By Canadian Press

Senators fire head coach Guy Boucher, name Marc Crawford interim coach

Mar 1, 2019 | 10:33 AM

OTTAWA — The last-place Ottawa Senators fired head coach Guy Boucher on Friday morning and named Marc Crawford interim coach.

“I want to thank Guy for his three years of service,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a statement. “He is a good person and has been an excellent representative of the Senators. At this point, however, we need a different set of coaching and leadership skills to guide our team through this rebuild.

“In the interim, Marc will bring a different perspective along with a wealth of head coaching experience.”

The Senators say they will begin a search for a full-time head coach after the season.

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They outlined what they are looking for in a press release:

— “A teacher who will focus on the development and growth of each player on the team.”

— “A listener who encourages feedback from players and the coaching staff.”

— “A communicator who lets every team member know where they stand and what is expected.”

— “A tactician who brings structure and game planning that will enhance our rebuild.”

The move continues a tumultuous eight-day stretch for the Senators.

The team traded its three top scorers for younger players and draft picks before Monday’s trade deadline after the Senators couldn’t come to terms with pending free agents Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel on new deals. All three of those players were healthy scratches last Thursday in New Jersey, raising speculation that deals were imminent.

On Wednesday, a plan for a new downtown arena for the Senators was killed after the National Capital Commission announced mediation had failed in an effort to resolve a dispute between team owner Eugene Melnyk and project partners.

The Senators lost their sixth in a row on Thursday night, falling to the Edmonton Oilers in what turned out to be Boucher’s final game.

After the trade deadline, Dorion acknowledged that Boucher had a tough task guiding the team through weeks of speculation. But that wasn’t enough to convince the Senators to let Boucher finish the season — the final year of his contract.

Boucher guided the Senators to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final in his first season with the squad in 2016-17, but couldn’t duplicate that success.

Ottawa missed the playoffs last season after making an early trade to acquire Duchene in an effort to improve their playoff chances. The Senators sent a first-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche in the deal and now that selection could be first overall this year.

Boucher, a 47-year-old native of Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Que., was previously head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2010-13. He then took a job in Switzerland before landing with the Senators.

Crawford, 58, was in his third season as a Senators assistant coach before being promoted to interim head coach. He has served as an NHL head coach for 1,151 games, guiding the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado, the Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars.

The Belleville, Ont., native won the Stanley Cup in 1996 with Colorado.

Crawford’s first game as interim coach will be Saturday on the road against Tampa Bay.

The Canadian Press