Ottawa Senators Hire Guy Boucher As Head Coach
By Ryan Ritchie
Ottawa Senators Hire Guy Boucher As Head Coach, Will Replace ex-Bench Boss Dave Cameron Who Was Let go on April 12th
Ottawa Senators hire Guy Boucher as Head Coach after an extensive search for the Sens next bench boss, replacing former Coach Dave Cameron.
Boucher comes over from Switzlerland after spending parts of the last three seasons with SC Bern of the National League A (NLA) – the same league top prospect Auston Matthews dominated under coach Marc Crawford. He was fired by SC Bern back in November when he announced it would be his last year with the club.
Guy Boucher comes with somewhat limited NHL coaching experience. He was hired by Tampa Bay in 2010, coaching two full years before he was let go after 32 games during the lock-out shortened season in 2012-13.
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His overall coaching record is quite impressive despite the limited NHL experience. He won a gold medal as Assistant Coach for Team Canada at the 2009 World Juniors. He was also an Assistant Coach for Team Canada’s U18 program on three separate occasions (one of which resulted in a gold medal).
Boucher was a head coach for QMJHL’s Drummondville Votigeurs during their Memorial Cup run in 2008-09, spending three years in Quebec. He moved on to AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs in 2009-10, leading them to a division win in his lone season behind the bench. Guy was awarded AHL Coach of the Year leading to his hire in Tampa Bay.
Guy Boucher also was Head Coach for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in both 2014 and 2015.
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As the Ottawa Senators hire Guy Boucher, his new superiors have expressed their overwhelming confidence.
via Sportsnet,
“Over the past three weeks, general manager Pierre Dorion and our hockey operations staff have undertaken a thorough and comprehensive search for our next head coach. Following a detailed evaluation of all coaching candidates, there was overwhelming consensus that Guy was our top candidate,” said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk in a statement. “We wanted a great coach and this process yielded our top pick. I couldn’t be happier. On behalf of the entire Senators organization, the great city of Ottawa and our fans, I want to welcome Guy, his wife Marsha and their three children, Vincent, Mila and Naomi.”
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Heading into the coaching search for Ottawa, it was made clear they were only interested in someone with experience behind the bench. Most people naturally assumed that meant NHL experience.
While Guy Boucher only has a little over two years on his resume with Tampa Bay, make no mistake, he brings a ton of valuable coaching experience and knowledge.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also announced between periods in the Islanders-Lightning game on Sunday afternoon that Guy Boucher was 10 minutes away from being Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer before Mike Babcock ultimately took the job.
He is obviously highly regarded in the hockey community.
Given the fact that Canada’s Capital City (Ottawa) is such a diverse bi-lingual community, it also helps to have that French-Canadian connection – Boucher was born in Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Quebec.
Next: Ottawa Senators End of Year Review, Grades
Now that Ottawa has found their man behind the bench, it’s time to shift focus to the NHL Draft and offseason to make the necessary changes to give Guy Boucher the tools to succeed.
Big changes could be on the horizon for the Senators after owner Eugene Melnyk declared that everyone’s job was at risk with roughly 10 games left of a disappointing season. The axe first fell on Dave Cameron and Bryan Murray; the question is, who’s next?