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Top 5 Sens head coaches of all time! |
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First off, for the latest Sens updates, please follow me on Twitter at
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In the meantime, I thought I would write a piece about past Sens head coaches. When it comes to all the great work that Sens GM Pierre Dorion has done this summer, many fans will say he never addressed one area that could've been upgraded with so many great coaching candidates on the market. Sure, Ottawa has been in rebuild mode for the last few seasons but DJ Smith has dressed players on far too many nights that had no business playing. He's also been outcoached on far too many occasions during his three years in Ottawa, many times in areas where simple in-game adjustments could've helped his team possibly achieve better results.
Let's look back at the top 5 Sens coaches of all time and get some Sens discussion going as the summer winds down.
#1 Bryan Murray - Murray led Ottawa to their only Stanley Cup Final appearance during the 2006-07 season! He coached the team from 2005-07 and also to end the 2008 season when John Paddock was fired. Could anyone forget Murray getting up on the ledge of the bench and challenging Lindy Ruff to a fight?! Murray brought stability and a presence behind the bench, something DJ Smith sorely lacks. In his two seasons as head coach in Ottawa, the Sens had a 105 and 113 point season. Many fans say he should've stayed behind the bench and not promoted John Paddock for the 2007-08 season.
#2 Jacques Martin - Martin came on board at just the right time! He coached the team from 1996-2004. Pierre Gauthier was questioned at the time of this hiring, but the Sens needed structure and guidance, something Jacques showed the fan base in a short time. He led the Sens to their first ever playoff berth during the 1996-97 season and 8 straight playoff appearances but lost in the first round 5 times. He won the Jack Adams award for NHL coach of the year and led Ottawa to their first ever President's trophy in 2003.
#3 Paul McLean - McLean coached the Sens from 2011-14 and won the Jack Adams award. He was only the 2nd head coach in Sens history to win NHL coach of the year. Many Sens fans say he led the team to one of the wildest/epic playoff series wins over the Montreal Canadiens when Ottawa knocked off the Habs in 5 games. Ottawa was 4th, while Montreal was 1st in the Northeast Division during the lockout-shortened season. McLean had then Habs coach Michel Therien so wound up throughout the series with how he wouldn't reference a Habs player by name, but rather by their number. The line brawl in the third period during Game 3 of the series was one-sided as the Sens won all five fights on the ice and essentially took control of the series and never looked back! Plus the Eric Gryba hit on Lars Eller.
# 4 - Dave Cameron - I had a hard time deciding if Cameron should be #4 or #5 as he led the team on one of the most improbable runs ever with Sens fans calling it the Hamburglar Run! Cameron took over from McLean in December of 2014, after an 11-11-5 start to the season. From February until April, Ottawa relied on Andrew Hammond to lead them to a playoff berth after Craig Anderson and Robyn Lehner went down with injuries. Ottawa eventually lost in 6 games to the NY Rangers, in the 1st round of the playoffs but no Sens fan will ever forget that three month ride. Ironically, Cameron now coaches the Ottawa 67's taking over from Andre Tourigny, who was actually one of his assistant coaches during his time as head coach of the Sens.
# 5 - Guy Boucher - When I think of Boucher, he reminds me of how a new coach can transform a team with his system play on the ice but how quickly a coach with his demands, can grind on the players. He brought the Sens to within one goal of the Stanley Cup Final in his first year as head coach. The players bought into his system but it seemed to really wear thin on the vets of the team as they tuned him out in his second year. In his third year, the team regressed further before he was eventually fired and Marc Crawford took over as coach to end the season. When you look back at his coaching tenure in TB, he had similar results. Great first year, leading his team deep into the playoffs while his team saw some regression under him in his second year, while he never made it to the halfway point of his 3rds season in TB.
Other Sens coaches over the years, in case some of you forgot are - Rick Bowness, Davey Allison, Craig Hartsburg, John Paddock, Cory Clouston, Marc Crawford, and who would ever forget Roger Neilson getting to coach 2 games to reach 1000 in his career when Martin stepped aside to allow him to reach that milestone. Crawford and Allison didn't coach many games but are officially on the list as former head coaches.
Will DJ Smith stick around long enough to potentially jump into the top 5 list?!
Comments, thoughts Sens fans?! What would your top 5 be?!
Thanks for reading.
Kevin
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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