At 71 years old, Jacques Martin did not expect to return behind a bench in the National League, and yet, that is exactly what happened.
It happened in early December, when the Ottawa Senators first hired him as an advisor, only to have him take the helm just two weeks later, after the firing of head coach DJ Smith .
From there, everything happened very quickly.
“I didn’t expect that,” admits Martin, contacted in Florida. I think we had 15 games to play in December, and then another 15 games to play in January. We played all the time, and that didn’t leave much time for teaching. We were lucky if we were able to hold training once a week…”
Ultimately, the Senators missed the playoffs. Again, one could add, since this failure is added to the others; In total, the Senators have been excluded from spring hockey in each of the last seven seasons. That wasn’t the plan.
But Jacques Martin prefers to see the glass half full. In his opinion, the Senators are on the right track despite everything.
The team has a good core, and it is certain that there will be adjustments to be made. The end of the season allowed us to evaluate the staff in place. Then it’s the new coach who will make the next decisions, but I see that the team is heading in the right direction.
Jacques Martin
In the Senators camp, this hunt for the next coach is obviously the priority issue of the moment. Jacques Martin added his grain of salt, only in the background; he has already made his recommendations to management on this subject, but he will not be involved in the rest of the process.
“I don’t know the details, I don’t know when the next coach will be appointed or who will be appointed,” he adds. I have offered my recommendations, but I am not involved in this research per se.
“I think Steve [Staios, président des opérations hockey et directeur général des Sénateurs] has already hinted that the club’s next coach will be someone with experience, and I think this is a good strategy so that the team can take the next step. »
For the immediate future, Jacques Martin will remain in Florida, in the Fort Lauderdale region. This return under the palm trees could have the air of the beginning of retirement, but the main interested party affirms that he will remain, directly or indirectly, in the entourage of the Senators, in a role which will be better defined at the end of the season. was according to him.
I’m going to stay here in Florida, but I’m still going to spend some time with the team next season. That remains to be seen. I think I can bring things to the team. We have a good base on which we can work during the next season.
Jacques Martin
Finally, regarding this “next step” that the Senators have aspired to for too long, has the time to believe in it finally come? Finally, could the club think about fighting for a place in the playoffs next season?
On this subject, Jacques Martin’s response was not long in coming: “Yes, definitely. »