The Ottawa Senators entered the National Hockey League for
the 1992-93 season and, for a short while, were the eighth Canadian based team
in the league. With the departure of the Quebec Nordiques to Colorado and the Winnipeg
Jets to Phoenix, they became the sixth Canadian based team in the NHL. Of
course, the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg to put a seventh team back
in the country.
Although the team has a short history, it can be divided
into two fairly distinct periods. The beginning was very, very bad. That era
was followed by the Senators being very, very good. This Ottawa Senators should
not be seen as the same team that played in the NHL until 1934. The two teams
are by no means related, other than in name.
Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge with the
following four trivia questions based on the Ottawa Senators.
Q. To date, who is the only Ottawa Senator to win the Calder
Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie?
A. Daniel Alfredsson was picked way down in the 1994 NHL
Entry Draft by the Senators, 133rd overall. Yet, he rose to become
the face of the Senators just two years later. In 1995-96, he led the Senators
with 26 goals, 35 assists and 61 points to earn the Calder. However, Alfredsson
had spent the previous three seasons in Sweden’s Elitserien as a pro with HC Frolunda.
Daniel played for the Senators from 1995-96 to 2012-13,
appearing in 1,178 regular season games and totalling 1,108 points. His 1,108
points, 426 goals and 682 assists all stand as career records for the Senators.
Q. Which player holds the record for the most points in a
single regular season for the Ottawa Senators?
A. In 2006-07, Dany Heatley finished fourth in the race for
the Art Ross Trophy, behind Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Joe
Thornton of the San Jose Sharks and Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay
Lightning. His 105 points that season stand as an Ottawa Senators record. He
broke his own record of 103 points, set the previous season. In both those
years, Heatley scored an even 50 goals, which also stands as a single season
record for the Senators.
Dany played for Ottawa from 2005-06 to 2008-09. He has also
played for the Atlanta Thrashers, San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild and Anaheim
Ducks in the National Hockey League.
Q. Which Ottawa Senators player holds the team record for
most points in a rookie season?
A. Daniel Alfredsson might have won the Calder Trophy in
1995-96 but Alexei Yashin totalled 79 points two years earlier in his rookie
season. Yashin was a nominee for the Calder but Martin Brodeur of the New
Jersey Devils took home the prize.
Alexei played for Ottawa from 1993-94 to 2000-01. He also
played for the New York Islanders before jumping to the KHL for the 2007-08
season. In Russia, Yashin played for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, SKA St. Petersburg
and CSKA Moscow before retiring after the 2011-12 season.
Q. One off the league record, how many losses did the Ottawa
Senators accumulate during their inaugural NHL season?
A. The Senators went a dismal 10 wins, 70 losses and four
ties in their first season in the NHL. The same season, the San Jose Sharks
lost 71, a mark which remains an NHL record. It should be noted that each team
in the league played and 84 game schedule in that 1992-93 season, two more than
the norm today.
