SUN EXCLUSIVE: Senators bringing back Pierre McGuire and his 30 years of NHL knowledge to assist the front office
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Author of the article:
Bruce Garrioch 
Pierre McGuire, who served as an assistant coach with the Senators, among other NHL jobs before embarking on a broadcasting career, is back in Ottawa as the organization’s new Vice-President of Player Development. “I’m super-pumped,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bruce Garrioch yesterday. Photo by SUPPLIED /POSTMEDIA Article content
Pierre McGuire’s NHL career has come full circle.
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The Ottawa Senators are adding a new face to their front office and it’s expected that the 59-year-old McGuire will be named the club’s Senior Vice-President of Player Development on Monday.
McGuire, who previously worked for the Senators as an assistant coach during the 1995-96 campaign, met with owner Eugene Melnyk several times last three weeks and is being brought on board to assist general manager Pierre Dorion, along with the club’s hockey operations department.
Speaking to Postmedia in an exclusive interview on Sunday from his home in Mont Tremblant, Que., McGuire said he couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining the Senators by agreeing to what’s believed to be a three-year deal. Melnyk and McGuire first spoke on June 20 and have had several discussions since then.
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“I’m super-pumped. We’re going to have some fun,” said McGuire. “I see my role as being there to help (Dorion), helping the hockey operations department, player development and being somebody who can help the organization. It’s important to have lots of information when you make decisions and I’d like to think I’d be very good at gathering information.
“The biggest thing is just bring my experience and knowledge of the league. I’ve been in the league for over 30 years. Over the last 23 years, I’ve had pretty much unfettered access to the league in terms of players and management decisions. That’s something that’s pretty helpful. I felt my conversations with Eugene and Pierre have been very fruitful and I’ve enjoyed them very much.”
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FILE: Erik Karlsson talks with commentator Pierre McGuire prior to Game Four of the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre on May 19, 2017 in Ottawa, Canada. Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photo /Getty Images
McGuire is being brought in to support Dorion, because through the course of McGuire’s career at NBC he’s seen a lot of hockey and has an encyclopedic knowledge of players. Dorion and McGuire have spoken by phone several times in the last few weeks and met face-to-face on Saturday in Tremblant to discuss the role and the plan going forward.
“(Dorion’s) vision for the team is really strong and I hope I can be that sounding board and that’s the plan. He’s got other people internally that he can bounce things off of as well,” McGuire said. “The amateur scouting department, led by Trent Mann, is phenomenal, their development program in Belleville led by Troy Mann has been great. There’s lots of people internally.
“I’d like to think I can play a part in that.”
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Article content GARRIOCH: Melnyk calls McGuire a key piece of Sens’ Stanley Cup drive
A well-respected evaluator of talent, McGuire’s last job in the NHL was with the Senators. He has been with NBC since 2006, but started his broadcasting career in radio in 1997 as a colour analyst on TSN radio’s Montreal Canadiens broadcasts for five seasons. He then worked for TSN as a colour analyst on television for four years.
NBC network wrapped up its NHL coverage with Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final Wednesday in Tampa. McGuire has been seeking the right fit in a hockey operations department. Making daily morning radio appearances on TSN 1200, McGuire has praised the work done by Dorion and believes the organization has the pieces in place to be a contender down the road.
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I’ve been really bullish on two teams in the league: One is the New York Rangers and the other is Ottawa. Just because they’ve had a vision for how they want to build their team,” said McGuire. “With Ottawa, they’re building the team the right away. They’ve got star players, a power forward (Brady) Tkachuk, a tremendous defenceman in (Thomas) Chabot. They’ve made some amazing acquisitions, Connor Brown is a tremendous player and Josh Norris has been tremendous.
“You look at Nikita Zaitsev and what he’s done. Artem Zub was a fantastic signing and Austin Watson’s character has been tremendous. From outside, they’ve brought in good people and on the inside they’ve done some really good things drafting and developing when you look at guys like (Drake) Batherson and (Alex) Formenton. Last summer, they stole the draft with (Tim) Stuetzle, Jake Sanderson and Tyler Kleven. They had an amazing draft.”
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This isn’t the first time during his career a team has tried to bring him out of the broadcast booth. McGuire has had several opportunities to work in the league, but it never seemed to be the right time or fit. McGuire and his wife Melanie will sell their home in New Canaan, Conn., and move to Ottawa full-time.
The couple’s two children, Justine and Ryan, are both away at school.
The Senators have a big off-season ahead of them with NHL expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken set for July 21. Dorion and the rest of the hockey department have been busy finalizing their protected list that has to be into the league by Saturday.
Then, there’s the NHL draft set for July 23-24 and then it’s on to free agency July 28 at noon. McGuire said, based on their meeting Saturday, Dorion is well-prepared for the expansion draft.
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The Senators have stated they’d like to acquire a centre who can play on the top two lines and a defenceman for the top four. Those could come either through a trade or free agency so the expectation is McGuire will play a role with Dorion in those acquisitions.
“Before I even got to Ottawa, and I’ve had a chance to go over it with (Dorion), but the plan is really solid and concrete,” said McGuire. “I respect the vision that they have. There are organizational needs that they have, and there are few perfect teams in the league. One thing you try do, and I believe (Dorion) has been doing this, is you try to get players that your coach is comfortable with and players that will help the coach win.
“That’s the process everyone is going through, right now.”
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He likes the work coach D.J. Smith and the staff have done in their two years behind the bench.
“That group didn’t quit after a tough start last year and that was phenomenal,” he said. “Their improvement in defensive zone coverage has been amazing. That’s coaching and he deserves a lot of credit along with Davis Payne and Jack Capuano.
“They’ve done some really good things as a staff. I’ve been a head coach, assistant, I’ve coached with the winningest coach in the NHL (Scotty Bowman) so I’m aware of the pressures and I’ve walked in their shoes.
“I know what they go through on a day-to-day basis and that’s where I think I can help as well — both at the NHL and AHL level as well. You can see things are starting to come through here.”
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FILE: D.J. Smithskates the Ottawa Senators during practice. Photo by Julie Oliver /Postmedia
McGuire said the Senators have good depth in net and that’s the key to anything. He’s confident goaltender Matt Murray can bounce back from his difficult first season.
“He’s won two Stanley Cups. There’s other guys, Filip Gustavsson, Joey Daccord, (Mads) Sogaard (down the road). Ottawa has positioned so well. They’ve done a great job with depth in goal,” said McGuire. “It reminds me of when Lou Lamoriello was in New Jersey and they had Martin Brodeur, Chris Terreri, Mike Dunham, Craig Billington and Kirk MacLean. It was unbelievable.
“Ottawa’s depth in goal reminds me as being very much the same.”
McGuire said he’s here to help any way he can. The Senators want to compete for a Stanley Cup and they’d like to push for a playoff spot next season.
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“I told Eugene that Pierre Dorion has done a phenomenal job. I have no interest in his job and my job is to help the organization with anything they want,” said McGuire. “I wanted to get back in. This was the perfect time in my career to get back in. I’ve had other opportunities over the course of my career. This was something that really appealed to me. I’m really grateful for that.
“I’m coming here to help this team get to the next level.”
McGuire will do his final radio hit with Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal on Monday and the next time he’s on the airwaves it will be in his role with the Senators. He likes Melnyk and appreciates his honesty.
“I like how tough and no-nonsense he is,” McGuire said. “He wants to win and he holds people accountable. There’s no messing around and you know exactly where you stand. That’s an important part for a team. He’s treated me honourably. He’s spoken to me very pointedly and honestly. We’ve had nothing but positive energy. From my standpoint, and every discussion we’ve had, it’s all about winning.
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“I’ve been through different interviews for GM’s jobs over the years and this was one I really enjoyed.”
THE MCGUIRE FILE
WHAT: The Senators will name NBC’s Pierre McGuire as the senior VP of player development Monday.
PERSONAL Will turn 60 on Aug. 8. Was born in New Jersey, but grew up in Montreal.
EXPERIENCE: Was a defenceman at Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y. Started his coaching career there and played briefly overseas. Also attended the New Jersey Devils training camp …
Was an assistant at St. Lawrence University … In 1980, he joined the Pittsburgh Penguins as a special assignment scout under Scotty Bowman. Was named an assistant when Bowman took over as head coach in 1991and won a Stanley Cup in 1902 …
Was hired as an assistant in Hartford in 1992 and was named the head coach in 1993 before being let go at the end of the season …
He was hired as a scout by the Senators later that year and was named an assistant coach in November, 1995.
He started his broadcasting career in 1996.
bgarrioch@postmedia.com
Twitter: @sungarrioch
FILE: Pierre McGuire of CJAD in Montreal calls a Sens vs. Montreal game at the Corel Centre Oct. 1, 2000. Photo by Gord Carter /POSTMEDIA Share this article in your social network Advertisement
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