The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Ottawa Senators are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Senators play their home games at the 19,153 seat (20,500 capacity) Scotiabank Place (originally named the 'Palladium', and later the 'Corel Centre').
Founded and established by Ottawa real estate developer Bruce Firestone, the team is the second NHL franchise to use the Ottawa Senators nickname. The original Ottawa Senators, founded in 1883, had a famed history, winning 11 Stanley Cups and playing in the NHL from 1917 until 1934. On December 6, 1990, after a two year public campaign by Firestone to return the NHL to Ottawa, the NHL awarded a new franchise, which began play in the 1992–93 season. The team has had two changes of ownership, from Firestone to Rod Bryden in 1993 due to the arena development process and its financing, and subsequently to Eugene Melnyk after a 2003 bankruptcy.
The club began modestly as an expansion team playing in the 10,000 seat Ottawa Civic Centre, finishing last in the league for its first four seasons. Since then, the team has qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in 11 of the past 12 seasons, winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2003, and appearing in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. Off the ice, the club has one of the top attendance records in the league, averaging over 19,000 per game. The club is valued at $197 million
