Ottawa was always going to be where Jacques Martin ended up. Time and time again, the great hockey mind kept finding his way back.
The newest inductee into the Senators Ring of Honour was born in nearby Rockland, and raised in Saint-Pascal-Baylon, a small farming community just under an hour east of downtown Ottawa, Martin left the family dairy farm at the age of 13 and moved to Ottawa to attend high school and play hockey.
From there, his prowess as a goalie took him to St. Lawrence University, where he spent three seasons before returning home and playing out his eligibility with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.
Martin spent time as a teacher in Algonquin College’s physical education department following his playing career, while he coached the Rockland Nats and Hawkesbury Hawks.
After jumping to major junior as an assistant coach with the Peterborough Petes, he lasted just two seasons before being named Guelph’s head coach. He won the Memorial Cup with the Storm in his first season as head coach and then, the big leagues came calling.
After making his way behind the bench in the NHL for the first time with the St. Louis Blues — at just 34 years old — Martin would hone his skills for seven-and-a-half more years as an assistant coach with Chicago and Quebec, split up by a one-year stint as head coach with the AHL’s Cornwall Aces.
That was where the waiting game stopped for Martin. In the middle of the first season following Quebec’s relocation to Colorado, he was asked by the Ottawa Senators to become the young franchise’s third-ever head coach.
Colorado would go on to win the Stanley Cup that season, as well as in 2000–01, while Martin would be tasked with taking on an expansion franchise who had a record of 8-35-1, but Martin, now 73 and an advisor to the current Senators coaching staff, looks back on the decision as an easy one.
“It wasn’t difficult at all,” Martin told a large group of assembled media on Thursday morning about the decision to return home, just minutes after the team announced the winningest head coach in franchise history would become the fourth member of the Senators Ring of Honour.
“It’s amazing, it was right after the All-Star break. It was funny, because I was in Ottawa during All-Star break, putting posters at the rinks in Ottawa for my hockey camp. I go back to Colorado, and the first practice was an afternoon practice. I remember coming off the ice and [then-Avalanche president and general manager] Pierre Lacroix telling me [then-Senators general manager] Pierre Gauthier was going to call me at four o’clock,” recounted Martin.
“I had a conversation with [Gauthier], and he told me to fly to Toronto, and met me in Toronto. We spoke all night,” said Martin, who took over the team just days later. Martin ended up coaching the Senators for nine seasons, winning the Jack Adams as coach of the year in 1998–99, the Presidents’ Trophy in 2002–03, and missing the playoffs in only that initial season.
“I think I’ve been very privileged, to one, work with outstanding athletes coaching in Ottawa, some great players. Daniel Alfredsson, who’s a coach here now, Marián Hossa, a lot of the great ones… [Zdeno] Chara, [Wade] Redden, the list goes on,” said Martin.
Martin also served as associate coach for two Canadian Olympic teams, winning gold in Salt Lake City in 2002. He also won gold in 2004 as associate coach for Canada’s entry into the World Cup of Hockey, and again gold in 2007 as assistant general manager for Canada at the World Championships.
“I think the most memorable moments, you have to separate them from a standpoint, the international scene, the Olympics, they’re a unique experience, opportunities to coach people like Mario Lemieux, and to be part of an organization, Team Canada, and have great athletes, so it’s been really a privilege to be a part of that.”
After his first stint in Ottawa ended before the 2004–05 lockout, Martin coached the Florida Panthers for three seasons and the Montreal Canadiens for two-and-a-half seasons. He later joined the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach and won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 on the staff of Mike Sullivan.
“In the NHL, I’ve been fortunate to hang around for a long time,” said Martin, who re-joined his hometown organization in December of 2023 as senior advisor to the coaching staff and was promoted to interim head coach just two weeks later following the firing of D.J. Smith.
“Every place is different, it brings some great memories and great souvenirs, but obviously Ottawa’s been the one place where it’s been closest to me, where it’s allowed me to make a lot of friendships, close to the game and away from the game,” said Martin.
“And the fact that I’m originally from this area, so it’s been a real privilege, and I really have to thank the new organization that brought me back and gave me an opportunity to end my career close to the team where I feel I’ve contributed the most. It’s been great memories for me.”
Martin will be honoured by the team exactly 30 years — to the day — after his first game behind the bench, on Saturday, Jan. 24, when the Senators welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to Canadian Tire Centre.
“Well, honoured to be part of a select group,” said Martin of his reaction to the news. “Grateful, I never thought that I would achieve that. It never came to my mind. I think what’s always been prevalent with me is to be able to be part of an organization and to work with great people and enjoy everyday life.”
Martin will become the fourth member of the Ring of Honour, following former general manager Bryan Murray, former defender Wade Redden, and longtime team doctor Dr. Don Chow. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in virtually all coaching categories, including games (748), wins (367) and playoff wins (31).
“I think when you look at the people that are in there before me, they’ve all had an impact on the organization, not only on the organization, but in the community, which is very important,” said Martin.
“I think Wade was for so many years the face of our franchise. Dr. Chow, what he meant to the community, all the things that he did for the city, how well he was respected. Bryan Murray, I can’t say enough, if you look at all his years, all the success he’s had in the NHL. Came from Shawville, came from this area, and was a big impact on this organization. Came close to winning a Stanley Cup in [2007]. All these people made an impact, so I think to me it’s a real honour to join a group like that. Hopefully I’ve left a mark on the organization as well.”
