kids encyclopedia robot

Binghamton Senators facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Binghamton Senators
Binghamton Senators.svg
City Binghamton, New York
League American Hockey League
Founded 1972
Operated 2002–2017
Home arena Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena
Colors Red, black, antique gold, white
                   
Affiliate(s) Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Franchise history
1972–1992 New Haven Nighthawks
1992–1993 New Haven Senators
1993–1996 Prince Edward Island Senators
2002–2017 Binghamton Senators
2017–present Belleville Senators
Championships
Division Championships 3 (2002–03, 2004–05, 2013–14)
Conference Championships 1 (2010–11)
Calder Cups 1 (2010–11)

The Binghamton Senators were a professional ice hockey team. They played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 2002 to 2017. People often called them the B-Sens. Their home arena was the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, New York.

The B-Sens were a minor league team for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). In 2017, the Ottawa Senators moved the team to become the Belleville Senators. After that, Binghamton got a new AHL team, the Binghamton Devils. This team was linked to the New Jersey Devils.

A big moment for the B-Sens was winning the Calder Cup in the 2010–11 season. They had many rivals, including the Syracuse Crunch, Rochester Americans, Albany Devils, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and Hershey Bears.

Team History

Starting Out (2002–2005)

The B-Sens brought AHL hockey back to Binghamton after five years. Before them, other AHL teams like the Binghamton Dusters, Binghamton Whalers, and Binghamton Rangers played there.

The Binghamton Senators had a great first season in 2002–03. They won 43 games and earned 100 points. They did well in the playoffs, winning their first two rounds. However, they lost to the Hamilton Bulldogs in five games.

The next season, 2003–04, was tougher. Key players like Antoine Vermette and Jason Spezza left the team. The B-Sens finished with a .500 record and lost quickly in the playoffs.

In the 2004–05 season, many NHL players came to play in the AHL. This happened because the NHL had a lockout that year. Stars like Jason Spezza, Antoine Vermette, and Chris Neil joined the B-Sens. Jason Spezza was amazing, leading the league with 117 points and winning the AHL MVP award. The team won their division title. They started the playoffs strong but were surprisingly eliminated by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Winning the Calder Cup (2009–2011)

AHL Calder Cup Finals Game Six (25570717347)
The Senators celebrating after winning the 2011 Calder Cup.

In 2010, Kurt Kleinendorst became the head coach of the B-Sens. He had just led the USA Hockey team to a gold medal. In his first season, 2010–11, the B-Sens made it to the playoffs.

They faced the Manchester Monarchs in the first round. The B-Sens were down 3–1 in the series. But they fought back, winning games five and six in overtime! In game seven, Erik Condra tied the game late. Then, Ryan Potulny scored in overtime to win the series.

Next, they played the Portland Pirates and won the first two games. They closed out that series in game six. In the Eastern Conference final, the Senators played the Charlotte Checkers. The B-Sens were dominant, scoring many goals. Ryan Keller scored an overtime goal in game four to send them to the Calder Cup finals.

In the finals, the Senators played the Houston Aeros. The series was close, but the B-Sens took a 3–2 lead. They won game six in Houston on June 7, 2011. This victory gave them their first-ever Calder Cup! Ryan Keller scored the winning goal in the third period.

Later Years and Relocation (2011–2017)

After their big win, many players moved up to the NHL. The B-Sens had a new lineup in 2011–12 and did not make the playoffs. Coach Kleinendorst left, and Luke Richardson took over.

In 2012–13, the team got stronger. Players like Jakob Silfverberg and Mika Zibanejad started the season in Binghamton. The B-Sens had one of the best records in the AHL. However, many top players moved to Ottawa when the NHL season began. The B-Sens still finished strong but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The 2013–14 season saw many players return. The B-Sens won their division title again. They faced the Penguins in the playoffs for the second year in a row. The games were very close, with three going to overtime. But the B-Sens lost the series in four games.

After the 2015–16 season, coach Luke Richardson resigned. Kurt Kleinendorst, who led them to the Calder Cup, returned as head coach.

In 2016, news came out that the Ottawa Senators wanted to move their AHL team closer to them in Canada. On September 26, 2016, the Ottawa Senators owner confirmed the team would move. The Binghamton Senators became the Belleville Senators for the 2017–18 season.

However, Binghamton worked hard to keep AHL hockey. On January 31, 2017, they announced a new team. They signed a five-year deal to host the New Jersey Devils' AHL team, which became the Binghamton Devils.

Season Results

Regular Season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost Tied OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Standing Year Prelims 1st
round		 2nd
round		 3rd
round		 Finals
2002–03 80 43 26 9 2 — 97 .606 239 207 1st, East 2003 BYE W, 3–0, WOR W, 4–2, BRI L, 1–4, HAM —
2003–04 80 34 34 9 3 — 80 .500 210 216 4th, East 2004 L, 0–2, NOR — — — —
2004–05 80 47 21 — 7 5 106 .663 276 217 1st, East 2005 — L, 2–4, WBS — — —
2005–06 80 35 37 — 4 4 78 .488 258 295 5th, East 2006 — Did not qualify
2006–07 80 23 48 — 4 5 55 .344 225 323 7th, East 2007 — Did not qualify
2007–08 80 34 32 — 9 5 82 .513 255 248 6th, East 2008 — Did not qualify
2008–09 80 41 30 — 5 4 91 .569 232 238 5th, East 2009 — Did not qualify
2009–10 80 36 35 — 6 3 81 .506 251 260 5th, East 2010 — Did not qualify
2010–11 80 42 30 — 3 5 91 .575 255 221 5th, East 2011 — W, 4–3, MAN W, 4–2, POR W, 4–0, CHA W, 4–2 HOU
2011–12 76 29 40 — 5 2 65 .428 201 243 5th, East 2012 — Did not qualify
2012–13 76 44 24 — 1 7 96 .632 227 188 2nd, East 2013 — L, 0–3, WBS — — —
2013–14 76 44 24 — 3 5 96 .632 276 232 1st, East 2014 — L, 1–3, WBS — — —
2014–15 76 34 34 — 7 1 76 .500 242 258 3rd, East 2015 — Did not qualify
2015–16 76 31 38 — 6 1 69 .454 204 241 7th, North 2016 — Did not qualify
2016–17 76 28 44 — 2 2 60 .395 190 266 7th, North 2017 — Did not qualify

Team Players

Team Captains

  • Steve Martins, 2002–2003
  • Brian Pothier, 2002–2003
  • Chris Kelly, 2003–2005
  • Denis Hamel, 2005–2006, 2007–2010
  • Jamie Allison, 2006–2007
  • Ryan Keller, 2010–2011
  • Mark Parrish, 2011–2012
  • Andre Benoit, 2012–2013
  • Mike Hoffman, 2013–2014
  • Mark Borowiecki, 2013–2014
  • Aaron Johnson. 2014–2015
  • Zack Stortini, 2015–2016
  • Mike Blunden, 2016–2017

Famous Players

Team Records

Best Single Season Records

  • Goals: Denis Hamel, 56 (2005–06)
  • Assists: Jason Spezza, 85 (2004–05)
  • Points: Jason Spezza, 117 (2004–05)
  • Penalty minutes: Brian McGrattan, 551 (2004–05)
  • GAA (Goals Against Average): Robin Lehner, 2.12 (2012–13)
  • SV% (Save Percentage): Robin Lehner, .938 (2012–13)

All-Time Career Records

  • Career goals: Denis Hamel, 203
  • Career assists: Denis Hamel, 189
  • Career points: Denis Hamel, 392
  • Career penalty minutes: Brian McGrattan, 1051
  • Career goaltending wins: Ray Emery, 67
  • Career shutouts: Ray Emery, 11
  • Career games: Denis Hamel, 528

Top Scorers in Team History

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game average;

Player Pos GP G A Pts P/G
Denis Hamel LW 438 203 189 392 0.89
Josh Hennessy C 289 99 114 213 0.74
Cole Schneider RW 263 83 108 191 0.73
Jason Spezza C 123 54 117 171 1.39
Mike Hoffman C 242 71 98 169 0.62
Shane Prince LW 206 67 81 148 0.72
Derek Smith D 272 33 109 142 0.52
Jeff Heerema RW 155 63 78 141 0.91
Antoine Vermette C 161 62 73 135 0.84
Stephane Da Costa C 159 44 88 132 0.83

These totals only include games played for the Binghamton Senators.

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Binghamton Senators Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.