The Ottawa Senators fired head coach DJ Smith on Monday.
Jacques Martin will fill the position on an interim basis, while Daniel Alfredsson will be one of his deputies.
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The Sens are in last place in the Atlantic Section of the National League with a record of 11-15-0. The Ottawa club also suffered defeat in its last four games.
“It was time to make this decision to instill hope in our players and create some kind of consistency in the way we play,” Senators President of Hockey Operations Steve Staios said during a season-ending video conference.
The player, who was signed by new owner Michael Andlauer at the end of September, also suggested that this move was made behind the bench because he noted that his team had taken steps backwards in recent weeks.
Smith had been in charge since the 2019-2020 season and never led his team to the playoffs. The team's bad mood and dismay were evident in the locker room after Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Golden Knights in Vegas.
“That was probably the moment when I, like the whole group, was most frustrated. Everyone wants to win and admittedly that's not easy to achieve in this league. We see this now; It’s hard to win,” captain Brady Tkachuk told TSN 1200.
The man for the job
Smith had received the support of his players earlier in the season after general manager Pierre Dorion resigned. However, Senators fans did not share the hockey players' opinions and regularly sang along to “Fire DJ” during duels at the Canadian Tire Centre.
On December 6, the Ontario organization hired Martin as a special advisor to the training team. He was at the helm of the club between 1996 and 2004. In 1,294 games as a head coach, the man who also oversaw the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens had a record of 613-481-119-81.
“Many of our problems related to the way we play as a team can be solved by the strengths of Jacques Martin,” Staios said. It is detailed, organized and structured. To me it fits perfectly with what we needed.”
The president simply said that the hiring of a new head coach would occur “in due course” when asked about the length of the interim period.
Alfredsson, for his part, wore the Sens colors for most of his career as a striker in the National League. The former captain returned to the organization this year.
“When I asked him if he wanted to work with us full-time, he simply told me he would,” Staios said. This started our consideration of a change in dynamic that would include Alfie.”
The Senators will play their next game on Tuesday night against the Coyotes in Arizona.