Jacques Martin Comes Full Circle With the Ottawa Senators

When an organization has an opportunity to add a former Jack Adams Award-winner and two-time Stanley Cup champion to their staff, you absolutely have to do it.

Such was the case Wednesday morning when the Ottawa Senators announced the addition of Jacques Martin to their coaching staff as a Senior Advisor.

The 71-year-old returns to the team 19 seasons after being relieved of his duties after losing a seven-game series to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2004 playoffs.

Jacques Martin previously served as head coach of the Senators for nine seasons, posting a record of 341-255-96. The Rockland area resident remains the franchise all-time leader in games coached (692), regular season and playoff victories with 341 and 31 respectively. No Senators’ head coach has been at the helm for more postseason games than Martin’s 69.

Senators owner Michael Andlauer and President of Hockey Operations and current interim General Manager Steve Staios continue to do as promised, adding more resources to an organization that was described as thin in many areas of hockey ops.

Martin joins his former captain, Daniel Alfredsson in the coaching booth as another set of eyes from above to assist head coach D.J. Smith.

“I think the qualities that he brings to any team in any organization with the integrity and character and experience is a huge asset for us. We have a terrific coaching staff in place. I watch them work their tail off every day to prepare players and they’ve done a good job. And I think that Jacques’ addition to the group, and having that resource for D.J. and the rest of the coaching staff, I think is a big step for us in that regard,” Staios said of Martin’s addition at his media availability.

Likewise, Smith was excited to have another experienced coach on board, especially one has highly respected as Jacques Martin.

“First off, Steve brought it to me a while ago. And right away I thought it was good idea. I had an opportunity when I was in Toronto to work with Jacques Lemaire, that’s 11 Stanley Cups. Me and Jimmy Hiller were two assistant coaches, I’d use them every day, just to see how they are in meetings, how to speak to players, the little things that go with it.  As a head coach you’re continuously trying to get better and I think one thing where Jacques is good, of course is details,” noted Smith.

“He’s going to bring a real calming presence because I think, especially in the Canadian market, sometimes you get too excited or fired up, you know, one way or the other, And I think being calm is going to bleed into the players and for me and my staff, we’re going to try and and get every piece of knowledge that he has and and introduce it to our to our game and to our team.”

Smith added, “When you’re in good times, it’s easy. When you’re in tough times that’s when you rely on people that have experience to help you get out of certain situations. You know for me, I’ve got two or three guys in the league that I call – that have you know, success and been around a long time. And now having a guy a little bit more in-house.”

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Martin was itching to get back into professional hockey in some capacity after a stint as an analyst on television and acting as a coaching consultant for the Ontario League Kingston Frontenacs.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for me to work with some great people. I’m really really looking forward to working with the coaching staff, management and the players because I believe that there’s a strong nucleus here to do things to be to become a top team in the league and win a championship,” commented Martin.

“I think I really like the direction of the ownership and Steve (Staios). I think Steve is a man that’s bright, understands the responsibilities of the coaching staff and has a lot of faith in his coaching staff. I think that just felt that with my involvement, just bring some and of my resources, using my experience to try to help learn our team even become better.”

As Jacques Martin said, he brings years of experience, 30 professional and three seasons spent in the Ontario League serving as either an assistant or head coach, not to mention two campaigns as general manager of the Florida Panthers.

Martin’s first game as an official member of the Senators’ coaching staff comes Thursday against their arch-rival Maple Leafs. And by the conclusion of Wednesday’s presser, the Senior Advisor was already in coach mode.

“I look at the team this year compared to last year. To me, it’s not about wins or losses; to me, it’s about the commitment away from the puck. I think a lot of young players, when they come into the league are focused offensively. They need time to realize that in order to win on a consistent basis, in order to win a championship, you need to play the game 200 feet, and what I’ve seen in the last three games has been really encouraging.”