KANATA, Ont. — For a new ownership and management group, the Ottawa Senators are showing an amazing ability to reach back for the very best of the past.
In recent weeks, Senators alumni have returned to the fold, including franchise icon Daniel Alfredsson as a coach and former president and CEO Cyril Leeder on the business side of the operation.
On Wednesday, the Senators added another ex-luminary, naming former head coach Jacques Martin as a senior advisor to head coach D.J. Smith and his staff.
It was new owner Michael Andlauer who brought in Steve Staios to be president of hockey operations and Staios reintroduced Martin to the Ottawa market.
“My job is to identify areas in the organization where we can add some support,” Staios said at a media conference Wednesday, citing the recent additions of strength coach Matt Nichol and Alfredsson.
“Our commitment is to provide all the tools and resources for us to be successful.”
While Staios reaffirmed he feels the current staff members “work their tails off” to prepare the Senators players, he felt the “integrity, character and experience” of Martin would be a valuable resource to Smith and his fellow coaches.
Staios added that he will tap into Martin’s hockey mind when it comes to finding a new general manager for the Senators, a search that is ongoing. Staios is the interim GM.
Meanwhile, Martin, 71, will be available on a daily basis to Smith and his staff.
Martin already likes what he sees with this young team and appreciates that management is willing to add extra staff to improve the product on the ice.
“This is a great opportunity for me to work with some great people and an excellent hockey team,” Martin said. “I’m really looking forward to working with the coaching staff, management and the players. I believe there is a strong nucleus here to become a top team in the league and win a championship.”
Smith said that Staios had mentioned a while ago the idea of hiring Martin, and Smith embraced the move.
“As a head coach, you are continuously trying to get better,” Smith said. “I think one thing Jacques is known for is details. And he’ll bring a real calming presence. Especially in a Canadian market, sometimes you get too fired up, one way or the other. Being calm is going to bleed into the players. For me and my staff, we’re going to use every piece of knowledge that he has and introduce it to our game and to our team.”
Martin had held talks with Staios in recent weeks and said he really likes the direction of the club under new ownership and management, viewing himself as an added resource to the mix.
Not surprisingly, the man who brought structure and defensive responsibility to the Senators of the mid-1990s and led Ottawa to the Eastern Conference Final in 2003 spoke about play away from the puck in his return press conference.
In recent games, Martin said, he has been impressed by the Senators' focus on and commitment to a two-way game.
“Young players coming into the league,” Martin said, “need time to realize that in order to win on a consistent basis, in order to win a championship, you need to play 200 feet.
“What I have seen the last three games has been really encouraging,” Martin said, alluding to the wins over Seattle and New York and a loss to Columbus on Friday.
The Senators tweaked their defensive game after a 5-0 loss to the Florida Panthers.
Martin feels the team is miles ahead of where the Senators were in January 1996, when he first arrived. And he compared the Ottawa group today to the Penguins team that went on to win Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
“You need elite players but also a team-first mentality,” Martin said. “When I look at this (Ottawa) team and how it’s been built, I feel we have elite players here, there is a strong organization and a lot of character in the room.
“So, I think there’s a lot of elements. It’s not an easy task to win but I feel that this team is well positioned to get to the next level and compete for a championship.”
A native of nearby St. Pascal, Ont., Martin was hired as the Senators third head coach on Jan. 24, 1996. He spent nine seasons behind Ottawa’s bench and posted a 341-255-96 (.562) regular-season record with the franchise.
Under Martin, the Senators reached the playoffs every season from 1997 to 2004.
Martin remains the team’s all-time leader in games coached (692), regular-season wins (341), playoff wins (31) and playoff games coached (69). Martin won the 1998-99 Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. He was fired by then-owner Eugene Melnyk after a 2004 playoff series loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Martin has had recent roles in the NHL as an assistant coach, including stops in New York and Pittsburgh. He has more than three decades of NHL experience in coaching and management roles.
No update on Chabot
Perhaps not wanting to upstage the hiring of Martin, the Senators did not offer an update on defenceman Thomas Chabot, who suffered a knee injury on Saturday versus Seattle. Smith has said that Chabot won’t play Thursday against the Leafs, but a full medical update is expected tomorrow.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.