(Sports Network) - When the Ottawa Senators begin play in the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup finals Monday night in Anaheim, they will not only have the hopes of a city behind them, but also the dreams of a nation.

The Senators have captured the collective imagination of the Canadian people, who are longing for Lord Stanley's Cup to be returned to the nation that invented the game.

It's been a long time since the Cup was won by a team based on Canadian soil and, not surprisingly, the Montreal Canadiens were the last club to achieve that feat when they won it all in 1993. The Canadiens, of course, have by far the most Stanley Cup titles in NHL history with 24.

One thing this year's Senators and the Canadiens of 1993 have in common is that their opponent in the final stage will be a team from California, a U.S. state that conjures up decidedly different images than Canada. Ottawa and the Canadian people certainly hope the Anaheim Ducks will suffer the same fate the Los Angeles Kings did in '93 against the Habs.

"I hope we're Canada's team and I think at least for now we are," said Senators head coach Bryan Murray.

The Senators have echoed the sentiment of the country by creating a new theme for the final round entitled "Bring Home Stanley". This slogan is not only meant to cultivate a feeling of national pride, but is also a reference to the origins of the Stanley Cup itself, which is tied to the history of Ottawa.

The idea for hockey's ultimate trophy was first conceived on March 18, 1892, at a dinner of the Ottawa Amateur Athletic Association. Since 1893, the Stanley Cup has been awarded to hockey's greatest teams, but the trophy's namesake, Lord Stanley, the Earl of Preston and Governor General of Canada, never saw a Stanley Cup game nor was he ever able to present the trophy to a winning team.

The Senators have decided to hang a pair of banners from the rafters at Scotiabank Place during the finals with the "Bring Home Stanley" logo on it. Ottawa and Canadian fans everywhere hope that the Senators will soon be able to hoist a different kind of banner for winning the franchise's first championship.

"I think there's such an interest and a fascination and emotional attachment to hockey in Canada that when you are representing the country, I think that it's remiss not to think that everybody gets or most everybody gets caught up into it," added Murray.

Interestingly enough, a club known as the Ottawa Senators won the Cup 10 times in the formative years of professional hockey, but those championships are not a part of the current incarnation of the Senators.

It's not exactly shocking that the Senators were able to reach this stage of the postseason, but the way they were able to roll through the Eastern Conference playoffs definitely turned a few heads.

The Senators, who were an expansion team in the 1992-93 campaign, earned a playoff berth for the 10th straight year this season and have had far and away the best postseason in club history.

Ottawa made quick work of its opponents in each of the three rounds of this year's playoffs, as it needed just five games to dispose of Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Buffalo. That has given the Senators a 12-3 record in this postseason and should ensure that they are well-rested for the final round.

This direct path to the finals has resulted in tons of good will for the Senators, who up until this season were labeled as an excellent club during the regular season, but underachievers once the playoffs began.

A pair of Senators players who want this title possibly more than anyone are Daniel Alfredsson and Wade Redden. Both players have been with the franchises their entire careers and were members of the club in 1997, when Ottawa made its first postseason.

Alfredsson especially has something to prove as the captain of the team since the 2000-01 campaign. The Swedish winger has played in all 94 of the franchise's postseason contests and, as a result, has personally shouldered a great deal of the blame for the Sens playoff failures in the past.

"It's been an evolution here and we had a couple of disappointments. Some really good teams," said Alfredsson. "Changes were made and Murray came in. I think he's been able to take us to another level."

This year, Alfredsson has been fantastic in the playoffs, notching a franchise-record 10 goals and adding seven assists. He also leads all players in this year's postseason with four game-winning goals.

Now, all the Senators have a chance to erase the negative labels placed on them in the past and truly give their fans and the country they represent something to cheer about.