Jacques Martin

[Toecutter]

1996-97: In his first season he gave the franchise its first ever playoff birth with a team that finished last the season before.

1997-98: Made playoffs again and we had our first winning record in franchise history. Upset the Devils in the first round for our first ever playoff series win. Devils were 1st in the East that year.

1998-99: Established a franchise record with a 103 point season. Made the playoffs.

1999-00: Yashin sat out the year with a contract dispute, still made playoffs.

2000-01: lost in the first round and battled through internal problems created by Yashin. End of season we trade Yashin for Spezza and Chara. Turning point in JM's tenure.

2001-02: Made it to the second round.

2002-03: Coached the team to the President's Trophy and made it to game 7 of the ECF.

2003-04: First round exit and fired.



Jacques Martin was one of the best, if not the best, coaches in Senators history. Throughout his tenure his team would deal with what felt like a never ending run of internal problems. From bankruptcy to player holdouts, Martin got the most out of his team during times of adversity. But more importantly he got the franchise out of the gutter and turned them into one of the best teams in the NHL.

Prior to Martin we had finished dead last 4 straight seasons. The patience was given because he brought the franchise its first ever success. We were the joke of the league in the mid 90s. He made us respectable.

This is so true, thumbsup. Jacques biggest problem was the battle of ontario.

 

[Indrew]

For a few years, it was rock paper scissors.

Sens > Flyers
Leafs > Sens
Flyers > Leafs
Sens > Flyers
Leafs > Sens
Flyers > Leafs

 

[Kellogs]

Don't let the goaltending stats fool you. In every game in the 2004 playoff series against the Leafs, Ottawa let in the first goal. In the dead puck era, letting in the first goal in a playoff game always seemed to be a guaranteed loss. Some of those first goals let in by Lalime were questionable. Once Toronto took the lead, they'd sit on it, held Ottawa to perimeter shots, and Belfour stood on his head when he had to, and took very few chances offensively when they had the lead. Toronto was happy winning games 1-0. Ottawa was getting 30-40 shots a game, but watch where those shots were coming from, no traffic in front of Belfour, and in the rare time Ottawa had good offensive pressure, Belfour came up big. Martin sat Spezza in the press box or glued him to the bench when the Sens couldn't score, but had no problems playing Van Allen or Todd White, his favourites who did nothing. The Sens were schooled in both goaltending and coaching in this series, a trend that happened in pretty much all four of their losses to Toronto. How Martin survived being fired in 2002 is a miracle, although I'm sure a lot of that had to do with Bryden's finances. It's no surprise that when Murray took over in 2005-06 when he allowed the Senators some creativity in offense that the team took off.

Disagree with the bolded.

Spezza sat because he was a defensive liability and didn't play a two-way game, something that is oftentimes still mentioned to this day as a criticism of his play. Everyone here heaps praises on Turris for his strong two-way game, and a large part of it is probably because that's how he was required to play in Phoenix by Dave Tippett. If he didn't play as the coach required all his players to play, he sat. Had Martin been allowed to enforce that philosophy with Spezza just as he had with our other young prospects, he would have been a better player for it and likely many of the common criticisms that are levied against him today wouldn't be valid.

The Sens' losses to the Leafs were a result of an experienced team capable of handling the playoff pressures facing an inexperienced team learning what it takes to win in the playoffs. As I mentioned in my previous post, the Leafs had a payroll ~$30m greater than the Senators (compared to the ~$13m difference today where it's obvious not spending that money creates holes in our lineup) which allowed them to have the goaltending needed to hold leads, and acquire the veteran experience in their top six needed to help them win in the playoffs. Despite these handicaps, the Sens were still competitive, it was just that the team didn't matchup well against the Leafs, just as the Leafs were unable to beat the Flyers in the playoffs at the time, just as the Flyers were unable to beat us in the playoffs at the time.

The improved playoff results under Murray (if we can really call it that), were more a result of the team improving and getting that experience, and learning what it takes to win in the playoffs. It was just a natural progression of the 2003 team that went to the conference finals and that likely would have returned there in 2004 had there been no lockout because the core players (Alfie, Chara, Redden, Hossa, Bonk) were now entering their prime and were no longer the young inexperienced players that got manhandled at times in the playoffs.

 

[koreaboy]

JM was an excellent coach. Jason York summed it up pretty well, and he would know having played under him, that JM was one of the very best guys at creating defined roles for players, making them very aware of what those roles were, and teaching them to be effective in that role. we were one of the very best teams in the league for a long time. you can't take that away from him. he was always slammed for being a trapping, too-defensive coach, yet year after year, we were one of the highest scoring teams in the league.

his fault was in not being able to elevate his players or adapt his game plan when teams upped the ante in the playoffs. even that though could have been overcome if we had elite goaltending. if we would have had a cujo, or a Belfour, or a hasek, or a brodeur during his era, there's no doubt he would have one at least one cup, and he might STILL be coach of this team.

 

[Indrew]

Martin had some success in the playoffs with the Habs.

His first year he guided them to the Conference Finals as the 8th seed. (Halak was a big reason)
His second year he lost in the first round, but his team was the toughest test for the Bruins on their way to the Cup (Game 7 OT).
He was fired half-way through year 3. The Habs finished last in the Conference.

 

[MainDotC]

I think the biggest criticism of Jack Martin was that he didn't play hockey that was appealing. Murray came in and directed a more offensive approach. Now granted, there were games when Sens ran up the score - like 9 - 3 vs TBL - but there appeared to be more 1 - 0 wins than anything else.

 

[tony d]

By far the best coach our team has ever had. That said he could never get us over the hump in the playoffs.

 

[John Holmes*]

The Senators haven't played an aggressive style since Martin left.

Brian Murray's teams were nowhere near as good. Even with the pizza line scoring at will, they were a paper tiger which again showed up in the playoffs.

The best team we ever had was the 2003 team that lost in the ECF to the Devils.

If Jacques ever had a decent goaltender, he would have been regarded as a freaking genius.

Sadly, Patrick Lalime giving up beach balls didn't cut it.

 

[aragorn]

PM has been & is the best coach this team has ever had & his Adams Trophy & runner up the yr before is proof of that. The majority of people on here wre praising PM last yr & the yr before that but have all jumped off the band wagon as soon as the team start losing & blame him rather than the players. PM can only play the players he has, he doesn't have Stamkos, Crosby or any of the other elite players in the league. IMO BM will make a move soon for a top six forward & I wish he would have traded for Fleischmann much earlier in the yr, now I think he can't afford the return Florida wants for him. Havlat is too injury prone as is Hemsky but Vrbata may still be affordable & just as good as any of the above. Funny how all those guy are Czechs.

PM is also strapped IMO by some of the player's contracts & who knows what internal pressures he has to play certain players. I'm surprised reading Yost that he doesn't realize this since he is critizing the coach for playing Gryba & Cowen. Cowen is a top ten 1st rd pick who has a new contract & is expeted to be a top four defenceman. Sometimes you just have to keep playing a guy & hope he learns from his mistakes & gets to the next level, we have seen this with a lot of players, Karlsson incuded. Cowen & Gryba are two shut down guys who will be a great future pairing just like Phillips & Volchenkov were for this team. I also think that PM likes the rugged style of Gryba (sometimes) & Boroweicki & this team coud use a lot more of that.

Methot & Karlsson have been & are a very good pairing, it's just a matter of finding that second pairing between Boroweicki who has been good, Phillips who is declining, Wiercioch who has plenty of potential or Corvo who IMO should be placed on waivers. They could also be waiting for Ceci who IMO has NHL offensive capabilities right now but is lacking behind in his defensive responsiiliies, which I'm convinced they are waiting for Luke to tell them when he is NHL ready. Boroweick & Ceci or Wiercioch & Ceci will be a good tandem but right now our defence is still very young & learning on the job & making a lot of mistakes & that includes Karlsson who plays a lot & gives the puck away a lot. I think next yr this defence will be much better with this yr's experience & once Phillips & Corvo have both retired & Ceci is playing in Ottawa.

 

[Dysentery]

Didnt like him as a coach. Wouldnt change it up even if it was the last option.

 

[thinkwild]

I didn't become a sens fans until after the 2003 run and before that I was a red wings fan. Looking back at the team from the late 1990s-2004 the one big question I had is why did the team keep Martin for as long as they did?

Well probably partially cause he was a great coach; one of the troika that coached Team Canada with Hitchcock and Quinn.

You could often see it in the games how much of a well oiled machine they were, always acting in 5 man units, passing the puck around 4 corners and seeming to outnumber in each corner. Everyone watching would admire and say - that is a well coached team.

Trotz is in a similar situation in Nashville. Long term stability seemed even more important back in those early Sens years.

I'd have to agree that if Jacques had a great goalie, he'd be thought of as a freakin' genius. It feels like it was even moreso back then that they joked the game should be called Goalie, not hockey, because the best goalie always wins. And we never had that goalie, so we were never really in it.

Give Jacques that goalie and i'd have to think that all the criticism of him not being able to adapt or get over the hump to the next level in the playoffs disappear.

Just as Paulrus is noticing the difference in how his coaching is perceived between this year and last. Im not even sure how to tell if a coach has what it takes to get over the hump, it doesnt really even make sense to me. Sounds like a euphemism for bad goalies. Like the old cliche says: show me a great goalie and i'll show you a great coach. Still stands it appears.

 

[trentmccleary]

Team was too young.

The veterans were 3rd/4th liners and bottom pairing d-men. The talent were too young and inexperienced to rely on in the postseason... especially without much in the way of experienced talent to help them.

As much as Alfi was a God and really clutch in the last 6-7 years, he was a playoff underperformer more often than not in the early stages of his career.

From 97-02, Alfie scored 22 goals in Ottawa's 44 playoff games (27% of the team's goals). Games the team only scored 81 goals in (less than 2 goals a game). I don't get the pre-occupation people have with criticizing one of the few players who was performing during that time. Was he supposed to score a goal a game instead of half a goal a game?

Same with Hossa, Bonk, Havlat and Yashin.

Hossa and Havlat were young, they turned it around later in their careers.
Bonk wasn't all that great.
Yashin stunk it up in the playoffs. He posted a 26-6-9-15 line for Ottawa (all games after he had turned 23)... Spezza posted a 16-6-10-16 line in his first 16 playoff games before he turned 23.

Everybody seems to forget that we lost 3 straight game scoring only 4 times in that span. That's where we lost the series.

Same thing with the 04 series against the Leafs. Lalime was awesome and the only reason it went to game 7. We got shutout 3 times between game 2 and 5. Our best players did not show up.

Lalime was shaky all season long because he constantly dealing with minor injuries and the flu all year. He even made one of those miracle come backs from a knee injury a few games before the playoffs started. He gave up the first goal every single game, usually very early and sometimes in embarrassing fashion. In half of those postseason games, he gave up 2 or more goals on less than 20 shots against a decrepit Leafs team who couldn't skate with us. He was then main problem that series.

 

[MainDotC]

Lalime would have been swiss cheese in any other organization. Jack Martin's defense made him the goalie he was billed to be. Those loose goalie pads were one of the most awkward-looking things I'd ever seen in my life.

 

[pepty]

Jacques Martin was a great coach If the Sens hadn't been so cash strapped and could have spared a little extra for some help at the deadline and if the Sens had better than mediocre goal tending, they would have had a Cup.

 

[John Holmes*]

I can agree with that.

A lot of people seem to think that Hasek would have been our best chance had he not got hurt, or argue that the 2007 team was the best since they went the furthest, but I'll stick with the 2003 team.