He had to work hard to convince the league and eventually his efforts paid off and Ottawa got its NHL team. The team was named the Senators, after the original team, but has maintained a separate identity and record from the original.

The Senators played their first three seasons at the Civic Center. They moved to the Palladium after that in 1996. The Palladium was named the Corel Center and Scotiabank Place after that. The team had to struggle through many financial difficulties and finally declared bankruptcy in 2003. Eugene Melnyk bought the team and is the current owner of the team.

In 1992, the Senators won the first game they played against the Montreal Canadiens. But this was not sign of things to come. The Senators finished last in the league for the next four years. After Pierre Gauthier was hired as General Manager in 1995 and Jacques Martin was hired as head coach, the team started improving. In 1997, they made the playoffs for the first time. They lost to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round. They have made the playoffs every year after that. In 1998, they made their first 100-points season in their franchise history.

In 2004, the Senators lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs. This was the fourth time they lost to the Maple Leafs and their rivalry was growing. Coach Martin was fired after their loss and Bryan Murray took over as the fifth coach of the team. They continued making the playoffs every year, but failed to make it to the Finals. In 2007, the Senators finally made it through the playoffs and won the Conference finals against the Buffalo Sabres. They made it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time to face the Anaheim Ducks. This was the first time; Ottawa made the finals in eighty years. They lost to the Ducks in five games. Though they lost the Finals, they proved themselves to be a force to reckon with.

Head Coach, Bryan Murray was made General Manager in June 2007. John Paddock was named the new head coach of the team after a month. The colors of the team are black, red and white. They play their home games at the Scotiabank Place. The team captain is Daniel Alfredsson. The Senators have retired only one jersey number 8, that of Frank Finnigan, who had played for the original Senators.