Jacques Martin’s time with the Ottawa Senators appears to be over, and the man who did more than anyone to shape the franchise’s early identity is stepping away from the game at 73.
Martin told Montreal radio station 98.5 FM in French on Friday night that he is no longer with the organization and is done behind the bench and in hockey operations. During a 70-minute appearance on Mario Langlois’ show Les Amateurs des Sports, Martin put it plainly: “It’s time to retire,”
When Langlois pressed him on whether that meant retirement, Martin answered: “We’ll see.”
A club spokesperson confirmed Sunday that Martin will not continue in his hockey operations role with the Senators, though the organization still plans to keep him involved in community initiatives.
If this is the final chapter of Martin’s NHL career, it closes the book on one of the league’s most accomplished builders, and on a native of nearby St. Pascal who left a deep mark on Ottawa. He will turn 74 next month, and there’s a strong case that his résumé belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builder category.
Martin’s coaching path stretched across the sport. He began in the Ontario Hockey League as Roger Neilson’s assistant for two seasons with the Peterborough Petes, then won a Memorial Cup with the Guelph Platers in 1986 in his first head coaching job.
That led to St. Louis, where he took over the Blues in 1986 and spent two seasons under legendary GM Ron “The Prof” Caron.
After that, his career took him all over North America. He worked as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks, Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins, and won two Stanley Cup championships as an assistant with Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh. Martin also coached the Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers, served as GM of the Panthers, and later joined the New York Rangers as an assistant after leaving Pittsburgh.
Still, Ottawa was always different.
Martin spent eight years behind the Senators’ bench from 1996 to 2004, then returned for a second stint as interim head coach at the end of the 2023-24 season. In total, he coached 748 games for Ottawa, and the Senators went 367-261-96-24 under his watch.
The Senators brought him back as a senior advisor to the coaching staff in December 2023. He then took over behind the bench with former captain Daniel Alfredsson as an assistant after D.J. Smith was fired on Dec. 18 before a game against the Arizona Coyotes.
Earlier this year, on Jan. 24, Martin was inducted into the club’s Ring of Honour. That date marked the 30th anniversary of the start of his first run behind the Ottawa bench in 1996, and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe declared it “Jacques Martin Day” in the city.
When Martin arrived during the 1995-96 season, he immediately changed the tone around the organization. He left his assistant job with the Colorado Avalanche to replace Dave Allison, whose brief tenure had gone badly, and Martin brought order and credibility right away.
He also coached some of the best players in Senators history, including Alfredsson, Marian Hossa, Zdeno Chara, Martin Havlat, Shawn McEachern, Alexei Yashin and Patrick Lalime. Hossa and Chara went on to Hockey Hall of Fame careers.
Brought back by Steve Staios after Michael Andlauer’s ownership group took control of the franchise in 2023, Martin spent his second stint helping the club’s younger players become better defensively. Under Travis Green, who took over as head coach to begin the 2024-25 season, Martin served two full seasons as an advisor, watching from the press box and working closely with Green as an extra set of eyes and a steady voice.
In Other News...
Claude Giroux Is Still Driving Something Ottawa Really Needs
Claude Giroux opened Senators camp doing exactly the sort of things Ottawa still leans on him for, and Travis Green clearly noticed. The 38-year-old veteran was in the middle of special teams work on the first day, still moving well enough to be paired with younger players like Stephen Halliday and Tyler Boucher, a reminder that his value goes well beyond the name on the back of the jersey.
Giroux also brings a layer of familiarity that matters in a room getting younger around him. His ties to Boucher run through the family connection with Tylers father, a former teammate, and that kind of bridge between eras is part of why Giroux remains so useful for the Senators as camp gets underway and the roster pieces start to settle into place. [Read more 🡒]
Drake Batherson Just Gave Senators Fans Another Reason To Feel Good
Drake Batherson has been doing his part to keep the Senators connected with their fans, popping up in a social media video tied to the clubs latest outreach push and then headlining a busy appearance at Fan Fest outside Canadian Tire Centre. The team has leaned into that kind of lighter, more personal content lately, and Batherson has become an easy face for it because he gives the organization a familiar, approachable presence beyond the rink.
At Fan Fest, Batherson took part in a live Q&A and then stuck around to greet supporters who turned out for the event. It was the sort of public-facing moment that matters for a team trying to build momentum with its base, especially when the interaction feels genuine rather than scripted. The Senators have also been encouraging fans to send in their own stories, which fits the tone of a day built around making the audience feel a little closer to the team. [Read more 🡒]