Coaching Staff

Gerry Townend

Director of Sports Medicine
Born May 21, 1967 (Carleton Place, Ont.)

Gerry Townend begins his 17th season with the Senators, and his third as director of sports medicine in 2019-20, after originally joining the club ahead of the 2002-03 campaign. While he continues to oversee the team's athletic therapy staff, his current role also sees him provide assessment and treatment for Senators players throughout all professional levels in addition the organization's prospects. Townend is also be responsible for the department's administrative duties and will liaise with members of the Senators' conditioning staff in an effort to identify specialized recovery programs.

Prior to arriving in Ottawa, he spent 10 seasons as the head athletic therapist for the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, winning the Grey Cup at the conclusion of both the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Townend, who has participated in six international tournaments over the course of his career, worked most recently with Hockey Canada's athletic staff at the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Denmark.

Gerry and his wife, Marni, live in Stittsville with their two daughters, Mikayla and Carlee.

Domenic Nicoletta

Head Athletic Therapist
Born May 2, 1973 (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.)

Domenic Nicoletta enters his 13th season with the Senators, and his third as the team's head athletic therapist in 2019-20. After beginning his career as an assistant athletic therapist with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts in 2002, he has since worked more than 1,000 professional hockey games. Following his one season with the Argonauts, he spent an initial tenure in Ottawa as the Senators assistant athletic therapist from 2002-03 through 2003-04 before spending the next five seasons as the head athletic therapist with the Senators primary affiliate, the American Hockey League's Binghamton Senators. He then returned to the role of Senators assistant athletic therapist from 2009-10 through 2016-17. Upon the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, Nicoletta served as an athletic therapist for Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia.

Domenic and his wife, Jenny, live in Kanata with their children, Luca and Ella.

Jean-Sebastien Hartell

Assistant Athletic Therapist
Born Feb. 5, 1987 (Mississauga, Ont.)

Jean-Sebastien Hartell begins his third season with the Senators as the team's assistant athletic therapist in 2019-20 after spending the previous four seasons as the head therapist with Canada's senior men's indoor national volleyball team. While with Volleyball Canada, the senior men's team qualified for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, its first Olympics in 24 years, where it finished in fifth place. He was also on staff as the team earned its first medal, a bronze, at the 2017 World League Finals in Curitiba, Brazil -- its best finish at an FIVB event -- and a feat it duplicated after winning bronze at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. Prior to working with Volleyball Canada, Hartell spent three-plus years (2011-2014) at SportMedBC in Burnaby, B.C., where he helped provide medical services for BC Soccer, BC Lacrosse, Karate Canada and TeamBC for the Canada Summer Games.

Jean-Sebastien and his wife, Jennifer, live in Ottawa.

John Forget

Head Equipment Manager
Born June 16, 1980 (Oshawa, Ont.)

John Forget enters his fifth season as the Senators head equipment manager in 2019-20. Prior to his hiring in Ottawa, Forget spent the 2014-15 campaign as an assistant equipment manager with the Vancouver Canucks. He worked the 1,000th game of his professional hockey career while with the Canucks on Feb. 26, 2014, at Buffalo. Ahead of his arrival in Vancouver, Forget spent the previous season as head equipment manager with the Canucks' American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets. He worked in the same capacity with the Montreal Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, from 2008-09 through 2012-13. He originally joined the Bulldogs in 2005 as assistant equipment manager and won the Calder Cup with the club in 2007. Internationally, Forget has served on Team Canada's equipment staff at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Russia, where Canada won the gold medal, in addition to the 2018 tournament in Denmark.

John and his wife, Sheena, live in Stittsville with their two sons, Holden and Hudson.

Ian Cox

Assistant Equipment Manager
Born Feb. 11, 1982 (Halifax)

Ian Cox begins his fifth season with the Senators as the team's assistant equipment manager in 2019-20 after spending the previous four campaigns as the head equipment manager with the St. John's IceCaps, (then) the American Hockey League affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. Prior to his arrival in St. John's, Cox spent the three previous seasons with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Halifax Mooseheads. He also earned the honour of being named to Hockey Canada's training staff for the 2010 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship in Belarus while working with the Mooseheads.

Ian and his wife, Megan, live in Ottawa.

Alex Menezes

Assistant equipment manager
Born May 7, 1987 Hull, Quebec

Alex Menezes begins his 12th season with the Senators and his eighth as assistant equipment manager in 2022-23. Ahead of ascending to his current role, he worked as a locker room attendant and also spent three years with Canadian Tire Centre's Operations department. He also served a portion of the 2014-15 campaign in a lead role with the Senators' then-American Hockey League affiliate in Binghamton after the B-Sens' head equipment manager required a medical leave of absence. A native of Hull, Que., Menezes has international experience by way of assisting Hockey Canada's respective men's and women's staff as the men's team held its 2016 World Cup training camp in Ottawa and while the city served as host of the 2013 IIHF World Women's Championship. Following the 2020-21 season, he served on Team Canada's equipment staff at the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Latvia where Canada won the gold medal. He resumed the role at the 2022 tournament in Finland where Canada won a silver medal. He has also assisted at Hockey Canada's women's summer development camp on three occasions.

Alex resides in Gatineau, Quebec.

Shawn Markwick

Massage Therapist
Born April 18, 1966 (Peterborough, Ont.)

Shawn Markwick enters his 13th season as the Senators' massage therapist in 2019-20, after originally joining the club ahead of the 2007-08 campaign. He has more than 20 years' experience as a massage therapist in Ottawa. At the conclusion of the 2013-14 season, he earned the honour of being named to Hockey Canada's training staff for the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Belarus.

Shawn and his wife, Angela, live in Stittsville with their three children, Lindsay, Emma and Ben.