Jacques Martin (born October 1, 1952) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach. In the National Hockey League (NHL), he has served as head coach of the St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers. Martin also served as the general manager of the Panthers and has served as an assistant coach with the Canadian men's national ice hockey team. Martin is a Franco-Ontarian, and a two-time Stanley Cup champion.
Personal life
Martin was born in Rockland, Ontario and raised in Saint-Pascal-Baylon, Ontario. He left the family farm at the age of 13 and moved to Ottawa to pursue his high school education. Martin attended post-secondary education at St. Lawrence University in New York State and at the University of Ottawa. While at St. Lawrence, Martin played goaltender for the college team, appearing in 28 games.
Martin taught at the Department of Physical Education at Algonquin College for seven years, during which time he coached the Rockland Nats and the Hawkesbury Hawks junior hockey teams. Martin runs the Jacques Martin Hockey School for children age 7 – 17 in Rigaud, Quebec. One of his daughters, Angela, is a public school teacher in Ottawa. His other daughter, Nathalee, works for the cheesemaker St-Albert.
Coaching career
OHL
Peterborough Petes (1983–1985)
Martin served as an assistant coach with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 1983–84, working under head coach Dick Todd. In his first season with the Petes, the team finished with a 43–23–4 record, finishing in third place in the Leyden Division. In the playoffs, the Petes swept the Cornwall Royals in the first round, before losing to the Toronto Marlboros in the second round.
Martin returned to the Petes in 1984–85 season, as the team finished with the best record in the Leyden Division with a 42–20–4 record. In the postseason, Peterborough made it to the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals, however, they lost to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in six games.
After the season, Martin left Peterborough and became the head coach of the Guelph Platers.
Guelph Platers (1985–1986)
Martin became the head coach of the Guelph Platers of the OHL in 1985–86, as he took over the rebuilding club, which missed the playoffs the previous season. Under Martin, the Platers finished second in the Emms Division with a 41–23–2 record, earning 84 points, which was a 37-point improvement for the team. In the playoffs, the Platers would win the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Belleville Bulls in the final round, to advance to the 1986 Memorial Cup, held in Portland, Oregon. In the Memorial Cup, the Platers earned a 2–1 record in the round-robin and advanced straight to the finals. In the final game of the tournament, Guelph defeated the Hull Olympiques by a score of 6–2 to capture the Memorial Cup. Martin won the Matt Leyden Trophy awarded to the best coach in the OHL.
Following the season, Martin left the Platers and became the head coach of the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Kingston Frontenacs (2022–2023)
On September 16, 2022, the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL named Martin to assume the role of Senior Advisor, marking Martin's first OHL role since 1986.
NHL
St. Louis Blues (1986–1988)
Martin took over as the head coach of the St. Louis Blues in 1986–87. On October 9, 1986, Martin coached and won his first career NHL game, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4–3. Despite the team finishing the season with an under .500 record of 32–33–15, the Blues had the best record in the Norris Division. In the first round of the playoffs, the Blues were upset by the Toronto Maple Leafs, losing in six games.
The Blues had another mediocre regular season in 1987–88, as the club finished with a 34–38–8 record, finishing in second place in the Norris Division. In the postseason, the Blues defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in five games in the Norris Division semifinals, however, St. Louis lost to the Detroit Red Wings in five games in the division final. After the season, the Blues fired Martin.
Florida Panthers (2004–2009)
Martin was hired as head coach of the Florida Panthers on May 26, 2004. Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, the season was cancelled. Martin coached his first game with the Panthers on October 5, 2005, as the team defeated the Atlanta Thrashers 2–0. In his first year with the club in 2005–06, the Panthers went 37–34–11. However, the team failed to make the playoffs.
On September 3, 2006, the Panthers general manager, Mike Keenan, resigned from the position, and Martin took over the job while remaining the head coach. Florida once again missed the playoffs in 2006–07, as the club went 35–31–16. The Panthers continued to struggle in 2007–08, as Florida posted a 38–35–9 record, failing to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season under Martin. On April 11, 2008, the Panthers fired Martin as head coach, but he remained the general manager. Martin hired Peter DeBoer to become the head coach of the Panthers. As the general manager in 2008–09, the Panthers improved to a 41–30–11 record, earning 93 points, however, Florida once again failed to make the playoffs. On May 16, 2009, Martin resigned from his position.
Montreal Canadiens (2009–2011)
On June 1, 2009, Martin signed with the Montreal Canadiens to become their head coach, taking over the position from interim head coach Bob Gainey. Martin coached his first game with the Canadiens on October 1, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–3 in overtime. The team finished the 2009–10 season with a 39–33–10 record, making the playoffs as the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference. In the postseason, the Canadiens upset the top-seeded Washington Capitals in seven games in the first round. Montreal continued their playoff run by defeating the favoured Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games in the second round, reaching the Eastern Conference finals against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Canadiens struggled against Philadelphia, as they were shutout in three of their four losses, as the club lost in five games.
The Canadiens had a solid regular season in 2010–11 season, going 44–30–8, earning 96 points, an eight-point improvement over the previous season. In the playoffs, the Canadiens lost to their archrivals, the Boston Bruins in the first round, losing game seven in overtime to be eliminated.
Montreal struggled to begin the 2011–12 season, as the team had a 13–12–9 record in their first 34 games. On December 17, 2011, the Canadiens fired Martin and replaced him with assistant coach Randy Cunneyworth, who was once Martin's captain on the Ottawa Senators, on an interim basis.
Pittsburgh Penguins (2013–2020)
Martin joined the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach under Dan Bylsma for the 2013–14 season, as he was hired for the position on August 9, 2013. In his first season with the club, the Penguins recorded a 51–24–7 record, earning 109 points, finishing in first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games in the first round, however, they lost to the New York Rangers in seven games in the second round. On July 23, 2014, the Penguins announced that Martin was promoted to senior advisor of hockey operations. On December 12, 2015, he was named assistant coach after head coach Mike Johnston and Gary Agnew were fired. On June 12, 2016, he won his first Stanley Cup in a 4–2 series win against the San Jose Sharks (and nearly dropped it during the on-ice celebration). On June 11, 2017, Martin won the Cup for the second time as the Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators in a 4–2 series win.
On August 12, 2020, the Penguins announced that Martin's contract would not be renewed, ending his tenure with the team.
New York Rangers (2020–2021)
On August 31, 2020, the New York Rangers named Martin as an assistant coach. In the 2020–21 season, the Rangers finished with a 27–23–6 record, earning 60 points and fifth place in the East Division, missing the postseason. On May 12, 2021, the club fired Martin after one season with the team.
Return to Ottawa (2023–present)
On December 6, 2023, the Ottawa Senators named Martin to assume the role of Senior Advisor to the coaching staff. He was subsequently promoted to interim head coach December 18, after the firing of D. J. Smith. Under Martin, the Senators posted a record of 26–26–4 in the 2023–24 season, as Ottawa failed to qualify for the post-season. Following the season, Martin was succeeded by Travis Green after the season and he was named as the senior advisor to the coaching staff.
Head coaching record
NHL
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="7"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
! G !! W !! L !! T !! OTL !! Pts !! Finish !! W !! L !! Win % !! Result
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! STL !! 1986–87
| 80 || 32 || 33 || 15 || — || 79 || 1st in Norris || 2 || 4 || || Lost in division semifinals (TOR)
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! STL !! 1987–88
| 80 || 34 || 38 || 8 || — || 76 || 2nd in Norris || 5 || 5 || || Lost in division finals (DET)
|-
! OTT !! 1995–96
| 38 || 10 || 24 || 4 || — || (41) || 6th in Northeast || — || — || — || Missed playoffs
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! OTT !! 1996–97
| 82 || 31 || 36 || 15 || — || 77 || 3rd in Northeast || 3 || 4 || || Lost in conference quarterfinals (BUF)
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! OTT !! 1997–98
| 82 || 34 || 33 || 15 || — || 83 || 5th in Northeast || 5 || 6 || || Lost in conference semifinals (WSH)
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! OTT !! 1998–99
| 82 || 44 || 23 || 15 || — || 103 || 1st in Northeast || 0 || 4 || || Lost in conference quarterfinals (BUF)
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! OTT !! 1999–2000
| 82 || 41 || 28 || 11 || 2 || 95 || 2nd in Northeast || 2 || 4 || || Lost in conference quarterfinals (TOR)
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! OTT !! 2000–01
| 82 || 48 || 21 || 9 || 4 || 109 || 1st in Northeast || 0 || 4 || || Lost in conference quarterfinals (TOR)
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! OTT !! 2001–02
| 80 || 38 || 26 || 9 || 7 || 94 || 3rd in Northeast || 7 || 5 || || Lost in conference semifinals (TOR)
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! OTT !! 2002–03
| 82 || 52 || 21 || 8 || 1 || 113 || 1st in Northeast || 11 || 7 || || Lost in conference finals (NJD)
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! OTT !! 2003–04
| 82 || 43 || 23 || 10 || 6 || 102 || 3rd in Northeast || 3 || 4 || || Lost in conference quarterfinals (TOR)
|-
! FLA !! 2005–06
| 82 || 37 || 34 || — || 11 || 85 || 4th in Southeast || — || — || — || Missed playoffs
|-
! FLA !! 2006–07
| 82 || 35 || 31 || — || 16 || 86 || 4th in Southeast || — || — || — || Missed playoffs
|-
! FLA !! 2007–08
| 82 || 38 || 35 || — || 9 || 85 || 3rd in Southeast || — || — || — || Missed playoffs
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! MTL !! 2009–10
| 82 || 39 || 33 || — || 10 || 88 || 4th in Northeast || 9 || 10 || || Lost in Conference Finals (PHI)
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! MTL !! 2010–11
| 82 || 44 || 30 || — || 8 || 96 || 2nd in Northeast || 3 || 4 || || Lost in Conference Quarterfinals (BOS)
|-
! MTL !! 2011–12
| 32 || 13 || 12 || — || 7 || (33) || (fired) || — || — || — || —
|-
! OTT !! 2023–24
| 56 || 26 || 26 || — || 4 || (78) || 7th in Atlantic || — || — || — || Missed playoffs
|-
! colspan="2"|OTT total !! 748 !! 367 !! 261 !! 96 !! 24 !! !! !! 31 !! 38 !! !! 8 playoff appearances
|-
! colspan="2"|FLA total !! 246 !! 110 !! 100 !! — !! 36 !! !! !! — !! — !! — !! 0 playoff appearances
|-
! colspan="2"|MTL total !! 196 !! 96 !! 75 !! — !! 25 !! !! !! 12 !! 14 !! !! 2 playoff appearances
|-
! colspan="2"|STL total !! 160 !! 66 !! 71 !! 23 !! — !! !! !! 7 !! 9 !! !! 2 playoff appearances
|-
! colspan="2"|Total !! 1,320 !! 639 !! 497 !! 119 !! 85 !! !! !! 50 !! 62 !! !! 12 playoff appearances
|}
OHL
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="6"|Regular season !! Postseason
|-
! G !! W !! L !! T !! Pts !! Finish !! Result
|- style="background:#fdd;"
! GUE !! 1985–86
| 66 || 41 || 23 || 2 || 84 || 2nd in Emms || Won J. Ross Robertson Cup (BEL)<br />Won Memorial Cup (HUL)
|-
! colspan="2"|Total !! 66 !! 41 !! 23 !! 2 !! 84 !! !! 1 J. Ross Robertson Cup win<br />1 Memorial Cup win
|}
References
- "A big part of the `process': Jacques Martin has delivered the Senators to the next level." Roy MacGregor. The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ont.: Apr 30, 1998. pg. E.1.FRO
- "New Senators coach has the touch." Allen Panzeri. The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ont.: Jan 31, 1996. pg. C.1