Green hiring as Senators coach ‘amazing news,’ Tkachuk says

OSTRAVA, Czechia -- Brady Tkachuk isn't on the same continent as new Ottawa Senators coach Travis Green, but that doesn't diminish the anticipation the captain has following the addition.

Green was hired to replace Jacques Martin on Tuesday.

"Of course, it's amazing news back home," Tkachuk said Saturday from the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Czechia, where he is captaining the United States. "We have our coach for a bunch of years and a great coach, too, probably the best coach on the market. We're looking forward to it and I'm looking forward to getting to know him over the summer."

Green coached the New Jersey Devils on an interim basis this season, going 8-12-1 after taking over for Lindy Ruff, who was fired March 4. The 53-year-old was New Jersey's associate coach at the time he replaced Ruff and was given permission to interview other teams by the Devils (38-39-5), who failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He was coveted by the Senators.

"I think our management knows what they're doing and hopefully it's a good hire for us and we're happy to have him," said Ottawa forward Shane Pinto, who is also playing for the United States.

The Senators are Green's third NHL coaching job. He guided the Vancouver Canucks from 2017-21, when he was 133-147-34 and advanced to the 2020 Western Conference Second Round. He was fired Dec. 6, 2021, 25 games into the 2021-22 season, after an 8-15-2 start.

Green also played 14 seasons in the NHL for the New York Islanders, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. He had 455 points (193 goals, 262 assists) in 970 games.

His experiences aren’t lost on Tkachuk.

"The accountability comes from that, a guy who's lived it, a guy whose put in those hard-work hours and knows what he's talking about," Tkachuk said. "That's something that's going to be great for our group. It's something that we need. I think everybody's already looking forward to training camp next year."

Ottawa was 26-26-4 under Martin, who replaced D.J. Smith on Dec. 18, 2023. Martin, who will remain in a consultant role with the Senators, was initially hired as senior adviser to the coaching staff Dec. 6.

He previously coached Ottawa from 1996-2004, going 341-235-20 with 96 ties in nine seasons. He is the franchise leader in games coached (748), regular-season wins (367), playoff wins (31) and playoff games coached (69).

"He did a great job," Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson said. "He taught us a lot of things. He's an older guy and he has a lot of wisdom. I think that rubbed off on our group."

Ottawa (37-41-4) finished seventh in the Atlantic Division this season, 13 points back of the Washington Capitals for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

The Senators have not qualified for the playoffs since 2017.

"I think it's all individual," Tkachuk said. "I think everybody just needs to be a little bit better than they were before. If we do that, the collective will like the result. At the end of the day, it's individual workouts, work ethics this summer, and push yourselves to be the best versions of yourself next year."