 14 | 18 | −17 | 38 |
| 78 | Pavol Demitra | LW | 31 | 7 | 10 | 17 | −3 | 6 |
| 91 | Alexandre Daigle | C | 50 | 5 | 12 | 17 | −30 | 24 |
| 13 | Ted Drury | C | 42 | 9 | 7 | 16 | −19 | 54 |
| 22 | Antti Tormanen | RW | 50 | 7 | 8 | 15 | −15 | 28 |
| 5 | Kerry Huffman‡ | D | 43 | 4 | 11 | 15 | −18 | 63 |
| 20 | Trent McCleary | RW | 75 | 4 | 10 | 14 | −15 | 68 |
| 10 | Rob Gaudreau | RW | 52 | 8 | 5 | 13 | −19 | 15 |
| 94 | Stan Neckar | D | 82 | 3 | 9 | 12 | −16 | 54 |
| 12 | Dave Archibald | C | 44 | 6 | 4 | 10 | −14 | 18 |
| 49 | Michel Picard | LW | 17 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −1 | 10 |
| 2 | Lance Pitlick | D | 28 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −8 | 20 |
| 36 | Troy Mallette | LW | 64 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −7 | 171 |
| 21 | Dennis Vial | D | 64 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −13 | 276 |
| 3 | Frank Musil | D | 65 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −10 | 85 |
| 25 | Pat Elynuik | RW | 29 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| 29 | Phil Bourque | LW | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −3 | 14 |
| 6 | Chris Dahlquist | D | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −7 | 14 |
| 14 | Jean-Yves Roy | RW | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 33 | Don Beaupre‡ | G | 33 | 0 | 2 | 2 | | 17 |
| 27 | Janne Laukkanen† | D | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| 26 | Scott Levins | RW | 27 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −3 | 80 |
| 1 | Damian Rhodes† | G | 36 | 0 | 2 | 2 | | 4 |
| 16 | Dave McLlwain‡ | RW | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 35 | Mike Bales | G | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 |
| 27 | Joe Cirella†‡ | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 4 |
| 24 | Daniel Laperriere | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 18 | Patrick Traverse | D | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |

### Goaltending

* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Senators only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Senators only.
| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 1 | Damian Rhodes† | 36 | 10 | 22 | 4 | 1041 | 98 | 2.77 | .906 | 2 | 2123 |
| 33 | Don Beaupre‡ | 33 | 6 | 23 | 0 | 892 | 110 | 3.73 | .877 | 1 | 1770 |
| 35 | Mike Bales | 20 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 560 | 72 | 4.15 | .871 | 0 | 1040 |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honour | Recipient |
| League (annual) | Calder Memorial Trophy | Daniel Alfredsson |
| League (annual) | NHL All-Rookie Team | Daniel Alfredsson (Forward) |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Daniel Alfredsson |
| League (in-season) | NHL Rookie of the Month | Daniel Alfredsson (November) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Rookie of the Month | Daniel Alfredsson (April) |
| Team | Molson Cup | Damian Rhodes |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Daniel Alfredsson | October 7, 1995 |
| First game | Trent McCleary | October 7, 1995 |
| First game | Antti Tormanen | October 7, 1995 |
| First game | Patrick Traverse | December 30, 1995 |

## Transactions
### July 1995

| July 8 | Acquired Jaroslav Modrý from the New Jersey Devils for a 4th round pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft - (Alyn McCauley). |
| July 31 | Lost free agent Darren Rumble to the Philadelphia Flyers to a 1-year, $300,000 contract. |
Source

### August 1995

| August 1 | Signed free agent Dan Quinn from the Los Angeles Kings to a 2-year, $1.05 mil contract. |
| August 4 | Acquired Steve Duchesne from the St. Louis Blues for a 2nd round pick in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft - (Cory Sarich). |
| August 7 | Lost free agent Corey Foster to the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 1-year contract. |
| August 9 | Signed free agent Eric Lavigne from the Los Angeles Kings to a 1-year contract. |
Source

### September 1995

| September 20 | Traded Jean-François Labbé to the Colorado Avalanche for future considerations. |
Source

### October 1995

| October 2 | Claimed Justin Hocking from the Los Angeles Kings in the 1995 NHL Waiver Draft. Claimed Ted Drury from the Colorado Avalanche in the 1995 NHL Waiver Draft. |
| October 4 | Claimed Tom Chorske off of waivers from the New Jersey Devils. |
| October 5 | Acquired Jean-Yves Roy from the New York Rangers for Steve Larouche. New Jersey Devils received 3rd round draft pick in 1997 NHL Entry Draft - (Josh Langfeld for waiver draft payment for Tom Chorske. |
| October 7 | Acquired Frank Musil from the Calgary Flames for a 4th round pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft - (Chris St. Croix). |
| October 10 | Signed free agent Joe Cirella from the Florida Panthers to a 1-year, $150,000 (CAD) contract. |
| October 13 | Resigned Frank Musil to a 1-year, $500,000 contract. |
Source

### December 1995

| December 1 | Released Joe Cirella. |
| December 31 | Re-signed Alexei Yashin to a 5-year, $13.6 million contract. |
Source

### January 1996

| January 23 | Traded Dan Quinn to the Philadelphia Flyers for cash. Acquired Damian Rhodes from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Wade Redden from the New York Islanders for Martin Straka and Bryan Berard to the New York Islanders and Don Beaupre to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of three-team trade. |
| January 25 | Acquired Janne Laukkanen from the Colorado Avalanche for the rights to Brad Larsen. |
Source

### March 1996

| March 1 | Acquired an 8th round pick in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft - (Erich Goldmann) from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Dave McLlwain. |
| March 19 | Acquired an 9th round pick in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft - (Sami Salo) from the Philadelphia Flyers for Kerry Huffman. |
| March 20 | Acquired Kevin Brown from the Los Angeles Kings for Jaroslav Modrý and an 8th round pick in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft - (Steve Valiquette). |
Source

## Draft picks

Ottawa's draft picks at the 1995 NHL entry draft in Edmonton, Alberta.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 1 | Bryan Berard | United States | Detroit Jr. Red Wings (OHL) |
| 2 | 27 | Marc Moro | Canada | Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) |
| 3 | 53 | Brad Larsen | Canada | Swift Current Broncos (WHL) |
| 4 | 89 | Kevin Bolibruck | Canada | Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
| 4 | 103 | Kevin Boyd | Canada | London Knights (OHL) |
| 6 | 131 | David Hruska | Czech Republic | Banik Sokolov (Czech.) |
| 8 | 183 | Kaj Linna | Finland | Boston University (NCAA) |
| 8 | 184 | Ray Schultz | Canada | Tri-City Americans (WHL) |
| 9 | 231 | Erik Kaminski | United States | Northeastern University (Boston) (NCAA) |

## Farm teams

* Prince Edward Island Senators (American Hockey League)
* Thunder Bay Senators (Colonial Hockey League)