1924–25 Ottawa Senators season


The 1924–25 Ottawa Senators season was the club's 40th season of play and eighth season in the National Hockey League. Ottawa would finish in fourth place in the league, failing to make the playoffs for the first time since the 1917–18 NHL season, ending a streak of six straight seasons.

Team business

The team's ownership changed once again, a year after Ted Dey gave up the business. Frank Ahearn and Tommy Gorman reached an impasse in the management of the team. Both attempted to buy out the other. In December, Ahearn accepted Gorman's $50,000 offer for the club. In January, Gorman's offer was off, after control over all shares was not arranged. However, this may have been used as an escape clause out of the agreement, as Gorman was later to accept a position with the New York Americans. Instead, Ahearn bought out Gorman for $35,000 and Ahearn's share of the Connaught Park Racetrack in Aylmer, Quebec.

Off-season

The NHL would expand to six teams, as the Montreal Maroons and the first US-based team, the Boston Bruins, joined the league. The NHL also added more games to the schedule, going from 24 to 30.

Regular season

would have another spectacular season, leading the NHL in assists, finishing 2nd to Babe Dye of the Toronto St. Pats in points, and finishing 3rd to Dye and Aurel Joliat of the Montreal Canadiens in goals.
During the season, the Senators and Hamilton Tigers would play in the first ever scoreless game in NHL regular season history on December 17.

November/December

The Senators began the 1924-25 on the road for a game against the Hamilton Tigers on November 29, as the Tigers defeated Ottawa 5-3. The club returned home for their home opener on December 3, as the Senators defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 in overtime, as Ed Gorman scored the winner for Ottawa.
Ottawa was back on the road for a game in Montreal on December 5, as the Senators met the Montreal Maroons for the first time. The Maroons, led by former Senators stars Punch Broadbent and his two goals and Clint Benedict playing an excellent game in goal, defeated Ottawa 3-1.
Ottawa returned home for a match-up against the Toronto St. Patricks on December 5, as Ottawa's early season struggles continued, as Toronto defeated the Senators 6-3. Ottawa's Cy Denneny scored twice in the loss.
The Senators hit the road for their first ever game in the United States on December 10, as Ottawa travelled to Boston to face the Boston Bruins. Ottawa, led by a three goal and six point game by Cy Denneny, defeated the Bruins by a score of 10-2 to earn their second victory of the season.
Ottawa returned home to face the Hamilton Tigers on December 17. The two clubs skated to a 0-0 tie, as this would be the first ever scoreless game in NHL history. Senators goaltender Alec Connell earned the shutout in the draw.
Three nights later, Ottawa travelled to Montreal to face the Montreal Canadiens. Ottawa held a 2-1 lead in the third period, however, the Canadiens came from behind with two third period goals to defeat the Senators 3-2.
Ottawa faced off against the Montreal Maroons back on home ice on December 23. The Maroons, once again led by strong goaltending by former Senator Clint Benedict, and led by the game winning goal by Punch Broadbent, another former Senators star, defeated Ottawa 2-1. King Clancy scored the lone Ottawa goal.
On December 27, the Senators travelled to Toronto for a match-up against the Toronto St. Patricks. Ottawa took a 4-0 lead, led by two goals by Cy Denneny late into the third period. The St. Patricks Babe Dye then scored three goals in just under three minutes, cutting the Senators lead to 4-3, however, Ottawa hung on for the victory.
The Senators final game in December was played on home ice against the Boston Bruins on December 31, as this was the Bruins first ever visit to Ottawa. The Senators, led by two goal games by Cy Denneny and Hooley Smith, defeated Boston 5-2. This marked the first time the Senators had consecutive victories during the season.
Ottawa opened the first month of the season with a 4-5-1 record in 10 games, earning nine points. Ottawa sat in a tie for third place in the NHL standings with the Montreal Maroons for the third and final playoff spot.

January

The Senators winning streak extended to three games, as they opened the New Year with a 2-0 shutout victory over the Hamilton Tigers on home ice on January 3. Alec Connell earned the shutout for the Senators, while Cy Denneny scored both goals.
Ottawa travelled to Montreal for a game against the Montreal Canadiens on January 7, as Alec Connell once again earned a shutout with a 2-0 win over the Canadiens, extending the Senators overall winning streak to four games.
The club returned home for a matchup against the Montreal Maroons three nights later. The Senators stayed red hot, as Hooley Smith and Georges Boucher each scored twice, while Alec Connell earned his third consecutive shutout, as Ottawa defeated the Maroons 4-0.
The Senators five game winning streak was snapped on January 14 in Toronto. The Toronto St. Patricks defeated Ottawa 3-2 on a goal scored by Babe Dye with two seconds remaining in the game. The Senators held a 2-0 lead early in the game before Toronto stormed back for the victory.
Ottawa returned home for a game against the Boston Bruins on January 17. Cy Denneny scored two goals, leading the Senators to a 3-2 win over the Bruins, giving the club their sixth victory in their past seven games.
Ottawa was back on the road to face the Hamilton Tigers in Hamilton on January 21. Ed Gorman scored two goals for the Senators, however, the Tigers won the game in overtime, as Billy Burch scored the winner to hand Ottawa a 5-4 loss.
The Senators were back on home ice to play the Montreal Canadiens on January 24. Ottawa's Cy Denneny scored a goal and assisted on the other, however, the Canadiens, on an overtime time by Aurel Joliat, defeated Ottawa 3-2, sending the team to consecutive losses for the first time in a month.
Ottawa snapped their two game slide on January 28, as they travelled to Montreal to play the Montreal Maroons. The Senators, led by two goals by Cy Denneny, including the overtime winner, defeated the Maroons 2-1.
The club ended January with a game on home ice against the Toronto St. Patricks on January 31. Ottawa took a late 1-0 lead on a goal by King Clancy in the third period, however, Toronto came from behind to defeat the Senators 2-1, as Jack Adams scored two late goals for the St. Patricks.
Ottawa earned a record of 5-4-0 in nine games in January. Overall, the Senators record during the season was 9-9-1, earning 19 points. The club was in third place and held on to the final playoff berth in the NHL, one point ahead of both the Toronto St. Patricks and Montreal Maroons.

February

Ottawa opened February with a road game in Boston, as the Senators, led by a very strong goaltending performance by Alec Connell, defeated the Boston Bruins 3-1, moving three points ahead of the Toronto St. Patricks and Montreal Maroons for the final playoff position.
The Senators returned home on February 7, as they defeated the first place Hamilton Tigers 3-2 in overtime on a goal by Cy Denneny. This improved the Senators point total to 23, as Ottawa was now within one point of the second place Montreal Canadiens.
Ottawa travelled to Montreal on February 11 for a game against the Montreal Canadiens and potentially overtake them for second place in the NHL standings. The Canadiens had other ideas, as they stormed out to a 6-0 lead in the first period. Montreal cruised to a 10-3 win over the Senators, ending the Sens brief two game winning streak. The loss dropped Ottawa down to fourth place, as the Toronto St. Patricks took over third place in the NHL standings.
The Senators faced off against the Montreal Maroons on home ice on Valentine's Day. Ottawa, led by two point games by Cy Denneny and Georges Boucher, defeated the Maroons 3-2, to remain one point behind Toronto for the final playoff spot in the NHL.
Ottawa was back on the road to face the Toronto St. Patricks four nights later in a game that the Senators could overtake Toronto for third place. The St. Patricks, led by a hat trick by Babe Dye, defeated the Senators 4-2, moving three points ahead of Ottawa.
The Senators played the Boston Bruins back on home ice on February 21. Alec Connell stopped every shot he faced, while Ed Gorman scored twice for the Senators, as Ottawa shutout Boston 3-0.
Ottawa travelled to Hamilton on February 25 to face the first place Hamilton Tigers, seeking a much needed win to keep pace with the red-hot Toronto St. Patricks. The Tigers, led by a two point effort by Billy Burch and strong goaltending by Jake Forbes, shutout the Senators 2-0, dropping Ottawa five points out of the playoffs.
The Senators closed out February at home against the Montreal Canadiens on February 28. Alec Connell earned the shutout, while Georges Boucher scored the lone goal, as Ottawa beat Montreal 1-0. The win moved the Senators to within three points of the now third-place Montreal Canadiens in the NHL standings.
Ottawa had a solid 5-3-0 record in February, bringing their overall win-loss record to 14-12-1 through February. The Senators 29 points ranked them fourth in the NHL standings, three points behind the third place Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff position, with three games remaining in the season.

March

The Senators kept their slim playoff hopes alive by opening March with a 5-1 win over the Montreal Maroons on the road on March 4. Frank Nighbor scored twice for Ottawa in the victory. With the win, Ottawa moved within one point of the third place Montreal Canadiens with two games remaining in the season.
Ottawa played their final home game on March 7, facing the Toronto St. Patricks. The Senators, led by two goals by Georges Boucher and stellar goaltending by Alec Connell, shutout the St. Pats 3-0. The victory kept the Senators within a point of the third place Canadiens, who defeated the Montreal Maroons 3-1 the same night.
The Senators needed a victory and a Montreal loss to clinch third place in the NHL and qualify for the post-season. Ottawa travelled to Boston to close out the season on March 9. The Senators King Clancy and Cy Denneny each scored twice, leading Ottawa to a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins. The Canadiens faced the first place Hamilton Tigers, however, Montreal defeated Hamilton 4-1 to clinch third place and the final playoff berth in the NHL.
Ottawa had a perfect 3-0-0 record in March. Overall, the Senators had a 17-12-1 record during the season, earning 35 points. The Senators failed to qualify for the post-season.

Final standings

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPts
1November 29Ottawa Senators3–5Hamilton Tigers0–1–00
2December 3Montreal Canadiens1–2Ottawa Senators1–1–02
3December 6Ottawa Senators1–3Montreal Maroons1–2–02
4December 10Toronto St. Pats6–3Ottawa Senators1–3–02
5December 15Ottawa Senators10–2Boston Bruins2–3–04
6December 17Hamilton Tigers0–0Ottawa Senators2–3–15
7December 20Ottawa Senators2–3Montreal Canadiens2–4–15
8December 23Montreal Maroons2–1Ottawa Senators2–5–15
9December 27Ottawa Senators4–3Toronto St. Pats3–5–17
10January 1Boston Bruins2–5Ottawa Senators4–5–19
11January 3Hamilton Tigers0–2Ottawa Senators5–5–111
12January 7Ottawa Senators2–0Montreal Canadiens6–5–113
13January 10Montreal Maroons0–4Ottawa Senators7–5–115
14January 14Ottawa Senators2–3Toronto St. Pats7–6–115
15January 17Boston Bruins2–3Ottawa Senators8–6–117
16January 21Ottawa Senators4–5Hamilton Tigers8–7–117
17January 24Montreal Canadiens3–2Ottawa Senators8–8–117
18January 28Ottawa Senators2–1Montreal Maroons9–8–119
19January 31Toronto St. Pats2–1Ottawa Senators9–9–119
20February 3Ottawa Senators3–1Boston Bruins10–9–121
21February 7Hamilton Tigers2–3Ottawa Senators11–9–123
22February 11Ottawa Senators3–10Montreal Canadiens11–10–123
23February 14Montreal Maroons2–3Ottawa Senators12–10–125
24February 18Ottawa Senators2–4Toronto St. Pats12–11–125
25February 21Boston Bruins0–3Ottawa Senators13–11–127
26February 25Ottawa Senators0–2Hamilton Tigers13–12–127
27February 28Montreal Canadiens0–1Ottawa Senators14–12–129
28March 4Ottawa Senators5–1Montreal Maroons15–12–131
29March 7Toronto St. Pats0–3Ottawa Senators16–12–133
30March 9Ottawa Senators4–1Boston Bruins17–12–135

Playoffs

Ottawa did not qualify for the playoffs.

Player statistics

Regular season

;Scoring
PlayerPosGPGAPtsPIM
LW2927154216
C/RW3010132381
D291472161
D281552095
D281141549
C26551018
D290000
G300002
RW2900022
LW30000
RW10000
D120002
D70004

;Goaltending
PlayerMINGPWLTGAGAASO
18523017121662.147
2100000.000
Team:18543017121662.147

Awards and records

After the season, Frank Nighbor was the first winner of the Lady Byng Trophy, awarded to the player with the best sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with performance in play.

Transactions

Before the season, the Senators and Maroons made a trade, as the Senators sent Clint Benedict and Punch Broadbent to Montreal for cash. The Sens would then sign Alec Connell to play goal for them.

Roster

Source: NHL.com