Ottawa Senators " for the original Ottawa Senators see Ottawa Senators ( original ) " The Ottawa Senators ( French : Les Sénateurs d ' Ottawa ) are a professional men ' s 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 are the most recent Eastern Conference champions , holders of the Prince of Wales Trophy and runners - up in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals . The Senators play their home games at the 20 , 500 capacity Canadian Tire Centre ( originally named the ' Palladium ' , and later the ' Corel Centre ' which became ' Scotiabank Place ' ) . Founded and established by Ottawa real estate developer Bruce Firestone , the team is the second NHL franchise to have the Ottawa Senators name . The original Ottawa Senators , founded in 1883 , had a famed history , winning 11 Stanley Cups and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934 . On December 6 , 1990 , after a two year public campaign by Firestone to return the NHL to Ottawa , the NHL awarded a new franchise , which began play in the 1992 - 93 season . The club has seen its share of struggles , both on and off the ice . The team has had two changes of ownership , from Firestone , to Rod Bryden in 1993 due to the arena development process and its financing , and subsequently to Eugene Melnyk after the team filed for bankruptcy in 2003 . On the ice , the club finished last in the league for its first four seasons . Changes in hockey management have led to steady improvement of the team ' s play , resulting in the team qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs each season over the last 10 years . Today , the club is among the most successful teams in the league , consistently finishing high in the standings . The team has several all - star players and one of the league ' s top lines , the " CASH " line . Team history . The " Bring Back The Senators " campaign . Ottawa had been the home of the original Senators , considered the best team in Canada in the first half of the 20th century . Founded in 1883 , the Senators were Stanley Cup champions in eleven seasons . However , the club fell on hard times in the late 1920s and the franchise relocated to St . Louis after the 1933 - 34 season , playing one year as the Eagles before folding for good . After the NHL announced its plans to expand in the late 1980s , Ottawa real estate developer Bruce Firestone thought that Ottawa was now ready for another franchise . His firm , Terrace Investments , launched a bid for the franchise . Firestone first told his fellow Terrace executives , Cyril Leeder , and Randy Sexton , after a game of shinny in March 1988 . Both were surprised ; Leeder thought the idea was " ridiculous " . Terrace did not have enough assets to finance the team , but Firestone believed that they could do so as part of a development project . Their plan was to build a mini - city ( named ' West Terrace ' ) of 9 , 000 in a 600 acre site around a $ 100 million arena and hotel development on 98 acres of vacant land . Getting an NHL club for the arena would drive up the price of the surrounding lands and Terrace ' s net worth would jump from $ 100 million to $ 400 million by 1997 . The strategy was straightforward : " buy the site , win the franchise , build the building . " In 1989 , Terrace found a suitable site west of Ottawa in the then - suburb of Kanata on undeveloped farmlands . On June 22 , 1989 , Terrace publicly announced their intentions to acquire an NHL franchise and revive the Senators name . The name choice provoked threats of legal action . Firestone , however , obtained permission from original - era / Senior Senators club owner Tommy Gorman ' s descendants to use the old Senators name and settled with the Ottawa Jr . Senators ' owners . To kick off the " Bring Back the Senators " campaign , Terrace held a press conference with special guests Frank Finnigan , representing the old Senators ' players , and Joe Gorman , representing the Gorman family . Finnigan , the last surviving member of the Senators ' last Stanley Cup champion ( in 1927 ) , was presented with a new number 8 jersey and the promise to have him drop the first puck at the first game if they emerged victorious . Terrace unveiled drawings of the $ 55 million , 22 , 500 seat arena , now named the " Palladium " , designed by Rossetti Associates , architects of the The Palace of Auburn Hills arena . Also unveiled was a logo for the team using a stylized Peace Tower and Canadian flag , designed by David O ' Malley of Ottawa . The theme song for the franchise drive was Tom Petty ' s " I Won ' t Back Down " . The Senators ' bid was considered something of a longshot . Jim Durrell , mayor of Ottawa at the time , but later part of the Senators ' front office said " It ' s not that the area isn ' t a big enough market to support a professional hockey team , it ' s just that we ' re not going to get it . " NHLPA head Alan Eagleson was quoted as saying " local fans are being led through the petunia patch if Bruce Firestone thinks he can land an NHL expansion franchise for Ottawa this century , well into the next or ever . " Despite the naysayers , 11 , 000 fans sent in $ 25 non - refundable pledges toward season - tickets by November 1990 . In December 1990 the NHL held a league meeting in Palm Beach , Florida to consider expansion applications . The NHL executives were reportedly impressed by the Ottawa presentation , including Finnigan ' s participation , the several hundred fans and the marching band who traveled to Palm Beach , but apparently were more impressed at the fact that the group was one of the few willing to pay the $ 50 million franchise fee without reservations . On December 6 , 1990 , the Terrace group was approved to purchase one of the two franchises ( along with the Tampa Bay Lightning ) to start play in the 1992 - 93 season . Financing struggles . The Senators ran into financial trouble almost at once , as Terrace Investments needed to borrow money to meet the $ 50 - million franchise fee . The original franchise fee had been expected to be $ 30 million . Terrace formed a limited partnership with community ownership , the first investor being the Ottawa Nepean Canadians Sports Club , who with 66 other limited partners would own 48 % of the club . To complete the franchise fee payments , Ottawa high - tech mogul Rod Bryden would pay $ 3 million of his personal funds and become 50 % owner of Terrace itself . Since the location for the new arena was on land designated for agriculture , the new arena and development had to be approved by the Ontario government . The Ontario New Democratic Party government of Bob Rae was not sympathetic to the conversion of farmland and would not lend any assistance to the project . As the rezoning hearings dragged on , Firestone was offered $ 20 million to relocate to Anaheim , California , which had an arena , but no team . Firestone turned it down , claiming " I didn ’ t bring back the Ottawa Senators to play in Anaheim . " Eventually , the rezoning was approved with the club being forced to pay for all infrastructure required for the project . The Palladium ' s size was reduced to 18 , 500 . Terrace was also forced to scrap its plans for the rest of the " West Terrace " development , which limited the site ' s value . According to Firestone , Terrace ' s investment lost $ 80 million in value to secure the zoning . Eventually , the strain to complete the payment on the franchise to the NHL and to build the arena led to Firestone ' s resignation on August 17 , 1993 after Terrace missed mortgage and development payments . He was replaced as club president by Rod Bryden , who would lead the franchise for the next ten years . Financing of the arena project was difficult . Terrace had four financing deals fail . As it became clear that the Senators could not finance a needed highway interchange without government backing , the provincial government was persuaded successfully to provide a $ 27 million dollar loan for the highway interchange construction . In the end , the firm of Ogden Entertainment , a New York city facilities management firm , backed the project with a $ 20 million loan in exchange for a 30 year contract to manage the facility . In addition , U . S . banks loaned $ 110 million , the federal government gave the Senators $ 6 million , $ 10 million from Terrace and $ 15 million from a Canadian pension fund . The Senators played the first game at the Palladium ( today called Canadian Tire Centre ) on January 17 , 1996 . It would only be known as the Palladium for one month . In February 1996 , Corel Corporation bought the naming rights and the arena was renamed the Corel Centre . Following Firestone ' s original vision , the arena has become one of the driving forces for development in Kanata . What was once an arena surrounded by farmland is a growing commercial area . The cost of the arena debt weighed heavily on the Senators . For several years , Bryden tried to reschedule the debt on the arena . There were various attempts at filing tax losses to write off the debt , all rejected by the federal government . In 2002 , Ogden went bankrupt . It had re - invented itself as Covanta Energy and failed not long after the Enron scandal . This led to the Senators filing for bankruptcy on January 9 , 2003 , when it could not arrange financing to pay all it owed to Covanta , becoming due because of Covanta ' s bankruptcy . On August 26 , 2003 the team and arena was purchased by Biovail CEO and Toronto St . Michael ' s Majors owner Eugene Melnyk who had shown interest for several years in the team . The limited partnership between Terrace and the limited partners was dissolved and Covanta ' s creditors received the proceeds of the sale towards the money it was owed for the NHL franchise fee and the Palladium . 1992 - 1995 : Expansion club struggles . The team would name Mel Bridgman as their first general manager ( GM ) in 1991 . The decision was criticized by the press due to Bridgman ' s lack of GM experience . In the coaching department , the club would pick Rick Bowness , formerly the Boston Bruins head coach as their first head coach assisted by Alain Vigneault and Chico Resch . John Ferguson would be named director of player personnel . The Expansion Draft of 1992 to provide some players from the other NHL teams did not provide much talent . The players the Senators did select were " journeymen NHLers or player who had good years in minor leagues but no longer were considered prospects . " In the Entry Draft , the Senators would name Alexei Yashin their first pick on the recommendation of Ferguson . 1992 - 93 The new Senators played their first game on October 8 , 1992 , in the Ottawa Civic Centre against the Montreal Canadiens . There was lots of pre - game spectacle — the skating of Brian Orser , the raising of banners commemorating the original Senators ' eight Stanley Cup wins , retirement of Frank Finnigan ' s jersey number and the singing of the anthem by Alanis Morissette . NHL president Gil Stein took part , presenting Bruce Firestone with a " certificate of reinstatement " to commemorate Ottawa ' s return to the league after 58 years . The ceremonial face - off between Laurie Boschman and Denis Savard was done by Frank Finnigan , Jr . ( his father having died on Christmas day , 1991 ) , Firestone , Stein , and original Senator Ray Kinsella . The Senators would defeat the Canadiens 5 – 3 that night , but it would be one of the few highlights that season for the Senators . The club would tie with the San Jose Sharks for the worst record in the league that year , winning only 10 games with 70 losses and 4 ties ( 24 points ) in the 1992 - 93 season . The Senators hold the NHL record for least road wins ( 1 ) for their record that season . Their points total for the season was one point better than the NHL record for least points in a season ever . The Senators had aimed low . Firestone had set beating the old record the Senators ' goal for the season , as the team planned to finish low in the standings for its first few years in order to get high draft picks . 1993 - 95 After the 1992 - 93 season , GM Mel Bridgman was fired and replaced by team vice - president Randy Sexton . In 1993 - 94 , the club would add prospects Alexandre Daigle ( front ) and Alexei Yashin . Yashin would have an outstanding rookie season and become a finalist for the Calder Trophy in one of the few highlights for the Senators , who would again finish last in the league . The club would go on to finish last in the league in 1994 - 1995 and 1995 - 96 as well . Daigle Cup . Among the disappointments during the early years of the resurrected Senators was Alexandre Daigle , the number one overall pick in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft . During the 1992 - 93 season , it had become clear that Daigle would be the number one pick . The Quebec Nordiques publicly announced that they would trade several players for him , as they wished to build a new arena and needed a marquee francophone player . As the season progressed , both the Senators and the San Jose Sharks were neck and neck in last place , and at that time , NHL rules meant the worst team would get the first pick . This ' competition ' was variously dubbed the ' Daigle Cup ' and the ' Yelnats Puc ' . Near the end of the season , the Senators would call other teams to ask for their opponent ' s best players to be playing them in upcoming matches , making plans to field a weaker squad if their opponent did so also . After the season , Bruce Firestone would make comments to the press about how the team deliberately lost games , expecting that comments would be ' off the record ' . Instead , his comments were reported , the NHL investigated , and the team was fined $ 100 , 000 for his comments . The Senators would sign Daigle to a $ 12 . 25 million contract , the largest rookie salary in league history , which would lead to a cap on rookie contracts a few years later . The club would promote Daigle over Yashin , as seen in the yearbook photo . In 1993 - 94 , Yashin would qualify as a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as outstanding rookie , although the Senators had promoted Daigle as their pick . In the end Daigle did not come close to the career the Senators hoped for . After scoring only 74 goals in just over four seasons , he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers . He is regarded as one of the biggest draft busts in sports history . The NHL changed its rules as of the 1995 Draft so that a lottery would be held for the top draft picks . 1995 - 1998 : Ottawa ' s turnaround . In December 1995 , one month before the Senators were to open the new Palladium , after three straight last place finishes , and poor attendance at the Civic Centre , the Senators organization was in turmoil . Star player Alexei Yashin , angered that management favoured Daigle over him despite posting higher numbers , was a contract hold - out . First round draft choice Bryan Berard , who had left the Senators training camp unsigned to a contract , had publicly stated that he would never report to the Senators . After head coach Rick Bowness demoted Daigle had been demoted to the fourth line , general manager Randy Sexton fired Bowness and his assistant coach Alain Vigneault on November 20 , 1995 . He replaced the coaches with Prince Edward Island Senators coach Dave Allison and gave the assistant coach job to former Hartford Whalers head coach Pierre McGuire , who was working as a scout for the Senators . Daigle was returned to full - time duty , but Sexton ' s changes did not improve the teams ' play . The situation was a big concern for the Senators ownership and especially for Ogden , which had a lot invested in the soon - to - open Palladium , and which did not want to open the Palladium to poor attendance . Ogden brought in Roy Mlakar to assist in sorting out the turmoil . He would eventually become team president and CEO , posts he still holds today . The turnaround process started with the firing of Sexton on December 11 , 1995 and the hiring of Anaheim Mighty Ducks assistant GM Pierre Gauthier as GM , Ottawa ' s first with previous NHL executive experience . Before the end of January , Gauthier had signed Yashin to a three - year contract , traded Berard to the New York Islanders for Wade Redden , and hired Jacques Martin as head coach . In the midst of the upheaval , the new Palladium had opened . The Senators , still coached by Allison , lost their first game in the arena 3 – 0 to the Montreal Canadiens on January 17 , 1996 . The event was much more subdued than their first game . The Cup banners were raised , but the winches jammed , blocking the view of many fans . There were no entertainment big names , and only Firestone and Bryden participated in the ceremonial face - off . The club would lose its first four games at the Palladium , winning none for Allison who was fired on January 24 after the team lost 22 of 25 games . While Ottawa finished last in the league for the fourth year in a row , the 1995 - 96 season ended with renewed optimism , partly from the debut of new star Daniel Alfredsson , who won the Calder Memorial Trophy , the NHL Rookie of the Year Award , the first Senator to do so . Alfredsson , selected 133rd overall in 1994 , was also selected to play in the 1996 NHL All - Star Game . The 1996 - 97 season would see the Senators qualify for the playoffs for the first time , in dramatic fashion . They clinched the seventh seed on the last game of the regular season , thanks to a late goal from Steve Duchesne against Dominik Hasek , then of the Buffalo Sabres , giving the Senators a 1 - 0 win and the first playoff appearance for an Ottawa - based team in 67 years . The Senators then faced the Sabres in the first round of the playoffs and were eliminated in the full seven games . Despite holding a lead in game seven , Alexei Yashin put the puck in his own net , allowing Buffalo to tie the game and eventually win the game and the series on a goal by Derek Plante in overtime . The next season , 1997 - 98 , the Senators improved further . They improved their regular season record , finishing with their first winning record in franchise history ( one game over . 500 ) . In the first play - off round they upset the top - seeded and the heavily favoured New Jersey Devils in six games to win their first playoff series . The Senators next faced the eventual Eastern Conference champion Washington Capitals and lost in five games . After the season , Rick Dudley would become general manager , after Gauthier returned to Anaheim to become the Ducks ' general manager . Dudley would be the Ottawa GM for only a year , leaving to join the Tampa Bay Lightning , ( for which the Senators received Rob Zamuner as compensation ) and was replaced by Marshall Johnston . 1998 - 2003 : Emergence as Stanley Cup contenders . The Senators have qualified for the playoffs every year since . However , they met with limited success at first , only winning five series in their first nine trips to the post - season . In 1998 - 99 , the Senators jumped from 14th in the previous season to 3rd , with 103 points - - the first 100 - point season in club history . However , they took an embarrassing pratfall in the playoffs ; they were swept by the Sabres and only scored three goals in the process . Ottawa was locked in a contract dispute with then - captain Alexei Yashin during 1999 - 2000 . Yashin held out for the entire season , hoping either to play elsewhere or claim his contract was for 1999 - 2000 , not a year of service . The team responded by suspending him for the entire season and granting the captaincy to Alfredsson , who still holds it today . Yashin tried to sign on with a team in Switzerland , but the International Ice Hockey Federation banned him from playing internationally until the dispute with the Senators was resolved . An NHL arbitrator rejected Yashin ' s request to make him a free agent , instead ruling that he owed the Senators one more season if he ever returned to the NHL . The Senators even took legal action to recover damages suffered as a result of the dispute . Despite the distraction , the Senators ' regular season was successful as they finished with 93 points to qualify for the playoffs in sixth place in the Eastern Conference . Like the previous year , they had a quick playoff exit , losing in six games in the first round to the Toronto Maple Leafs . Yashin returned for the 2000 - 01 season , no longer the captain of the team . Despite being booed at home and in most arenas , being cursed as " Alexei Cashin " or " Cashin Yashin " by the fans , he played well for the Senators . And the Senators had another successful season , finishing with 109 points , winning the division and good enough for second in the Eastern Conference . For the third straight season , the Senators could not win a playoff round , losing again to Toronto in the first round , this time in a 4 – 0 sweep . After the season , on the day of the 2001 Entry Draft , Yashin would be traded to the New York Islanders for Zdeno Chara , Bill Muckalt , and the Islanders ' first round draft pick ( second overall ) , which the Senators used to draft Jason Spezza . Yashin would sign a $ 87 . 5 million ten - year contract with the Islanders . In 2001 - 02 , the Senators regular season points total dropped to 94 points , third in the division , but the team did qualify for the playoffs . Jacques Martin stepped aside as head coach for the final two games to allow assistant coach Roger Neilson to have 1 , 000 games as head coach in the NHL . In the first round , they upset the Philadelphia Flyers in five games , limiting the Flyers ' high - powered offence to just two goals for the franchise ' s second playoff series win . This led to a second round series with Toronto , the third straight year the Senators had met the Maple Leafs in a ' Battle of Ontario . ' The Maple Leafs won the series in a tense seven - game affair , after the Senators had led the series 3 – 2 after five games . After the disappointing end to the season , there was speculation that front - office changes were coming . In the end , GM Marshall Johnston retired , but Martin and Mlakar were re - signed . John Muckler was hired on June 12 , 2002 , the Senators ' sixth GM , and the first with previous experience as a general manager ( with Buffalo ) . He had been interested in the Ottawa job in 1991 , but he chose not to wait for the Senators to make him an offer , and he joined the Buffalo Sabres organization . In 2002 - 03 off - ice problems dominated the headlines . The Senators filed for bankruptcy on January 9 , 2003 after a long history of debt . They continued regular season play after getting some emergency financing from the NHL . Despite the off - ice problems , Ottawa won the Presidents ' Trophy , finishing with a franchise - record 113 points , making them the first Canadian team to win it since the Calgary Flames in 1989 . This was also the highest finish by an Ottawa team in 77 years ( since the original Senators finished first overall in 1926 ) . In the playoffs they defeated Yashin and his New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers before coming within one game of making it into the finals , falling to the eventual champions , the New Jersey Devils . 2003 - 04 : End of the Jacques Martin era . In the off - season , Eugene Melnyk would purchase the club to bring financial stability and the team entered the 2003 - 04 season with high expectations . Coach Jacques Martin would guide the team to another good regular season , finishing with 102 points . This was good for only third in the tightly - contested division , as the Bruins would have 104 and the Leafs 103 . The seedings meant that the Senators would play the Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2004 playoffs for the fourth straight time . By now , Ottawa had developed a strong rivalry with their Ontario cousins and there was a great deal of pressure on the team to finally defeat the Leafs . Despite missing their captain Mats Sundin and other veterans , the Leafs would win the series on the back of ' hot ' goaltender Ed Belfour who had two shutouts , defeating the Senators in seven games . In the seventh game , Senators goaltender Patrick Lalime would surrender three goals before the first period was done and would be replaced by backup Martin Prusek . The Senators were not able to come back from the 3 – 0 deficit , losing 4 – 1 . It was Lalime ' s last appearance in a Senators ' uniform , and Jacques Martin ' s last game as coach . Two days after the Senators ' loss , Martin was fired . Lalime was later traded to the St . Louis Blues for a 4th round pick in the 2005 NHL Draft . After losing eight of twelve playoff series , including all four series in five years versus the Leafs , team management felt that a new coach was required for playoff success . Muckler even suggested that the new coach would have " to fix the dressing room " , implying the team was not responding to Martin . On June 8 , 2004 , Bryan Murray of nearby Shawville , Quebec , became the team ' s fifth head coach , leaving the Anaheim Ducks where he had been general manager . He would not actually coach until 2005 due to the NHL lockout , instead spending time on scouting . 2004 - 05 : Lockout time . The Senators like the other NHL teams did not play during the lock - out . Most players chose to play in Europe , although some , like Jason Spezza played for the Senators farm team , the Binghamton Senators . Prior to the lockout , the Senators had acquired free agent goaltender Dominik Hasek . He did not play for any teams during the season , but did practice with Binghamton . Daniel Alfredsson had a very good season in Sweden , and his club team won the Swedish championship . 2005 - 06 : High expectations unfulfilled . The 2005 - 06 NHL season was expected to be a strong season for the Senators . The media predicted the Senators to be Stanley Cup contenders , as they had a strong core back after the lockout , played in an up - tempo style fitting the new rule changes and Hasek was expected to provide top - notch goaltending . In another acquisition , the Senators acquired Dany Heatley in a blockbuster trade with the Atlanta Thrashers for Marian Hossa and Greg DeVries . 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 . Heatley , together with Alfredsson and Spezza , formed one of the league ' s top offensive lines , dubbed the " CASH line " by fans in a contest held by the Ottawa Citizen . The name is made from the initials of Captain Alfredsson , Spezza , and Heatley . Cash Line won out over finalists ' Dash Line ' and ' Dazzle Line , ' which Spezza reputedly despised and wanted to veto . However , during the press conference to introduce the teams for the 2007 Stanley Cup Final , Dany Heatley went on record to say he likes the ' Cash line ' name . The line made a dramatic and historic debut , playing in the first game of the 2005 - 06 season on October 5 , 2005 , against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto . In the pre - season , right winger Brandon Bochenski had been playing on the line as he had played with Spezza in the AHL during the lock - out . But with five minutes to go , with the Senators trailing , then Senators ' coach Bryan Murray replaced Bochenski with Alfredsson and Alfredsson scored a game - tying goal with 62 seconds left . Heatley and Alfredsson would then go on to score the first shootout goals in NHL history to win the game that night . Heatley became the first Ottawa Senator in franchise history to reach 100 points on April 13 , 2006 , recording two assists during a 5 - 4 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers and five days later became the first to reach the 50 - goal mark . Meanwhile , defenceman Wade Redden became the first Senator to win the NHL Plus / Minus Award , tied with New York Ranger Michal Rozsival , with a + 35 . The acquisition of Hasek was ill - fated , as Hasek suffered an adductor muscle injury while playing for the Czech national ice hockey team during the 2006 Winter Olympics . He had played only one game for the Czech team and returned to Ottawa to heal . He would not play for the Senators again . Rookie netminder Ray Emery took over the starting goaltender duties and played well helping the team to finish first in the Eastern Conference and the second - best record in the league . Despite the regular season success , the team entered the playoffs under a cloud as the media was predicting an early Senators demise due to Hasek ' s absence . In the first round , Emery would become the first rookie netminder since Philadelphia ' s Brian Boucher in 2000 to win a playoff series when the Senators defeated Tampa Bay , four games to one . The Senators then played the Buffalo Sabres in the second round , a series in which all games were decided by one goal . The Sabres won the first three , the Senators would win the fourth to stave off elimination , but the fifth would be won by the Sabres . This was the last hurrah for several Senators , as Zdeno Chara , Dominik Hasek , Martin Havlat , Bryan Smolinski and Brian Pothier all left the team after the season . Chara , Hasek and Pothier left as free agents , while Havlat and Smolinski were traded . 2006 - 07 : Trip to the Stanley Cup Finals . The Senators ' season went off to a poor start , and was marked by a struggle to reach a . 500 win - loss ratio . Until December , the team had a 21 - 18 - 1 record ; however , they had much more success in the remaining half of the season , eventually finishing second in the division after the President ' s Trophy - winning Buffalo Sabres and earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference . They ultimately finished with 105 points , their fourth straight 100 - point season and sixth in the last eight . In the playoffs , Ottawa ' s fourth placing in the Conference meant that the first - round playoff series was against the fifth - seeded Pittsburgh Penguins . Some media were expecting the Penguins to win the series because the Penguins had won the season series , the Senators ' past playoff troubles and the strong young talent of the Penguins , including Sidney Crosby . However , the Senators won easily by a score of four games to one , including a 3 - 0 win in the fifth game . This was the only series where the Senators were the higher - seeded team . The second - round series was versus the Atlantic Division - leading New Jersey Devils , in a rematch of the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals . The Senators again won by a score of four games to one . Next , the Senators faced off against the Buffalo Sabres in the Conference Final , looking to get even for losing to the Sabres in the 2006 playoffs . The Senators took the series , again by a score of four games to one , earning the Prince of Wales Trophy as Eastern Conference Champion and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals , to face the Western Conference champion Anaheim Ducks . Daniel Alfredsson scored the series - winning goal , ( see video ) in overtime , redemption for being beaten a year before on the goal that eliminated the Sens from the playoffs . It was also the first series win by the Senators against the Sabres . 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 Finals since the 1927 Stanley Cup Finals . Despite the 80 year gap , one fan attended games both the 1927 and the 2007 Finals . The third game of the series and first home game for Ottawa on June 2 , was attended by 99 – year old Russell Williams as a guest of the Senators . He had attended the last Finals game in Ottawa on April 13 , 1927 , played in the old Ottawa Auditorium . Both the 1927 and 2007 games were won by the Senators . It marked the first time that a NHL team captain from Europe had made the finals , as Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson is from Sweden . Previously , only Americans or Canadians had captained teams in the Finals . Alfredsson would be one of the bright lights for the Senators in the series , as he had been in all of the playoff series . But he would be one of the few bright lights as Anaheim won the series in five games bolstered by strong defensive play and opportunistic scoring . The first two games were in Anaheim , both won by the Ducks by one goal margins . Game three went to the Senators , but game four in Ottawa was won by the Ducks , for an insurmountable 3 games to 1 lead . The Ducks would finish the series in game five at home . The Ducks had been favoured to win the Cup since before the season started . The Senators were the third consecutive Canadian franchise to reach the Final and they suffered the same fate as the Calgary Flames of 2004 and the Edmonton Oilers of 2006 . Sens Mile . The city was swept up in the excitement of being in the finals . 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 . A large Ottawa Senators flag was draped on the City Hall , along with a large video screen showing the games . A six - story likeness of Daniel Alfredsson was hung on the Corel building and the Senators organization held rallies at City Hall , and car rallies of decorated cars paraded from Lynx stadium , through downtown to Scotiabank Place . But the fans on their own inaugurated the ' Sens Mile . ' Much like the Red Mile in Calgary during the Flames ' 2004 cup run and the Blue Mile in Edmonton during the Oilers ' 2006 cup run , Ottawa Senators fans took to the streets to celebrate their team ' s success . The idea to have a Sens Mile began as a grassroots campaign on Facebook by Ottawa residents before Game 4 of the Ottawa - Buffalo Eastern Conference Finals series . Their idea was to use Elgin Street as a gathering place for Sens fans to celebrate after games won . Since Scotiabank Place is located in suburban Ottawa , spontaneous celebration did not occur during the Senators ' cup run until that point , like it did in cowtown and Edmonton where the arenas are located more centrally . When the Senators beat the Sabres in Game 5 , people flocked to Elgin Street in celebration . After the Senators won Game 3 of the Final , fans celebrated on Elgin Street once again , and Ottawa Police closed the street down . 2007 - 08 . The Senators made major changes in their hockey staff during the off - season . On Sunday , June 17 , 2007 general manager John Muckler was fired ; he had been in the last year of his contract . Head coach Bryan Murray was promoted to GM . On July 5 , 2007 he hired his nephew Tim Murray as assistant GM , followed by the promotion of assistant coach John Paddock to head coach on July 6 , 2007 . On August 15 , goaltending coach Ron Low was named as assistant coach and Eli Wilson was named goaltending coach . Assistant coach Greg Carvel retained his duties . A major incident occurred in the pre - season game against the Philadelphia Flyers on September 25 . Ottawa forward Dean McAmmond was hit in the head by the Flyers ' Steve Downie . Downie was given a " match " penalty as McAmmond was diagnosed with a concussion , later won by the Senators up by two goals . Downie was suspended for 20 games , adding a 9 game suspension from the American Hockey League . Later on the Senators won all 7 of their pre - season games , followed by a five game undefeated streak to begin the regular season . On November 5 2007 , the Ottawa Senators set a franchise record eighth straight win with their victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs . On November 6 , six Senators were named to the All - Star Game ballot : Daniel Alfredsson , Ray Emery , Dany Heatley , Chris Phillips , Wade Redden and Jason Spezza , the most from any one team in the NHL . Team information . Logo and jersey design . The team colours are red , black and white , like the original era Senators , and like other Ottawa sports teams ( such as the Ottawa Renegades , Rough Riders and 67s ) , 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 , projecting from a gold circle . There have been several versions . The original , unveiled on May 23 , 1991 , described the general as a " centurian figure , strong and prominent " according to its designer , Tony Milchard . Milchard intended the logo to be similar to that of the Chicago Blackhawks head logo . Leaked before its unveiling , the logo design was unpopular with fans , being compared unfavourably to the American Express card , the USC Trojans and the Trojan condom . The original had the words " Ottawa Senators " within the circle . This logo was slightly revised in 1998 to remove the team name from the gold circle and replace it with laurels . In 1998 , the Senators unveiled their alternate logo , taking the head , which had been in profile , and rotating it so that it was face - first . The new logo was unveiled with a new red home jersey , at the start an alternate jersey . On the shoulder , the original logo was used as a shoulder patch . The original dark jersey , ( then the ' away ' jersey ) which was mostly black , was retired after the season . The red jersey was in use until 2007 . Starting in July 2000 , the Senators reused the alternate logo on another third jersey , designed by Ottawa firm Hoselton Brunet , this one black with red and gold sleeves and a gold stripe with laurel leaves along the bottom of the jersey . On the shoulders , was a modified version of the original Peace Tower logo of the expansion campaign , which the management liked . Like the original logo , this design was leaked onto the Internet . This jersey was in use until 2007 also . On August 22 , 2007 , the Senators unveiled a set of new jerseys , which have a more refined , streamlined look to them , designed by Ottawa firm Acart Communications . The team retired all three previous jerseys and will not have a third jersey for the current season . The updated look comes in conjunction with the launch of the new " Rbk EDGE " jerseys by Reebok , adopted league - wide for the 2007 - 08 NHL season . At the same time , the team updated its logos . The new primary logo is an update of the old secondary logo , which according to team owner Eugene Melnyk , " represents strength and determination . " The logo was modified in several ways , updating the facial features , removing facial colouring , reducing size of the gold semi - circle and updating the cape of the warrior . The new secondary logo is an update of the old primary logo . Only the primary logo will appear on the jerseys , as the secondary logo will be on Sens ' merchandise . The new shoulder patch ' O ' logo replaces the winged ' S ' ' established MDCCCXCIV ' ( 1894 ) shoulder patch with the jersey logo of the original Ottawa Senators club . Spartacat . Spartacat , the official mascot of the Senators , is an anthropomorphic lion . He is unable to talk but expresses himself through ' wild gestures ' and a ' constant smile ' . He appears at all Senators home games and makes special appearances at charity and community events . He made his debut on Senators ' opening night October 8 , 1992 . Sens Army . The fans of the Senators are known as the " Sens Army " . Like most hockey fanatics , they are known to dress up for games ; most in some sort of Roman legion ary 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 . 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 . Broadcasting . On television , home and away games are broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet and A - Channel . The Senators are restricted to broadcasting to the Ottawa River valley and Eastern Ontario . Rogers Sportsnet also broadcasts games into Quebec and the Maritime provinces . National coverage is less frequent ; however national broadcasting is usually done by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ( CBC ) , which has increased the number of Senators games broadcast on " Hockey Night in Canada " in 2006 - 07 compared to previous seasons . Several games are only available in video on pay - per - view at local movie theatres in the Ottawa area . The play - by - play for these pay - per - view games are usually done by Dean Brown , often known as " the voice of the Senators , " and Gord Wilson with the color commentary . This started in the 2006 - 07 season , with a broadcast of a game at Detroit on December 12 , 2006 . On radio , all home and away games are broadcast on a network of local stations in eastern Ontario . The ' flagship ' radio station is the Ottawa station ' Team 1200 ' , which produces the broadcasts and provides the play - by - play announcers . The Team 1200 audio is available over the Internet , and games are simulcast from the NHL main web site . Attendance and Revenues . Home attendance in the 2006 - 07 regular season was 794 , 271 , with 31 sell - outs out of 41 home dates or an average attendance of 19 , 372 . This was the second - highest total in Senators ' s history , after the 2005 - 06 season total of 798 , 453 and 33 sell - outs . In the playoffs , the Senators played 9 games with 8 sell - outs and an attendance of 181 , 272 for an average of 20 , 141 , the highest in team history . On November 8 , 2007 , a Forbes Magazine report valued the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club at $ 186 million , ( 14th highest in NHL ) with an operating income of $ 10 . 4 million ( 7th highest ) on revenues of $ 93 million ( 7th highest ) in 2006 - 07 . Revenues and income were the team ' s highest in its history . The gate receipts for the 2006 - 07 season were $ 45 million . Forbes estimates that the organization has debt of $ 109 million , including arena debt . Eugene Melnyk bought the team for $ 92 million in 2003 . Bell Sensplex . In 2004 , the Senators , in a partnership with the City of Ottawa , built the Bell Sensplex , a four - pad ice facility , for community and team use . Opened in December 2004 , it is used for team practices and minor hockey . The facility is the main arena for the annual Bell Capital Cup , open to ' atom ' and ' pee - wee ' age group teams , held between Christmas Day and New Year ' s . The tournament attracts over 500 teams annually and bills itself as " the world ' s largest hockey tournament . " The Sensplex is located near Scotiabank Place in the Kanata district of Ottawa . Season - by - season record . This is the list of all regular - season and playoff results of the Ottawa Senators ( 1992 – ) ice hockey club of the National Hockey League . Individual NHL and team season articles can be accessed by links under the ' Season ' and ' Team ' columns of the table . " 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 " All - time playoff record versus opponents . " Statistics above are correct as of the end of the 2014 – 15 season " . Source : Ottawa Senators Honoured members . Retired numbers . 8 - Frank Finnigan , on opening night , October 8 , 1992 . Finnigan was honoured for his play from 1923 through 1934 for the original Ottawa Senators ( as a right wing , 1923 - 31 & 1932 - 34 ) . He was the last surviving Senator from the Stanley Cup winners of 1927 and participated in the ' Bring Back The Senators ' campaign . 99 - Wayne Gretzky , on February 6 , 2000 . Gretzky ' s sweater number was retired league - wide by the NHL . Source : First - round draft picks . Source : Team scoring leaders . These are the top - ten point - scorers in franchise history , post - 1992 , after the 2006 - 07 season : " Note : Pos = Position ; GP = Games Played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; P / G = Points per game ; * = current Senators player " Source : Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season . Team records . Source :