List of Ottawa Senators head coaches

Last updated

The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Senators, named after the original Ottawa Senators, began play in the NHL as an expansion team in 1992. [1] Having first played at the Ottawa Civic Centre, the Senators have played their home games at the Canadian Tire Centre, which was first named The Palladium, since 1996. [2] [3] The team has been to the Stanley Cup Finals in the 2006–07 season, but lost to the Anaheim Ducks in five games. [4] The current head coach is Jacques Martin in his second tenure, having been named interim head coach on December 18, 2023.

Contents

Summary

The modern Senators' first head coach was Rick Bowness. Bowness was a former NHL head coach for the Boston Bruins. Bowness coached for four seasons until November 1996, when he was fired by then-GM Randy Sexton, let go in a dispute over the playing time of Alexandre Daigle, who was not playing well. Bowness' successor, Dave Allison, the then-coach of the Senators' farm team the Prince Edward Island Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) had no success with Ottawa. The club won only two of 25 games during his tenure. The club, in turmoil at the time, replaced GM Sexton with Pierre Gauthier, who fired Allison. Allison is the only person to have each spent his entire NHL head coaching career with the Senators.

One of Gauthier's first moves as GM was the hiring of Jacques Martin. Martin, who coached the Senators for nine seasons, is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season games coached (692), the most regular-season game wins (341), the most playoff games coached (69), and the most playoff-game wins (31). Martin was the first Senators coach to win the Jack Adams Award, having won it in the 1998–99 season. [5] Although the club had regular-season success with Martin, he never led the team to much playoff success, and he was fired after the team lost in the first round of the 2004 playoffs.

During Martin's tenure, the club hired Roger Neilson, a long-time NHL head coach, as an assistant coach. For the last two games of the 2001–02 season Neilson was officially made the head coach so that he could become the ninth head coach in NHL history to coach 1,000 games. [6] Martin returned to head coach the team for the playoffs. Neilson would be the assistant coach for Ottawa for one more season, before succumbing to cancer in 2003. The club won the Presidents' Trophy in 2003 for the best regular-season record in the league and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils. Neilson is the only Senators head coach to have been elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame, elected as a builder. [7]

Martin's successor was Bryan Murray. Murray, at the time of his hiring in 2004, was the general manager of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He joined the Senators to return home, having been born in nearby Shawville, Quebec. The first season of Murray's term was lost to the lockout, but when the team returned to play it continued its winning ways. Murray coached the team for two seasons, and the club made it to the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals, the modern Senators' first appearance in the Finals. After the Finals, Murray's contract to coach was due to expire. GM Muckler's contract had one more season to run and Muckler was expected to retire after that one further season. Rather than let Murray go, team owner Eugene Melnyk and team president Roy Mlakar decided to promote Murray to GM, replacing Muckler.

Murray promoted assistant John Paddock to head coach for the 2007–08 season. The club started well, but the team declined to the point where Murray fired Paddock after 64 games. Paddock's overall record of 36–22-6 was good, but the club was playing below .500 since a 15–2 start to the season, and there were controversies surrounding goaltender Ray Emery and Wade Redden. Murray returned to the bench to guide the Senators for the rest of the season and the playoffs, where the team lost in the first round.

For the 2008–09 season, the Senators made several personnel moves and chose Craig Hartsburg, a former NHL head coach, as head coach to promote 'accountability' on the part of the players. However, the team continued its sub .500 record and Hartsburg was let go after only 48 games with a record of 17–24–7.

Cory Clouston was named the head coach on February 2, 2009. Clouston was already a part of the Senators organization as head coach of the Binghamton Senators. Clouston served as head coach for two further seasons, before being fired on April 9, 2011. The team made the playoffs in his first full season of coaching, but slid to the bottom of the standings in his second season.

Paul MacLean was hired on June 14, 2011. [8] MacLean, a former NHL player, had previously been an assistant coach with Anaheim and Detroit. MacLean had previously worked with Murray in Anaheim. [8] During his term, MacLean was twice nominated for the Jack Adams Trophy for coach of the year, winning it for the 2012–13 season. MacLean was fired on December 8, 2014, and replaced by his assistant Dave Cameron.

After the 2015–16 season, in which the Senators failed to make the playoffs, Dave Cameron was fired and replaced by Guy Boucher. Boucher guided the club in its first season to a berth in the Eastern Conference Final, losing in overtime in the seventh game to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. In his second season, the team nosedived to 30th-place overall. In his third season, Boucher was fired prior on March 1, 2019, with the club in 31st-place overall. His associate coach, Marc Crawford was named as interim head coach. D. J. Smith was then hired as the permanent head coach on May 23, 2019, for the 2019–20 season. [9] After four further seasons without a playoff appearance, capped by an 11–15–0 start to the 2023–24 season, Smith was fired on December 18, 2023, and replaced on an interim basis by former Senators head coach Jacques Martin. [10] After the conclusion of the season, Travis Green was hired as the team's new head coach. [11]

Key

#Number of coaches [a]
GCGames coached
WWins = 2 points
LLosses = 0 points
TTies = 1 point
OT Overtime/shootout losses = 1 point [b]
PTS Points
Win% Winning percentage
*Spent entire NHL head coaching career with the Senators
†Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder

Head coaches

Note: Statistics are correct through the 2023–24 season

#NameTerm [c] Regular seasonPlayoffsAchievementsReference
GCWLT/OTPTSWin%GCWLWin%
1 Rick Bowness 1992–1995 235391781896.204———— [12]
2 Dave Allison* 1995–1996 2522215.100———— [13]
3 Jacques Martin 1996–2002 52824619191583.552441727.3861998–99 Jack Adams Award winner [5] [14]
4 Roger Neilson† [d] 2002 21102.500———— [15]
—Jacques Martin 2002–2004 164954425215.655251411.560 [14]
5 Bryan Murray 2005–2007 1641004618218.665301812.600 [16]
6 John Paddock 2007–2008 643622678.609———— [17]
—Bryan Murray 2008 1879216.444404.000 [16]
7 Craig Hartsburg 2008–2009 481724741.427———— [18]
8 Cory Clouston* 2009–2011 198958320210.530624.333 [19]
9 Paul MacLean* 2011–2014 2381149035263.5531789.4712012–13 Jack Adams Award winner [5] [20]
10 Dave Cameron* 2014–2016 137705017157.573624.333 [21]
11 Guy Boucher 2016–2019 2289410826214.46919118.579 [22]
12 Marc Crawford 2019 18710115.417———— [23]
13 D. J. Smith* 2019–2023 31713115432294.464———— [24]
—Jacques Martin 2023–2024 562626456.500———— [10]
14 Travis Green 2024–present—————————— [11]

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottawa Senators</span> National Hockey League team in Ontario, Canada

The Ottawa Senators, officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference and play their home games at the 18,652-seat Canadian Tire Centre, which opened in 1996 as the Palladium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Martin (ice hockey)</span> Canadian ice hockey coach

Jacques Martin is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach. In the National Hockey League (NHL), he has served as head coach of the St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers. Martin also served as the general manager of the Panthers and has served as an assistant coach with the Canadian men's national ice hockey team. Martin is a Franco-Ontarian, and a two-time Stanley Cup champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dany Heatley</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1981)

Daniel James Heatley is a German-born Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the National Hockey League (NHL) rookie of the year in 2002. However, Heatley's time with the Thrashers was derailed when he was at the wheel in a car crash in September 2003 that killed teammate Dan Snyder. Heatley, who was also seriously injured but eventually made a full recovery, pled guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide and received probation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Murray (ice hockey)</span> Canadian professional ice hockey executive and coach

Bryan Clarence Murray was a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and coach. He served as general manager of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2007 to 2016. He had previously been general manager of the NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Florida Panthers, and Detroit Red Wings. He was also the head coach for the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and Ottawa Senators, for a total of 17 full or partial seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Muckler</span> Canadian ice hockey coach (1934–2021)

John Muckler was a professional hockey coach and executive, who last served as the general manager of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Muckler had over 50 years of professional hockey experience as a part owner, general manager, director of player personnel, director of hockey operations, head coach, assistant coach, and player. He had been a part of five Stanley Cup championships in various roles with the Edmonton Oilers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul MacLean (ice hockey)</span> French-born Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Paul A. MacLean is a French-born Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the former assistant coach of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, and former head coach of the NHL's Ottawa Senators, winning the 2013 Jack Adams Award as the NHL's Coach of the Year. He also served as an assistant coach for the Anaheim Ducks until his departure from the team on June 1, 2017. He played 11 seasons in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings and the original Winnipeg Jets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Richardson</span> Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Luke Glen Richardson is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, seventh overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Richardson has also played for the Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Ottawa Senators.

David William Cameron is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former professional player. He is currently the head coach of the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. He was previously the head coach of the Vienna Capitals of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL) and the head coach of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) from December 2014 until the conclusion of the 2015–16 season. He also played in the NHL as a forward with the Colorado Rockies and New Jersey Devils between 1981 and 1984.

Brad R. Lauer is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player. He is currently an associate coach of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Lauer previously served as the head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League. Lauer was drafted 34th overall in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders and played in the NHL for the Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators, and Pittsburgh Penguins between 1986 and 1996

The 2003–04 Ottawa Senators season was the 12th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season would see the Senators again finish with over 100 points, finishing with 102, but this was good for only third in the tightly-contested division, as the Boston Bruins would have 104 and the Toronto Maple Leafs 103. Ottawa would meet Toronto in the first-round of the playoffs for the fourth time, where the Maple Leafs would win the series 4–3 to end the Senators' playoff hopes. Ottawa would fire Head Coach Jacques Martin after the playoff round.

Founded and established by Ottawa real estate developer Bruce Firestone, the Ottawa Senators professional ice hockey team is the second National Hockey League (NHL) franchise to have the Ottawa Senators name. The original Ottawa Senators, founded in 1883, had a famed history, winning 11 Stanley Cups and was a founding member of the NHL from 1917 until 1934. On December 6, 1990, after a two-year public campaign by Firestone to return the NHL to Ottawa, the NHL awarded a new franchise for an expansion fee of US$50 million. The team began play in the 1992–93 season.

The 2008–09 Ottawa Senators season was the team's 17th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team began the season with a new head coach, Craig Hartsburg, and numerous personnel changes after narrowly making the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs. However, the team had a losing record under the new coach and he was fired in February, replaced by Binghamton Senators' head coach Cory Clouston. The team improved its record under Clouston, but not enough to qualify for the 2009 playoffs, ending an 11-year string of qualifying for the playoffs.

Cory Clouston is an ice hockey coach, who most recently served as head coach of the Kölner Haie of the DEL. He has previously served as head coach of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL), the Prince Albert Raiders, the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League.

References

General

Specific

  1. ↑ "Team Index". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Club History - 1992-93". NHL.com. Lincoln Hockey and the National Hockey League. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Venue history". Scotiabank Place . Capital Sports Properties Inc. Retrieved January 31, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Ottawa Senators". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 "Jack Adams Award". NHL . Lincoln Hockey and the National Hockey League. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  6. 1 2 Litsky, Frank (June 22, 2003). "Roger Neilson, 69, Innovator As Longtime Hockey Coach". The New York Times . Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  7. ↑ "List of honoured builders". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 28, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  8. 1 2 "Bulletin: Paul MacLean named Ottawa Senators head coach" (Press release). Ottawa Senators. June 14, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Ottawa Senators name D. J. Smith as head coach". NHL.com. May 23, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "Ottawa Senators relieve DJ Smith of head coaching duties". Ottawa Senators. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Green hired as Senators coach, replaces Martin". NHL.com. May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Rick Bowness Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Dave Allison Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  14. 1 2 "Jacques Martin Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  15. ↑ "Roger Neilson Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  16. 1 2 "Bryan Murray Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  17. ↑ "John Paddock Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  18. ↑ "Craig Hartsburg Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  19. ↑ "Cory Clouston Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  20. ↑ "Paul MacLean Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Dave Cameron Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  22. ↑ "News Release: Guy Boucher named Ottawa Senators head coach". senators.nhl.com (Press release). Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Marc Crawford named interim head coach of rebuilding Ottawa Senators". senators.nhl.com (Press release). Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Smith hired by Senators as coach". nhl.com (Press release). Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Official Rules" (PDF). NHL.com. Lincoln Hockey and the National Hockey League. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 11, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.