Senators’ 10th playoff run in row attracts fans

Thousands of fans greeted the team’s return after a series-clinching, 3-2 win.

OTTAWA (AP) — Now that he’s finally coaching in the Stanley Cup finals, perhaps Bryan Murray will have enough pull to avoid waiting in line for a dinner table in Ottawa.

During the Senators’ five-game Eastern Conference finals win over Buffalo, Murray told the story of how he was unable to get into a restaurant in the hockey-mad city’s popular Byward Market area.

“There were lineups at all the different restaurants and bars late at night and I didn’t get in,” Murray said. “But it looked like there were a lot of people with Senator sweaters on and people coming from the game, so I’m sure it has a big impact on the economy in the area.”

The impact of the Senators’ playoff run — their 10th in a row and most successful — is undeniable. Thousands of fans greeted the team’s return from Buffalo at the city’s international airport Saturday following the Senators’ series-clinching 3-2 overtime win over the Sabres.

Daniel Alfredsson’s overtime winner ended a nine-year run of playoff frustration and disappointment in Ottawa, which advanced to the Cup finals for the first time since the expansion Senators returned NHL hockey to the Canadian capital in 1992 following a 58-year absence.

“For him to get the goal is real justice to the way he worked and played,” Murray said of the team’s longtime captain. “He’s been the example, the workhorse for the team.”

And all that work earned a well-deserved day off Sunday for the Senators, who wait for the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings to settle the Western Conference finals. The Ducks beat the Red Wings 2-1 in overtime on Sunday and can advance on Tuesday with a home win in Game 6.

No titles for Senators

Though there are 11 Stanley Cup banners hanging from the rafters at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, none belong to the current Senators franchise.

The original Ottawa Senators won four championships within 10 years of the NHL’s formation in 1917 and had already claimed seven titles before that. Ottawa’s last Stanley Cup title dates to 1927.