Happy homecoming for new Senators goaltending coach

Pierre Groulx replaces Rick Wamsley

Craig Anderson will have a familiar face to work with next season.

And Pierre Groulx couldn’t be happier to be home.

The Senators confirmed Friday morning they’ve hired Groulx, a 40-year-old Ottawa native, who previously worked with Anderson from 2005 to 2009 in the Florida Panthers organization when he established himself as a No. 1 netminder, to replace Rick Wamsley as the goalie coach on Guy Boucher’s staff next season.

“It’s great. It’s my hometown and getting back with the Ottawa organization (and) it’s a real treat working with Anderson again and Andrew Hammond is going to be fun to work with,” Groulx, who started his NHL career as a video coach on Jacques Martin’s staff in 2000, said on a conference call from Detroit.

“Craig, I know from the past. We’ve talked already (Thursday) and we’re looking forward to getting back to work. Getting back to Ottawa and (helping this team get) back to the playoffs is pretty special.”

Currently working with the goalies at Pavel Datsyuk’s hockey camp in the Motor City, Groulx won’t get a chance to sit down with Senators backup goaltender Andrew Hammond, who lives in a suburb of Detroit, on this trip but the two plan to get together later this summer.

Groulx spent 2015-16 working with the AHL’s Portland Pirates and the goalie prospects in the Florida organization and knows Boucher from the past. They worked together in 2009-10 when Groulx was with the Montreal Canadiens and Boucher was the head coach of the club’s AHL affiliate in Hamilton.

The role of the goalie coach is different from any other staff member because he has a small audience with only two netminders on the roster at most times. Groulx will also have to make visits to the club’s AHL affiliate in Binghamton to work with prospects Matt O’Connor and Chris Driedger.

“It’s funny, the goalie coach is many things: He’s a coach, a mentor, a friend, somebody to talk too, he’s a psychologist ... he’s many things,” said Groulx. “A lot of times the goalie just needs to talk, not just after games, but you need to talk and make the goalie comfortable so that when he plays the game he’s in a positive atmosphere and he’s going at the game in the best possible manner.

When he first started working with Anderson, he was still trying to establish himself in the NHL after coming over in trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. But listen to Groulx talk about the club’s No. 1 and he knows what makes him tick.

“When I was in Florida and we acquired (Anderson), his game was coming along. He and Michael Leighton were two young prospects for Chicago. We traded for him but we got Tomas Vokoun and Craig was the backup,” Groulx said. “Craig is a reaction-style goalie ... His hands need to be free, his eyes need to be free and he’s a guy that makes the shooters guess a lot what he’s going to do.

“His read of the game is probably among the best I’ve seen as far as reading what the shooters are going to do. His game has evolved: He’s mature (and) he’s taken the game to a simpler state. Less movement and more reaction. He’s grown up and that shows in his game.”

Boucher is happy to have Groulx come aboard.

As long as the goalies do their job, everybody will be happy.