Marc Crawford wasn’t prepared to talk about his future on the weekend.
He wanted a little time to reflect on a difficult season.
Installed as the interim head coach after Guy Boucher was sent packing March 1, the 58-year-old Crawford finished with a 7-10-1 record in 18 games as the Senators closed out the 2018-19 campaign in last place with a 6-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.
“That’s probably a question you can ask a little bit later,” Crawford said Saturday when asked if he had accomplished enough to have the interim tag removed. “Right now I’m in the perspective of what’s happening here.”
But just before he left the podium, the long-time NHL coach, who has 556 career victories in 1,169 games, wanted to send a message to the Ottawa faithful.
“I’d like to thank our fans for sticking with us through a very difficult season,” Crawford said. “And, hopefully, they see some hope as well.”
The only hope Crawford can have is that he’s part of the future. The contracts of the club’s whole coaching staff expire July 1 and, with the decision to fire Boucher, there are zero guarantees any of them will be back.
It would be surprising if goalie coach Pierre Groulx doesn’t return, but the rest is anybody’s guess.
General manager Pierre Dorion is set to begin his search for a coach immediately and there’s no question that Crawford has put himself on the map to be one of the top candidates. But he won’t be alone because the Senators may want a fresh face and a new voice to lead them down the road.
But, make no mistake, Crawford made his mark with this group and an argument can be made that the club played better hockey in the last five weeks of the season.
“When Crow took over, sometimes a new face and new voices is what you need to hit the reset button,” said forward Zack Smith. “I think he did a great job coming in and I thought in the last month we did a lot of good things and we won some more games.
“At the same time, we had a lot of young guys that were playing big minutes and learning the ins and outs of playing in the league.”
The good news for Crawford is he’ll be available to speak to the media when the players gather for locker clean-out day Monday at the rink. In April 2016, only 24 hours after Dorion took over the GM’s duties, Dave Cameron and his staff were told to stay away and were fired the next day. Boucher was hired the next month after an extensive search.
Since Crawford was on Boucher’s staff and there was so little time left in the season, he couldn’t exactly wipe the slate clean when he took over, but the staff did give the players more freedom to try things offensively. The players feel that Crawford made as much of an impact as he could in a short period of time.
“It’s been good. I think you’ve seen us buy in a little more on the ice,” said alternate captain Mark Borowiecki. “Most fans and media types can look at us objective and say, ‘Yeah, they’re playing better hockey, they’ve bought in and they’re playing harder for sure and not as many nights of mailing it in or having passengers.’
“For the most part, we’ve been playing a lot harder. Crow’s message of individual accountability is something we needed around here. The past few years around here I think it’s slipped a little bit. You’ve got to be able to look yourself in the mirror after not just games, but practices, too, and say, ‘Hey, did I try to get better today? Did I hold myself accountable today?’ When you get 20 guys pulling on that rope, that’s what creates culture and identity, and that’s the path we’re on.”
A LIST OF CANDIDATES
Of course, Crawford won’t be the only candidate for the job.
Dorion will do an extensive search just like he did when he hired Boucher, but don’t expect the organization to interview 10 candidates. Belleville coach Troy Mann will be a candidate, but if he wants serious consideration he must get the club’s American Hockey League affiliate to the playoffs in the final week of the season.
The clublikely will also study Pittsburgh assistant coach Jacques Martin, who spent eight years behind the Ottawa bench from 1996 to 2004, as an option.
Toronto Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe just signed an extension with the Leafs’ organization, however, he can leave for an NHL job. A coach who will come highly recommended is Nate Leaman. He’s at Providence College in the NCAA, and the 46-year-old bench boss might be the right fit to work with young players, but it’s not known if he’s even on the radar screen.
THE LAST WORDS
The players were disappointed goalie Craig Anderson finished his season by getting pulled after allowing three goals on seven shots Saturday. They noted he didn’t get any help from his teammates whatsoever.
“I don’t think it’s anything about him,” said centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau. “(Crawford) was just trying to get the team going. Andy has been there for us for so many years and he’s been there for us all year long making the big saves and giving us the chance to win. I don’t think it was all about him.”
Twitter: @sungarrioch
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