Senators Hire Jacques Martin to 'Coach' D.J. Smith

There has been quite a surge of former members of the Senators franchise brought back under the new ownership, led by Michael Andlauer. Relationships have been restored with Senators alumni, Cyril Leeder is back in the fold, Daniel Alfredsson has a role, and now Martin is in a significant position.

While many have been calling for the firing of DJ Smith — despite plenty of reports stating that Andlauer and the rest of the management team want to keep things stable for a bit — this is the next best thing. The biggest gripe against Smith and the current coaching system has been the defensive structure or lack thereof, but adding Martin into the mix certainly helps that.

Martin Had Prior Success in Ottawa

Martin was hired by the Senators to be the third coach in team history. His tenure lasted from the 38 games coached during the 1995-96 season until the 2004-05 NHL Lockout. His nine years in Ottawa were quite successful and despite no Stanley Cup, he did some fantastic things with that team.

He finished with a 341-235-96-20 record behind the Senators’ bench, which ended up being a .577 points percentage. Throughout those years, he had three 100-plus point seasons, 69 playoff games, and 31 playoff wins. His best season behind the bench was 2002-03 where the Senators finished with 113 points and went on a strong playoff run where they ultimately lost to the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Final.

While Martin took over halfway through 1995-96, the following stats include that entire season up until the end of the 2003-04, which is a 738-game span. Martin coached 692 of them.

These are some fantastic stats for one coach to have over his career, especially given the state of the team when he arrived.

Martin Comes in Above DJ Smith

This hiring is a bit of the best of both worlds. Martin is coming into the system with his systems and styles, helping Smith gain some skill behind the bench, and will be an important piece of any turnaround for this team. When Martin joined the Senators in 1996, they were mired in a miserable stretch of hockey where they had only won two of the previous 35 games. While the Senators are not that bad right now, they do need some shifting in momentum. During the press conference held by Steve Staios and Michael Andlauer, Martin pointed out the similarities but acknowledged this lineup is much further ahead than the roster he inherited.

Martin developed a reputation for being a very good coach in the defensive and two-way aspects of the game but had the superstars available to him to also be one of the highest-scoring teams in the league closer to the end of his tenure.

In the media conference, Smith noted Martin is especially valuable because of his attention to the smaller details. These are the types of things that help the team, and if Smith can learn from them, he will become a fantastic coach.

The one thing many players, media, and fans have been accustomed to is that Smith is the type of coach players want to play for. Plenty of leaders on the team have stated this, but the results are not up to par. If Smith can adopt a lot of the coaching skills his new boss Martin has, he will be a great option moving forward. For the fans who have been calling for Smith’s job, it is time to sit back and give it another chance with Martin in the fold.

Expectations for Martin

Martin will not be a regular face on the broadcast. He will be behind the scenes rather than on the bench, which isn’t a bad thing. He has been through it all, including time in general manager positions. He brings a great wealth of knowledge to a team desperate for it.

Just because he won’t be on the bench doesn’t mean his voice won’t be heard. He is someone who is respected league-wide, but especially in Ottawa. He will be able to, for lack of better words, coach Smith on how to become a better coach. It is obvious Smith has the fundamentals down, but his systems certainly require some tweaking.

It is unlikely Martin’s presence will be felt immediately, but it won’t take long. After a month or so of working together, there is an expectation that some of the vibrations from Martin’s expertise will be felt.

This is a great hiring, no doubt about it. Martin will work with Smith on developing all of the skills needed to be a successful coach, and will be working alongside Alfredsson, Ben Sexton, and others behind the scenes to help get the Senators back on the track they are destined to be on.