Interim head coach Martin moving to advisor role with Senators
Published
Interim head coach Jacques Martin will move to an advisor role as the Ottawa Senators look for a new head coach, he told reporters on Thursday.
"I will give my advice, but it will be up to [president and general manager] Steve Staios to decide what kind of coach he wants for the team," said Martin. "I hope the players learned and can bring that experience to next year."
Martin began his second stint in the Senators organization on Dec. 7 as the team's senior advisor before returning behind the bench 12 days later after an 11-15-0 start to the season under then-head coach D.J. Smith.
Martin led the team to a 26-26-4 record the rest of the season as the Senators missed the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season.
He is the longest tenured coach in franchise history and was originally hired in January of 1996.
Martin has a 367-361-24 record with 96 ties in parts of 10 seasons between 1996 to 2004 and the 2023-24 season. He helped lead Ottawa to eight straight playoff appearances during that period and won the Jack Adams Award in 1999 as coach of the year.
The St. Pascal, Ont., native ranks 19th in NHL all-time coaching wins with a 639-507-85 record with 119 ties split between the St. Louis Blues, Senators, Florida Panthers, and Montreal Canadiens.