The Ottawa Senators have named Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Paul MacLean their next bench boss. MacLean has been in the NHL coaching ranks for nine years, spending almost all of that time under head coach Mike Babcock, whether in Detroit or Anaheim.
Paul MacLean To Be Named Ottawa Senators Head Coach
MacLean has never head coached an NHL club, but he did win a championship leading the Quad City Mallards to the United Hockey League’s Colonial Cup back in 2001. You have to imagine that MacLean has a lot of the same qualities as Babcock, seeing as he’s been serving under him for just about his entire NHL career.
If that’s the case, look for a responsible style that emphasizes a commitment to defence while also working toward a quick counter-attack through good transition play through the neutral zone.
If that’s to be his game plan for the Senators, the team’s got some good pieces in place. A counter-attack game relies heavily on two things: Defencemen who can pass the puck effectively out of the defensive zone, and a speedy group of forwards.
As a player, MacLean played 11 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Winnipeg Jets but also with the Wings and the St. Louis Blues. He had a rather impressive NHL career, scoring 673 points in 719 career games, and he put up three seasons where he scored 40 or more goals.
MacLean won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008 and became the first French-born player to do so. Despite being born in France, however, he holds Canadian citizenship, was raised in Canada and even played a year with the Canadian National Team in 1980.
For more on the hiring of MacLean, check in with Silver Seven.
See More:
