The 1995–96 Ottawa Senators season was the fourth season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season was 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 again finished last in the league, even though they knocked the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils out of playoff contention in the last game of the season, allowing the Tampa Bay Lightning to clinch the playoff berth at the expense of the Devils.
Offseason
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 honored him with a patch on their jerseys, with his nickname 'Smitty' and number 18, which they wore on their jerseys for the whole season. The team raised a banner in his memory.
Regular season
The Senators finished last in wins (18), 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 led the team offensively with 61 points (26 goals-35 assists), while Alexei Yashin was out of the lineup for 36 games. Alfredsson won the Calder Memorial 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 lost 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 won two of 25 games (2–22–1) before he was replaced by Jacques Martin. Under Martin, the Senators was 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.
Highlights After taking over from the fired Randy Sexton as General Manager, on December 6, 1995, Pierre Gauthier made three moves to strengthen the club. He hired Jacques Martin as head coach, signed hold-out Alexei Yashin to a contract and engineered a blockbuster trade on January 23, 1996, dealing away Don Beaupre, Martin Straka, and Bryan Berard, while acquiring Damian Rhodes and Wade Redden. It was a three-way trade between the Senators, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the New York Islanders and was necessary because Berard, the Senators' first-round pick, was refusing to report to the Senators.
The Senators left the Ottawa Civic Centre and played their first game in The Palladium on January 17, 1996, against the Montreal Canadiens. The raising of the Senators' Stanley Cup banners failed, leaving the banners obscuring some fans' view of the scoreboard. The Senators lost 3–0 to the Canadiens.
On April 13, 1996, the Senators played the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils, who must win to clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators played the role of spoiler, defeating New Jersey 5–2, officially eliminating the Devils from post-season play and giving the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team that entered the league the same year as the Senators, its first playoff berth.
Final standings
Schedule and results
|1||October 7, 1995||1–3 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) ||0–1–0||9,567 ||
|2||October 13, 1995||2–6 || align="left"| @ Florida Panthers (1995–96) ||0–2–0||10,895 ||
|3||October 15, 1995||7–4 || align="left"| @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) ||1–2–0||13,488 ||
|4||October 19, 1995||4–2 || align="left"| Calgary Flames (1995–96) ||2–2–0||8,424 ||
|5||October 21, 1995||1–4 || align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils (1995–96) ||2–3–0||17,620 ||
|6||October 22, 1995||4–2 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1995–96) ||3–3–0||18,200 ||
|7||October 24, 1995||2–1 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1995–96) ||4–3–0||19,512 ||
|8||October 26, 1995||5–4 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1995–96) ||5–3–0||10,575 ||
|9||October 28, 1995||1–4 || align="left"| Florida Panthers (1995–96) ||5–4–0||8,660 ||
|10||October 29, 1995||2–5 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) ||5–5–0||17,328 ||
|11||November 2, 1995||5–0 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers (1995–96) ||6–5–0||10,458 ||
|12||November 4, 1995||4–5 || align="left"| Hartford Whalers (1995–96) ||6–6–0||8,794 ||
|13||November 8, 1995||1–7 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) ||6–7–0||10,137 ||
|14||November 9, 1995||3–4 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1995–96) ||6–8–0||17,261 ||
|15||November 11, 1995||2–3 || align="left"| Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96) ||6–9–0||8,988 ||
|16||November 15, 1995||2–3 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers (1995–96) ||6–10–0||7,641 ||
|17||November 16, 1995||3–5 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) ||6–11–0||17,220 ||
|18||November 18, 1995||1–5 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) ||6–12–0||17,302 ||
|19||November 19, 1995||0–6 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) ||6–13–0||10,697 ||
|20||November 22, 1995||1–3 || align="left"| Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) ||6–14–0||8,426 ||
|21||November 25, 1995||3–3 OT|| align="left"| Boston Bruins (1995–96) ||6–14–1||9,419 ||
|22||November 28, 1995||2–7 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) ||6–15–1||16,162 ||
|23||November 30, 1995||3–5 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1995–96) ||6–16–1||8,167 ||
|24||December 2, 1995||2–4 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1995–96) ||6–17–1||8,194 ||
|25||December 5, 1995||1–4 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) ||6–18–1||15,746 ||
|26||December 7, 1995||5–2 || align="left"| @ Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96) ||7–18–1||17,552 ||
|27||December 9, 1995||3–7 || align="left"| Colorado Avalanche (1995–96) ||7–19–1||9,169 ||
|28||December 12, 1995||1–2 || align="left"| @ San Jose Sharks (1995–96) ||7–20–1||17,190 ||
|29||December 13, 1995||2–6 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1995–96) ||7–21–1||11,221 ||
|30||December 15, 1995||2–4 || align="left"| @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96) ||7–22–1||17,174 ||
|31||December 17, 1995||1–4 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1995–96) ||7–23–1||16,006 ||
|32||December 18, 1995||1–3 || align="left"| @ Edmonton Oilers (1995–96) ||7–24–1||8,419 ||
|33||December 23, 1995||2–4 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) ||7–25–1||8,615 ||
|34||December 26, 1995||4–6 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1995–96) ||7–26–1||18,200 ||
|35||December 27, 1995||4–3 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) ||8–26–1||12,175 ||
|36||December 30, 1995||1–4 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) ||8–27–1||10,575 ||
|37||December 31, 1995||0–3 || align="left"| Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) ||8–28–1||8,522 ||
|38||January 3, 1996||1–4 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) ||8–29–1||15,632 ||
|39||January 5, 1996||2–4 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers (1995–96) ||8–30–1||12,239 ||
|40||January 6, 1996||4–5 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders (1995–96) ||8–31–1||12,175 ||
|41||January 11, 1996||1–6 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1995–96) ||8–32–1||11,511 ||
|42||January 13, 1996||1–4 || align="left"| @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) ||8–33–1||21,829 ||
|43||January 17, 1996||0–3 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) ||8–34–1||18,500 ||
|44||January 22, 1996||3–7 || align="left"| Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96) ||8–35–1||13,872 ||
|45||January 24, 1996||3–4 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) ||8–36–1||17,149 ||
|46||January 25, 1996||2–4 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1995–96) ||8–37–1||16,882 ||
|47||January 27, 1996||2–2 OT|| align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) ||8–37–2||18,500 ||
|48||January 29, 1996||4–2 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1995–96) ||9–37–2||13,125 ||
|49||January 31, 1996||1–3 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1995–96) ||9–38–2||15,795 ||
|50||February 1, 1996||2–4 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1995–96) ||9–39–2||12,322 ||
|51||February 3, 1996||2–3 OT|| align="left"| New Jersey Devils (1995–96) ||9–40–2||18,280 ||
|52||February 6, 1996||1–3 || align="left"| @ Calgary Flames (1995–96) ||9–41–2||16,442 ||
|53||February 8, 1996||2–6 || align="left"| @ Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) ||9–42–2||8,673 ||
|54||February 10, 1996||5–3 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) ||10–42–2||17,535 ||
|55||February 12, 1996||4–1 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders (1995–96) ||11–42–2||7,567 ||
|56||February 15, 1996||2–2 OT|| align="left"| San Jose Sharks (1995–96) ||11–42–3||13,556 ||
|57||February 17, 1996||1–2 OT|| align="left"| New York Rangers (1995–96) ||11–43–3||18,500 ||
|58||February 20, 1996||7–1 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1995–96) ||12–43–3||19,736 ||
|59||February 22, 1996||2–3 || align="left"| @ Dallas Stars (1995–96) ||12–44–3||14,818 ||
|60||February 25, 1996||2–4 || align="left"| @ Colorado Avalanche (1995–96) ||12–45–3||16,061 ||
|61||February 28, 1996||2–3 OT|| align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) ||12–46–3||13,419 ||
|62||March 1, 1996||2–3 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) ||12–47–3||18,500 ||
|63||March 2, 1996||1–4 || align="left"| New Jersey Devils (1995–96) ||12–48–3||15,510 ||
|64||March 7, 1996||1–5 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) ||12–49–3||13,377 ||
|65||March 9, 1996||2–3 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) ||12–50–3||17,959 ||
|66||March 13, 1996||4–1 || align="left"| Dallas Stars (1995–96) ||13–50–3||13,226 ||
|67||March 15, 1996||2–0 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1995–96) ||14–50–3||17,850 ||
|68||March 17, 1996||5–0 || align="left"| Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) ||15–50–3||15,102 ||
|69||March 19, 1996||2–5 || align="left"| @ Florida Panthers (1995–96) ||15–51–3||12,255 ||
|70||March 21, 1996||1–3 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1995–96) ||15–52–3||17,565 ||
|71||March 22, 1996||1–1 OT|| align="left"| Hartford Whalers (1995–96) ||15–52–4||13,596 ||
|72||March 24, 1996||2–3 || align="left"| Edmonton Oilers (1995–96) ||15–53–4||13,188 ||
|73||March 27, 1996||2–4 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) ||15–54–4||15,183 ||
|74||March 29, 1996||0–5 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1995–96) ||15–55–4||18,130 ||
|75||March 30, 1996||1–3 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) ||15–56–4||18,500 ||
|76||April 1, 1996||1–1 OT|| align="left"| Boston Bruins (1995–96) ||15–56–5||13,335 ||
|77||April 3, 1996||3–2 || align="left"| Florida Panthers (1995–96) ||16–56–5||13,074 ||
|78||April 5, 1996||4–2 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1995–96) ||17–56–5||16,541 ||
|79||April 6, 1996||3–4 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1995–96) ||17–57–5||15,101 ||
|80||April 10, 1996||2–5 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) ||17–58–5||15,111 ||
|81||April 11, 1996||3–5 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) ||17–59–5||18,500 ||
|82||April 13, 1996||5–2 || align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils (1995–96) ||18–59–5||19,040 ||
Legend:
Player statistics
Scoring Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Senators only. = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Senators only.