Crawford’s Swiss life included NHL culture
The truth, Marc Crawford concedes, is that he and Guy Boucher have been coaching in Switzerland the past few years, outside the National Hockey League environment.
“But you follow it so closely when you’re not in it,” Crawford said Tuesday, less than 24 hours after Boucher had been formally introduced as Ottawa Senators head coach and Crawford had been announced as associate coach.
“Guy probably watched hundreds of (NHL) games this year, and at the end of the year this year, I made a point of touring the National Hockey League. I went to all seven Canadian cities and I watched about 11 or 12 games live, really trying to get a feel for what’s happening in plain view. I think it’s going to come back to us very, very quickly.”
Crawford spent late Tuesday morning and afternoon playing in a fundraising golf tournament, but he said his first “hockey meeting” as a Senators employee was scheduled for that evening.
A 55-year-old veteran with a record of 541 victories, 421 defeats, 100 ties and 77 extra-time losses in 1,151 regular-season games with the Quebec Nordiques, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars, Crawford had been working in Switzerland since 2012.
Boucher, 44, arrived there in 2014, several months after he was dismissed by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Even then, according to Crawford, they talked about working together back in the NHL if the opportunity arose, and they did so again when recently promoted Senators general manager Pierre Dorion called them both — on the same day — to disclose they were candidates for the job of replacing Dave Cameron as head coach.
“You’re always better, I think, your second time around. You take those lessons you’ve learned and you move forward,” Crawford said. “I know that I’m going to be able to give (Boucher) strong information and I’m going to be fiercely loyal to him and I’m going to do everything I can to assist him to become the best coach that he can possibly be.
“I’m a hockey guy and I just love the idea that I’m working in the National Hockey League again (with) a great franchise. There are a lot of reasons I took this position.”
Crawford also said he wasn’t concerned about dealing with the pressure associated with being in a hockey-mad Canadian NHL market.
“I like the fact that, when you talk to people, they’re so educated about the game,” he said. “You don’t have to explain anything. You can actually have a great conversation with people about tactics and personnel.”
His predecessors in Ottawa — and Boucher’s, too — can assure Crawford of that.