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(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) |
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, even though they knocked out the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils out of playoff contention on the last game of 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.
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).
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.
...
Wikipedia