New Coaches in 2024-25: Travis Green, Ottawa Senators

Now the bench boss of another Canadian team, can Green lead the Senators back to the playoffs?

The Ottawa Senators are still trying to find the right mix of players and coaching staff to finally finish the rebuild and become a perennial playoff contender. They essentially cleaned house this season, and now have a new owner (Michael Andlauer), a new president/general manager (Steve Staios), and most recently, a new head coach (Travis Green). Green took over from interim coach Jacques Martin after finishing the season as an interim coach himself in New Jersey after Lindy Ruff was fired.

Green’s Coaching Career Before Arriving in Canada’s Capital

After a 970-game career in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins, Green entered the coaching realm with the Portland Winterhawks as an assistant in 2009-10. He became their head coach in 2012-13 and promptly won a Western Hockey League (WHL) championship on the back of a 37-8-2 record after Mike Johnston was forced out due to a suspension by the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).

Head coach Travis Green of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his teams win on an OT goal by Christopher Tanev in the Western Conference Qualification Round, Aug. 07, 2020 (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

That’s all it took for the Vancouver Canucks to come calling in the offseason, as they hired Green to become the lead man for their new American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets. He spent four seasons as their head coach before taking over at the NHL level for Willie Desjardins following the conclusion of the 2016-17 season.