2003–04 Ottawa Senators season
| 2003–04 Ottawa Senators | |
|---|---|
| Division | 3rd Northeast |
| Conference | 5th Eastern |
| 2003–04 record | 43–29–10 |
| Home record | 23–8–5–5 |
| Road record | 20–15–5–1 |
| Goals for | 262 |
| Goals against | 189 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | John Muckler |
| Coach | Jacques Martin |
| Captain | Daniel Alfredsson |
| Alternate captains |
Zdeno Chara Curtis Leschyshyn Wade Redden |
| Arena | Corel Centre |
| Average attendance | 17,758 (92.7%) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Marian Hossa (36) |
| Assists | Daniel Alfredsson (48) |
| Points | Marian Hossa (82) |
| Penalties in minutes | Chris Neil (194) |
| Plus/minus | Zdeno Chara (+33) |
| Wins | Patrick Lalime (25) |
| Goals against average | Martin Prusek (2.12) |
The 2003–04 Ottawa Senators season would see the Senators again finish with over 100 points, finishing with 102, but this was good for only third in the tightly-contested division, as the Boston Bruins would have 104 and the Toronto Maple Leafs 103. Ottawa would meet Toronto in the first-round of the playoffs for the fourth time, where the Maple Leafs would win the series 4–3 to end the Senators' playoff hopes. Ottawa would fire Head Coach Jacques Martin after the playoff round.
In the off-season, Eugene Melnyk would purchase the club to bring financial stability. Another change was in the general manager position. Marshall Johnston resigned and was replaced by John Muckler on June 3, 2003. Muckler had been a candidate for the positions of Ottawa head coach or GM back in 1992, but had chosen to sign on with the Buffalo Sabres instead.
On June 21, 2003, Assistant Coach Roger Neilson died after four years of battling cancer. The Senators would wear a patch on their jerseys with an illustration of his signature and a necktie. Neilson would often wear distinctive neckties and the necktie became associated with him, and also became the symbol for "Roger's House", a residence for the use of families with a family member fighting cancer while in hospital, established by him and the Senators.
Marian Hossa lead the club in scoring with 82 points, good enough for sixth overall in the NHL.
On February 5, 2004, the Senators were playing the Toronto Maple Leafs and were leading 4–0 in the second period. The flu started affecting players on the Senators leading the team to be down to only 15 skaters by the end of the game. The Maple Leafs took full advantage and won the game 5–4 in overtime.
On March 5, 2004, in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, a record was set for the most penalty minutes in a game by both teams, at 419 minutes. Five brawls broke out in the last two minutes of the game. It took the officials until 90 minutes after the game was over to sort out the penalties. By the end of the game, Philadelphia had 213 penalty minutes and seven men left on the bench, while Ottawa finished with 206 penalty minutes and six men left.
...
Wikipedia