1996–97 Ottawa Senators season

NHLTeamSeason
Season=1996–97
Team=Ottawa Senators
Conference=Eastern Conference
ConferenceRank=7th
Division=Northeast Division
DivisionRank=3rd
Record=31–36–15
HomeRecord=16–17–8
RoadRecord=15–19–7
GoalsFor=226
GoalsAgainst=234
GeneralManager=Pierre Gauthier
Coach=Jacques Martin
Captain=Randy Cunneyworth
AltCaptain="Unknown"
"Unknown"
Arena=Corel Centre
Attendance=15,371 per game (630,196 total)
GoalsLeader=Alexei Yashin (35)
AssistsLeader=Daniel Alfredsson (47)
PointsLeader=Alexei Yashin (75)
PlusMinusLeader=Frantisek Musil (+6)
PIMLeader=Denny Lambert (217)
WinsLeader=Ron Tugnutt (17)
GAALeader=Damian Rhodes (2.72)

The 1996–97 Ottawa Senators season was a season of great improvement by the club, as the team finished out of last place in the NHL for the first time in team history, and went on to qualify for the 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference.Ottawa would get off to a slow start, with a 7–12–6 record in their first 25 games, but as the season would go on, the team would get better, finishing with a .500 record in their remaining 57 games, and would earn 45 points in the last 41 games of the regular season. The Sens would go 10–4–2 in their final 16 games of the season, including a 1–0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in the final game of the season to earn a playoff berth.

Alexei Yashin and Daniel Alfredsson would lead the club offensively, while Ron Tugnutt and Damian Rhodes would provide very solid goaltending for the team throughout the season.

In the playoffs, the Senators would face the Buffalo Sabres, and nearly pulled off the upset against their heavily favoured opponent, losing to the Sabres in overtime in the 7th game of the series, ending a very memorable season for the team.

Regular season

eason standings

December

March

Player stats

Regular Season

coring leaders

"Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes"

Goaltending

"Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average"

Draft picks

Ottawa's draft picks at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft in St. Louis, Missouri.

ee also

*1996–97 NHL Season

References

*"Total Hockey: "Ottawa Senators 1992–93 to Date" by Bruce Garrioch, 1998
*Ottawa Senators Media Guide 2007
* [http://www.hockeydb.com The Internet Hockey Database]
*National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007