In 1992, the second hockey team to be known as the Ottawa Senators began play as a professional team in the National Hockey League. Following in the footsteps of the wildly successful first Senators team, they have big shoes to fill. The first team managed to win a total of eleven Stanley Cups, and although the new team has not managed to win any yet, they have made the playoffs twelve out of thirteen seasons, bringing home four Division Championships and one Conference Championship.
Home of the Ottawa Senators is the Scotiabank Place, which was completed in 1996. For the first four seasons the team played in the Ottawa Civic Centre while their arena was being built. The arena was expanded in 2005, bringing the capacity to 20,500 fans with standing room.
In addition to Senators games, the Scotiabank Place has also played host to other leagues, recording the highest attendance ever for a Canadian Hockey League game, and hosting their first Stanley Cup Finals game in 2007. It was also the home of the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
Before, during, and after games the fans of the Senators are entertained by more than hockey, with live music and entertainment both inside and outside the arena. Spartacat, the team’s mascot is also in attendance at all home games, entertaining fans with his wild antics and hilarious shenanigans. Spartacat is an anthropomorphic lion who began his career at the team’s first home game in 1992 and has been a faithful follower of the Ottawa Senators ever since.
Off the ice, the Senators are active in promoting education, health, and active lifestyles in area children. They also partner with many other organizations to host events directed toward the team’s goals, and are faithful in their efforts to preserve the environment. They support and contribute to the fight against cancer as well.
Of course no discussion of the Ottawa Senators would be complete without mentioning their fans. The Sens Army as they are known is vigorous in supporting their team, participating in celebrations, and dressing up for games. Some fans have been known to dress in Roman Legionary uniforms.
During the 2006-2007 playoffs, a Facebook campaign by some fans before the fourth game in the Eastern Conference Finals began a tradition by fans after every win in that series to close off Elgin street downtown for a celebration. The game five win marked the first official closing by residents of the street and by the end of game six the city had gotten involved, closing the street officially after every game in the final. The event became known as Sens Mile taking after other teams such as the Flames in 2004 with their Red Mile celebration.
On the ice, out in the streets, and throughout the community, the Ottawa Senators and their fans know how to have fun and support each other. Even with their lack of Stanley Cup wins, the team is wildly loved and supported by their fans, and makes sure to give back as much support as they get.
2009-10 Ottawa Senators
The 2009-10 Ottawa Senators are looking to get back into the playoffs after being mathematically being eliminated last season. The team hired a new head coach, Craig Hartsford to help with the rebuilding but was fired by February and replaced with Cory Clouston who this year signed with the team removing the interim tag. Defenceman Jason Smith, who should have been on the back end of a 2-year deal, announced his retirement on September 2, 2009.
In the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the Senators used the 9th overall selection to pick Jared Cowen and Jakob Silfverberg with the 39th overall pick. Free agency yielded eight skaters most notably Alexei Kovalev (2-yr $10million) and Craig Schira (undisclosed contract).
The team is currently sitting in 2nd place in the Northeast Division with a 33-22-4 record.
Previous Seasons
Ottawa Senators tickets got instant respectability with the addition of Dany Heatley and Dominik Hasek during the NHL hiatus. But that's not all the fans in the Corel Centre have to brag about. The Ottawa Senators boast one of the deepest pools of young talent in the league and that distinction may pave the way for the Senators to battle their way back to the Stanley Cup playoffs. In any event, Ottawa Senators tickets are clearly on the rise in the NHL.
In a long awaited return, the NHL came back to the city of Ottawa in 1992, with the NHL forking over the Ottawa Senators. The new franchise debuted on October 8th and got off to a good start by knocking off the Montreal Canadiens 5-3. Ottawa fans expecting big things were disappointed though, as the Senators stumbled and slipped the rest of the way through the season and ended up with a dismal record of 10-70-4. As with most expansions franchises trying to get their feet under them, the misery continued in 1993-94 as the Senators could only mage to reach 14-61-9 and for the second consecutive year were the worst team in the NHL. The silver lining in the dark cloud though, came in the form of Alexei Yashin, who managed to put together a good rookie season by scoring 30 goals.
By 1996-96 the Senators were beginning to shape up. Although they still ended up with the worst record in the league, Ottawa pulled of some impressive upsets, including a win over the defending Stanley Cup winning New Jersey Devils. In addition, rookie Daniel Alfredsson was the winner of the Calder Trophy. Alfredsson, along with Yashin, combined for a good season in 1996-97, bringing Ottawa a 31-36-15 record and the franchise’s first appearance in the NHL Playoffs, where the Senators dropped a 7 game series to the Buffalo Sabres.
Thus began a run of playoff appearance for the Ottawa Senators that extended from 1997 to 2004. Along the way the franchise won 3 division championships and had their best year in 2003 when the team advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time. After finishing at 52-21-8-1 despite the turmoil created by the ownerships financial problems, the Senators won their first round match up against the New York Islanders in 5 games. After advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals with a series win over the Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa fell behind by a 3-1 margin in their Conference series with the New Jersey Devils. With their backs against the wall the Senators rallied to win the next 2, setting up a 7th game. In a heartbreaking turn of events the Senators failed to capitalize on a 1-0 lead and lost their chance at a Stanley Cup in a 3-2 loss.
What do Ottawa Senators tickets have to offer NHL fans? First of all there are newcomers Dany Heatley and Dominik Hasek. Heatley is coming off an injury riddled season but is ranked among the top NHL players around. If he's healthy, and stays healthy, Ottawa gets an instant superstar. Hasek, coming out retirement to join the Senators, played well enough to help the Detroit Red Wings nab a Stanley Cup. His health is a question mark too. If these two key additions can stay on the ice, Ottawa Senators ticket holders can start making plans for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Ottawa is definitely a team to contend with on the ice. They are the top pick to place first in the Eastern Conference – after all, they have finished first twice in the past four seasons, and even made it to the Stanley cup final last season. They have a strong line-up with solid offensive forwards and a great defensive core that includes playoff stars Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov, as well as amazing goaltender Ray Emery. Fans can definitely expect good things from the Senators coming into ’08.
