Senators coach Travis Green sets mood for season: 'Training camp will be hard'

KANATA, Ont. — Ottawa Senators’ season ticket holders got a chance to meet their new head coach, Travis Green, at a late-summer luncheon on Thursday. 

They likely left the Canadian Tire Centre thinking that Green brings all the elements of a modern-day, communicative head coach with just enough old-school coach in him to make things interesting this season. 

Naturally, Green was asked about his notoriously tough training camps when he was head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, from 2017-21. He attempted to toss a little cold water on that one. But not much. More like a damp sponge. 

“I’ve heard that before,” said Green, 53, relaxed and forthcoming while sitting on a dais wearing grey slacks and a black golf shirt. 

“With today’s media, in Canadian markets, things do get a bit blown out of proportion.”

And then he proceeded to admit that — darn right, camp will be hard. And with good reason.  

“You know, with the access players have (to training) in the off-season, the kind of game that I want to play, that our team wants to play — the level of work and aggressiveness I want out of our group, you need to be in shape," he said. "You need to be conditioned to play that way for 60 minutes and I don’t think there’s any excuse to not come to camp in great shape. 

“Training camp will be hard. ... Our guys know it’s not going to be easy,” Green said. “But it’s not a punishment. Most teams have tough camps. You talk about the Florida Panthers, Paul Maurice is known for the same thing.”

It was Maurice who told Green late in his playing career with the Toronto Maple Leafs that he had a future in coaching. 

Green started his career with the New York Islanders, playing for the legendary Al Arbour, in a time when players did the listening and coaches did the talking. Despite that mindset, Arbour taught Green something about empathy when he kept his spirits up one night following a -4 night for the rookie centre against the mighty Boston Bruins. 

That’s the thing about effective coaching. The best elements of a lot of different styles can come into play. 

Green promises to be direct and firm with this developing Senators team, but also fair. 

He will hold players accountable and expects a lot of positive growth from within, now that a team leader such as Brady Tkachuk is approaching his 25th birthday and the kid, Tim Stützle, is pushing 23.

According to Green, he met with each of the Senators players over the summer and came away impressed with their hunger to get better, to buy into a team concept. Asked to name an x-factor this team might possess, Green pointed to that, a willingness to improve. 

Summer talk is cheap, of course, and so we’ll see how it transforms on the ice in October and November. 

But at least Green knows there is not some huge gulf between the shortcomings he sees in the team and what other hockey minds have told him, and that of the guys wearing the uniforms last season. 

As a team that hasn’t been in the post-season since 2017 (with a complete roster turnover since), Ottawa has to feel it needs to improve in all areas, Green said. Both sides of the puck. Special teams. You name it. 

While Green can’t wait to engage in a new era of Battle of Ontario, this time with him behind the Ottawa bench and not at centre ice for the Maple Leafs, he said the next step is to become a consistent team. The rivalry will find itself again soon enough. 

The newcomers to the Senators' young core include a legitimate No. 1 goaltender in Linus Ullmark from Boston, which should make a massive difference for a club that hasn’t had a dependable tendy to cover up mistakes. 

“Coaches like goalies that stop a lot of pucks,” Green said, stating the obvious. “And he’s done that. When I talked to Linus, I was impressed with his maturity level as a person but also as a player. I think he’s going to bring a lot of valuable, valuable experience not just on the ice and in the net with how he plays, but also he’s coming from a winning organization and understands the commitment level.”

Green was also impressed with the approach of Stützle, who is coming off a bit of a setback season, dogged by injuries. He should be better. A lot better. 

You can’t mention the word "injury" without thinking of centre Josh Norris. Green says the young centre is progressing well from his latest shoulder surgery and should be ready to go for the start of camp. 

As he settles into a new organization, Green likes his group behind the bench as well. 

Mike Yeo, who some thought might get the top job here, makes for an impressive first lieutenant. Admitting it can be daunting hiring a guy so qualified he could be the “next head coach,” Green will lean on Yeo’s experience. 

Nolan Baumgartner, a long-time assistant with Green, will help him get messages through to players and fellow staff. One of Baumgartner’s greatest assets, Green said, is how well he knows Green. 

Ben Sexton was already here, and has impressed the new boss with his knowledge. 

As for Daniel Alfredsson, what is left to say?

Except maybe this: While we know him as the Hall of Fame player and franchise icon, Alfredsson has wowed the new head coach behind the scenes with his willingness to work. 

“Coaching is not a job, it’s something you are, it’s something you do, you live and breathe it,” Green said, while copping to sending out staff texts at 3 a.m. when something pops into his head. 

Alfie has passed that early test and will be a huge asset with the respect he already has in that room, along with his vision for the game. 

It’s all well and good in August, right?

Let’s take notes in camp and see how the early days of the Green era transpire. 

For now, it’s enough that the Canadian Tire Centre chefs are dealing and the club is seeking more season-ticket holders, so there's a need for an even bigger room when they host this luncheon next year at this time. 

As president Cyril Leeder noted, competitive teams tend to pack winter houses. 

It’s time for the Senators to compete. 

This is the "No Excuses Season."

Work to do on arena deal

Leeder spoke at length about improvements being made at the Canadian Tire Centre for this season, to make things better for fans and for players. That includes a revamped training area for the Senators. 

One of the reasons the club has to keep upgrading the CTC? It’s going to be a few years before a new arena can be built. In fact, with a Sept. 20 deadline looming on the existing memorandum of understanding between the Senators and National Capital Commission, there is still a lot of work to get done before the two sides sign off on a new arena deal for LeBreton Flats, just west of Parliament Hill. 

Leeder told fans and media that the existing deal is not very “team friendly,” and will have to be amended before the hockey club can agree to it. 

That leaves a few options. One, the Senators can walk away and look elsewhere in the city to build a rink. Two, the MOU gets extended by a few weeks to get a deal hammered out. Or, as someone close to the negotiations told me, a third option might be best. Stick to the Sept. 20 deadline and use the pressure of that date to get this done. Enough talk. Time to dig. 

Leeder said to expect an update from the team on the arena file before the end of September.