which had a record of 8–35–1. Martin coached his first game as the Senators' head coach on January 24, 1996, losing 4–3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After going winless in his first three games, he earned his first win with Ottawa on January 29, 1996, defeating his former team, the St. Louis Blues 4–2. The club improved slightly under Martin, as he led the team to a 10–24–4 record over their final 38 games, as Ottawa missed the playoffs. A highlight for the team was on April 13, 1996, the Senators defeated the defending Stanley Cup champions, the New Jersey Devils 5–2, eliminating the Devils from the post-season, who needed a victory to make the playoffs. The Senators improved greatly in 1996–97, as Ottawa finished the year with a 31–36–15 record, making the post-season for the first time in team history. In the post-season, the Senators took the heavily favoured Buffalo Sabres to overtime in game seven, before losing the game 1–0, and the series. Ottawa continued to improve in 1997–98, as the team finished with a winning record for the first time, going 34–33–15, and making the post-season once again. In the playoffs, the eighth seeded Senators stunned the New Jersey Devils in the first round, defeating them in six games. In the second round, Ottawa lost to the Washington Capitals in five games. The Senators had the best record in the Northeast Division in 1998–99, going 44–23–15, earning 103 points. Martin was awarded the Jack Adams Award as the best head coach in the NHL. In the playoffs, the Senators were swept by the Buffalo Sabres, quickly ending their season. Ottawa had another strong regular season in 1999–2000, going 41–28–11–2, finishing second in the Northeast Division. The Senators faced their provincial rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the first round of the playoffs, as the underdog Leafs defeated the Senators in six games. The club had a very strong season in 2000–01, as Ottawa finished with their second Northeast Division title in three years, going 48–21–9–4, earning 109 points, and second in the Eastern Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, the Senators faced the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second consecutive season, and once again, the Maple Leafs pulled off the upset, sweeping the heavily favoured Senators in four games. The Senators struggled at times during the 2001–02, as the club dealt away top player Alexei