OTTAWA, Ontario – The Ottawa Senators announced on Thursday, May 23 that they had named D.J. Smith as their new permanent head coach. He replaces Cornwall local Marc Crawford, who had served as interim-head coach since March.
RELATED STORY: Cornwall’s Marc Crawford named interim head coach of Senators
Crawford had replaced Guy Boucher who was fired by the Senators on March 1.
Smith will become the 14th head coach in the franchise’s history. He has spent the past four seasons working as assistant head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs under Mike Babcock. Prior to that, Smith had been the head coach of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals for three seasons and lead them to a championship in 2015.
“D.J. Smith is a winner. We believe he is the best person to drive the development and success of the Ottawa Senators,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. “D.J. is a great communicator and an exceptional strategist. His passionate approach, coupled with his ability to teach the game, is exactly what we were looking for throughout the process. We’re thrilled to welcome D.J. and his family to Ottawa.”
Marc Crawford, 58, played three seasons with the Cornwall Royals during which time the team won back-to-back Memorial Cups. Crawford was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 1980.
He coached the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup victory in 1996.
Crawford currently resides in Cornwall with his wife.
