Ottawa Senators : Ask Biography

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The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They 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 which opened in 1996.

Founded and established by Ottawa real estate developer Bruce Firestone, the team is the second NHL franchise to use the Ottawa Senators name. 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, the NHL awarded a new franchise, which began play in the 1992 � 93 season. The current team owner is Eugene Melnyk, and in 2009, the club was valued by Forbes Magazine at $197 million.

The team has had success, qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs in twelve of the past fourteen seasons, four division titles, the Presidents' Trophy in 2003 and appeared in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. The success has been reflected in attendance. The club has averaged over 18,000 fans per game since 2005 � 06, peaking at 19,821 in 2007 � 08.