45. Steve Duchesne
Stats: 140 GP, 31G, 83P
Height/Weight: 5foot11, 195lbs
Acquired: Trade with St. Louis (2nd Round Pick)
Win an you’re in. The scenario the Senators are faced with in early may 1997. The only thing that stands between the Senators and the playoffs are the league leading Buffalo Sabres and all-star goaltender Dominik Hasek. Both Goaltenders (Tugnutt and Hasek) are pitching a shutout heading into the last five minutes.
Then comes along last minute hero, Steve do do dooo do Duchesne (seriously, listen to that call). With a 1-0 victory, the Senators clinched their first ever playoff birth. Duchesne with the winner.
Duchesne was another early defender for the Senators who was rather productive. His record of most single season goals by a Senators defenceman (19) stood until Erik Karlsson’s 13-14 campaign (21) bettered it nearly 15 years later.
Duchesne played 140 games in Ottawa, while recording 80 points during that time. His time in Ottawa was short, as it lasted just two seasons, but his seasons of 36 and 47 points led Senators defenders until he was shipped out of town in exchange for Igor Kravchuk, a player who would spend 4 years in Ottawa.
Duchesne played productive hockey elsewhere and would end up with over 1100 games of NHL experience and 750 NHL points. Perhaps he’s best remembered by NHL fans as a piece in the Eric Lindros trade and by Senators fans for holding the most goals as a defender record as well as scoring the Senators first playoff clinching goal.
Duchesne is put at 45 due to his two productive years in Ottawa as he was an asset to the organization over two seasons.