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The momentous day where we crown the most successful Canadian NHL team of the last two decades has finally arrived. The Ottawa Senators first faced off against the Montreal Canadiens to start the tournament and have subsequently knocked out every Canadian team thus far, leaving one final competitor, the Vancouver Canucks.
The criteria used to determine which of the two teams has been most success will not be changed. They will therefore be judged based on their Championships/Titles won, Playoff successes, Draft record, Head to Head games, Attendance records, and if a tie breaker is needed, the winner will be decided using the team’s overall average standings in the league.
While there is not much history between these two teams, each respective team has done quite well over the past 20 years and has consequently left their fans with several memories. Given that my personal writing focus is towards the Calgary Flames, I felt it would be nice to go back down memory lane and revisit the first round of the 1994 playoffs where the Canucks and Flames came face to face.
During the seventh game of the first round playoffs series, Canucks goaltender Kirk McLean slid cross crease while stacking his pads, to save a possible game winning one timer from Flames Theo Fleury. The game was almost decided at that very moment which would have sent the Flames to the next round, but the highlight reel save gave Pavel Bure the opportunity to score the game winner the very next period. The game was later described by the Vancouver Sun as one of the most memorable moments in Canucks history, and McLean’s efforts were coined as “The Save”.
The largest amount of success within a single season which the Senators last experienced was during 2006-07, where the team made it to the NHL playoff finals. That same year, Ottawa had a rough start as they begun the season with a 17-18-1 record up until December 21st. The team was scrutinized by the media and many believed that with such a poor start, a change was needed. Shortly thereafter, the team proved their critics wrong by posting a 31-7-8 record to end the season. The club would meet the Anaheim Ducks in the Stanley Cup finals by knocking out the Buffalo Sabres, who they had quite the experience with earlier in the season. In February 2007, after an alleged hit by Chris Neil on Sabres captain Chris Drury, both teams were involved in a huge brawl that resulted in 100 penalty minutes assessed, and five players being ejected from the game.
What better way to start the series finale then to bring up some old memories between the two teams! Now that I have hopefully put a few smiles on your faces, let’s move on to business!
As expressed within the previous three write-ups, the draft records will only include players who were selected by the teams and have played more than 100 games in the NHL if drafted prior to 2009, with the exception of a few notable players.
Enjoy!
Ottawa Senators
Championships won – 1 Conference (06-07), 1 President (02-03), 4 Division (98-99, 00-01, 02-03, 05-06)
The most evident comparison between these two teams so far, is their championships/titles won. Vancouver has won more titles with a total of 10 over Ottawa’s 6, and therefore takes the first advantage. Moving on to their playoff success, Ottawa has made the playoffs 13 times while winning 8 series, and Vancouver has also made the playoffs 13 times but won a total of 12 series. Taking into account the two team’s titles and playoffs, the Canucks begins this series with two advantages over the Senators.
Taking a look at their draft records since 1992, there is no immediate winner as both sides have drafted some high level talent. Within their respective lists, each team has drafted their current team captains, and also several players who represent their top 6 both offensively and defensively. They both also have a few prospects drafted who are just starting to make their mark in the NHL.
Of the lists represented for each teams drafting history since 1992, the Vancouver Canucks have a total number of 14,498 games played, while the Ottawa Senators have 19,906. Given that both teams have drafted reasonably well since 1992, and they both have a higher level of talent in addition to recent youth, the advantage here will go to the Senators as the players they have drafted have had a larger impact at the NHL level to date.
Head to Head
Total games played: 30
Total Vancouver wins: 18
Total Ottawa wins: 10
Total ties: 2
Average attendance record since 2001 Ottawa average: 757,723 total / 18,481 per game
With a total seating capacity of 19,153 the Senators have filled their rink to 96% on average, since 2001.
Vancouver average: 755,999 total / 18,439 per game
With a total seating capacity of 18,890 the Canucks have filled their rink to 98% on average, since 2001.
The above mentioned criteria displays that between Vancouver and Ottawa’s 30 matches since 1992, the Canucks have won 60% of the games with a total of 18 wins. In addition to their head to head games, the Canucks were also able to fill their rinks at a higher percent since 2001 at 98%, over Ottawa’s also respectable 96%.
Concluding remarks
This blog has covered the past 20 years between the Vancouver Canucks and the Ottawa Senators and displayed which of the two teams, in accordance with the criteria, was most successful. With that being said, and it pains me to say as a blogger for the Calgary Flames, the Vancouver Canucks have been the most successful Canadian team since 1992. While they may not have won a cup, the Canucks have made the finals twice and made playoff appearances 68% of the time while also managing to win a respectable 12 series.
While these remarks are surely nice to see for Vancouver fans, the ultimate goal, as expressed by fans, is to win the Stanley Cup and the Canucks have failed to do so in their 42 years of existence. This series, fortunately for the Canucks, only discussed the past 20 years since the Ottawa Senators have joined the league and the only team to have won a cup during this time were the Montreal Canadiens in 1992. As expressed within the first round of this series, while the Canadiens did manage to win a cup 20 years ago, their overall success in the 19 years that followed was not strong enough for them to be crowned as victors.
The Vancouver Canucks are therefore, through the criteria used throughout these series, the most successful Canadian team since 1992.
A few interesting notes that I found while conducting the analysis and collecting the data, were the amount of higher draft selections over the past 20 years who have made little impact to their respective teams. Some players who were chosen in the first rounds never even played 100 games in the NHL, and as such did not make the lists shown above. I suppose it is something to consider for all those who support the notion of tanking for high draft picks in order to succeed.
I hope you enjoyed this series, as it was an attempt to focus on hockey related stories and keep us all from debating whether or not the majority of us will be cheering on our respective teams come October.
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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