2023-12-18 20:08:35
The Ottawa Senators have had enough.
The team announced it had fired head coach DJ Smith Monday afternoon. Ontarian Jacques Martin has been named interim head coach, while former Senators legend Daniel Alfredsson will join the staff as an assistant coach.
Martin, who was named special advisor to the Senators on December 6, will therefore return to the helm of the Senators. Martin led the team for nine seasons between 1996 and 2004. He notably won the Jack Adams Trophy in 1999.
Smith therefore sees his adventure with the Senators come to an end, he who was in his fifth campaign as a pilot. He maintained a record of 131-154-32 in 317 games behind the bench.
Expectations for the Senators were high this season with the core of the team gaining experience in recent years. Ottawa, however, is having an up-and-down season with a record of 11 wins and 15 losses in 26 outings. The Senators’ 22 points place the team in last place in the Atlantic Division and 29th in the overall NHL standings.
Ottawa’s losing streak extended to four games with a 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
“Right now we are making a lot of mistakes. But it’s mental. This is not a lack of attention or effort on the part of the players. It’s the mental side of things that’s lacking,” Smith said after the game against the Knights.
As for Alfredsson, he played 1,178 of his 1,246 games as a player in a Senators uniform. During his career, Alfredsson collected 444 goals and 1,157 points, earning him induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022.
He served as a senior advisor to the Senators between 2015 and 2017, in addition to being named player development coach at the start of this season.
In addition to Smith, the Ontario team also thanked assistant coach Davis Payne.
What’s next for the Senators
The Senators have games in hand over all the teams in the Eastern Conference, but they are already behind. The team is 12 points behind the Washington Capitals for last place among drafted teams in the playoff race.
Ottawa has missed the playoffs in each of the last six seasons, including all four years under Smith.
The Sens will play their first game with Martin at the helm of the team against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday, then against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
“Everyone wants to win so bad and obviously it’s not that easy to do in this league,” captain Brady Tkachuk said. We are seeing at the moment that it is difficult to win. »
“We have to find a way to perform at our best on Tuesday. »
Ottawa will return home to host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday for its final game before the holiday break.
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