Reaction to coach's hiring is mixed on social media

Before and after Tuesday's official announcement — Travis Green has been hired to be the Ottawa Senators' head coach — fans were lighting up social media with criticism.

The reaction was swift, with many fingers pointing at the Senators for more of the “same old, same old ... bad hire, bad hire.”

Why not Craig Berube or Todd Mclellan or Dean Evason or Claude Julien or any of the other candidates rumoured to be in contention for the job?

The naysayers have good reason to be skeptical of anything the Senators do.

For years, the team has been a train wreck, dragged down by mismanagement, incompetency and bad decision after bad decision.

So, the angst is understandable. There's good reason for fans to be underwhelmed by the choice of Green, 53, whose NHL playing career lasted from 1992-2007, with six teams. As an NHL head coach (most recently as the interim boss in New Jersey), his record is a less-than-stellar 133-147-34 (with just one season above .500 — the Vancouver Canucks finished 36-27-6 in a Covid-shortened 2019-20 season).

Why would the Senators pin their hopes on that sort of uncertainty?

Why would general manager Steve Staios hand over a fouryear contract to a guy without much of an NHL track record?

Is Green a good choice to coach the Senators? None of us know.

That's not something that can be judged in early May.

But, with all those who are whining about the choice, there are also those who suggest he's the perfect choice.

How about this from TSN hockey analyst Frankie Corrado, who played two seasons under Green in Vancouver.

“Out of all the coaches I had, and there were some of the biggest names on that list, Travis was the best one at getting to know what made players tick and how to get the most out of those guys,” Corrado said on TSN 1200 Tuesday morning.

“I look at the group in Ottawa, I see a lot of young players. I see some young guys that have maybe been given free passes because they're super skilled or some guys that maybe haven't reached their full potential because they haven't had anybody take that much of an interest in their game.”

Soak that in, then do yourself a favour, listen to Green's end-of-season media availability after the Devils were knocked out of playoff contention.

He says the things you want to hear. He wants to be able to communicate effectively. He wants his team to play “super aggressive.”

“I love teams that are hard to play against,” said Green. “When you watch championship teams, they don't just score goals.

“I want there to be a lot of purpose to an off-season. You need to be a very committed athlete to be a very committed team.”

All of it is a wake-up call to the guys who will wear a Senators uniform next season.

The Senators need somebody who will come in and hold players accountable, somebody who won't let them off the hook when the effort is less than optimal, somebody who can crack the whip, but also show empathy, somebody who can get the players to be effective with and without the puck.

He at least deserves a chance — before we grab our pitchforks and run him out of town.