Ottawa Senators

History

Ottawa had been home to the original Senators, a founding NHL franchise and 11-time Stanley Cup champions. The original Senators' eventual financial losses forced the franchise to move to St. Louis in 1934 operating as the Eagles while a Senators senior amateur team took over the Senators' place in Ottawa. The NHL team was unsuccessful in St. Louis and planned to return to Ottawa, but the NHL decided instead to suspend the franchise and transfer the players.

Fifty-four years later, after the NHL announced plans to expand, Ottawa real estate developer Bruce Firestone decided along with colleagues Cyril Leeder and Randy Sexton that Ottawa was now able to support an NHL franchise, and the group proceeded to put a bid together. This effort was supported by key individuals including Jeff Kyle and Mark Bonneau who later became executives with the Senators. Firestone's firm, Terrace Investments, did not have the liquid assets to finance the expansion fee and the team, but the group conceived a strategy to leverage land development. In 1989, after finding a suitable site on farmland just west of Ottawa in Kanata on which to construct a new arena, Terrace announced its intention to win a franchise and launched a successful "Bring Back the Senators" campaign to both woo the public and persuade the NHL that the city could support an NHL franchise. Public support was high, and the group would secure over 11,000 season ticket pledges. On December 12, 1990, the NHL approved a new franchise for Firestone's group to start play in the 1992–93 season.

Early years (1992–1996)

The new team hired former NHL player Mel Bridgman, who had no previous NHL management experience, as its first general manager in 1992. Ottawa signed former Boston Bruins head coach Rick Bowness. The new Senators were placed in the Adams Division of the Wales Conference and played their first game on October 8, 1992, in the Ottawa Civic Centre against the Montreal Canadiens with much pre-game spectacle. The Senators defeated the Canadiens 5–3 in one of the few highlights that season. Following the initial excitement of the opening night victory, the club floundered badly. Eventually, it tied the San Jose Sharks for the worst record in the league, winning only 10 games with 70 losses and four ties for 24 points, three points better than the NHL record for futility. The Senators had aimed low and considered the 1992–93 season a small success, as Firestone had set a goal for the season of not setting a new NHL record for fewest points in a season. The long-term plan was to finish low in the standings for its first few years to secure high draft picks and eventually contend for the Stanley Cup.

Terrace needed a partner to make the final franchise payment to the NHL. Firestone sold 50% of Terrace to Rod Bryden, a technology executive and entrepreneur. A limited partnership was set up to own the hockey team and a new company, Palladium Corp., which was charged with building the new arena. The partnership included local high-tech executives and singer Paul Anka, who was born in Ottawa. Bryden would become the sole owner of Terrace and majority owner of the Senators in August 1993, buying out Firestone.

Bridgman was fired after one season and team president Randy Sexton took over the general manager duties. The strategy of aiming low and securing a high draft position did not change. The Senators finished last overall for the next three seasons. For the 1993–94 season, the team now played in the Eastern Conference's Northeast Division. Although 1993 first overall draft choice Alexandre Daigle wound up being one of the greatest draft busts in NHL history, they chose Radek Bonk in 1994, Bryan Berard (traded for Wade Redden) in 1995, Chris Phillips in 1996 and Marian Hossa in 1997, all of whom would become solid NHL players and formed a strong core of players in years to come. Alexei Yashin, the team's first-ever draft selection from 1992, emerged as one of the NHL's brightest young stars. The team traded many of their better veteran players of the era, including 1992–93 leading scorer Norm Maciver and fan favourites Mike Peluso and Bob Kudelski in an effort to stockpile prospects and draft picks.

Jacques Martin era (1996–2004)

Martin imposed a "strong defence first" philosophy that led to the team qualifying for the playoffs every season that he coached, but he was criticized for the team's lack of success in the playoffs, notably losing four straight series against their provincial rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 1996–97, his first season, the club qualified for the playoffs in the last game of the season and nearly defeated the Buffalo Sabres in the first round. In 1997–98, the club finished with their first winning record and upset the heavily favoured New Jersey Devils to win their first playoff series. However, they were ousted in the second round by the Washington Capitals. In 1998–99, the Senators jumped from fourteenth overall in the previous season to third, with 103 points—the first 100-point season in club history, only to be swept in the first round by the Sabres. In 1999–2000, despite Yashin's holdout, Martin guided the team to the playoffs, only to lose to the Maple Leafs in the first Battle of Ontario series. Yashin returned for 2000–01 and the team improved to win their division and place second in the Eastern Conference. Yashin played poorly in another first-round playoff loss and on the day of the 2001 NHL entry draft, he was traded to the New York Islanders in exchange for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and the second overall selection in the draft, which Ottawa used to select centre Jason Spezza.

The 2001–02 Senators regular season points total dropped, but in the playoffs, they upset the Philadelphia Flyers for the franchise's second playoff series win. The Sens would go on to push their second-round series to seven games, but they were ultimately once again defeated by the Maple Leafs. Despite speculation that Martin would be fired, it was general manager Marshall Johnston who left, retiring from the team. He was replaced by John Muckler, the Senators' first with previous management experience.

Although the Senators were bankrupt, they continued to play in the 2002–03 season after getting emergency financing. Despite the off-ice problems, Ottawa had an outstanding season, placing first overall in the NHL to win the Presidents' Trophy. In the playoffs, they came within one game of making it into the 2003 Stanley Cup Final, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils. In 2003–04, Martin guided the team to another good regular season but again would lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Maple Leafs, leading to Martin's dismissal as management felt that a new coach was required for playoff success.

Bryan Murray era (2004–2016)

After the playoff loss, owner Melnyk promised that changes were coming, and they came quickly. In June 2004, Anaheim Ducks general manager Bryan Murray of nearby Shawville became the head coach. That summer, the team also made substantial personnel changes, trading long-time players Patrick Lalime and Radek Bonk, and signing free agent goaltender Dominik Hasek. The team would not be able to show its new line-up for a year, as the 2004–05 NHL lock-out intervened and most players played in Europe or in the minors. In a final change, just before the 2005–06 season, the team traded long-time player Marian Hossa for Dany Heatley.

The media predicted the Senators to be Stanley Cup contenders in 2005–06, as they had a strong core of players returning. They played an up-tempo style that fit the new rule changes, and Hasek was expected to provide top-notch goaltending. The team rushed out of the gate, winning 19 of the first 22 games, in the end winning 52 games and 113 points, placing first in the conference, and second overall. The newly formed 'CASH' line of Alfredsson, Spezza, and Heatley established itself as one of the league's top offensive lines. Hasek played well until he was injured during the 2006 Winter Olympics, forcing the team to enter the playoffs with rookie netminder Ray Emery as their starter. Without Hasek, the club bowed out in a second-round loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

In 2006–07, the Senators reached the Stanley Cup Final after qualifying for the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons. The Senators had a high turn-over of personnel and the disappointment of 2006 to overcome and started the season poorly. Trade rumours swirled around Alfredsson for most of the last months of 2006. The team lifted itself out of last place in the division to nearly catch the Buffalo Sabres by season's end, placing fourth in the Eastern Conference. The team finished with 105 points, their fourth consecutive 100-point season and sixth in the last eight. In the playoffs, Ottawa continued its good play. Led by the 'CASH' line, goaltender Emery, and the strong defence of Phillips and Anton Volchenkov, the club defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, the second-ranked New Jersey Devils and the top-ranked Sabres to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

The 2006–07 Senators thus became the first Ottawa team to be in a Stanley Cup Final since 1927, and the city was swept up in the excitement. Businesses along all of the main streets posted large hand-drawn "Go Sens Go" signs, residents put up large displays in front of their homes or decorated their cars. A large Ottawa Senators flag was draped on the City Hall, along with a large video screen showing the games. A six-storey likeness of Alfredsson was hung on the Corel building. Rallies were held outside of City Hall, car rallies of decorated cars paraded through town and a section of downtown, dubbed the "Sens Mile", was closed off to traffic during and after games for fans to congregate.

Pierre Dorion era (2016–2023)

On April 10, 2016, the day after the final game of the 2015–16 season, Murray announced his resignation as general manager and that he would continue in an advisory role with the club. Assistant general manager Pierre Dorion was promoted to the general manager position. On April 12, the Senators fired head coach Cameron. On May 8, 2016, the Senators hired former Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Guy Boucher as their new head coach. On the following day, Marc Crawford was announced as associate coach. On June 13, 2016, the Senators hired Daniel Alfredsson as the senior advisor of hockey operations. In June 2016, the Senators hired Rob Cookson as an assistant coach, who had worked with both Boucher and Crawford in Switzerland, and Pierre Groulx as a goaltending coach.

The Senators finished second in the Atlantic Division during the 2016–17 season. They faced the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, winning that series in six games. In the second round, they defeated the New York Rangers in six games. During the second game of that series, Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored four goals, including the game-winning goal in double overtime. The Senators would come within one win of the Stanley Cup Final having lost in double overtime of the seventh game of their conference finals series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who went on to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

Following their appearance in the conference finals the previous season, the Senators lost defenceman Marc Methot to the 2017 NHL expansion draft. On November 5, 2017, the Senators conducted a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche, bringing in star forward Matt Duchene from the Avalanche in exchange for Kyle Turris, Shane Bowers, Andrew Hammond, a conditional first-round pick in 2018 or 2019 and a third-round pick in 2019. Following the trade, however, the Senators' season began to fall apart with a disastrous November road trip. A season highlight was hosting the NHL 100 Classic game outdoors at the TD Place Stadium football field versus the Montreal Canadiens. The game marked the centennial of the first Montreal-Ottawa game in the NHL. The Senators won the game 3–0, but the festival atmosphere was somewhat marred by owner Melnyk's controversial comments to the press about attendance levels and selling or moving the team. Out of the playoff picture, the Senators chose to trade away veteran players. Forward Derick Brassard and defenceman Phaneuf were dealt at the trade deadline to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings, respectively. The Senators finished the year second-to-last in the league with a 28–43–11 record and 67 points, their fourth-worst season since entering the league.

Death of owner Eugene Melnyk and sale

Owner Eugene Melnyk died in March 2022 due to an unspecified illness. In statements in recent years, Melnyk had said that he planned to leave the team to his two daughters Olivia and Anna when he had been asked if he intended to sell the team. However, there had been speculation about ownership changes. The team added an 'EM' patch on the jersey for the rest of the season. In November 2022, the team engaged a New York City investment banker to facilitate a sale of the team. The Senators confirmed the planned sale in a press release on November 5, with a condition of sale being that the team remain in Ottawa. On June 13, 2023, the Senators announced that a purchase agreement had been signed with a group of investors headed by Michael Andlauer, a Toronto businessman and part-owner of the Montreal Canadiens. Andlauer became majority owner along with his partners, Eugene Melnyk's daughters, and a group of Canadian businessmen on September 21, 2023.

Andlauer era

After Andlauer took over the franchise, he set about making changes. Cyril Leeder, who had previously served as the team's chief executive officer (CEO) from 2009 to 2017 was brought back as the CEO in September 2023. On September 29, former player Steve Staios was named president of hockey operations. After Dorion's failure to disclose contract information led to the NHL penalizing the team a first-round draft pick, he resigned. Dorion was replaced as general manager on an interim basis by Staios. Staios was later named permanent general manager and another former NHL player, Dave Poulin, was named senior vice president of hockey operations to assist Staios in December.

During the off-season after the 2023–24 season, the Senators announced the hiring of former Canucks and Devils head coach Travis Green. Green's first season behind the Senators' bench got off to a shaky start, and by the middle of the 2024–25 season the team was 28th in the league. The team improved its position as the season progressed and clinched its first playoff berth to end an eight-year drought. Green became the first head coach to lead the Senators to the postseason since the 2016–17 season. In the playoffs, the Senators faced off against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first postseason installment of the Battle of Ontario since the 2004 playoffs. The Maple Leafs began the series with a 3–0 series lead, but the Senators would win the next two games before being eliminated in six games.

On August 27, 2025, it was announced that the Allen Americans of the ECHL will once again be an official minor-league affiliate of the team, as well as the Belleville Senators of the AHL starting with the 2025–26 season.

On April 11, 2026, the Senators clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second year in a row. This marked the first time since the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons that the team has clinched consecutive playoff appearances. They were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in a four-game sweep.

Rivalries

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Battle of Ontario is a rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is the current version of an old rivalry between Ottawa, Canada's capital, and Toronto, Canada's largest city and business capital. The teams compete in the same division and meet frequently during regular season games. In the early 2000s, the teams met four consecutive times in the playoffs with Toronto winning all four series.

As of the end of the 2024–25 season, Ottawa leads the regular season series 76–55–3–13, while Toronto leads 20–10 in the playoff record.

Montreal Canadiens

There is a long-standing Ottawa-Montreal rivalry (dating back to the 1800s) in multiple sports including ice hockey. Today, both teams compete in the Atlantic Division. There is only a two-hour drive from Montreal to Ottawa via Quebec Autoroute 40 and Ontario Highway 417, plus railway and air connections. When the teams play in Ottawa, "the games matter" according to sports writer Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen, and many Canadiens fans turn out in Montreal jerseys. The current rivalry began when the Ottawa Senators' first NHL game was held in Ottawa on October 8, 1992, where the expansion Senators beat the Canadiens 5–3. That victory was one of the only Senators' highlights of their inaugural season; they won only nine more games the rest of the season to finish with 10 wins and 24 points, while the Canadiens won their 24th Stanley Cup that season. Another regular season highlight of the rivalry was the NHL 100 Classic played at TD Place Stadium outdoors in Ottawa in December 2017, celebrating the centennial of the first NHL game between the original Senators and the Canadiens.

The rivalry existed prior to the teams meeting in the playoffs, especially as the teams both became competitive in the early 2000s and Ottawa's captain Alfredsson was among those who hoped for a playoff series between the two. The hoped-for playoff series finally came in 2013. In that series, there were a large number of controversial events. In game one, Ottawa's Eric Gryba laid out Montreal's Lars Eller in an open ice hit. After the game, the Senators' head coach MacLean blamed Raphael Diaz for a suicide pass. Later, Canadiens' coach Michel Therrien responded and said that what MacLean said was a "lack of respect." Ottawa won that game 4–2. Brandon Prust later insulted MacLean after the game, saying that he doesn't care what that "bug-eyed, fat walrus has to say." In game three, there was a full line brawl between Ottawa and Montreal. And later in that game, MacLean called a timeout with 17 seconds left in the third period with a 6–1 lead. Therrien called Maclean classless while Maclean responded by saying that he was protecting his players from Montreal's dirty play in that game. The Senators eventually won the series 4–1.

Two years later, the rivalry was renewed in another playoff series. In game one, Montreal's P. K. Subban slashed Ottawa's Stone – breaking his wrist – and Subban was later ejected. Senators' coach Dave Cameron called the slash vicious and said that Subban deserved a suspension. Ottawa's Clarke MacArthur called it a 'lumberjack slash', and Stone said that he was being targeted all game. Meanwhile, Therrien said that Subban did not deserve to be ejected and should have only gotten a minor penalty. The Canadiens won that game 4–3. The Canadiens won the next two games in overtime. Riding a 3–0 lead in the series, the Canadiens saw Ottawa win the next two games, before closing the series in game six with a 2–0 victory in Ottawa.

Home rinks

Ottawa Civic Centre

The Senators' first home arena was the Ottawa Civic Centre (now TD Place Arena), located on Bank Street in Ottawa, where they played from the 1992–93 season to January of the 1995–96 season. The arena, used by the junior Ottawa 67's, was renovated for the Senators, including adding press boxes and luxury boxes. They played their first home game on October 8, 1992, against the Montreal Canadiens with much pre-game spectacle. The Senators would defeat the Canadiens 5–3. Their last game in the arena was on December 31, 1995, versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Canadian Tire Centre

As part of its bid to land an NHL franchise for Ottawa, Terrace Corporation unveiled the original proposal for the arena development at a press conference in September 1989. The proposal included a hotel and 20,500-seat arena, named The Palladium, on 100 acres (0.40 km2), surrounded by a 500-acre (2.0 km2) mini-city, named "West Terrace." The site itself, 600 acres (2.4 km2) of farmland, on the western border of Kanata, had been acquired in May 1987 from farmer Cyril Bennett for CA$1 million, and flipped to Terrace for CA$2.6 million in 1989. Rezoning approval was granted by the Ontario Municipal Board on August 28, 1991, with conditions. The conditions imposed by the board included scaling down the arena to 18,500 seats, a moratorium on development outside the initial 100-acre (0.40 km2) arena site, and that the cost of the highway interchange with Highway 417 be paid by Terrace. A two-year period was spent seeking financing for the site and interchange by Terrace Corporation. The corporation received a CA$6 million grant from the Government of Canada but needed to borrow to pay for the rest of the costs of construction. A ground-breaking ceremony was held in June 1992, but construction did not start until July 7, 1994. Actual construction took 18 months, finishing in January 1996.

The Palladium opened on January 15, 1996, with a concert by Canadian rocker Bryan Adams. The Senators played their first game in their new arena two days later, falling 3–0 to the Montreal Canadiens. On February 17, 1996, the name 'Palladium' was changed to 'Corel Centre' when Corel Corporation, an Ottawa software company, signed a twenty-year deal for the naming rights.

When mortgage holder Covanta Energy (the former Ogden Entertainment) went into receivership in 2001, Terrace was expected to pay off its debt to Covanta in full. The ownership could not refinance the arena, eventually leading Terrace itself to declare bankruptcy in 2002. On August 26, 2003, billionaire businessman Eugene Melnyk finalized the purchase of the Senators and the arena. The arena and club became solely owned by Melnyk through a new company, Capital Sports & Entertainment.

In 2004, the ownership applied to expand its seating, and the City of Ottawa amended its by-laws for the venue, increasing its seating capacity in 2005 to 19,153 and total attendance capacity to 20,500, including standing room.

On January 19, 2006, the arena became known as 'Scotiabank Place' after Melnyk reached a new 15-year naming agreement with Canadian bank Scotiabank on January 11, 2006, ending the 20-year contract with Corel. Scotiabank had been an advertising partner with the club for several years and a financial partner with owner Melnyk, and signed a CA$20 million over 15-years deal; a slight increase over Corel's contract. While Corel was no longer the arena name sponsor, it continued as an advertising sponsor.

Downtown arena proposal

In 2015, the National Capital Commission (NCC) put out a request for proposals to redevelop the LeBreton Flats area in downtown Ottawa, a longtime vacant former industrial area. In 2016, the NCC settled on the proposal presented by Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and the RendezVous LeBreton Group partnership with Trinity Developments. The proposal included housing units, park space, a recreation facility, a library and a new arena for the Ottawa Senators.

The plan to build a new arena downtown came apart in late 2018 after it was revealed that the Senators were suing Trinity for CA$700 million in damages. Trinity was developing a site adjacent to the LeBreton Flats site, and the Senators felt this was inappropriate competition. Trinity responded with a CA$1 billion lawsuit, accusing the Senators of being unwilling to contribute any money to the project. The NCC announced the cancellation of the partnership's bid to develop the site but gave the sides an extension when the two parties agreed to mediation. On February 27, 2019, it was announced that mediation between the parties had failed to come to an agreement and that the NCC would explore other options for the site's redevelopment.

The NCC resumed the process to redevelop the overall site, reserving the site of the arena and asking for preliminary bids on the arena site separately. After a February 2022 deadline to submit bids, the NCC announced that it had received several bids for the site. Local media speculated that the Senators were actively pursuing a bid, authorized by Melnyk shortly before his death. On June 23, 2022, the NCC announced that the Senators proposal had been chosen for the site, with a lease agreement expected to be put in place by autumn of 2023. In related business, the outstanding lawsuits around the previous LeBreton bid were settled out of court in December 2022.

In 2024, the Senators stated that it would be "several years" before construction would start. The Senators under Andlauer reviewed other possibilities before concluding that they would like to instead purchase the site, and possibly expand the site they could develop as an entertainment destination. In September 2024, the Senators and the NCC agreed to expand the site to 10 acres (4.0 ha) from 6 acres, but the purchase has not been concluded. A land sale agreement, for LeBreton Flats, was signed in August 2025 with the NCC.

Practice facility

The Senators practice facility is known as the Bell Sensplex, a CA$25.6 million joint venture with the City of Ottawa. Located southeast of the Canadian Tire Centre, the facility has three NHL-sized rinks, an Olympics-size rink and a fieldhouse that opened in 2004. It is used for Senators' practices, minor hockey and it is also the home of the annual minor hockey league Bell Capital Cup tournament.

Team identity

The Senators organization is located in a bilingual marketplace and operates in both English and French. The City of Ottawa provides services in English and French and the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area contains a mix of anglophones and francophones. Longstanding Senators policy calls for providing services and marketing in both English and French to its bilingual fanbase. A bilingual version of the Canadian national anthem is sung before home games, and all announcements are in both languages. It has been estimated that 40 percent of season ticket holders are francophone. Senators games are broadcast on both the English-language TSN and the French-language RDS networks, in a long-standing agreement with Bell Media.

Logo and jersey design

The team colours are black, red and white with gold trim. Except for the gold, the colours match the colours of the original Senators. The team's home jersey is black with red trim, while the away jersey is white with black and red trim. The club's logo is the head of a Roman general, a member of the Senate of the Roman Republic in a gold semi-circle. The original logo, unveiled on May 23, 1991, described the general as a "centurion figure, strong and prominent" according to its designer, Tony Milchard. The logo was criticized by fans, and the designer hoped that people would "grow to like it".

The Senators jersey has an 'S' winged shoulder crest, with 'Est. 1894 (in Roman numerals)', the year (in error) believed at the time (1991) to be the year of the establishment of the original Senators. The original Senators were actually founded in 1883. This 'S' secondary logo was used from the 1992-93 season through 2006-2007 and was reintroduced in 2020 with slightly different coloration and continues to be used.

From 1992 to 1995, the Senators' primary road jerseys were black with red stripes. The numbers were red for the first season but switched to white afterward. White stripes were added to the uniform in 1995. The white uniforms, worn on home games until 2003 and on road games until 2007, featured black sleeves, tail stripes with red accents, and black lettering. In 1997, the Senators unveiled a red third jersey. It featured the first iteration of the "forward-facing" centurion logo, designed by Kevin Caradonna, head of the team's graphic design department, who also designed the mascot "Spartacat." The jersey became the team's primary dark jersey starting in 1999. From 2000 to 2007, the Senators also wore a black alternate jersey with gold, red and white accents.

A new jersey design was unveiled on August 22, 2007, in conjunction with the league-wide adoption of the Rbk EDGE jerseys by Reebok for the 2007–08 season. The jersey incorporates the original Senators' 'O' logo as a shoulder patch. At the same time, the team updated its logos and switched its usage. The primary logo, which, according to team owner Eugene Melnyk, "represents strength and determination" is an update of the old secondary logo.

Before the 2008–09 season, the Senators unveiled a new black third jersey featuring the shortened "SENS" moniker in front. The centurion logo adorns the shoulders, and the striping was inspired by the team's original black jerseys.

Arena entertainment

At many home games, the fans are entertained both outside and inside the Canadian Tire Centre with myriad entertainers – live music, DJs, giveaways and promotions. The live music includes the traditional Scottish music of the 'Sons of Scotland Pipe Band' of Ottawa, along with highland dancers. Before and during games, entertainment is hosted by Spartacat, the official mascot of the Senators, an anthropomorphic lion. He made his debut on the Senators' opening night: October 8, 1992. During intermissions, the entertainment varies with on-ice contests, youth games, t-shirt giveaways, live bands and DJs. At each game, a selected fan rides one of the on-ice resurfacers ("Zambonis"). The team's public address announcer is Jonathan Trottier and their in-game DJ is Alexis Marchand. When the Senators score a goal, the team's goal horn is a Nathan Airchime M3H from a retired VIA Rail train which was initially used in the Ottawa Civic Centre, and the team's goal song is "Song 2" by Blur. At each game, the Senators spotlight a Canadian veteran soldier.

Like other NHL arenas in Canada, O Canada is sung before the opening faceoff, along with The Star-Spangled Banner if an American team is visiting. O Canada is sung in both English and French with the first half of the first stanza and chorus sung in English and the second half of the first stanza sung in French. From 1994 until 2016, the national anthems were sung by former Ontario Provincial Police Constable Lyndon Slewidge. Currently, the team has no regular singer. During O Canada, a large Canadian flag is unfurled and passed from fan to fan in the lower bowl section.

The Senators have their own theme song titled Trumpeters Cry, which is played as the team comes on the ice and is also used in Sens TV web videos. The song was written by Ottawa singer-songwriter Andres del Castillo, who was formerly of the band Eight Seconds.

Attendance, revenue and ownership

On April 18, 2008, the club announced its final attendance figures for 2007–08. The club had 40 sell-outs out of 41 home dates, a total attendance of 812,665 during the regular season, placing the club third in attendance in the NHL. The number of sell-outs and the total attendance were both club records. The previous attendance records were set during the 2005–06 with a season total of 798,453 and 33 sell-outs. In the 2006–07 regular season, total attendance was 794,271, with 31 sell-outs out of 41 home dates or an average attendance of 19,372. In the 2007 playoffs, the Senators played nine games with nine sell-outs and an attendance of 181,272 for an average of 20,141, the highest in team history. Until recent seasons, the club was regularly represented in the top half in attendance in the NHL. In 2018–19, the Senators average attendance was 14,553, 27th in the league. Attendance dropped further in the 2019–20 season, dropping to an average of 12,618, the lowest in the league.

In 2022, Forbes magazine valued the Senators at US$800 million. Forbes estimated the debt/value ratio at 25% and that the team earned US$47 million in 2020–21 on revenue of US$157 million. The team is now owned by Michael Andlauer who is the majority owner along with his partners, Eugene Melnyk's daughters, and a group of Canadian businessmen. It was previously owned by Eugene Melynk who bought the team and arena out of bankruptcy in 2003 for US$92 million. Before Melnyk's ownership, the Senators were owned by founder Terrace Investments, majority owned by Rod Bryden, until it declared bankruptcy in 2002. Terrace Investments initially won the bid for an NHL franchise in 1990.

Sens Army

The fans of the Senators are known as the Sens Army. Like most hockey fanatics, they are known to dress up for games, some in Roman legionary clothing. For the 2006–07 playoff run, more fans than ever before would wear red. Fan activities included 'Red Rallies' of decorated cars, fan rallies at Ottawa City Hall Plaza and the 'Sens Mile' along Elgin Street, where fans would congregate.

Much like the Red Mile in Calgary during the Flames' 2004 Stanley Cup run and the Copper Kilometre in Edmonton during the Oilers' 2006 Stanley Cup run, Senators' fans took to the streets to celebrate their team's success during the 2007 playoffs. The idea to have a 'Sens Mile' on downtown Elgin Street, a street with numerous restaurants and pubs, began as a grassroots campaign on Facebook before game four of the Ottawa–Buffalo conference finals series. After the game five win, Ottawa residents closed the street to traffic for a spontaneous celebration. The City of Ottawa then closed Elgin Street for each game of the Stanley Cup Final.

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Senators. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Ottawa Senators seasons

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Players and personnel

Current roster

Updated July 22, 2026

General managers

Source: Ottawa Senators 2009–10 Media Guide, p. 206.

Honoured members

Daniel Alfredsson – Senators winger (1995–2013) was inducted in 2022 for his career as a forward.

Tom Barrasso – Senators' goaltender (2000) was inducted in 2023 for his career as a goaltender.

Zdeno Chara – Senators' defenceman (2001–2006) was inducted in 2025 for his career as a defenceman.

Dominik Hasek – Senators' goaltender (2005–2006) was inducted in 2014 for his career as a goaltender.

Marian Hossa – Senators' winger (1998–2004) was inducted in 2020 (ceremony held in 2021) for his career as a forward.

Roger Neilson – Senators' assistant coach and head coach (2001–2003) was inducted (as a builder) on November 4, 2002, for his career in coaching.

The Senators have retired the numbers of four players. The NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 for all its member teams at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game.

Bryan Murray – Senators' head coach (2005–2008) and general manager (2007–2016).

Wade Redden – Senators' defenceman (1996–2008) and alternate captain (1999–2008).

Donald Chow – Senators' physician (1992–present) and head physician (2002–2017).

Jacques Martin – Senators' head coach (1996–2004, 2023–2024).

Team records

Scoring leaders

These are the top 10 regular season point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each NHL regular season is completed.

* – current Senators player

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game average

Source: Ottawa Senators Media Guide

Goaltending leaders

These goaltenders rank in the top ten in franchise history for wins. Figures are updated after each completed NHL season.

* – current Senators player

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T/O = Ties/Overtime losses; GA = Goal against; GAA = Goals against average; SA = Shots against; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts

Team records

Most goals in a season – Dany Heatley, 50 (2005–06, 2006–07)

Most goals in a season, defenceman – Erik Karlsson, 21 (2014–15)

Most assists in a season – Jason Spezza, 71 (2005–06)

Most assists in a season, defenceman – Erik Karlsson, 66 (2015–16)

Most points in a season – Dany Heatley, 105 (2006–07)

Most points in a season, defenceman – Erik Karlsson, 82 (2015–16)

Most points in a season, rookie – Alexei Yashin, 79 (1993–94)

Most penalty minutes in a season – Mike Peluso, 318 (1992–93)

Highest +/– rating in a season – Daniel Alfredsson, +42 (2006–07)

Most games played – Chris Phillips, 1,179 (up to 2022–23 season)

Most playoff games played – Daniel Alfredsson, 121 (1997–2013)

Most goaltender wins in a season – Patrick Lalime, 39 (2002–2003)

Most shutouts in a season – Patrick Lalime, 8 (2002–03)

Lowest GAA in a season – Craig Anderson, 1.69 (2012–13)

Best save percentage in a season – Craig Anderson, .941 (2012–13)

Source: Ottawa Senators.

Broadcasting

Ottawa Senators games are broadcast locally in both the English and French languages. As of the 2014–15 season, regional television rights to the Senators' regular season games not broadcast nationally by Sportsnet, TVA Sports, or Hockey Night in Canada are owned by Bell Media under a 12-year contract, with games airing in English on TSN5, and in French on RDS. Regional broadcasts are available within the team's designated region (shared with the Montreal Canadiens), which includes the Ottawa River valley, Eastern Ontario (portions are shared with the Toronto Maple Leafs), along with Quebec, the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland and Labrador.

On radio, all home and away games are broadcast on a five-station network stretching across Eastern Ontario, including one American station, WQTK in Ogdensburg, New York. The flagship radio station is CFGO in Ottawa. Radio broadcasts on CFGO began in 1997–98; the contract has since been extended through the 2025–2026 as part of Bell Media's rights deal with the team. The Senators are broadcast on radio in French through Intersport Production and CJFO-FM in Ottawa. Nicolas St. Pierre provides play-by-play, with Alain Sanscartier as colour commentator.

Sportsnet East held English regional rights to the Sens before the 2014–15 season. In April 2014, Dean Brown, who had called play-by-play for Senators games since the team's inception, stated that it was "extremely unlikely" that he would move to TSN and continue his role. He noted that the network already had four commentators among its personalities – including Gord Miller, Chris Cuthbert, Rod Black, and Paul Romanuk (who was, however, picked up by Rogers for its national NHL coverage in June 2014), who were likely candidates to serve as the new voices of the Senators. Brown ultimately moved to the Senators' radio broadcasts alongside Gord Wilson. Both Miller and Cuthbert, along with Ray Ferraro and Jamie McLennan, became the Senators' TV voices on TSN from 2014 to 2020. After Cuthbert joined Sportsnet in 2020, former Canucks radio voice Jon Abbott took over as the secondary play-by-play commentator in games where Miller is assigned to call the Maple Leafs. Mike Johnson, who concurrently works colour commentary for the Canadiens and Maple Leafs on TSN, replaced Ferraro as an alternate to McLennan. After Abbott left to join the Calgary Flames in 2024, broadcaster Matt Cullen and Kenzie Lalonde split time as the backup to Miller.

During the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons, several games were only available in video on pay-per-view or at local movie theatres in the Ottawa area. The "Sens TV" service was suspended indefinitely as of September 24, 2008. In 2010, Sportsnet launched a secondary channel for selected Senators games as part of its Sportsnet One service. Selected Senators games were broadcast in French by RDS and TVA Sports. On the RDS network, Felix Seguin and former Senators goaltender Patrick Lalime were the announcers from the 2011–12 season to the 2013–14 season, and Michel Y. Lacroix and Norman Flynn starting in the 2014–15 season. The TVA Sports broadcast team consisted of Michel Langevin, Yvon Pedneault and Enrico Ciccone.