1995–96 Ottawa Senators season

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]

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[lower-alpha 1] (Jan-Apr)
Average attendance13,271 (544,108 total)
Minor league affiliate(s)Prince 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)

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).[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
Northeast Division
No. GP W L T GF GA PTS
1Pittsburgh Penguins8249294362284102
2Boston Bruins8240311128226991
3Montreal Canadiens8240321026524890
4Hartford Whalers823439923725977
5Buffalo Sabres823342724726272
6Ottawa Senators821859519129141
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

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

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

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

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.
Regular season
No. Player Pos 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

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

Awards and records

Awards
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]

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[12]

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[13]

September 1995
September 20 Traded Jean-François Labbé to the Colorado Avalanche for future considerations.

Source[14]

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[15]

December 1995
December 1 Released Joe Cirella.
December 31 Re-signed Alexei Yashin to a 5-year, $13.6 million contract.

Source[16]

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[17]

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[18]

Draft picks

Ottawa's draft picks at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft in Edmonton, Alberta.[19]

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)

Farm teams

See also

Notes
  1. Renamed during season to Corel Centre.

References
  • "Ottawa Senators 1995-96 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  • "1995-96 Ottawa Senators Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  • Garrioch, Bruce (1998), "Ottawa Senators 1992–93 to Date", Total Hockey
  • Ottawa Senators staff (2006). Ottawa Senators Media Guide 2007. Ottawa Senators.
  • NHL staff (2006). National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007. NHL.
  1. 1996 NJ Devils Miss Playoffs vs Ottawa Senators - Chorske 2 Goals on YouTube
  2. Yannis, Alex (April 14, 1996). "HOCKEY;The Devils' Playoff Chase Ends With a Whimper". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  3. "1995-96 NHL Summary".
  4. "1995–1996 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  5. "1995-96 Ottawa Senators Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  6. "Calder Memorial Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  7. "Postseason All-Star Teams". NHL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  8. "NHL All-Star Game Historical Summaries - 1996". NHL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  9. "Alfredsson named rookie of the month - UPI Archives". UPI. December 1, 1995. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  10. "NHL Rookies of the Month". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  11. Ottawa Senators 2014–15 Media Guide, p.162–82
  12. "Transactions". prosportstransactions.com. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  13. "Transactions". prosportstransactions.com. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  14. "Transactions". prosportstransactions.com. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  15. "Transactions".
  16. "Transactions".
  17. "Transactions".
  18. "Transactions".
  19. "1995 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
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