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OTTAWA — New coach, new voice, new angle.
Travis Green, the 14th head coach of the Ottawa Senators after he was employed this previous summer season, is making an attempt to raise his workforce from mediocre to the playoffs. It’s a bunch in determined want of a brand new philosophy.
In coaching camp Green has been agency however truthful, working his gamers by means of bag skates to enhance their conditioning, following his perception that the fittest groups bend however don’t break. In the primary couple days of coaching camp, some gamers had been doubled over to catch their breathe.
Green has been instructing his group, difficult them in drills, and getting of their ear when he doesn’t like what he sees.
This pre-season has been all about setting the tone for an enormous yr forward for a bunch of core gamers that hasn’t but been in a position to recover from the hump.
“I think right now, we’re trying to set the ground floor, and improve. We need to get better. Our expectations are to get better, and our goal is to make the playoffs,” Green mentioned.
In a newly constructed workplace on the Canadian Tire Centre, Green spoke to Sportsnet about why he thinks he can take this Senators workforce to the following stage. While that’s the finish aim, Green careworn an ethos of “winning every day” reasonably than specializing in the top aim that might be measured in April.
Trust the method. His course of.
The Senators have been perennial underachievers, a workforce with expertise that has been lacking the important little particulars, particularly on the defensive finish. Their core, constructed round still-youthful stars akin to Tim Stützle, Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris and Jake Sanderson, wanted a brand new basis, and Green is laying it brick by brick.
“Our team has been known as a bit of a rush offensive team,” mentioned Green. “And while you watch groups that win, they don’t simply win by being a rush workforce; they create offence in several methods.
“They’ve also got to commit to defending. And I said it from Day 1, ultimately being a 200-foot team, and that’s really the one common factor in winning hockey, (means) they’re good everywhere.”
Under Green’s predecessor, D.J. Smith, the Senators had been allowed to roam free, and developed their particular person skills. This led to particular person successes for Stützle, Tkachuk, Drake Batherson and others who had profession breakout seasons alongside the way in which. However, it didn’t equate to a successful report for the workforce.
And whereas additional particular person successes would go a great distance in serving to the Senators obtain their objectives, Green is getting down to refine everybody’s all-around recreation and implement a greater workforce defensive construction.
“Our guys are still young enough that they’re not set in their ways,” mentioned Green. “They’re hungry to learn, and that’s what’s been refreshing with this team so far.”
Green appears to be like to final yr’s Stanley Cup winners as a mannequin.
“I think if you talked about hard training camps, the Florida Panthers have very hard training camps, and they’ve done pretty well the last couple years. So that’s a staple for us. What you want is a team that not only will work hard but embraces hard work.”
In his first cease as an NHL head coach with the Vancouver Canucks from 2017-2021, Green reached the playoffs simply as soon as. His workforce was third within the Pacific when the league shut down in March of 2020 and within the bubble playoffs defeated Minnesota within the qualifying spherical, St. Louis within the first spherical after which bowed out in seven video games to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Rather than being a stepping stone, nevertheless, Vancouver missed the playoffs once more the next season after which, 25 video games into 2021-22, he was let go by the workforce.
In Vancouver, Green’s groups tended to start out properly sufficient however fizzled. After taking a season off teaching, then returning behind New Jersey’s bench as an affiliate after which interim head coach final season, Green says he’s discovered some classes that he thinks can enable Ottawa to have begin the group can maintain by means of the winter.
“I do think training camp conditioning is part of it, but also being fresh at the start of the season and not burying your guys right through training camp is important,” mentioned Green.
“My thoughts and ideas about what it takes to win have, I’d say, subtly changed a little bit. I have grown and learned what’s important to winning.”
Green has additionally discovered to permit his different coaches to shine. It’s not concerning the particular person however the collective in Ottawa.
“Probably listen to them a little more than I have in the past, that’s just being more comfortable in your own skin and also learning that we have other good coaches. They’ve got good drills, they’ve got good techniques and know how to teach. One coach isn’t the be-all and end-all.”
As vital as it’s for Green to instill a greater, extra organized defensive construction, he additionally desires to let the offence thrive in new methods. While their transition assault has been a energy, Green says he desires his group to be taught to attain in several methods, akin to off the forecheck to create greasy objectives. This is a method for them to enhance on their Twentieth-ranked offence from final season.
But how are you going to refocus efforts on a tighter defensive construction with out stifling the offensive instincts his younger begins naturally have and wish to play with? After all, he doesn’t need his gamers to lose sight of why they play hockey.
“It’s tricky where you want to win, but you also want to develop, and it’s a win now league,” Green mentioned. “When it gets hard, or when you have the lead or when you need to win a game, what is your mindset and what do you fall back on? Well, you have to fall back on your structure, your details, your identity as a team. Work is part of it and compete.”
In the pre-season, the Senators have been in a position to scale back their opponents’ high-quality possibilities and do look extra put collectively in their very own finish than they’ve previously.
It’s a mindset.
“We’ve got to be comfortable with the 2-1 lead. And how do you play when you have a lead, or how do you play when you’ve lost three games in a row and you’re playing one of the better teams in the league. Are you confident? Are you down? Are you excited to play?”
The parameters have been set for a bunch that used to permit “bad bounces” to be blamed for losses by means of the season. Under Green, these Senators might be examined and challenged night time in, night time out, with one clear aim in thoughts.
The element, angle, construction, and training are in place to lastly make a playoff push. It’s on the gamers now.
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