The Ottawa Senators (French: Sénateurs d’Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club[b] and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference and play their home games at the 18,652-seat[5] Canadian Tire Centre, which opened in 1996 as the Palladium.
Founded and established by Ottawa real estate developer Bruce Firestone, the team is the second NHL franchise to use the Ottawa Senators name. The original Ottawa Senators, founded in 1883, had a famed history, winning the Stanley Cup 11 times,[6] playing in the NHL from 1917 until 1934. On December 6, 1990, after a two-year public campaign by Firestone, the NHL awarded a new franchise, which began play in the 1992–93 season.[7] The Senators have made 16 playoff appearances, won four division titles, and won the 2003 Presidents’ Trophy. They made an appearance in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals but lost to the Anaheim Ducks in five games.
Ottawa had been home to the original Senators, a founding NHL franchise and 11-time Stanley Cup champions. After the NHL expanded to the United States in the late 1920s, the original Senators’ eventual financial losses forced the franchise to move to St. Louis in 1934 operating as the Eagles while a Senators senior amateur team took over the Senators’ place in Ottawa.[8] The NHL team was unsuccessful in St. Louis and planned to return to Ottawa, but the NHL decided instead to suspend the franchise and transfer the players to other NHL teams.[9]
Fifty-four years later, after the NHL announced plans to expand, Ottawa real estate developer Bruce Firestone decided along with colleagues Cyril Leeder and Randy Sexton that Ottawa was now able to support an NHL franchise, and the group proceeded to put a bid together. His firm, Terrace Investments, did not have the liquid assets to finance the expansion fee and the team, but the group conceived a strategy to leverage land development. In 1989, after finding a suitable site on farmland just west of Ottawa in Kanata on which to construct a new arena, Terrace announced its intention to win a franchise and launched a successful “Bring Back the Senators” campaign to both woo the public and persuade the NHL that the city could support an NHL franchise. Public support was high, and the group would secure over 11,000 season ticket pledges.[10] On December 12, 1990, the NHL approved a new franchise for Firestone’s group to start play in the 1992–93 season.
Early years (1992–1996)The new team hired former NHL player Mel Bridgman, who had no previous NHL management experience, as its first general manager in 1992.[11] Ottawa signed former Boston head coach Rick Bowness. 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 much pre-game spectacle.[12] 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 club floundered badly. Eventually, it 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.[13] 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.[14] The long-term plan was to finish low in the standings for its first few years to secure high draft picks and eventually contend for the Stanley Cup.[
- Leagues
- NHL
- Seasons
- 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25
Results
(TEAM 1 WIN IN REGULAR TIME) 1 - 3NHL Boston vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 1 WIN IN REGULAR TIME) 2 - 3(OT)NHL Tampa Bay vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 1 HANDICAP 0) 2 - 3(OT)NHL Washington vs Ottawa |
(OVER 6 GOALS) 3 - 4NHL Ottawa vs New Jersey |
(TEAM 1 HANDICAP 0) 3 - 2NHL Minnesota vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 1 OVER 32.5 SHOTS ON TARGET) 20 - 25NHL New Jersey vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 2 TOTAL OVER 2.5) 2 - 5NHL Ottawa vs St. Louis |
(TEAM 1 WIN(INCLUDING OT)) 3 - 4(OT)NHL NY Islanders vs Ottawa |
(OVER 6 GOALS) 2 - 1NHL San Jose vs Ottawa |
(OVER 6 GOALS) 2 - 1NHL Anaheim vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 1 HANDICAP 0) 4 - 2NHL Philadelphia vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 1 HANDICAP 0) 4 - 1NHL Nashville vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 1 TOTAL OVER 3.5) 3(OT) - 2NHL Florida vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 1 TOTAL OVER 3) 2 - 3(OT)NHL Detroit vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 2 TOTAL OVER 3) 4(OT) - 3NHL Ottawa vs Nashville |
(1X(HOME WIN OR DRAW)) 2 - 7NHL Ottawa vs NY Rangers |
(TOTAL OVER 62.5 SHOTS ON TARGET) 37 - 23NHL Ottawa vs Boston |
(TEAM 1 TOTAL OVER 2.5) 1 - 4NHL Montreal vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 2 TOTAL OVER 2.5) 6 - 2NHL Ottawa vs Montreal |
(TEAM 2 TOTAL OVER 3) 4 - 7NHL Ottawa vs Colorado |
(UNDER 7 GOALS) 2 - 4NHL Toronto vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 2 TOTAL OVER 2.5) 5(OT) - 4NHL Ottawa vs Pittsburgh |
(TEAM 1 WIN(INCLUDING OT)) 6 - 4NHL Colorado vs Ottawa |
(1X(HOME WIN OR DRAW)) 4 - 3NHL Arizona vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 1 TOTAL OVER 3) 5 - 4NHL Dallas vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 2 OVER 29.5 SHOTS ON TARGET) 41 - 22NHL Ottawa vs Toronto |
(TEAM 2 HANDICAP 0) 6 - 2NHL Ottawa vs NY Rangers |
(2X(AWAY WIN OR DRAW)) 2 - 0NHL Ottawa vs Seattle Kraken |
(TEAM 1 TOTAL OVER 2.5) 4 - 2NHL Columbus vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 2 HANDICAP 0) 0 - 5NHL Ottawa vs Florida |
(OVER 6 GOALS) 4 - 1NHL Ottawa vs Calgary |
(OVER 6 GOALS) 2 - 5NHL Ottawa vs Vancouver |
(TEAM 2 TOTAL OVER 2.5) 3 - 6NHL Toronto vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 2 TOTAL OVER 3) 2 - 3NHL Ottawa vs LA Kings |
(TEAM 1 HANDICAP 0) 2 - 5NHL Pittsburgh vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 1 WIN(INCLUDING OT)) 4 - 6NHL Ottawa vs Buffalo |
(TEAM 1 WIN(INCLUDING OT)) 6 - 1NHL Ottawa vs Washington |
(OVER 6 GOALS) 5 - 2NHL Ottawa vs Tampa Bay |
(UNDER 6.5 GOALS) 5 - 3NHL Carolina vs Ottawa |
(TEAM 2 TOTAL OVER 2.5) 4 - 3NHL Montreal vs Ottawa |
(Prediction-1X(Home win or draw).) 3 - 2NHL Ottawa vs Carolina |
(Prediction-Team 1 total over 2.5 goals.) 5(OT) - 4NHL Ottawa vs Philadelphia |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 5 - 2NHL Ottawa vs Florida |
(Prediction -Home win(including OT).) 1 - 2NHL Pittsburgh vs Ottawa |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 5 - 1NHL Calgary vs Ottawa |
(Prediction -Home win(including OT).) 6 - 1NHL Ottawa vs Detroit |
(Prediction -Home win(including OT).) 6 - 2NHL Ottawa vs Detroit |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 3 - 4(OT)NHL Ottawa vs Chicago |
(Prediction -Home win(including OT).) 2 - 3(OT)NHL NY Islanders vs Ottawa |
(Prediction-under 6.5 goals.) 4(OT) - 3NHL Ottawa vs Calgary |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 3 - 6NHL Ottawa vs Edmonton |
(Prediction -Away team win in regular time.) 4 - 5NHL Montreal vs Ottawa |
(Prediction-under 6.5 goals.) 2 - 1NHL Ottawa vs NY Islanders |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 5(OT) - 4NHL Ottawa vs Pittsburgh |
(Prediction -Home win(including OT).) 7 - 0NHL Colorado vs Ottawa |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 3 - 5NHL Arizona vs Ottawa |
(Prediction -Home wins(including OT).) 3 - 1NHL Ottawa vs Buffalo |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 4 - 2NHL Detroit vs Ottawa |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 3 - 4(OT)NHL Washington vs Ottawa |
(Prediction under 6.5 goals) 2 - 3(OT)NHL Ottawa vs Washington |
(Prediction -Home wins(including OT).) 5 - 1NHL Winnipeg vs Ottawa |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 3 - 6NHL Detroit vs Ottawa |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 3 - 2NHL Ottawa vs Montreal |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 3 - 0NHL Ottawa vs Anaheim |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 2 - 5NHL Ottawa vs LA Kings |
(Prediction - over 6 goals.) 5 - 2NHL Ottawa vs San Jose |
(Prediction -Home wins(including OT).) 2 - 3(OT)NHL LA Kings vs Ottawa |
(Prediction - over 5.5 goals.) 1 - 5NHL Anaheim vs Ottawa |
(Prediction - Away team wins(including OT).) 1 - 5NHL Ottawa vs New Jersey |
(Prediction - over 5.5 goals.) 4 - 1NHL Ottawa vs Buffalo |
(Prediction - over 6.5 goals.) 4(OT) - 3NHL New Jersey vs Ottawa |
(Prediction - over 5.5 goals.) 4 - 6NHL Ottawa vs Vancouver |
(Prediction - over 5.5 goals.) 4 - 5NHL Ottawa vs Vegas |
(Prediction - over 6.5 goals.) 5 - 3NHL Florida vs Ottawa |
(Prediction -Home wins(including OT).) 5 - 2NHL Ottawa vs Washington |
(Prediction -over 5.5 goals.) 7 - 5NHL Ottawa vs Boston |