Jacques Martin's final home game as an NHL head coach was a wild 5-4 shootout victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
The Ottawa Senators made sure on Saturday night that Jacques Martin's final home game as an NHL head coach was a memorable one. They defeated the Montreal Canadiens, another team he used to coach, 5-4 in a shootout.
And Martin was all smiles after the game.
"Well, I think it's been great," Martin said. "I've enjoyed the opportunity to come back and hopefully help the team understand what it takes to be in the playoffs, how you need to play on a nightly basis, help the players grow and maybe get better. I think as an organization, we have some work to do. But I think we're in the right direction."
It's been easy to see that Martin, at the age of 71, has enjoyed this NHL farewell tour. Almost from the day he was hired for this coaching sequel, Martin has seemed lighter, more relaxed, and easier with a smile when compared to the more stoic persona he carried when he first guided the team in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Martin, who was born just outside Ottawa in Rockland, will coach two more games this week – in New York on Monday and then in Boston on Tuesday – and that will be it. With his former captain, Daniel Alfredsson, at his side, his coaching days will be at an end.
From 1986 to 2021, Martin worked steadily as a coach in the league. He was the head coach of the Senators from 1996-2004. There were some Cup contending teams in those days but their kryptonite was the Leafs, who knocked them off four times in five years in the playoffs. Ultimately, that cost Martin his job here.
During his first tenure, Martin coached 692 career games in Ottawa, already the most in club history and after Tuesday, his all time record will be re-engraved at 748. That's a good solid lead on D.J. Smith, the man in second place (317). Martin led the Senators to eight playoff berths, three division titles, and the 2003 Eastern conference final.
Not including playoffs or his many years as an assistant coach, Martin will close out his career with 1350 NHL games coached – only 15 men have coached more. He would certainly be a good bet to be added to the ring of honour.
After this Wednesday's exit meetings, Martin is expected to stay with the Senators in some kind of consulting capacity and appreciates this last go-around with the club.
"Maybe I think what's probably been a big factor (in his latest coaching stint) has been it's probably helped me to kind of turn the page a bit and be ready for a different challenge," Martin said.