For 27 minutes Wednesday afternoon, Travis Green and Steve Staios sat at the front of a jam packed media centre at Canadian Tire Centre fielding questions as Green was introduced as the new Head Coach of the Ottawa Senators for the first time. Questions such as what drew Green to Ottawa, what made Green the right choice for this group, what coaching philosophies he brings to the rink, and a whole lot more.
In here are the five key things you need to know about Travis Green that we gleaned from his introductory press conference.
1. Accountability and defined roles at the forefront
Clearly a core value in Travis Green's coaching philosophy is accountability. It was almost certainly the most used word in his introduction and really hammers home why Green was the guy for this job in Staios' hunt for the next Head Coach. Perhaps the biggest critique on this Senators group last season was a perceived lack of accountability. When Jacques Martin took over as interim Head Coach he made that a point of emphasis and Green is poised to pick up right where Martin left off.
"If you want to have accountability you have to be able to express to your players what's expected and that process takes time but any winning team has accountability within their group." - Travis Green on building accountability
In an effort to set that tone of accountability, Green has been clear that he will define the roles for each of the players as well as his coaching staff.
"Players want to know where they stand, they want to know what's expected of them and that starts with communicating. Having open, honest discussions with players, building relationships." - Travis Green on the importance of communication when building player relationships
While there will be an expectation to have buy in from the whole group, Green didn't skip a beat when asked if he will expect more from his leaders, stating that the top players need to lead the way for the non-negotiables.
"I will define roles, I will set the bar high not just for the players but for my staff. Accountability for me is a must. It's a must in anything you want to do to have success." - Travis Green on how defining roles leads to accountability
Being accountable to Green isn't an action, it's a way of living every day. It's about playing for the guy next to you, and the city you represent.
"It's playing for each other, it's playing for the crest. It starts with work and compete on a daily basis not just in games but in practice habits." - Travis Green on winning attributes
2. He's a firm and fair coach
In tandem with being big on accountability and communication, Green defines himself as a firm, yet fair coach. He can be demanding but he's very approachable and has always had an open door policy where if players don't agree with something, they are welcomed to talk about it with him.
"I'm firm, I'm demanding, I just want the best out of my players. I want to push them to be their best to reach their potential, but also work with them to understand what that is. Pushing our players to be their best individually, that's going to make us the best collectively."
3. He relishes the opportunity to coach in Canada
Green fully understands the pressures that come with playing and coaching in a Canadian market and here in Ottawa, a market that is hungry for postseason play for the first time since 2017.
"I come here and I know what it means to coach in Canada. I know how bad the people in Ottawa want to win. I'm going to make this team into a winning team and be a team they can be proud of."
"Hockey is Canada. It's a privilige to coach in Canada, to play in Canada, and there's something to be said for winning in Canada. There is pressure and I like that and that was another box that got checked."
4. Bench staff in the works
To make a long story short Travis Green has not settled on his coaching staff. Green and Staios will have a very thorough process to make sure the right staff is in place for Green and the group as a whole.
He did mention that as they go through the process they will talk to the coaches who have been here first and that he plans to sit down with Daniel Alfredsson to see what he wants to do and that he is open to everything with the Senators legend.
Green had a similar opportunity in Vancouver with Daniel and Henrik Sedin, coaching them in his first season before they came back in player development roles.
5. Believer in analytics
The Senators have leaned more into an analytical approach with the hiring of Sean Tierney as the Director of Analytics last season. Fittingly, Green is a big believer in the use of analytics. He was clear that while he doesn't coach off analytics alone, he uses them as a tool. From the pre-scout to the game plan to understanding the Senators strengths and weaknesses and how to improve including trends that are working for playoff teams right now.
He drew attention on several occasions throughout his introduction to the emphasis on commiting to playing a 200-foot game and that defensively the underlying numbers for the Senators point to a need to improve. A full summer of studying what needs to improve and understanding the personnel he has at his disposal will put him in a position to hit the ground running by the time training camp roles around.
For those who aren't looking for the TL;DR version, below is Travis Green's full introduction.
