One year after finishing with one of the worst records in NHL history (10-70-4) in the 1992-93 season, the Ottawa Senators had the first overall pick in the 1993 NHL Draft. With that first overall pick, the Senators selected Alexei Yashin.
The Russian forward was heavily relied on by the Senators to get the team out of the fire. By 1997, Yashin helped turn the Senators into a winning team with making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
However, things got ugly after 1999 when Yashin was frustrated with his contract and the Senators suspended him for the entire 1999-00 season.