2007–08 Ottawa Senators season
| 2007–08 Ottawa Senators | |
|---|---|
| Division | 2nd Northeast |
| Conference | 7th Eastern |
| 2007–08 record | 43–31–8 |
| Home record | 22–15–4 |
| Road record | 21–16–4 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Bryan Murray |
| Coach |
John Paddock (Oct-Feb) Bryan Murray (Feb-Apr) interim |
| Captain | Daniel Alfredsson |
| Alternate captains |
Chris Phillips Wade Redden |
| Arena | Scotiabank Place |
| Average attendance | 19,821 (103.5%) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Dany Heatley (41) |
| Assists | Jason Spezza (58) |
| Points | Jason Spezza (92) |
| Penalties in minutes | Chris Neil (199) |
| Plus/minus | Dany Heatley (+33) |
| Wins | Martin Gerber (30) |
| Goals against average | Martin Gerber (2.72) |
The 2007–08 Ottawa Senators season began on October 3, 2007, and finished on April 16, 2008. It was the Senators' 16th season in the National Hockey League. The Senators started strongly in the regular season, but the team slumped after Christmas, and just barely qualified for the playoffs. The slump caused the Senators to fire John Paddock, who was in his first season as head coach. The Senators lost in the first round, losing in a sweep by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was held in Columbus, Ohio, on June 22–23, and the Senators used their first-round draft pick, 29th overall, to select James O'Brien.
Prior to the season, the Senators changed their staff, promoting Bryan Murray to general manager and John Paddock to head coach. Previous General Manager John Muckler did not accept another position with the Senators and resigned. Two players, Mike Comrie and Tom Preissing, left as free agents, and Peter Schaefer was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Shean Donovan.
In the pre-season, a major incident occurred in the game against the Philadelphia Flyers on September 25. Early in the second period, forward Dean McAmmond was hit in the head by Steve Downie of the Flyers. Downie was given a match penalty with an automatic suspension. McAmmond was diagnosed with a concussion. Four Flyers players were eventually injured in the match, which was won by the Senators by two goals. Steve Downie was eventually suspended for 20 games for the hit, also adding a nine-game suspension from the NHL's affiliate, the American Hockey League (AHL). The Senators won all seven of their pre-season games, the only NHL team to do so that year.
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