Ottawa Senators

The **Ottawa Senators** are a team in the National Hockey League. They compete in the Eastern Conference. They get their name from the original Ottawa Senators, which has had a famed history.

## History

### The early years (1992–1996)

The Senators 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 were placed in the Adams Division of the Wales Conference, and played their first game on October 8, 1992, in the Ottawa Civic Centre against the Montreal Canadiens with lots of pre-game spectacle. The Senators defeated the Canadiens 5–3 in one of the few highlights that season.

Following the initial excitement of the opening night victory, the Senators floundered badly and eventually tied the San Jose Sharks for the worst record in the league, winning only 10 games with 70 losses and four 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.

The Senators played their home games at the Ottawa Civic Centre from 1992 to 1996.
Bridgman was fired after one season and Team President Randy Sexton took over the general manager 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 and the Senators finished last overall for the next three seasons.

For the 1993–94 season, the team now played in the Eastern Conference's Northeast Division.

Although 1993 first overall draft choice Alexandre Daigle wound up being one of the greatest draft busts in NHL history, 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 favourites Mike Peluso & Bob Kudelski in an effort to stockpile prospects and draft picks.

As the 1995–96 season began, star centre Alexei Yashin refused to honour 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 the 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.

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.

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.

### The Jacques Martin era (1996–2004)

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

In the 1996–97 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 the 1997–98 season, they finished with their first winning record and upset the heavily favoured New Jersey Devils to win their first playoff series.

In the 1998–99 season, the Senators jumped from fourteenth overall in the previous season to third, with 103 points—the first 100-point season in club history, only to be swept in the first round.

In the 1999–2000 season (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.

Yashin returned for the 2000–01 season and the team improved to win their division and place second in the Eastern Conference. However, Yashin played poorly in another first-round playoff loss 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 & the second overall selection in the draft (which Ottawa used to select centre Jason Spezza).

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 seven of the second round of the playoffs.

Despite speculation that Martin would be fired, it was general manager Marshall Johnston who left, retiring from the team, replaced by John Muckler, the Senators' first with previous GM experience.

In the 2002–03 season, off-ice problems dominated the headlines, as the Senators filed for bankruptcy in mid-season, but continued play after getting emergency financing. Despite the off-ice problems, Ottawa had an outstanding season, placing first overall in the NHL to win the Presidents' Trophy. In the playoffs, they came within one game of making it into the finals.

Prior to the 2003–04 season, pharmaceutical billionaire Eugene Melnyk would purchase the club to bring financial stability. 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.

### The Bryan Murray era (2004–2016)

After the playoff loss, owner Melnyk promised that changes were coming and they came quickly.

In June of 2004, Anaheim Ducks GM Bryan Murray of nearby Shawville, became the head coach. During that same summer, the team also made substantial personnel changes, trading long-time players Patrick Lalime and Radek Bonk and signing free agent goaltender Dominik Hasek.

The Senators would not be able to show its new line-up for a year, as the 2004–05 NHL lock-out intervened and most players played 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 the 2005–06 season, 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.

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' line (which consisted of Alfredsson, Spezza and newly acquired Dany Heatley) established itself as one of the league's top offensive lines.

Hasek played well until he was injured during the 2006 Winter Olympics, forcing the team to enter the playoffs with rookie netminder Ray Emery as their starter. Without Hasek, the team bowed out in a second-round loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

### Trip to the Stanley Cup finals (2006–2007)

In the 2006–07 season, the Senators reached the Stanley Cup Finals after qualifying for the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons. They 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 Senators 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.

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.

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.

Businesses along all of the main streets posted large hand-drawn "Go Sens Go" signs, residents put up large displays in front of 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-storey likeness of Daniel Alfredsson was hung on the Corel building.

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.

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 they lost game four 3–2. The Ducks won game five 6–2 in Anaheim to clinch the series; they had played outstanding defence, shutting down the 'CASH' line, forcing Murray to split up the line. The Ducks scored timely goals and Ducks' goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere out-played Emery.

### A team in decline (2007–2011)

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 Senators managed to qualify for the playoffs by a tie-breaker but was swept in the first round of the playoffs to the Pittsburgh 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 the 2008–09 season, 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 of 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 Senators 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 and Auld was 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 the 2009–10 season, the Senators were a .500 team, until going on a team-record 11-game winning streak in January. The streak propelled the team to the top of the Northeast Division standings and a top-three placing for the playoffs.

The Senators was unable to hold off the Sabres for the division lead, but they qualified for the playoffs in the fifth position.

For the third season in four, they played off against the Pittsburgh 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.

### Rebuilding the team (2011–2015)

In the 2010-11 season, the Senators had a much poorer than expected 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 edition of January 22, 2011, 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.

On January 24, 2011, The 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.

In a press conference, Murray stated that he wished to stay on as the team's general manager. He stated that Melnyk was allowing him to continue as the general manager without restraint. He also 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. 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 (who was a fan favourite in Ottawa) lead to a small anti-Underwood backlash in the city with the banning of her songs from the playlists of some local radio stations.

Next, Murray 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.

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.

As the 2011–12 season began, many hockey writers and commentators were convinced that the Senators would finish at or near the bottom of the NHL standings.

In the midst of rebuilding, the Ottawa line-up contained many rookies and inexperienced players. The team struggled out of the gate, losing five of their first six games before a reversal of fortunes saw them win six games in a row.

In December of 2011, the team acquired forward Kyle Turris from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for David Rundblad and a draft pick. The team improved its play afterwards and moved into a playoff position before the All-Star Game. For the first time in Senators' history, the All-Star Game was held in Ottawa, and it was considered a great success.

Five Senators were voted in or named to the event, including Daniel Alfredsson, who was named the captain of one team.

The team continued its playoff push after the break. After starting goalie Craig Anderson injured his hand in a kitchen accident at home, the Senators called up Robin Lehner from Binghamton and acquired highly regarded goaltender Ben Bishop from the St. Louis Blues. While Anderson recovered, the team continued its solid play.

On April 1, 2012, the Senators defeated the New York Islanders 5–1, officially ensuring a playoff position. The team finished as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, drawing a first-round playoff matchup against the Conference champion New York Rangers. Ultimately, Ottawa lost the series in seven games.

The next season, Ottawa would be challenged to repeat the success they had in 2011–12, due to long-term injuries to key players such as Erik Karlsson, Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek and Craig Anderson.

Despite these injuries, the Senators would finish seventh in the Eastern Conference and head coach Paul MacLean would go on to win the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year. Ottawa would play the second-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, eventually winning in five games, blowing out Montreal 6–1 in games three and five.

The Senators would advance to play the top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round, this time losing in five games. During the off-season, they traded veteran defenceman Sergei Gonchar to the Dallas Stars for a sixth-round pick in the 2013 draft.

On July 5, 2013, long-time captain Daniel Alfredsson signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings, leaving Ottawa after 17 seasons with the Senators and 14 as captain. The signing shocked numerous fans across the city and many within the Senators organization.

Murray also acquired star forward Bobby Ryan from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forwards Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen and a first-round pick in the 2014 draft.

The hope was that Ryan would be the guy to play on the top line with Jason Spezza after Alfredsson's departure. Murray would also sign free agent forward Clarke MacArthur to a two-year contract that same day and bring back former defenceman Joe Corvo to a one-year contract three days later on July 8, 2013.

For the 2013–14 NHL season, the NHL realigned and Ottawa was assigned to the new Atlantic Division along with the rest of the old Northeast Division, with the additions of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings, formerly of the Western Conference.

The re-alignment brought increased competition to qualify for the playoffs, as there were now 16 teams in the Eastern Conference fighting for eight playoff spots. The season began with a changing of leadership, as on September 14, 2013, the Ottawa Senators named Jason Spezza their eighth captain in franchise history.

While new addition Clarke MacArthur had a career year, Ryan and Spezza struggled to find chemistry, and Ryan was moved to a line with MacArthur and Kyle Turris, where he fared much better.

Bobby Ryan also ran into injury problems during the season, and while there were times where Joe Corvo played solidly, he eventually lost his place in the line-up.

The Senators struggled on defence, as shots and goals against numbers increased from the previous season. They were a sub .500 team much of the season, or only a few games above and never was in a playoff position all season.

At the trade deadline, Murray traded for flashy right winger Ales Hemsky from the Edmonton Oilers, quickly finding success on a line with Spezza and Michalek. However, they were eliminated from playoff contention in the last week of the season.

At the end of the season, the Senators failed to come to terms on a new contract with Hemsky and captain Jason Spezza requested a trade out of Ottawa.

At the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, a potential trade to the Nashville Predators was negotiated by Murray, but it was rejected by Spezza, as the Predators were one of the teams on his limited no-trade list.

A deal with the Dallas Stars was eventually reached, and Spezza was sent, along with Ludwig Karlsson, in exchange for Alex Chiasson, Nick Paul, Alex Guptill and a 2015 second-round pick. During the off-season, the club signed free agent forward David Legwand to a two-year, $6 million contract.

At the start of the 2014–15 season, defenceman Erik Karlsson was named the franchise's ninth captain, with the club also re-signing Bobby Ryan to a seven-year extension.

After firing head coach Paul MacLean after 27 games with an 11–11–5 record and replacing him with Dave Cameron, the Senators would win 32 of their last 55 games.

Goaltender Andrew Hammond would compile a record of 20–1–2, goals against average of 1.79, and a save percentage of .941 to get the team back into playoff position.

The Senators later became the first team in modern NHL history to overcome a 14-point deficit at any juncture of the season to qualify for the playoffs. However, they lost to the Canadiens in six games in the first round of the playoffs.

During the 2014–15 season, it was announced that Murray had cancer. Taking regular treatment, Murray chose to stay on as GM through the 2015–16 season.

Despite posting the best record of any Canadian team in the league, the Senators failed to make the playoffs in what was considered a disappointing season (all seven Canadian teams missed the playoffs).

Murray made one "blockbuster" 11-player trade that brought Toronto Maple Leafs' captain Dion Phaneuf to the Senators before the trade deadline. The Senators were outside of a playoff position at the time of the deal, but were unable to put together another run and finished with 85 points for fifth in the division.

### The Pierre Dorion era (2016–present)

On April 10, 2016, the day after the final game of the 2015–16 season, Murray announced his resignation as general manager and that he would continue in an advisory role with the club. Assistant general manager Pierre Dorion was promoted to the general manager position.

On April 12, 2016, the Senators fired head coach Dave Cameron. On May 8, 2016, the Senators hired former Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Guy Boucher as their new head coach. The following day, Marc Crawford was announced as associate coach.

On June 13, 2016, the Senators hired Daniel Alfredsson as the senior advisor of hockey operations.

In June of 2016, the Senators hired Rob Cookson as an assistant coach, who had worked with both Boucher and Crawford in Switzerland, and Pierre Groulx as a goaltending coach.

The Senators finished second in the Atlantic Division during the 2016–17 season and faced the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, winning that series in six games. In the second round, they defeated the New York Rangers in six games.

During the second game of that series, Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored four goals, including the game-winning goal in double overtime.

The Senators would come within one game of the Stanley Cup Final, but lost in double overtime of the seventh game of their Eastern Conference Final series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who went on to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

Following their appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals the previous season, the Senators lost defencemen Marc Methot to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.

On November 5, 2017, the Senators conducted a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche, bringing in star-forward Matt Duchene from the Avalanche in exchange for Kyle Turris, Shane Bowers, Andrew Hammon, a conditional 1st-round pick in 2018 or 2019 and a 3rd-round pick in 2019.

However, following the trade, the Senators season began to fall apart. Forward Derick Brassard and defenceman Dion Phaneuf were dealt at the trade deadline to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings, respectively.

The Senators finished the year second-to-last in the league with a 28–43–11 record and 67 points, their lowest overall point total since the 1995–96 season.

In the 2018 off-season, the Senators traded forward Mike Hoffman to the San Jose Sharks, who was dealt later that day by the Sharks to the Florida Panthers. They were given the right to the fourth-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Having to give either that pick or the 2019 1st-round pick to the Avalanche, the Senators elected to keep the pick and select forward Brady Tkachuk fourth-overall. Just before the regular season started, the Senators traded their captain Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks for players and draft picks.

Unable to re-sign star forwards Duchene, Mark Stone, and Ryan Dzingel, the Senators traded all three forwards prior to the trade deadline. Duchene and Dzingel were traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, while Stone was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Senators finished last in the NHL, making it the first time since the 1995–96 season that they missed back to back playoff appearances.

## Coaching History

* 1992-1995: Rick Bowness
* 1995-1996: Dave Allison
* 1996-2002: Jacques Martin
* 2002: Roger Neilson
* 2002-2004: Jacques Martin
* 2005-2007: Bryan Murray
* 2007-2008: John Paddock
* 2008: Bryan Murray
* 2008-2009: Craig Hartsburg
* 2009-2011: Cory Clouston
* 2011-2014: Paul MacLean
* 2014-2016: Dave Cameron
* 2016-Present: Guy Boucher

## Facts

* Location: Ottawa, Ontario
* Arena: Canadian Tire Centre

## Players

* Daniel Alfredsson
* Craig Anderson
* Radek Bonk
* Mike Fisher
* Erik Karlsson
* Chris Neil