2005 Ottawa Senators

The long-awaited return to the ice in 2005-06 was an excellent one for the Ottawa Senators. The Senators finished the regular NHL season at the top of the Eastern Conference with a record of 52 wins to only 21 regulation-time losses and 9 overtime losses, for an impressive total of 113 points. Although they faced some fierce competition from the Carolina Hurricanes down to the wire, Senators finally edged them out of the top spot by one point.

Seeded #1 among the eight Eastern Conference hockey teams in the 2005-06 NHL Playoffs, the Ottawa Senators also had plenty of reason postseason experience to draw on. The franchise had made it into eight consecutive playoffs since 1997. Always a bridesmaid, the Senators were poised to go all the way to capture the Stanley Cup. The first round went their way, as Ottawa allowed the Tampa Bay Lightning only one victory. However, in the quarter finals, it was the Senators who were held to one win, by the Buffalo Sabres.

The Senators had the best regular-season record in the NHL in 2002-03, but lost in seven games to the eventual champion New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Senators seem to be running a racket, a racket that churns out dazzling young hockey players who grow into NHL stars. Almost every move works like a charm, including their rare trades: Zdeno Chara and Jason Spezza for Alexei Yashin looks odd; starting goaltender Patrick Lalime came from Anaheim for next to nothing.

The organization's quiet efficiency really means numbers on the ice. Ottawa is sometimes accused of plodding through nights of dull, safe hockey. But the sensible game plan conceals an overload of speed, strength and puck handling that leaves most defenders bewildered. If they weren't so passionate about defense, the Senators could probably score at a pace to recall the NHL of the past.