That breath of fresh air coming from the north about the middle of February, 2000 was not just another Canadian cold front moving to the United States. It was, instead, more like a collective sigh of relief coming from fans of the Ottawa Senators, overjoyed now with ownership's plan to keep the historic franchise in the Canadian capital.

Now in the ninth year of their re-birth as a franchise, the Senators are actually the heirs to the memories of two of the greatest hockey teams of all time - the "original" Ottawa Senators and the Ottawa Silver Seven, winners of nine Stanley Cups between them in the years 1893 to 1934.

Ottawa was a charter member of the modern-day National Hockey League when it was formed in 1917. The Stanley Cup itself was born in Ottawa, the creation of Frederick Arthur Lord Stanley of Preston, Canada's Governor General at the time, who purchased the Cup in England and brought it to Ottawa in 1893. Today, over 100 years later, it is the most famous trophy in the sporting world.

The original Senators quickly became one of the first "dynasty" teams in the National Hockey League, winning four Stanley Cups between 1920 and 1927. They featured some of the greatest players in NHL history such as Punch Broadbent, Cy Denneny, King Clancy, Frank Nighbor, Jack Darragh, George Boucher, Hec Kilrea, Jack Adams, Alex Connell, Clint Benedict and Sprague Cleghorn. Buy Ottawa Senators Tickets.