The arrival of the B-Sens marked the return of the AHL to the area after a five-year absence. The Rhode Island Reds, a charter member of the AHL, moved to Binghamton in 1977 and played there until 1997, known variously as the Binghamton Dusters (1977–1980), the Binghamton Whalers (1980–1990), and the Binghamton Rangers (1990–1997). While no AHL team played in Binghamton between 1997 and 2002, the market was served by the B.C. Icemen of the United Hockey League.
The Binghamton Senators enjoyed a successful 2002–03 inaugural season, going 43–26–9 with 100 points. They breezed by their first two playoff rounds, but were easily defeated by the Hamilton Bulldogs in five games. By contrast, the 2003–04 season was not as successful as the loss of both Antoine Vermette and Jason Spezza weakened the team. They went 34–34–9 and exited the playoffs in a two-game sweep at the hands of the Norfolk Admirals.
The 2004–05 NHL lockout meant Binghamton got a return visit from their recent graduates and several other NHL players, including Jason Spezza, Antoine Vermette, Anton Volchenkov, Chris Neil, Josh Langfeld, and Brian Pothier, making the Senators a legitimate Calder Cup contender. Jason Spezza led the way with a league high 117 points (earning the AHL MVP). The Senators ended the regular season with only 21 regulation losses, tied for second fewest in the league, taking the division title with a league high 276 goals scored. The Senators entered the playoffs on a roll, winning 11 of their last 13 games, and continued their dominance by cruising through the first two games of their first round best-of-seven series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, scoring nine goals. But the offense stalled and the Sens scored only five goals in the remaining four games as the Penguins eliminated Binghamton.
Later seasons (2009–2017)
Senators after winning the 2011 Calder Cup
On July 17, 2009, Don Nachbaur was named head coach of the Binghamton Senators. During the 2009–10 AHL season, Nachbaur coached the Senators to a 36–35–6–3 record and 81 points to finish fifth in the AHL's East Division. On June 22, 2010, after only one season behind the bench, Nachbaur announced that he was resigning as head coach citing personal reasons.[1]Kurt Kleinendorst was then appointed the head coach of the B-Sens with a two-year contract.[2] Kleinendorst had spent the previous year leading the USA Hockey National Team Development Program's under-18 team to a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World U18 Championships in Belarus.
In his first season as head coach, Kleinedorst led the Senators to a fifth-place finish in the East Division. The B-Sens qualified for the 2011 playoffs against the Manchester Monarchs in the first round. They fell behind 3–1 in the series, but won games five and six in overtime to force a game seven. The Senators fell behind 5–4 in game seven, but Erik Condra tied the game with 1:45 remaining in the third period. Ryan Potulny then scored 3:07 into overtime to send the Senators to the second round. Next, the Senators faced the Portland Pirates and won the first two games in Portland to go up 2–0 in the series. They then lost two of the next three games at home to the Pirates and had their series lead cut to 3–2. The Senators shut out the Pirates in game six, 3–0, to go to the Eastern Conference final. In the Eastern Conference final, the Senators faced the Charlotte Checkers. The Senators dominated the series, outscoring the Checkers 21–8, 11–4 at home and 10–4 on the road. In game four, Ryan Keller got the game-winning goal in overtime to send the Senators to the Calder Cup finals.
In the finals, the Senators played the Houston Aeros. The Senators fell behind 2–1 in the series, but a two-game home-ice winning streak gave them the 3–2 lead. The Senators won game six in Houston on June 7, 2011, to capture their first ever Calder Cup, with Ryan Keller scoring the game-winning goal 9:09 into the third period of the deciding game.
In the 2011–12 season, the Senators faced a completely revised lineup as free agents left to join other NHL organizations and several players became full-time Ottawa Senators. The team finished fifth and did not qualify for the playoffs. Head coach Kleinendorst resigned after the season to pursue other opportunities. He was replaced by former NHL player and Ottawa assistant coach Luke Richardson as the team's seventh head coach.[3]
In the 2012–13 offseason, the Senators made several moves in free agency, including bringing back former player Andre Benoit to be the Senators' captain. The NHL lockout also allowed several Ottawa top prospects, such as Jakob Silfverberg and Mika Zibanejad, to start the season in Binghamton. The Senators stormed out to a 27–10–4 start by the all-star break, holding the best record in the AHL at one point. The Senators then lost many players, including Benoit, Silfverburg, Zibanejad and Patrick Wiercioch, to Ottawa as the NHL regular season started. The Senators went 17–14–4 the rest of the way to finish second in the East Division, claim the fourth seed for the playoffs, and finish with a 44–24–8 record overall. However, the Senators offense struggled against the physical play of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and swept the Senators out of the playoffs, three-games-to-none.
The Senators returned almost the entire team from the previous year for the 2013–14 season; the most notable exception being goaltender Robin Lehner, who became Ottawa's regular backup goalie. The Senators contended for the division lead for the entire season. Despite goaltender Nathan Lawson having an injury-filled year, Andrew Hammond filled his spot with 25 wins and a 2.81 GAA. Even with the Senators losing leading scorers Mike Hoffman and Stephane Da Costa along with Mark Stone, Cody Ceci and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and others to Ottawa during the second half of the year, the Senators clinched their third division title since the 2004–05 season. The division title came on a 5–4 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the second-to-last game of the season to clinch the third seed in the Eastern Conference. For the second year in a row, the Senators played the Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. The first three games of the series were close, all of them going to overtime, but the Senators went down 2–1 in the series. Facing a must-win game four in Wilkes-Barre, the B-Sens were routed by the Penguins 5–1, bowing out in the first round once again.
After the end of the 2015–16 season, head coach Luke Richardson resigned from his position with the organization. Richardson was replaced by the coach he took over for in 2012, Kurt Kleinendorst, on June 8, 2016.[4]
In July 2016, Broome County officials stated that the Ottawa Senators intended to relocate their franchise closer to the parent club in Canada for the 2017–18 season, but that the "AHL has committed to staying in Binghamton and Broome County" due to the B-Sens having three more years left on their lease in 2017.[5] Most reports have conjectured that the relocated Senators franchise would be in Belleville, Ontario, due to plans to renovate Yardmen Arena announced in June 2016. On September 26, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk confirmed he had purchased the Binghamton Senators and would relocate the team to become the Belleville Senators for the 2017–18 season.[6] After the Ottawa Senators' announcement of the relocation, the Binghamton organization reconfirmed they were working towards keeping AHL hockey in Binghamton for 2017–18.[7] On January 31, 2017, the Binghamton organization announced it had signed a five-year agreement to operate the New Jersey Devils' AHL affiliate beginning with the 2017–18 season as the Binghamton Devils.[8]
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). For the 2023–24 season, 31 of the 32 NHL teams have official affiliations with an AHL team, with only the Carolina Hurricanes having no such affiliation. When NHL teams do not have an AHL affiliate, players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL franchises. Twenty-six AHL teams are located across the United States whereas the remaining six are situated in Canada. The league offices are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and its current president is Scott Howson.
Jason Rocco Anthony Spezza is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and current assistant general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. Spezza played 19 career seasons in the NHL from 2002 to 2022.
Denis Jean Hamel is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who last played semi-professionally in the LNAH. A former star in junior, Hamel was not able to translate his scoring success in junior to the National Hockey League (NHL), although he had success at the AHL level, being named an AHL All-Star 3 times. After a serious knee injury in 2000, Hamel's skating speed was diminished and his ability to contribute in the NHL was limited. He was known as a fan favorite with the Binghamton Senators, and is known for his contributions to the community, for which he won the 2008 AHL Man of the Year award.
David William Cameron is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former professional player. He is currently the head coach of the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. He was previously the head coach of the Vienna Capitals of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL) and the head coach of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) from December 2014 until the conclusion of the 2015–16 season. He also played in the NHL as a forward with the Colorado Rockies and New Jersey Devils between 1981 and 1984.
Matthew Carkner is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who currently serves as the head coach and general manager of the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens 58th overall in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft and played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, and New York Islanders. Throughout his career, Carkner was known for his physical play and abilities as a fighter.
Kurt Kleinendorst is an American professional ice hockey coach. Since January 2022, he is head coach of the Iserlohn Roosters from the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Kleinendorst played four seasons at Providence College and was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.
The 2005–06 Ottawa Senators season was the 14th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). After one of their franchise-best regular seasons, finishing with 113 points, the Senators made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, in which the Buffalo Sabres eliminated Ottawa in five games.
James Patrick O'Brien is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the then Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
Robin Lehner is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Panda", he previously played in the NHL for the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, and Chicago Blackhawks. The Senators selected Lehner in the second round, 46th overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Matthew Richard Bartkowski is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL).
The 2011–12 Ottawa Senators season was the 20th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). It was considered a rebuilding season for the Senators after an off-season of high player personnel turnover and the hiring of a new head coach. Although the Senators were not expected to make the playoffs, the team qualified eighth. The team lost, however, in the first round to the first-place New York Rangers, although they took the series to a seventh game. Three Senators were nominated for NHL awards: captain Daniel Alfredsson for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, Erik Karlsson for the James Norris Trophy and Head Coach Paul MacLean for the Jack Adams Award. The Senators hosted the NHL All-Star Game and its festivities. Alfredsson was named captain of one of the teams and five Senators played in the Game.
Andrew Robert Hammond is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils. Nicknamed the "Hamburglar", he rose to fame in 2014–15 when he was called up from the minors and led the Senators to a 20–1–2 record to clinch a previously unthinkable Stanley Cup playoff berth.
The 2014–15 Ottawa Senators season was the 23rd season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). After an eventful regular season, the team returned to the NHL playoffs after not qualifying in the 2013–14 NHL season. Since 1996, the team has not missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
Colin Andrew White is an American professional ice hockey center for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 21st overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. White has also previously played for the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Tobias Lindberg is a Swedish professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing with Eispiraten Crimmitschau of the DEL2. He has previously played in the HockeyAllsvenskan (Allsv), and in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lindberg was a member of the 2015 Memorial Cup champion Oshawa Generals.
Nicholas Paul is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). A left winger, he was selected by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round, 101st overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
The 2017–18 AHL season was the 82nd season of the American Hockey League. The regular season ran from October 6, 2017, to April 15, 2018. The 2018 Calder Cup playoffs followed the conclusion of the regular season. The Toronto Marlies won their first Calder Cup in seven games over the Texas Stars.
The Belleville Senators are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2017–18 season as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ottawa Senators. Based in Belleville, Ontario, the Senators play their home games at CAA Arena. The franchise was previously based out of Binghamton, New York, as the Binghamton Senators.
Ben Sexton is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). A centre, he was selected by the Boston Bruins in the seventh round, 206th overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Sexton is the son of one of the Ottawa Senators' founding partners, Randy Sexton.
The 2020–21 AHL season was the 85th season of the American Hockey League. Due to the ongoing restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the regular season was pushed back to February 5, 2021, and the league championship Calder Cup was not awarded for the second consecutive season. The Hershey Bears won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the best regular-season record, their eighth regular-season championship. This was the first season under Scott Howson as the league's president after David Andrews announced his retirement after 26 years in the position.
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