Ottawa, ON – The Ottawa Senators have rewarded Jack Adams Award-winning head coach Paul MacLean with a three-year contract extension.
"In two years, Paul has made a significant impact on the entire franchise, both on and off the ice," said Senators general manager Bryan Murray. "We feel that under Paul's direction we have been able to develop into a team that is competitive each and every night and we are confident that he is the person we want behind the bench to lead us to our goal of being a championship level team."
MacLean guided an injury-wracked club to a 25-17-6 record and a berth in the postseason in 2013, knocking off the rival Montreal Canadiens before falling to Pittsburgh in the second round.
The Nova Scotia native and former power forward for the Blues, Jets and Red Wings took the reins in October of 2011, leading Ottawa to a 41-31-10 record and a gritty seven-game, first-round loss to the New York Rangers.
"Paul represents what we want to become as both a hockey club and as a franchise," said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. "He is a hard-working coach and an outstanding teacher and mentor of the game. Paul's ability to communicate openly and honestly with our players and prospects has been key to our on-ice success. He came to us with a history of winning and has instilled that same winning mindset with our players and our coaching staff. I am very pleased and proud to extend Paul's contract and look forward to his many future contributions to our team and to our city."
With his selection as the NHL's top coach, MacLean became the second Senators bench boss to be honored, after Jacques Martin back in 1999.
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