October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
2005-06 Ottawa Senators: The CASH Line
The Ottawa Senators had quietly become one of the better teams in the National Hockey League in the middle of the 2000s, and one part of the team’s improvement came with a blockbuster trade that would mold their team into something both dangerous and admirable to watch on the ice. On August 23, 2005, the Senators sent right winger Marian Hossa and defenseman Greg de Vries to the Atlanta Thrashers in a trade that brought back left winger Dany Heatley, an efficient goal-scoring threat.
In the 2005-06 NHL season, the Ottawa Senators went 52-21-9, finishing three points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres to win the Northeast Division. The Senators went 29-9-3 on their home ice at the Corel Centre while going 23-12-6 on the road. Throughout the regular season the Senators were strong for most months, going 8-2 in October, 11-1 in November, 8-3-3 in December, 7-5-1 in January, and 12-2-2 in March. In head-to-head play, the Senators went 7-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs; 5-1-2 against the Buffalo Sabres; 4-0 against the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning; 4-3-1 against the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens; 3-1 against the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals; 2-1-1 against the Florida Panthers; and 2-2 against the Atlanta Thrashers and Carolina Hurricanes.
Dany Heatley had 50 goals and 53 assists for 103 points, with 23 power play goals, 20 power play assists, and 7 game-winning goals off 300 shots. Right winger Daniel Alfredsson was the Captain of the Senators and had 43 goals and 60 assists for 103 points, with 16 power play goals, 32 power play assists, 5 short-handed goals, and 8 game-winning goals off 249 shots. Center Jason Spezza had 19 goals and 71 assists for 90 points, with 34 power play assists and 5 game-winning goals off 156 shots. Alfredsson, Heatley, and Spezza made up a line that would become popularly known as the “CASH Line,” a nod to Alfredsson’s status as Captain along with the trio’s last names.
Left winger Peter Schaefer had 20 goals and 30 assists for 50 points, with 4 short-handed goals off 137 shots. Defenseman Wade Redden had 10 goals and 40 assists for 50 points, with 8 power play goals, 22 power play assists, and 4 game-winning goals off 153 shots. Center Brian Smolinski had 17 goals and 31 assists for 48 points, with 12 power play assists and 5 game-winning goals off 178 shots. Center Mike Fisher had 22 goals and 22 assists for 44 points, with 4 short-handed goals off 150 shots.
Defenseman Zdeno Chara had 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points, with 10 power play goals and 12 power play assists off 212 shots. Defenseman Andrej Meszaros had 10 goals and 29 assists, with 19 power play assists off 137 shots. Defenseman Brian Pothier had 5 goals and 30 assists, with 14 power play assists off 133 shots. Center Antoine Vermette had 21 goals and 12 assists, with 6 short-handed goals and 4 game-winning goals off 123 shots.
The Senators acquired goaltender Dominik Hasek to provide a boost to the rest of the team, and the man nicknamed “The Dominator” delivered in a big way. Hasek went 28-10-4, allowing 90 goals on 1,202 shots across 2,584 minutes, recording 1,112 saves, a .925 save percentage, a 2.09 goals-against average, and 5 shutouts. Giving Hasek occasional breaks to protect the net himself, goaltender Ray Emery also came through, going 23-11-4, allowing 102 goals on 1,045 shots across 2,168 minutes, recording 943 saves, a .902 save percentage, a 2.82 goals-against average, and 3 shutouts.
Only a couple of Senators received individual accolades. Daniel Alfredsson would be awarded the Molson Cup and was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team, along with Dany Heatley and Zdeno Chara. Wade Redden won the NHL Plus-Minus Award.
The Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning appeared to be an intriguing pairing, but only one team proved convincing as the Senators eliminated the Lightning four games to one. In Game 1 on April 21 at the Corel Centre, the Senators beat the Lightning 4-1. Nineteen minutes into the 1st period, Tampa Bay struck first with a goal from center Vincent Lecavalier. In the 3rd period, right winger Martin Havlat scored a power play goal for Ottawa at 5:06 in. Jason Spezza followed with a power play goal of his own at 6:13 in. Mike Fisher then scored a short-handed goal at 9:37 in, and Daniel Alfredsson put the finishing touch on the win with an empty-net goal at 18:58 in.
The Lightning got their only win of the series in Game 2 on April 23 by a score of 4-3. In Game 3 on April 25 at the St. Pete Times Forum, the Senators beat the Lightning 8-4. At 5:20 into the 1st period, Havlat scored for Ottawa, and Wade Redden followed with a power play goal at 8:40 in. At 12:56 in, right winger Scott Eaves scored for Ottawa, and Tampa Bay got on the board at 18:38 in with a power play goal from star right winger Martin St. Louis.
At 2:17 into the 2nd period, Havlat scored again, and at 9:11 in, Antoine Vermette added an Ottawa goal. Just 0:20 into the 3rd period, Tampa Bay defenseman Paul Ranger scored a power play goal, and at 6:12 in, Dany Heatley answered with a power play goal of his own, a sign the CASH Line’s offensive punch was carrying into the postseason. Zdeno Chara scored his own power play goal at 10:28 in, and Ranger struck again for Tampa Bay at 11:26 in. At 13:25 in, defenseman Pavel Kubina scored a power play goal for Tampa Bay, but Vermette answered for Ottawa at 16:18 in.
In Game 4 on April 27, the Senators won 5-2. At 6:13 into the 1st period, Spezza scored a goal, but the Lightning struck back with goals from St. Louis and center Brad Richards at 11:10 and 16:15, respectively. At 5:59 into the 2nd period, defenseman Chris Phillips scored for Ottawa, Heatley added a power play goal at 17:30, and Havlat scored at 17:50. At 1:24 into the 3rd period, right winger Chris Neil scored a goal.
The Senators closed out the series with a 3-2 win at the Corel Centre in Game 5 on April 29. Peter Schaefer scored at 12:53 into the 1st period, and Andrej Meszaros followed at 15:44. The Lightning got on the board with a goal from right winger Evgeny Artyukhin at 1:37 into the 2nd period, but Havlat secured the victory with a power play goal at 15:02. A late goal from Richards at 18:15 into the 3rd period didn’t change the outcome.
The Eastern Conference Semifinals were not a continuation of the Senators’ success, as they were eliminated by the Buffalo Sabres four games to one. The only game of the series the Senators won was Game 4 on May 11, by a score of 2-1. Brian Pothier scored first at 4:56 into the 1st period. At 16:18 into the 2nd period, Buffalo center Daniel Briere tied the game. Wade Redden broke the tie with a power play goal at 2:52 into the 3rd period.
Though they fell short in 2005-06, it wouldn’t take long for the Ottawa Senators to realize just how good they could have been, as they would reach uncharted territory in franchise history just one year later.
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