A familiar face to the Pittsburgh Penguins will be behind the home bench Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

Jacques Martin.

An assistant coach with the Penguins who helped the franchise win Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017, Martin is the interim head coach of the Ottawa Senators, having filled that role since Monday after previous coach D.J. Smith was fired.

This isn’t exactly a new role for the 71-year-old Martin, who was the Senators’ head coach for parts of 10 seasons in the 1990s and 2000s and is that franchise’s career leader in almost all coaching statistics.

Beyond the Senators, Martin has been everything from a senior advisor to assistant coach to head coach to general manager with the St. Louis Blues, Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and Penguins in a career dating to 1986.

His greatest success came with the Penguins. Initially hired as an assistant coach by general manager Ray Shero in 2013, Martin briefly served as an adviser when Jim Rutherford took over as general manager in 2014. By 2015, he was returned to an assistant coaching role under new coach Mike Sullivan.

In that role, he steered the Penguins’ defensemen as well as their penalty killers, many of whom called themselves the “Jacques Squad” out of respect for Martin.

He spent seven seasons with the Penguins before being fired in 2020.

Admiration for Martin remains in place with those who worked with him.

“Jacques is one the smartest guys that I’ve been around,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “There isn’t a hat he hasn’t worn in hockey operations during his time in the NHL. He was invaluable to our coaching staff in helping us win (Stanley Cup championships). He was invaluable to me as the head coach. Just a great voice of reason, a real astute hockey guy. What really impressed me about Jacques was his work ethic and his attention to the detail with the duties that we had assigned to him. He prides himself in preparation. It comes through the players loud and clear.

“I can’t say enough about him as a person and as a hockey coach. He’s just top-notch. He’s a real intelligent guy. There hasn’t been too many experiences — both good and bad — that he hasn’t been through during his time. He brings a wealth of that experience to the table. I just can’t say enough about him. I think so highly of him as a coach but more so as a person.”

Shea away

AP In 22 NHL games this season, Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea had no points while averaging 12 minutes, 27 seconds of ice time.  

After clearing waivers Monday, defenseman Ryan Shea was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. By Thursday, he made his season debut at the AHL level in a 5-1 road win against the Belleville Senators.

Opening the contest on the left side of the top pairing with Ty Smith, Shea recorded one shot and had two penalty minutes.

The motivation to send the first-year NHLer to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was partly rooted in the daily maintenance of the team’s salary cap figures. At the same time, management wanted to get Shea some playing time. Before being waived, he had been a healthy scratch for four consecutive games.

“It’s a little bit of both,” Sullivan said. “(President of hockey operations Kyle Dubas) wanted flexibility with our roster. That was part of it. But also just to get him in some games we think is important for his continued growth and development. That’s why the decision was made to send him, to get him into a couple of games.”

Mr. Smith goes to Davos

KDP Studio In 26 games this season, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Ty Smith has 21 points (four goals, 17 assists).  

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Ty Smith was named to Canada’s roster for the upcoming Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.

The tournament, which will be staged between Dec. 26 and 31, is a unique event that features professional European teams and a squad from Canada mostly composed of former NHLers. In fact, ex-Penguins forwards Derek Grant, Josh Jooris and Colton Sceviour are on Canada’s roster. Players with active NHL contracts, such as Smith, do not typically participate.

Smith’s stock largely has dropped with Penguins management over the past handful of months. A first-round pick (No. 17 of the New Jersey Devils in the 2018 NHL Draft), Smith was acquired by the Penguins via trade in July of 2022. After appearing in nine games and scoring four points (one goal, three assists) last season, Smith re-signed with the Penguins this past offseason, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $775,000.

Expected to compete for a roster spot entering the preseason, Smith was waived Sept. 28. Going unclaimed, he was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton one day later and has remained at the AHL level since.

Entering Friday, Smith is the AHL Penguins’ second-leading scorer this season with 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in 26 games.

More skating

AP Penguins forward Bryan Rust has missed the past six games because of an undisclosed injury.  

Injured forwards Matt Nieto and Bryan Rust as well as free agent forward Jesse Puljujarvi, currently with the team on a tryout basis, skated prior to the team’s practice session Friday in Cranberry.

Nieto is designated to regular injured reserve, and Rust is designated to long-term injured reserve and is not eligible to rejoin the active roster until Jan. 2.

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