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In 1990, Bruce Firestone won Ottawa an NHL franchise with an audacious bid built on financial thin ice. But 25 rocky years later, massive changes in the media and sports worlds have put the small-market Senators on solid ground. Andrew Duffy reveals the team’s unlikely success story.

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Only when Montreal Canadiens general manager Serge Savard winked at him in the bathroom of a Palm Beach hotel did Cyril Leeder realize that Ottawa — against all odds — was about to be awarded an NHL franchise.

It was the early afternoon of Dec. 6, 1990 and Leeder was taking a washroom break before entering a Breakers Hotel ballroom to learn the fate of Ottawa’s bid. Six other cities, including Hamilton, were in the running.

“Serge is standing next to me and he winks at me and says, ‘Way to go,’” remembers Leeder. “That’s the first I knew. Standing at a urinal.”

Moments later, NHL President John Ziegler Jr. confirmed in front of a crowded ballroom that Ottawa and Tampa Bay would be joining the world’s pre-eminent hockey league.