Ottawa has long history of hockey
Milan Michalek of the Ottawa Senators skates with the puck in the third period. (April 7, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
Although Ottawa is a former lumber town first settled by the Algonquins, in NHL geography, it's hardly as remote an outpost as Edmonton.
But since the second incarnation of the Senators in 1992, the Rangers -- who travel there for Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals tomorrow and Wednesday -- have played in Canada's capital only 37 times, and never in the playoffs.
(They are 19-14-3-1 during the regular season.)
You may have seen the popular shots of the skaters on the frozen Rideau Canal during TV broadcasts, but we can offer a little history of the team and the city.
To be accurate, the Senators play in Kanata, at Scotiabank Place, about 14 miles west-southwest of downtown Ottawa and its stunning Parliament complex, which was rebuilt in 1922 after a major fire in 1916 in the original Gothic Revival style. Ottawa was chosen as the political center of the Province of Canada in 1857.
The Senators' roots date to 1883, when they were founded as an independent team, then were in various pro leagues (known as the Generals and the Silver Seven) until 1908, when they were formally named the Senators. They joined the NHL in 1917, won the Stanley Cup four times in the 1920s, and lasted until 1934. Heavy financial losses caused the team to be relocated to St. Louis, and the franchise didn't re-emerge until 1992-93 as an NHL expansion team.
At that time, the first "centurion" logo was designed, based on figures in the Roman senate. It wasn't very popular with fans, who compared it to the USC Trojan and the American Express logo. It was revised several times; the latest has the warrior's head turned from sideways to front, and bears some resemblance to Mark Messier.
Messier, incidentally, scored twice in the Rangers' first game in Ottawa's second era, a 3-2 victory on Oct. 24, 1992, and assisted on the overtime winner. Since then, there hasn't been much blockbuster news, or trades. The last swap was on March 9, 2004: The Rangers acquired Karel Rachunek and Alexandre Giroux for Greg DeVries.
Scotiabank Place, which has a hockey capacity of 19,153, was first known as the Palladium, then Corel Centre from 1996-2006. On opening night, Jan. 15, 1996, the music was provided by rocker Bryan Adams. Van Halen played there last month, (the set list included covers of Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" and the Kinks' "You Really Got Me") and Friday, the headliners were Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall.
Ottawa has a thriving nightlife, especially in the Byward Market area, which also has a few Celtic and Scottish bars. But the first tavern, opened in 1819, was at Richmond Landing, near what is now the site for the Ottawa Bluesfest, an annual 12-day outdoor festival that is one of the largest in North America. Actually, blues is only one element -- My Morning Jacket, Iron and Wine, the National and Jackson Browne have performed in recent years.
So the festival has diversified, much like Ottawa itself.
