(Kanata) Jacques Martin smiles when it is pointed out to him that the oldest coach in the NHL is now leading one of the youngest teams on the circuit.
Does he embody the wisdom that seems to be lacking in the Ottawa Senators locker room?, we risk asking him.
“I think I bring a lot of experience,” he euphemizes. And a certain stability. »
According to him, players tend to emulate the personality of their coach. His predecessor, DJ Smith, “was a very emotional guy, so the team is very emotional.”
“It’s important to keep this passion,” he believes. But you need to add an element of control to better manage the ups and downs during a match. »
It was precisely as a great sage that Martin initially agreed to return to the organization on December 6. President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Steve Staios named him “special advisor to the coaching staff.”
Some saw this as a threat to Smith’s position, but listening to Martin speak, we understand that it wasn’t necessarily his plan to move behind the bench. The objective of the moment was to bring one of its pioneers back into the fold of the franchise. The Ottawa native led the team for almost a decade, from 1995 to 2004, and no coach has yet come close to his 341 season wins. His closest pursuer was DJ Smith, at 131.
Twelve days after his return, the plan changed dramatically. Exit Smith, and here is Martin again at the helm, while waiting for a full-time successor to be appointed.
At 71 years old, and 11 years after holding his last job as head coach, Jacques Martin returned to service. He had certainly been an assistant for a few seasons in Pittsburgh and New York, but we have to admit that not many people thought they would see him again as boss.
Shoulder pain now prevents him from jumping on the ice with his players. It is therefore his assistant Jack Capuano who directs the training. Regardless, Martin has lost none of his vivacity, even less of his love of hockey. And Senators.
Among the reasons that convinced him to get his badge back, he highlights the presence of the new owner, Michael Andlauer, whom he knew during his time with the Montreal Canadiens from 2009 to 2012. He also says he is “impressed” by Steve Staios, whose “intelligence” and “approach to game “.
” Good people ”
Martin also welcomes “the organization’s philosophy of bringing back the right people.” At the top of the list, Daniel Alfredsson, who is now learning the ropes of the trade with him. As soon as he was hired, columnist François Gagnon, from RDS, wondered if the Swede was not preparing to replace his mentor.
Counting on Alfredsson, who amassed 1,108 points in 1,178 games in a Sens uniform, was “very important” for Jacques Martin. “I had the chance to coach him for several years. I know the kind of person and leader he is. It’s a good influence on the group here. »
The challenge, however, is significant. The Senators are having a disastrous season, and the coaching change has yet to have a positive effect in the standings. Quite the opposite is actually happening.
However, this is nothing to frighten Martin.
When you don’t win, that’s the challenge of a coach. You need to provide solutions to the players. There are times when you have to be hard on them; at other times, you have to encourage them, because their confidence is fragile. You have to adapt according to the team’s progress.
Jacques Martin, head coach of the Ottawa Senators
He did not at all inherit an unmanageable group, he assures, even saying he is “encouraged” by his “good core of good young players”.
“They want to win and learn,” he explains.
During his previous stint with the Senators, when a newcomer arrived, “we put him in line with how we play the game. game “. When players have to “change certain habits” that are already ingrained, “it’s less easy”. But not infeasible, he insists.
Jacques Martin would like to stay in the organization when a new head coach is found. “I like the people, I like the city, I come from here,” he says. Fans deserve to have a winning team. I experienced it, I saw the support our team had. »
However, “we are not there yet,” he adds.
He has, in fact, more than enough fires to put out in the short term.