Modern Era
The modern Senators entered the NHL in 1992, but the rivalry between the two teams did not begin to emerge until the late 1990s. From 1992–98, Toronto was in the Western Conference and Ottawa was in the Eastern Conference, which meant that the two teams rarely played each other. But before the 1998–99 season, the conferences and divisions were re-aligned, and Toronto was moved into the Eastern Conference's Northeast Division with the Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and Buffalo Sabres.
By 1999, both Ottawa and Toronto were elite Eastern Conference teams, annually competing for the division title. Not all Leafs fans in the Ottawa area became Senators fans upon the arrival of the current Ottawa NHL franchise. This has resulted in a base of Maple Leafs fans who attend Leafs-Senators games in Ottawa.
The rivalry reached new heights in 2000, as the teams met for the first time in the playoffs with the Maple Leafs dispatching the Senators in six games. Some Leafs fans saw this as revenge, since the Sens' Marián Hossa had accidentally clipped the Leafs' Bryan Berard in the eye on March 11, ending the young defenceman's season and almost his career.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Ontario
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