2003–04 Ottawa Senators season

The 2003–04 Ottawa Senators season was the 12th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season would see the Senators again finish with over 100 points, finishing with 102, but this was good for only third in the tightly-contested division, as the Boston Bruins would have 104 and the Toronto Maple Leafs 103. Ottawa would meet Toronto in the first-round of the playoffs for the fourth time, where the Maple Leafs would win the series 4–3 to end the Senators' playoff hopes. Ottawa would fire Head Coach Jacques Martin after the playoff round.

2003–04 Ottawa Senators
Division3rd Northeast
Conference5th Eastern
2003–04 record43–29–10–6
Home record23–8–5–5
Road record20–15–5–1
Goals for262
Goals against189
Team information
General managerJohn Muckler
CoachJacques Martin
CaptainDaniel Alfredsson
Alternate captainsZdeno Chara
Curtis Leschyshyn
Wade Redden
ArenaCorel Centre
Average attendance17,758 (92.7%)
Team leaders
GoalsMarian Hossa (36)
AssistsDaniel Alfredsson (48)
PointsMarian Hossa (82)
Penalty minutesChris Neil (194)
Plus/minusZdeno Chara (+33)
WinsPatrick Lalime (25)
Goals against averageMartin Prusek (2.12)

Offseason

In the off-season, Eugene Melnyk would purchase the club to bring financial stability. Another change was in the general manager position. Marshall Johnston resigned and was replaced by John Muckler on June 3, 2003. Muckler had been a candidate for the positions of Ottawa head coach or GM back in 1992, but had chosen to sign on with the Buffalo Sabres instead.

On June 21, 2003, Assistant Coach Roger Neilson died after four years of battling cancer. The Senators would wear a patch on their jerseys with an illustration of his signature and a necktie. Neilson would often wear distinctive neckties and the necktie became associated with him, and also became the symbol for "Roger's House", a residence for the use of families with a family member fighting cancer while in hospital, established by him and the Senators.

Regular season

Marian Hossa lead the club in scoring with 82 points, good enough for sixth overall in the NHL.

Highlights

On February 5, 2004, the Senators were playing the Toronto Maple Leafs and were leading 4–0 in the second period. The flu started affecting players on the Senators leading the team to be down to only 15 skaters by the end of the game. The Maple Leafs took full advantage and won the game 5–4 in overtime.[1]

On March 5, 2004, in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, a record was set for the most penalty minutes in a game by both teams, at 419 minutes. Five brawls broke out in the last two minutes of the game. It took the officials until 90 minutes after the game was over to sort out the penalties. By the end of the game, Philadelphia had 213 penalty minutes and seven men left on the bench, while Ottawa finished with 206 penalty minutes and six men left.

The Senators finished the regular season first overall in the NHL in scoring (262 goals for), power-play goals scored (80) and power-play percentage (21.62%).[2]

Division standings
Northeast Division[3]
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
12Boston Bruins824119157209188104
24Toronto Maple Leafs824524103242204103
35Ottawa Senators824323106262189102
47Montreal Canadiens8241307420819293
59Buffalo Sabres8237347422022185

Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference[4]
R Div GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 Z- Tampa Bay LightningSE82462286245192106
2 Y- Boston BruinsNE824119157209188104
3 Y- Philadelphia FlyersAT824021156209188101
4 X- Toronto Maple LeafsNE824524103242204103
5 X- Ottawa SenatorsNE824323106262189102
6 X- New Jersey DevilsAT824325122213164100
7 X- Montreal CanadiensNE8241307420819293
8 X- New York IslandersAT82382911423721091
8.5
9 Buffalo SabresNE8237347422022185
10 Atlanta ThrashersSE8233378421424378
11 Carolina HurricanesSE82283414617220976
12 Florida PanthersSE82283515418822175
13 New York RangersAT8227407820625069
14 Washington CapitalsSE82234610318625359
15 Pittsburgh PenguinsAT8223478419030358

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

Schedule and results
Regular season schedule
No. R Date Score Opponent Record Attendance
1WOctober 9, 20035–2Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)1–0–0–018,500
2OTLOctober 11, 20032–3 OTDetroit Red Wings (2003–04)1–0–0–118,500
3LOctober 15, 20033–4@ Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)1–1–0–118,180
4WOctober 17, 20033–0@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)2–1–0–113,885
5WOctober 18, 20034–1@ San Jose Sharks (2003–04)3–1–0–114,807
6WOctober 23, 20035–1Washington Capitals (2003–04)4–1–0–118,188
7WOctober 25, 20036–2@ Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)5–1–0–121,273
8LOctober 30, 20032–3Florida Panthers (2003–04)5–2–0–117,086
9TNovember 1, 20031–1 OTBuffalo Sabres (2003–04)5–2–1–115,445
10LNovember 3, 20033–6@ New York Islanders (2003–04)5–3–1–110,957
11TNovember 6, 20033–3 OTEdmonton Oilers (2003–04)5–3–2–115,216
12LNovember 8, 20030–1New Jersey Devils (2003–04)5–4–2–118,359
13WNovember 11, 20035–3@ Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)6–4–2–113,547
14WNovember 13, 20035–2Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)7–4–2–115,297
15LNovember 15, 20032–3Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)7–5–2–118,337
16LNovember 17, 20031–2Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)7–6–2–115,744
17WNovember 20, 20036–1Carolina Hurricanes (2003–04)8–6–2–117,159
18OTLNovember 22, 20031–2 OT@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)8–6–2–211,233
19LNovember 23, 20032–6@ New York Rangers (2003–04)8–7–2–218,200
20WNovember 25, 20036–3@ Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)9–7–2–211,937
21OTLNovember 27, 20032–3 OTVancouver Canucks (2003–04)9–7–2–318,500
22LNovember 29, 20031–2Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)9–8–2–318,500
23WDecember 1, 20034–1Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)10–8–2–316,289
24WDecember 3, 20034–0@ Florida Panthers (2003–04)11–8–2–311,520
25WDecember 4, 20034–1@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)12–8–2–315,221
26LDecember 6, 20031–2New Jersey Devils (2003–04)12–9–2–317,931
27TDecember 8, 20032–2 OT@ Boston Bruins (2003–04)12–9–3–310,662
28WDecember 11, 20033–2Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)13–9–3–317,256
29LDecember 13, 20032–3Boston Bruins (2003–04)13–10–3–317,671
30WDecember 18, 20036–1Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)14–10–3–316,420
31WDecember 20, 20033–1New York Rangers (2003–04)15–10–3–318,037
32WDecember 22, 20033–2 OTFlorida Panthers (2003–04)16–10–3–317,189
33TDecember 23, 20032–2 OT@ Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)16–10–4–315,317
34TDecember 26, 20033–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)16–10–5–318,316
35WDecember 28, 20035–2Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)17–10–5–318,500
36WDecember 30, 20033–0@ Boston Bruins (2003–04)18–10–5–316,388
37WJanuary 1, 20041–0New York Islanders (2003–04)19–10–5–318,500
38WJanuary 3, 20045–2Washington Capitals (2003–04)20–10–5–317,695
39WJanuary 6, 20045–2Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)21–10–5–316,890
40WJanuary 8, 20047–1@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)22–10–5–319,395
41LJanuary 9, 20042–3@ Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)22–11–5–318,690
42TJanuary 11, 20042–2 OT@ Carolina Hurricanes (2003–04)22–11–6–39,350
43WJanuary 13, 20044–0@ New Jersey Devils (2003–04)23–11–6–311,456
44TJanuary 15, 20044–4 OTNew York Islanders (2003–04)23–11–7–317,197
45WJanuary 17, 20044–0Boston Bruins (2003–04)24–11–7–318,500
46LJanuary 19, 20042–5@ New York Islanders (2003–04)24–12–7–314,213
47WJanuary 20, 20043–1@ Carolina Hurricanes (2003–04)25–12–7–38,810
48WJanuary 22, 20046–5Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)26–12–7–316,777
49WJanuary 24, 20049–1New York Rangers (2003–04)27–12–7–318,500
50LJanuary 28, 20043–5@ Dallas Stars (2003–04)27–13–7–318,006
51WJanuary 29, 20044–1@ Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)28–13–7–313,387
52LJanuary 31, 20041–5@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)28–14–7–319,419
53LFebruary 3, 20041–2@ New Jersey Devils (2003–04)28–15–7–312,304
54OTLFebruary 5, 20044–5 OTToronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)28–15–7–418,500
55WFebruary 10, 20043–1St. Louis Blues (2003–04)29–15–7–418,238
56WFebruary 12, 20043–2 OTBoston Bruins (2003–04)30–15–7–418,364
57WFebruary 14, 20045–2Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)31–15–7–418,500
58WFebruary 16, 20044–1@ New York Rangers (2003–04)32–15–7–418,200
59TFebruary 17, 20041–1 OT@ Washington Capitals (2003–04)32–15–8–413,901
60OTLFebruary 19, 20042–3 OTAtlanta Thrashers (2003–04)32–15–8–518,500
61WFebruary 21, 20042–1Calgary Flames (2003–04)33–15–8–518,500
62WFebruary 22, 20046–3@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)34–15–8–511,780
63LFebruary 24, 20042–4@ Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)34–16–8–521,273
64TFebruary 26, 20041–1 OTPhiladelphia Flyers (2003–04)34–16–9–518,500
65WFebruary 28, 20047–1Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)35–16–9–518,500
66LMarch 3, 20043–4@ Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)35–17–9–511,956
67LMarch 5, 20043–5@ Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)35–18–9–519,539
68WMarch 6, 20044–2Nashville Predators (2003–04)36–18–9–518,500
69WMarch 8, 20044–1@ Washington Capitals (2003–04)37–18–9–517,776
70LMarch 11, 20042–4@ Calgary Flames (2003–04)37–19–9–517,869
71WMarch 13, 20042–1@ Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)38–19–9–518,630
72LMarch 14, 20041–3@ Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)38–20–9–516,839
73LMarch 16, 20042–5@ Minnesota Wild (2003–04)38–21–9–518,568
74WMarch 18, 20042–0Colorado Avalanche (2003–04)39–21–9–518,500
75OTLMarch 20, 20042–3 OTCarolina Hurricanes (2003–04)39–21–9–618,500
76LMarch 23, 20042–4@ Boston Bruins (2003–04)39–22–9–615,887
77WMarch 25, 20044–0@ Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)40–22–9–621,273
78TMarch 27, 20042–2 OT@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)40–22–10–619,480
79WMarch 29, 20045–4 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)41–22–10–619,844
80WMarch 31, 20045–4@ Florida Panthers (2003–04)42–22–10–615,876
81WApril 2, 20043–1@ Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)43–22–10–619,776
82LApril 3, 20040–6Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)43–23–10–618,500

[5]

Playoffs

In the first round of the 2004 playoffs, the Senators would lose again to the Maple Leafs for the fourth straight time. By now, Ottawa had developed a strong rivalry with their Ontario cousins and there was a great deal of pressure on the team to finally defeat the Leafs. Two days after the Senators' loss, Head Coach Jacques Martin was fired, and goaltender Patrick Lalime was later traded to the St. Louis Blues.

Martin had been coach of the Senators for eight-and-a-half years. He was well respected, earned a 341–255–96 regular season record with the Senators, had led the team to eight consecutive playoff appearances and was widely credited with changing the team into an elite NHL franchise. He also won the Jack Adams Trophy as Coach of the Year in 1999. However, after losing eight of 12 playoff series, including all four series in five years against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, Senators ownership felt that a new coach was required for playoff success.

On June 8, 2004, Bryan Murray of nearby town Shawville, Quebec, became the team's fifth head coach, leaving the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. where he had previously been general manager.

Eastern Conference Quarter-finals

DateAwayScoreHomeScoreNotesAttendance
April 8Ottawa4Toronto219,535
April 10Ottawa0Toronto219,529
April 12Toronto2Ottawa018,500
April 14Toronto1Ottawa418,500
April 16Ottawa0Toronto219,584
April 18Toronto1Ottawa22OT18,500
April 20Ottawa1Toronto419,646
Toronto wins series 4–3

Player statistics

Regular season
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Marian HossaRW813646824641415
Daniel AlfredssonRW773248802412905
Martin HavlatRW6831376846121307
Jason SpezzaC782233557122503
Bryan SmolinskiC801927464922403
Radek BonkC66123244662601
Wade ReddenD8117264365211203
Zdeno CharaD7916254114733703
Peter SchaeferLW811524392622223
Todd WhiteC53920292212112
Chris PhillipsD82716234615001
Josh LangfeldRW3871017166202
Karel RachunekD60116172917000
Chris NeilRW82881619413001
Antoine VermetteC577714165010
Peter BondraRW235914161201
Shaun Van AllenC7321012806010
Vaclav VaradaRW305510262001
Mike FisherC24461039-3100
Brian PothierD55268246101
Petr SchastlivyLW4324614-1101
Curtis LeschyshynD561451613000
Shane HnidyD37055722000
Anton VolchenkovD1912381000
Patrick LalimeG57022170000
Rob RayRW6101140000
Greg de VriesD1301160000
Serge PayerC501121000
Martin PrusekG2901100000
Todd SimpsonD1601147-1000
Ray EmeryG300020000
Denis HamelLW50000-3000
Jody HullRW100000000
Chris KellyC/LW40000-2000
Brooks LaichC100020000
Julien VauclairD100021000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T/OT GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Patrick Lalime332457252371272.29513341207.905
Martin Prusek1528291663542.123651597.917
Ray Emery126320052.3805247.904
Team:4978824329101862.24820371851.909

Playoffs
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Marian HossaRW731402102
Daniel AlfredssonRW712320000
Martin HavlatRW70332-1000
Zdeno CharaD711283000
Bryan SmolinskiC71124-2000
Vaclav VaradaRW711240000
Radek BonkC702202000
Peter SchaeferLW702241000
Mike FisherC710140001
Chris PhillipsD7101122100
Wade ReddenD71012-5100
Todd WhiteC71014-1000
Greg de VriesD70118-2000
Chris NeilRW7011190000
Antoine VermetteC40114-1000
Peter BondraRW70006-4000
Patrick LalimeG700020000
Curtis LeschyshynD20000-1000
Brian PothierD70006-2000
Martin PrusekG100000000
Jason SpezzaC30002-1000
Anton VolchenkovD500060000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Patrick Lalime398734131.960139126.906
Martin Prusek4010011.5001514.933
Team:438734141.920154140.909

[6]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

Transactions

Trades
September 10, 2003 To Florida Panthers
2004 draft ninth-round pick		 To Ottawa Senators
Serge Payer
October 5, 2003 To Washington Capitals
future considerations		 To Ottawa Senators
LW Denis Hamel
December 29, 2003 To Florida Panthers
D Wade Brookbank		 To Ottawa Senators
future considerations
January 6, 2004 To Atlanta Thrashers
C Daniel Corso		 To Ottawa Senators
RW Brad Tapper
January 23, 2004 To Colorado Avalanche
RW Dennis Bonvie		 To Ottawa Senators
C/RW Charlie Stephens
February 4, 2004 To Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
LW Petr Schastlivy		 To Ottawa Senators
D Todd Simpson
February 18, 2004 To Washington Capitals
C Brooks Laich
Second-round draft choice, 2005 draft
future considerations		 To Ottawa Senators
RW Peter Bondra
March 9, 2004 To Nashville Predators
D Shane Hnidy		 To Ottawa Senators
Colorado Avalanche third-round pick in 2004 draft (Peter Regin)

Waivers
October 3, 2003 To Nashville Predators
Wade Brookbank
October 3, 2003 To Washington Capitals
Denis Hamel
December 19, 2003 From Vancouver Canucks
Wade Brookbank

Source: Ottawa Senators 2008–09 Media Guide. Ottawa Senators. 2008. pp. 189–190.

Roster
2003-04 Ottawa Senators
Goaltenders

Defencemen

Wingers

Centres

Sources:

Draft picks

Ottawa's draft picks from the 2003 NHL Entry Draft held on June 21 and June 22, 2003 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Round # Player Nationality College/junior/club team (League)
129Patrick Eaves United StatesBoston College (Hockey East)
267Igor Mirnov RussiaDynamo Moscow (RSL)
3100Philippe Seydoux  SwitzerlandKloten Flyers (NLA)
4135Matt Karlsson SwedenBrynäs IF (Elitserien)
5142Tim Cook United StatesRiver City Lancers (USHL)
5166Sergei Gimayev RussiaSeverstal Cherepovets (RSL)
7228Will Colbert CanadaOttawa 67's (OHL)
8269Ossi Louhivaara FinlandKookoo (Finland)
9291Brian Elliott CanadaUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (Big Ten)

Farm teams

See also

References
  1. Panzeri, Allen (February 6, 2004). "Senators sick over loss". National Post. p. S1.
  2. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2004.html
  3. "2003-2004 Division Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  4. "2003–2004 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  5. "2003–04 Ottawa Senators Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  6. "2003-04 Ottawa Senators Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  • National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2005. Dan Diamond & Associates. 2004.
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