Wikiwand AI

1995–96 Ottawa Senators season

NHL hockey team season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.[1][2]

Division6th Northeast
Conference13th Eastern
1995–96 record18–59–5
Home record8–28–5
Quick facts Ottawa Senators, Division ...
1995–96 Ottawa Senators
Division6th Northeast
Conference13th Eastern
1995–96 record18–59–5
Home record8–28–5
Road record10–31–0
Goals for191
Goals against291
Team information
General managerRandy Sexton (Oct.–Dec.)
Pierre Gauthier (Dec.–Apr.)
CoachRick Bowness (Oct.–Nov.)
Dave Allison (Nov.–Jan.)
Jacques Martin (Jan.–Apr.)
CaptainRandy Cunneyworth
Alternate captainsSteve Duchesne
Tom Chorske
ArenaOttawa Civic Centre (Oct.–Dec.)
The Palladium[a] (Jan.–Apr.)
Average attendance13,252 (2 arenas combined)
Minor league affiliatesPrince Edward Island Senators
Thunder Bay Senators
Team leaders
GoalsDaniel Alfredsson (26)
AssistsDaniel Alfredsson (35)
PointsDaniel Alfredsson (61)
Penalty minutesDennis Vial (276)
Plus/minusPat Elyniuk (+2)
WinsDamian Rhodes (10)
Goals against averageDamian Rhodes (2.77)
Close

Offseason

'Smitty' patch worn during the season

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

Northeast Division teams

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).[3]

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

More information No., GP ...
Northeast Division
No. GP W L T GF GA PTS
1Pittsburgh Penguins8249294362284102
2Boston Bruins8240311128226991
3Montreal Canadiens8240321026524890
4Hartford Whalers823439923725977
5Buffalo Sabres823342724726272
6Ottawa Senators821859519129141
Close
More information R, Div ...
Eastern Conference[4]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1Philadelphia FlyersATL82452413282208103
2Pittsburgh PenguinsNE8249294362284102
3New York RangersATL8241271427223796
4Florida PanthersATL8241311025423492
5Boston BruinsNE8240311128226991
6Montreal CanadiensNE8240321026524890
7Washington CapitalsATL8239321123420489
8Tampa Bay LightningATL8238321223824888
9New Jersey DevilsATL8237331221520286
10Hartford WhalersNE823439923725977
11Buffalo SabresNE823342724726273
12New York IslandersATL8222501022931554
13Ottawa SenatorsNE821859519129141
Close

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Schedule and results

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

Legend: W Win (2 points) L Loss (0 points) T Tie (1 point)

Close

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.
More information No., Player ...
No. Player Pos Regular season
GP G A Pts +/- PIM
11Daniel AlfredssonRW82263561−1828
19Alexei YashinC46152439−1528
7Randy CunneyworthLW81171936−31130
28Steve DuchesneD62122436−2342
76Radek BonkC76161935−536
17Tom ChorskeLW72151429−921
82Martin Straka‡C4391625−1429
9Dan Quinn‡C2861824−824
4Sean HillD8071421−2694
23Jaroslav Modry‡D6441418−1738
78Pavol DemitraLW3171017−36
91Alexandre DaigleC5051217−3024
13Ted DruryC429716−1954
22Antti TormanenRW507815−1528
5Kerry Huffman‡D4341115−1863
20Trent McClearyRW7541014−1568
10Rob GaudreauRW528513−1915
94Stan NeckarD823912−1654
12Dave ArchibaldC446410−1418
49Michel PicardLW17268−110
2Lance PitlickD28167−820
36Troy MalletteLW64235−7171
21Dennis VialD64145−13276
3Frank MusilD65134−1085
25Pat ElynuikRW29123216
29Phil BourqueLW13112−314
6Chris DahlquistD24112−714
14Jean-Yves RoyRW411232
33Don Beaupre‡G3302217
27Janne Laukkanen†D20022014
26Scott LevinsRW27022−380
1Damian Rhodes†G360224
16Dave McLlwain‡RW101102
35Mike BalesG200002
27Joe Cirella†‡D6000−34
24Daniel LaperriereD600024
18Patrick TraverseD5000−12
Close

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.
More information No., Player ...
No. Player Regular season
GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
1Damian Rhodes†36102241041982.77.90622123
33Don Beaupre‡3362308921103.73.87711770
35Mike Bales202141560724.15.87101040
Close

Awards and records

Awards

More information Type, Award/honour ...
Type Award/honour Recipient Ref
League
(annual)		 Calder Memorial Trophy Daniel Alfredsson [6]
NHL All-Rookie Team Daniel Alfredsson (Forward) [7]
League
(in-season)		 NHL All-Star Game selection Daniel Alfredsson [8]
NHL Rookie of the Month Daniel Alfredsson (November) [9]
Daniel Alfredsson (April) [10]
Team Molson Cup Damian Rhodes [11]
Close

Milestones

More information Milestone, Player ...
Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Daniel Alfredsson October 7, 1995 [12]
Trent McCleary
Antti Tormanen
Patrick Traverse December 30, 1995
Close

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[13]

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[14]

September 1995

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

Source[15]

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[16]

December 1995

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

Source[17]

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[18]

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[19]

Draft picks

Ottawa's draft picks at the 1995 NHL entry draft in Edmonton, Alberta.[20]

More information Round, # ...
Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
11Bryan Berard United StatesDetroit Jr. Red Wings (OHL)
227Marc Moro CanadaKingston Frontenacs (OHL)
353Brad Larsen CanadaSwift Current Broncos (WHL)
489Kevin Bolibruck CanadaPeterborough Petes (OHL)
4103Kevin Boyd CanadaLondon Knights (OHL)
6131David Hruska Czech RepublicBanik Sokolov (Czech.)
8183Kaj Linna FinlandBoston University (NCAA)
8184Ray Schultz CanadaTri-City Americans (WHL)
9231Erik Kaminski United StatesNortheastern University (Boston) (NCAA)
Close

Farm teams

Prince Edward Island Senators

Dave Allison began the 1995–96 as head coach of the club, however, he was promoted to Ottawa on November 20, 1995. Assistant coach John Phelan took over head coaching duties in Prince Edward Island. Allison earned a 10–11–2–0 record at the time of the coaching change. Under Phelan, the Senators were 28–22–4–3. Overall, the club finished the season with a 38–33–6–3 record, earning 85 points and first place in the Atlantic Division.

Jean-Yves Roy and Shawn Heaphy co-led the club with 40 goals, while Roy led the club with 95 points. Frédéric Cassivi led the Senators with 20 victories and had a team-best 3.27 GAA.

In the post-season, PEI was upset by the Fredericton Canadiens in the division semi-finals. Michel Picard scored a team-high five goals, while Roy led the team with 13 points. Cassivi had both playoff wins for the team.

Thunder Bay Senators

Tom Warden was named head coach of the Thunder Bay Senators for the 1995–96 season. The club finished in second place in the West Division with a 36–26–12 record, earning 84 points, and qualifying for the post-season.

Jason Firth led the team with 39 goals, and his 133 points ranked second in the league. Patrick Charbonneau led the club with 16 wins and had a team-best 3.25 GAA.

In the post-season, Thunder Bay defeated the Madison Monsters and Brantford Smoke before falling to the Flint Generals in the Colonial Cup finals. Jean Blouin led Thunder Bay with 23 goals and Firth led the club with 33 points.

See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    Renamed during season to Corel Centre.

References

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks