1995–96 Ottawa Senators season

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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[1] (Jan-Apr)
Average attendance13,271 per game (544,108 total)
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)

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 on the last game of the season, allowing the Tampa Bay Lightning to clinch the playoff berth at the expense of the Devils.[2][3]

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[]

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).[4]

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[]

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[5]
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
1 L October 7, 1995 1–3 Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 0–1–0 9,567
2 L October 13, 1995 2–6 @ Florida Panthers (1995–96) 0–2–0 10,895
3 W October 15, 1995 7–4 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) 1–2–0 13,488
4 W October 19, 1995 4–2 Calgary Flames (1995–96) 2–2–0 8,424
5 L October 21, 1995 1–4 @ New Jersey Devils (1995–96) 2–3–0 17,620
6 W October 22, 1995 4–2 @ New York Rangers (1995–96) 3–3–0 18,200
7 W October 24, 1995 2–1 @ Detroit Red Wings (1995–96) 4–3–0 19,512
8 W October 26, 1995 5–4 Los Angeles Kings (1995–96) 5–3–0 10,575
9 L October 28, 1995 1–4 Florida Panthers (1995–96) 5–4–0 8,660
10 L October 29, 1995 2–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) 5–5–0 17,328
11 W November 2, 1995 5–0 @ Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 6–5–0 10,458
12 L November 4, 1995 4–5 Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 6–6–0 8,794
13 L November 8, 1995 1–7 Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 6–7–0 10,137
14 L November 9, 1995 3–4 @ Boston Bruins (1995–96) 6–8–0 17,261
15 L November 11, 1995 2–3 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96) 6–9–0 8,988
16 L November 15, 1995 2–3 @ Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 6–10–0 7,641
17 L November 16, 1995 3–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) 6–11–0 17,220
18 L November 18, 1995 1–5 @ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 6–12–0 17,302
19 L November 19, 1995 0–6 @ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 6–13–0 10,697
20 L November 22, 1995 1–3 Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) 6–14–0 8,426
21 T November 25, 1995 3–3 OT Boston Bruins (1995–96) 6–14–1 9,419
22 L November 28, 1995 2–7 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 6–15–1 16,162
23 L November 30, 1995 3–5 New York Islanders (1995–96) 6–16–1 8,167
24 L December 2, 1995 2–4 New York Rangers (1995–96) 6–17–1 8,194
25 L December 5, 1995 1–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) 6–18–1 15,746
26 W December 7, 1995 5–2 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96) 7–18–1 17,552
27 L December 9, 1995 3–7 Colorado Avalanche (1995–96) 7–19–1 9,169
28 L December 12, 1995 1–2 @ San Jose Sharks (1995–96) 7–20–1 17,190
29 L December 13, 1995 2–6 @ Los Angeles Kings (1995–96) 7–21–1 11,221
30 L December 15, 1995 2–4 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96) 7–22–1 17,174
31 L December 17, 1995 1–4 @ Vancouver Canucks (1995–96) 7–23–1 16,006
32 L December 18, 1995 1–3 @ Edmonton Oilers (1995–96) 7–24–1 8,419
33 L December 23, 1995 2–4 Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 7–25–1 8,615
34 L December 26, 1995 4–6 @ New York Rangers (1995–96) 7–26–1 18,200
35 W December 27, 1995 4–3 @ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 8–26–1 12,175
36 L December 30, 1995 1–4 Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 8–27–1 10,575
37 L December 31, 1995 0–3 Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) 8–28–1 8,522
38 L January 3, 1996 1–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 8–29–1 15,632
39 L January 5, 1996 2–4 @ Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 8–30–1 12,239
40 L January 6, 1996 4–5 @ New York Islanders (1995–96) 8–31–1 12,175
41 L January 11, 1996 1–6 @ Washington Capitals (1995–96) 8–32–1 11,511
42 L January 13, 1996 1–4 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) 8–33–1 21,829
43 L January 17, 1996 0–3 Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 8–34–1 18,500
44 L January 22, 1996 3–7 Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96) 8–35–1 13,872
45 L January 24, 1996 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 8–36–1 17,149
46 L January 25, 1996 2–4 Detroit Red Wings (1995–96) 8–37–1 16,882
47 T January 27, 1996 2–2 OT Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) 8–37–2 18,500
48 W January 29, 1996 4–2 St. Louis Blues (1995–96) 9–37–2 13,125
49 L January 31, 1996 1–3 Boston Bruins (1995–96) 9–38–2 15,795
50 L February 1, 1996 2–4 Washington Capitals (1995–96) 9–39–2 12,322
51 L February 3, 1996 2–3 OT New Jersey Devils (1995–96) 9–40–2 18,280
52 L February 6, 1996 1–3 @ Calgary Flames (1995–96) 9–41–2 16,442
53 L February 8, 1996 2–6 @ Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) 9–42–2 8,673
54 W February 10, 1996 5–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 10–42–2 17,535
55 W February 12, 1996 4–1 @ New York Islanders (1995–96) 11–42–2 7,567
56 T February 15, 1996 2–2 OT San Jose Sharks (1995–96) 11–42–3 13,556
57 L February 17, 1996 1–2 OT New York Rangers (1995–96) 11–43–3 18,500
58 W February 20, 1996 7–1 @ St. Louis Blues (1995–96) 12–43–3 19,736
59 L February 22, 1996 2–3 @ Dallas Stars (1995–96) 12–44–3 14,818
60 L February 25, 1996 2–4 @ Colorado Avalanche (1995–96) 12–45–3 16,061
61 L February 28, 1996 2–3 OT Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 12–46–3 13,419
62 L March 1, 1996 2–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) 12–47–3 18,500
63 L March 2, 1996 1–4 New Jersey Devils (1995–96) 12–48–3 15,510
64 L March 7, 1996 1–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 12–49–3 13,377
65 L March 9, 1996 2–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 12–50–3 17,959
66 W March 13, 1996 4–1 Dallas Stars (1995–96) 13–50–3 13,226
67 W March 15, 1996 2–0 Vancouver Canucks (1995–96) 14–50–3 17,850
68 W March 17, 1996 5–0 Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) 15–50–3 15,102
69 L March 19, 1996 2–5 @ Florida Panthers (1995–96) 15–51–3 12,255
70 L March 21, 1996 1–3 @ Boston Bruins (1995–96) 15–52–3 17,565
71 T March 22, 1996 1–1 OT Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 15–52–4 13,596
72 L March 24, 1996 2–3 Edmonton Oilers (1995–96) 15–53–4 13,188
73 L March 27, 1996 2–4 Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) 15–54–4 15,183
74 L March 29, 1996 0–5 @ Washington Capitals (1995–96) 15–55–4 18,130
75 L March 30, 1996 1–3 Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 15–56–4 18,500
76 T April 1, 1996 1–1 OT Boston Bruins (1995–96) 15–56–5 13,335
77 W April 3, 1996 3–2 Florida Panthers (1995–96) 16–56–5 13,074
78 W April 5, 1996 4–2 New York Islanders (1995–96) 17–56–5 16,541
79 L April 6, 1996 3–4 Washington Capitals (1995–96) 17–57–5 15,101
80 L April 10, 1996 2–5 @ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 17–58–5 15,111
81 L April 11, 1996 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 17–59–5 18,500
82 W April 13, 1996 5–2 @ New Jersey Devils (1995–96) 18–59–5 19,040

[6]

Player statistics[]

Regular season[]

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Daniel Alfredsson RW 82 26 35 61 28 -18 8 2 3
Alexei Yashin C 46 15 24 39 28 -15 8 0 1
Randy Cunneyworth LW 81 17 19 36 130 -31 4 0 2
Steve Duchesne D 62 12 24 36 42 -23 7 0 2
Radek Bonk C 76 16 19 35 36 -5 5 0 1
Tom Chorske LW 72 15 14 29 21 -9 0 2 1
Martin Straka C 43 9 16 25 29 -14 5 0 1
Dan Quinn C 28 6 18 24 24 -8 4 0 0
Sean Hill D 80 7 14 21 94 -26 2 0 2
Jaroslav Modry D 64 4 14 18 38 -17 1 0 1
Pavol Demitra LW 31 7 10 17 6 -3 2 0 1
Alexandre Daigle C 50 5 12 17 24 -30 1 0 0
Ted Drury C 42 9 7 16 54 -19 1 0 1
Antti Tormanen RW 50 7 8 15 28 -15 0 0 0
Kerry Huffman D 43 4 11 15 63 -18 3 0 0
Trent McCleary RW 75 4 10 14 68 -15 0 1 0
Rob Gaudreau RW 52 8 5 13 15 -19 1 1 0
Stan Neckar D 82 3 9 12 54 -16 1 0 0
Dave Archibald C/LW 44 6 4 10 18 -14 0 0 1
Michel Picard LW 17 2 6 8 10 -1 0 0 1
Lance Pitlick D 28 1 6 7 20 -8 0 0 0
Troy Mallette LW 64 2 3 5 171 -7 0 0 0
Dennis Vial D/LW 64 1 4 5 276 -13 0 0 0
Frantisek Musil D 65 1 3 4 85 -10 0 0 0
Pat Elynuik RW 29 1 2 3 16 2 0 0 0
Phil Bourque LW 13 1 1 2 14 -3 0 0 0
Chris Dahlquist D 24 1 1 2 14 -7 0 0 0
Jean-Yves Roy RW 4 1 1 2 2 3 0 0 0
Don Beaupre G 33 0 2 2 17 0 0 0 0
Janne Laukkanen D 20 0 2 2 14 0 0 0 0
Scott Levins C/RW 27 0 2 2 80 -3 0 0 0
Damian Rhodes G 36 0 2 2 4 0 0 0 0
Dave McLlwain C/RW 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0
Mike Bales G 20 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Joe Cirella D 6 0 0 0 4 -3 0 0 0
Daniel Laperriere D 6 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 0
Patrick Traverse D 5 0 0 0 2 -1 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Damian Rhodes 2123 36 10 22 4 98 2.77 2 1041 943 .906
Don Beaupre 1770 33 6 23 0 110 3.73 1 892 782 .877
Mike Bales 1040 20 2 14 1 72 4.15 0 560 488 .871
Team: 4933 82 18 59 5 280 3.41 3 2493 2213 .888

[7]

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 ()
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, Toronto Maple Leafs
To NYI: Martin Straka, Bryan Berard

Toronto : Don Beaupre

To Ottawa Senators
Damian Rhodes (from Toronto)
Wade Redden (from NYI)
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)
1 1 Bryan Berard  United States Detroit Jr. Red Wings (OHL)
2 27 Marc Moro  Canada Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
3 53 Brad Larsen  Canada Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
4 89 Kevin Bolibruck  Canada Peterborough Petes (OHL)
4 103 Kevin Boyd  Canada London Knights (OHL)
6 131 David Hruska  Czech Republic Banik Sokolov (Czech.)
8 183 Kaj Linna  Finland Boston University (NCAA)
8 184 Ray Schultz  Canada Tri-City Americans (WHL)
9 231 Erik Kaminski  United States Northeastern University (Boston) (NCAA)

Farm teams[]

See also[]

References[]

  • Garrioch, Bruce (1998). "Ottawa Senators 1992–93 to Date". Total Hockey. NHL.
  • Ottawa Senators staff (2007). Ottawa Senators Media Guide 2007. Ottawa Senators.
  • "The Internet Hockey Database". Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  • NHL staff (2006). National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007. NHL.

Notes[]

  1. ^ Renamed during season to Corel Centre.
  2. ^ 1996 NJ Devils Miss Playoffs vs Ottawa Senators - Chorske 2 Goals on YouTube
  3. ^ Yannis, Alex (1996-04-14). "HOCKEY;The Devils' Playoff Chase Ends With a Whimper". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  4. ^ "1995-96 NHL Summary".
  5. ^ "1995–1996 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  6. ^ "1995–96 Ottawa Senators Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  7. ^ "1995-96 Ottawa Senators Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
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