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The Ottawa Senators’ head coaching search has come to an end with Travis Green earning the new role. The hiring sparked complaints from fans who are not sold on Green as the new boss in the nation’s capital. Check out everything to know about the hiring below.

Ottawa Senators Head Coach Travis Green

Travis Green, former Vancouver Canucks head coach, is the new head coach of the Ottawa Senators.

Green most recently worked as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils this season, and spent a quarter of the season as the interim head coach following Lindy Ruff’s firing.

Green recently shot up the rankings to become one of the favorites for the head coaching position.

For a long time, Green was not a name in the race for the job in Ottawa. However, recent interviews with Steve Staios and the management staff went very well and ultimately earned him the position.

Travis Green’s History

Travis Green’s history as a coach in the NHL has not shown a tremendous level of success. Green made the playoffs just once in his four seasons with the Canucks during the Covid season where his team did go on a run.

Green’s all-time statistics as an NHL head coach are as follows: Green is 141-159-35 as a coach for a win percentage of .473%. He had the lowest win percentage of favorite candidates by far but was not the most inexperienced.

Green did, however, have success at the American Hockey League level where he won a Calder Cup as a member of the Canucks organization.

Prior to becoming a head coach in the NHL, Green was a highly talented prospect among the coaching world. However, this did not translate directly to NHL success.

Travis Green’s Situation In Vancouver

While Green’s numbers don’t look great in Vancouver, it does sound as though he was part of a dysfunctional and difficult workplace.

The Canucks had to tear down their organization from the top down, and Green was caught in the middle of it as the head coach.

Many have mentioned that he was dealt a bad hand in Vancouver and that he really didn’t have the opportunity to showcase his true potential as a coach.

Mix in a heavy amount of roster turnover, and we can see why it would’ve been difficult for Green to have success.

Travis Green’s Coaching Style

The one thing that the Ottawa Senators have desperately needed moving forward is accountability. The management has discussed this, and the players have discussed this.

Everybody realizes that this team and these players were not holding themselves as accountable as they needed to in order to find success.

It’s no coincidence then that the Senators went with a head coach who was going to hold them accountable for their actions.

While Green’s track record doesn’t show a ton of success statistically, it doesn’t change the fact that he is known to be a very hard coach to play for, and that he will not be giving the players an easy ride.

One thing Green is notoriously known for is holding incredibly difficult training camps for his players. There have been images circulating, and prior news reports showing the state at which some players are left following the bag skates in training camps.

Most notably is the famous photo of the puke on the ice at the Canucks training camp. Or the photo of Oliver Ekman-Larsson sprawled out on the ice after being skated into the ground. Green will make sure that this team is ready to go out of the gate.

That brings us to another issue with the Senators, which has been their poor starts to the season. If there’s one thing that Travis Green is going to make sure of, it’s that a poor start is unacceptable and that the players will be conditioned to go come game one of the season.

My Thoughts On The Travis Green Hiring

There is no sugarcoating that Travis Green would not have been my first choice for head coach. Coaches like Craig Berube, Dean Evason, and Todd McLellan have all had great careers as head coaches and seem to fit what the Senators needed to a higher degree.

However, stylistically, this is the type of coach that the Ottawa Senators needed.

The number one issue with this team was their lack of commitment to winning and accountability within themselves. Like mentioned before, Travis Green will not allow this to continue.

There are also people who have worked in and around the Canucks organization and the NHL who do believe in Travis Green’s ability as a head coach in this league.

After learning about the situation he took on in Vancouver and looking back at the rosters he was given, it makes a little more sense as to why he couldn’t get them to the playoffs more often.

Besides, the goal right now with this team is to get over the hump of making the playoffs before they can think about becoming legitimate contenders.

Even if Travis Green is not the guy to take them to the promised land, I do have faith in his ability to get them to the playoffs.

As a teacher, I think the lesson of hard work and the pain that comes with becoming great will be relayed to the players, and that will be incredibly valuable for them moving forward.

This type of teaching can cause resentment eventually, but it can also turn these young players into veterans who will do whatever it takes to win.

While I don’t see Travis Green as the final cog in the machine to get Ottawa to the Stanley Cup, I do think he can serve a valuable term in developing this team as they need to be developed.

Green is supposed to meet with the media Wednesday following the NHL draft lottery. We will get some greater insight into his philosophies moving forward with the Senators.

Welcome, Travis Green to Sens nation!