1995–96 Ottawa Senators season

1995–96 Ottawa Senators
Division 6th Northeast
Conference 13th Eastern
1995–96 record 18–59–5
Home record 8–28–5
Road record 10–31–0
Goals for 191
Goals against 291
Team information
General Manager Randy Sexton (Oct-Dec)
Pierre Gauthier (Dec-Apr)
Coach Rick Bowness (Oct-Nov)
Dave Allison (Nov-Jan)
Jacques Martin (Jan-Apr)
Captain Randy Cunneyworth
Alternate captains Unknown
Unknown
Arena Ottawa Civic Centre (Oct-Jan)
The Palladium[1] (Jan-Apr)
Average attendance 13,271 per game (544,108 total)
Team leaders
Goals Daniel Alfredsson (26)
Assists Daniel Alfredsson (35)
Points Daniel Alfredsson (61)
Penalties in minutes Dennis Vial (276)
Plus/minus Pat Elyniuk (+2)
Wins Damian Rhodes (10)
Goals against average Damian Rhodes (2.77)
<1994–95 1996–97>

The 1995–96 Ottawa Senators season was a season with 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 would again finish last in the league.

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 would honor him with a patch on their jerseys, with his nickname 'Smitty' and number 18, which they would wear on their jerseys for the whole season. The team would also raise a banner in his memory.

Regular season

The Senators finished last in wins (18), losses (59), 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).[2]

There were some bright spots during the season, rookie Daniel Alfredsson would lead the team offensively with 61 points (26 goals-35 assists), while Alexei Yashin was out of the lineup for 36 games. Alfredsson would go on to win the Calder 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 would then lose 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 would only win two of 25 games (2–22–1) before he was replaced by Jacques Martin. Under Martin, the Senators would be 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 needed a win to clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators would play 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

Northeast Division
No. GP W L T GF GA PTS
1 Pittsburgh Penguins 82 49 29 4 362 284 102
2 Boston Bruins 82 40 31 11 282 269 91
3 Montreal Canadiens 82 40 32 10 265 248 90
4 Hartford Whalers 82 34 39 9 237 259 77
5 Buffalo Sabres 82 33 42 7 247 262 72
6 Ottawa Senators 82 18 59 5 191 291 41
Eastern Conference[3]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 Philadelphia Flyers ATL 82 45 24 13 282 208 103
2 Pittsburgh Penguins NE 82 49 29 4 362 284 102
3 New York Rangers ATL 82 41 27 14 272 237 96
4 Florida Panthers ATL 82 41 31 10 254 234 92
5 Boston Bruins NE 82 40 31 11 282 269 91
6 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 40 32 10 265 248 90
7 Washington Capitals ATL 82 39 32 11 234 204 89
8 Tampa Bay Lightning ATL 82 38 32 12 238 248 88
9 New Jersey Devils ATL 82 37 33 12 215 202 86
10 Hartford Whalers NE 82 34 39 9 237 259 77
11 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 33 42 7 247 262 73
12 New York Islanders ATL 82 22 50 10 229 315 54
13 Ottawa Senators NE 82 18 59 5 191 291 41

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Schedule and results

Regular season schedule
No. R Date Score Opponent Record Attendance
1LOctober 7, 19951–3 Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 0–1–09,567
2LOctober 13, 19952–6 @ Florida Panthers (1995–96) 0–2–010,895
3WOctober 15, 19957–4 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) 1–2–013,488
4WOctober 19, 19954–2 Calgary Flames (1995–96) 2–2–08,424
5LOctober 21, 19951–4 @ New Jersey Devils (1995–96) 2–3–017,620
6WOctober 22, 19954–2 @ New York Rangers (1995–96) 3–3–018,200
7WOctober 24, 19952–1 @ Detroit Red Wings (1995–96) 4–3–019,512
8WOctober 26, 19955–4 Los Angeles Kings (1995–96) 5–3–010,575
9LOctober 28, 19951–4 Florida Panthers (1995–96) 5–4–08,660
10LOctober 29, 19952–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) 5–5–017,328
11WNovember 2, 19955–0 @ Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 6–5–010,458
12LNovember 4, 19954–5 Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 6–6–08,794
13LNovember 8, 19951–7 Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 6–7–010,137
14LNovember 9, 19953–4 @ Boston Bruins (1995–96) 6–8–017,261
15LNovember 11, 19952–3 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96) 6–9–08,988
16LNovember 15, 19952–3 @ Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 6–10–07,641
17LNovember 16, 19953–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) 6–11–017,220
18LNovember 18, 19951–5 @ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 6–12–017,302
19LNovember 19, 19950–6 @ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 6–13–010,697
20LNovember 22, 19951–3 Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) 6–14–08,426
21TNovember 25, 19953–3 OT Boston Bruins (1995–96) 6–14–19,419
22LNovember 28, 19952–7 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 6–15–116,162
23LNovember 30, 19953–5 New York Islanders (1995–96) 6–16–18,167
24LDecember 2, 19952–4 New York Rangers (1995–96) 6–17–18,194
25LDecember 5, 19951–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) 6–18–115,746
26WDecember 7, 19955–2 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96) 7–18–117,552
27LDecember 9, 19953–7 Colorado Avalanche (1995–96) 7–19–19,169
28LDecember 12, 19951–2 @ San Jose Sharks (1995–96) 7–20–117,190
29LDecember 13, 19952–6 @ Los Angeles Kings (1995–96) 7–21–111,221
30LDecember 15, 19952–4 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96) 7–22–117,174
31LDecember 17, 19951–4 @ Vancouver Canucks (1995–96) 7–23–116,006
32LDecember 18, 19951–3 @ Edmonton Oilers (1995–96) 7–24–18,419
33LDecember 23, 19952–4 Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 7–25–18,615
34LDecember 26, 19954–6 @ New York Rangers (1995–96) 7–26–118,200
35WDecember 27, 19954–3 @ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 8–26–112,175
36LDecember 30, 19951–4 Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 8–27–110,575
37LDecember 31, 19950–3 Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) 8–28–18,522
38LJanuary 3, 19961–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 8–29–115,632
39LJanuary 5, 19962–4 @ Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 8–30–112,239
40LJanuary 6, 19964–5 @ New York Islanders (1995–96) 8–31–112,175
41LJanuary 11, 19961–6 @ Washington Capitals (1995–96) 8–32–111,511
42LJanuary 13, 19961–4 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) 8–33–121,829
43LJanuary 17, 19960–3 Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 8–34–118,500
44LJanuary 22, 19963–7 Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96) 8–35–113,872
45LJanuary 24, 19963–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 8–36–117,149
46LJanuary 25, 19962–4 Detroit Red Wings (1995–96) 8–37–116,882
47TJanuary 27, 19962–2 OT Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) 8–37–218,500
48WJanuary 29, 19964–2 St. Louis Blues (1995–96) 9–37–213,125
49LJanuary 31, 19961–3 Boston Bruins (1995–96) 9–38–215,795
50LFebruary 1, 19962–4 Washington Capitals (1995–96) 9–39–212,322
51LFebruary 3, 19962–3 OT New Jersey Devils (1995–96) 9–40–218,280
52LFebruary 6, 19961–3 @ Calgary Flames (1995–96) 9–41–216,442
53LFebruary 8, 19962–6 @ Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) 9–42–28,673
54WFebruary 10, 19965–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 10–42–217,535
55WFebruary 12, 19964–1 @ New York Islanders (1995–96) 11–42–27,567
56TFebruary 15, 19962–2 OT San Jose Sharks (1995–96) 11–42–313,556
57LFebruary 17, 19961–2 OT New York Rangers (1995–96) 11–43–318,500
58WFebruary 20, 19967–1 @ St. Louis Blues (1995–96) 12–43–319,736
59LFebruary 22, 19962–3 @ Dallas Stars (1995–96) 12–44–314,818
60LFebruary 25, 19962–4 @ Colorado Avalanche (1995–96) 12–45–316,061
61LFebruary 28, 19962–3 OT Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 12–46–313,419
62LMarch 1, 19962–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) 12–47–318,500
63LMarch 2, 19961–4 New Jersey Devils (1995–96) 12–48–315,510
64LMarch 7, 19961–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 12–49–313,377
65LMarch 9, 19962–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 12–50–317,959
66WMarch 13, 19964–1 Dallas Stars (1995–96) 13–50–313,226
67WMarch 15, 19962–0 Vancouver Canucks (1995–96) 14–50–317,850
68WMarch 17, 19965–0 Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) 15–50–315,102
69LMarch 19, 19962–5 @ Florida Panthers (1995–96) 15–51–312,255
70LMarch 21, 19961–3 @ Boston Bruins (1995–96) 15–52–317,565
71TMarch 22, 19961–1 OT Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 15–52–413,596
72LMarch 24, 19962–3 Edmonton Oilers (1995–96) 15–53–413,188
73LMarch 27, 19962–4 Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) 15–54–415,183
74LMarch 29, 19960–5 @ Washington Capitals (1995–96) 15–55–418,130
75LMarch 30, 19961–3 Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 15–56–418,500
76TApril 1, 19961–1 OT Boston Bruins (1995–96) 15–56–513,335
77WApril 3, 19963–2 Florida Panthers (1995–96) 16–56–513,074
78WApril 5, 19964–2 New York Islanders (1995–96) 17–56–516,541
79LApril 6, 19963–4 Washington Capitals (1995–96) 17–57–515,101
80LApril 10, 19962–5 @ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 17–58–515,111
81LApril 11, 19963–5 Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 17–59–518,500
82WApril 13, 19965–2 @ New Jersey Devils (1995–96) 18–59–519,040

[4]

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Alfredsson, DanielDaniel Alfredsson RW 82 26 35 61 28-18823
Yashin, AlexeiAlexei Yashin C 46 15 24 39 28-15801
Cunneyworth, RandyRandy Cunneyworth LW 81 17 19 36 130-31402
Duchesne, SteveSteve Duchesne D 62 12 24 36 42-23702
Bonk, RadekRadek Bonk C 76 16 19 35 36-5501
Chorske, TomTom Chorske LW 72 15 14 29 21-9021
Straka, MartinMartin Straka C 43 9 16 25 29-14501
Quinn, DanDan Quinn C 28 6 18 24 24-8400
Hill, SeanSean Hill D 80 7 14 21 94-26202
Modry, JaroslavJaroslav Modry D 64 4 14 18 38-17101
Demitra, PavolPavol Demitra LW 31 7 10 17 6-3201
Daigle, AlexandreAlexandre Daigle C 50 5 12 17 24-30100
Drury, TedTed Drury C 42 9 7 16 54-19101
Tormanen, AnttiAntti Tormanen RW 50 7 8 15 28-15000
Huffman, KerryKerry Huffman D 43 4 11 15 63-18300
McCleary, TrentTrent McCleary RW 75 4 10 14 68-15010
Gaudreau, RobRob Gaudreau RW 52 8 5 13 15-19110
Neckar, StanStan Neckar D 82 3 9 12 54-16100
Archibald, DaveDave Archibald C/LW 44 6 4 10 18-14001
Picard, MichelMichel Picard LW 17 2 6 8 10-1001
Pitlick, LanceLance Pitlick D 28 1 6 7 20-8000
Mallette, TroyTroy Mallette LW 64 2 3 5 171-7000
Vial, DennisDennis Vial D/LW 64 1 4 5 276-13000
Musil, FrantisekFrantisek Musil D 65 1 3 4 85-10000
Elynuik, PatPat Elynuik RW 29 1 2 3 162000
Bourque, PhilPhil Bourque LW 13 1 1 2 14-3000
Dahlquist, ChrisChris Dahlquist D 24 1 1 2 14-7000
Roy, Jean-YvesJean-Yves Roy RW 4 1 1 2 23000
Beaupre, DonDon Beaupre G 33 0 2 2 170000
Laukkanen, JanneJanne Laukkanen D 20 0 2 2 140000
Levins, ScottScott Levins C/RW 27 0 2 2 80-3000
Rhodes, DamianDamian Rhodes G 36 0 2 2 40000
McLlwain, DaveDave McLlwain C/RW 1 0 1 1 20000
Bales, MikeMike Bales G 20 0 0 0 20000
Cirella, JoeJoe Cirella D 6 0 0 0 4-3000
Laperriere, DanielDaniel Laperriere D 6 0 0 0 42000
Traverse, PatrickPatrick Traverse D 5 0 0 0 2-1000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Rhodes, DamianDamian Rhodes 2123 36 10 22 4 98 2.77 21041943.906
Beaupre, DonDon Beaupre 1770 33 6 23 0 110 3.73 1892782.877
Bales, MikeMike Bales 1040 20 2 14 1 72 4.15 0560488.871
Team: 4933 82 18 59 5 280 3.41 324932213.888

[5]

Note:

Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

Transactions

Trades

April 7, 1995 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Norm Maciver
Troy Murray

To Ottawa Senators

Martin Straka

April 7, 1995 To Boston Bruins

Craig Billington

To Ottawa Senators

future considerations (Bruins' eighth-round pick in 1995 Draft (Ray Schultz))

April 7, 1995 To Quebec Nordiques

Bill Huard

To Ottawa Senators

Mika Stromberg
(Nordiques' fourth-round pick in 1995 Draft (Kevin Boyd))

April 7, 1995 To St. Louis Blues

Ottawa's ninth-round pick 1995 Entry Draft (Libor Zabransky)

To Ottawa Senators

Daniel Laperriere
St. Louis's ninth-round pick 1995 Entry Draft (Erik Kaminski)

July 8, 1995 To New Jersey Devils

Ottawa's fourth-round pick 1995 Entry Draft (Alyn McCauley)

To Ottawa Senators

Jaroslav Modry

August 4, 1995 To St. Louis Blues

Ottawa's second-round pick 1995 Entry Draft (later traded by St. Louis)

To Ottawa Senators

Steve Duchesne

September 20, 1995 To Colorado Avalanche

Jean-Francois Labbe

To Ottawa Senators

future considerations

October 5, 1995 To New York Rangers

Steve Larouche

To Ottawa Senators

Jean-Yves Roy)

October 5, 1995 To New Jersey Devils

Ottawa's third-round pick 1997 Entry Draft (Alyn McCauley)

To Ottawa Senators

Tom Chorske

October 7, 1995 To Calgary Flames

Ottawa's fourth-round pick 1997 Entry Draft (Chris St. Croix)

To Ottawa Senators

Frank Musil

January 23, 1996 To Philadelphia Flyers

Dan Quinn

To Ottawa Senators

future considerations

January 23, 1996 To New York Islanders

Don Beaupre
Martin Straka
Bryan Berard

To Ottawa Senators

Damian Rhodes
Wade Redden

January 26, 1996 To Colorado Avalanche

Brad Larsen

To Ottawa Senators

Janne Laukkanen

March 1, 1996 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Dave McLlwain

To Ottawa Senators

Pittsburgh's eighth-round pick 1996 Entry Draft (Erich Goldmann)

March 19, 1996 To Philadelphia Flyers

Kerry Huffman

To Ottawa Senators

future considerations

March 20, 1996 To Los Angeles Kings

Jaroslav Modry
Ottawa's eighth-round pick 1996 Entry Draft (Stephen Valiquette)

To Ottawa Senators

Kevin Brown

Waivers

October 2, 1995 From Carolina Hurricanes

Ted Drury

October 2, 1995 From Los Angeles Kings

Justin Hocking

Source: Ottawa Senators 2008–09 Media Guide. Ottawa Senators. 2008. pp. 187–188. 

Free agents

Player Former team
Dan Quinn Los Angeles Kings
Eric Lavigne Los Angeles Kings
Joe Cirella Florida Panthers
Player New team
Corey Foster Pittsburgh Penguins

Roster

1995-96 Ottawa Senators
Goaltenders

Defencemen

Wingers

Centres

Draft picks

Ottawa's draft picks at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft in Edmonton, Alberta.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
11 Bryan Berard  United States Detroit Jr. Red Wings (OHL)
227 Marc Moro  Canada Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
353 Brad Larsen  Canada Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
489 Kevin Bolibruck  Canada Peterborough Petes (OHL)
4103 Kevin Boyd  Canada London Knights (OHL)
6131 David Hruska  Czech Republic Banik Sokolov (Czech.)
8183 Kaj Linna  Finland Boston University (NCAA)
8184 Ray Schultz  Canada Tri-City Americans (WHL)
9231 Erik Kaminski  United States Northeastern University (Boston) (NCAA)

Farm teams

See also

References

Notes

  1. Renamed during season to Corel Centre.
  2. http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1996.html
  3. "1995–1996 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  4. "1995–96 Ottawa Senators Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  5. "1995-96 Ottawa Senators Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
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