The 7th seed in the inaugural Ultimate NHL Playoff, the ’25-’26 Ottawa Senators.

• George Boucher (D)
  • 7 GP   3 G   1 A   4 P   -4   28 S   0 GWG   23 PIM   0 Stars
• King Clancy (D)
  • 7 GP   1 G   1 A   2 P   Even   12 S   1 GWG   0 PIM   2 Stars
• Alec Connell (G)
  • 7 GP   3-4-0   2.71 GAA   .922 SV%   0 SO   6 Stars
• Cy Denneny (LW)
  • 7 GP   5 G   7 A   12 P   -2   96 S   1 GWG   6 PIM   7 Stars
• John Duggan (LW)
  • 7 GP   0 G   0 A   0 P   -2   4 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Frank Finnigan (RW)
  • 7 GP   0 G   3 A   3 P   Even   21 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Ed Gorman (D)
  • 7 GP   0 G   1 A   1 P   +1   8 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Leth Graham (LW)
  • 2 GP   0 G   0 A   0 P   -1   0 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Alex Smith (D)
  • 7 GP   0 G   2 A   2 P   -3   11 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Hooley Smith (C)
  • 7 GP   4 G   6 A   10 P   -1   37 S   1 GWG   4 PIM   6 Stars
• Hec Kilrea (LW)
  • 7 GP   1 G   3 A   4 P   -3   13 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Frank Nighbor (C)
  • 7 GP   3 G   1 A   4 P   Even   18 S   0 GWG   6 PIM   0 Stars

Bold – Team Best

Team Stats:

• Record: 3-4-0
• Goals Scored: 17
• Goals/Game: 2.43
• Goals Allowed: 20
• Goals Allowed/Game: 2.86
• Shots: 250
• Shots Allowed: 246
• Shots/Game: 35.7
• Shots Allowed/Game: 35.1
• # of PP’s: 14
• PPG’s: 2
• PP%: 14.3%
• TSH: 9
• PPGA: 1
• PK%: 88.9%
• Penalties in minutes: 39

At the time, the ’25-’26 Ottawa Senators were one of the best teams around. However, would success in a tournament like ht is be expected? I don’t know, but they didn’t have any. They received a bye because of their franchises Stanley Cup championships, but they didn’t win a single series in the inaugural Ultimate NHL Playoff.

1st Round:

Bye

2nd Round:

Lost to 39th-seeded ’78-’79 Atlanta Flames, 4-3

The ’25-’26 Ottawa Senators finished the regular season with a 24-8-4, which was good for 52 points and 1st in the league, under head coach Alex Curry. They were known for their stifling defense and goaltending. They allowed just 42 goals in their 36 games, which was lowest in the league, while scoring 77 goals, which was sixth in the league out of seven teams. The playoff format of the time gave whoever finished 1st in the league an automatic spot in the Final, but the teams who finish 2nd and 3rd play to get into the Final. So, the Senators faced the Montreal Maroons in the Final and ultimately lost in three games.

This era of Senators hockey was led by Cy Denneny, who was the best player of this age. Denneny posted 24 goals and 12 assists for 36 points in their 36 regular season games. He was followed up by Hooley Smith, who posted 16 goals and 9 assists for 25 points, and Frank Nighbor, who posted 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points.  Their top two defenseman were George Boucher and King Clancy, yes from the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. Nighbor won his second consecutive Lady Byng trophy for his performance in the ’25-’26 season. Goaltender Alec Connell is a Hall of Famer for a reason and he proved it during the ’25-’26 season. Connell posted a 1.12 goals against on the season and posted 15 shutouts out of the 36 games. Not a bad shutout percentage.

Up next is the #8 seed, the ’78-’79 New York Islanders!