30 years after Sens coaching debut, Jacques Martin takes his place in Ring of Honour

Former Senators coach Jacques Martin was named to the Ring of Honour thirty years after he made his debut behind Ottawa’s bench. CTV’s Josh Marano reports.

Thirty years after coaching his very first game behind the Senators bench, Jacques Martin is being inducted into the team’s Ring of Honour, a fitting tribute to the man who helped shape the organization from its early years into a perennial contender.

The ceremony takes place ahead of Ottawa’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday Jan. 24, 2026, exactly thirty years to the day after Martin coached his first Senators game.

The milestone is being recognized not only by the team, but by the city as well.

“I never thought of receiving an hour like that,” Martin said. “I’m really emotional about it.”

Martin joined the Senators in 1996, tasked with guiding a young expansion team still searching for its identity.

Over the next eight full seasons, he turned Ottawa into one of the NHL’s most consistent clubs.

Martin remains the winningest head coach in franchise history. From 1996-2004 he posted 341 regular season wins. Martin departed following the 2003-04 season but returned in 2023-24 where he won another 26 games. In the regular season, Martin has record of 367-261-96-24 with the Sens.

He led the team to the playoffs in each of his full eight seasons. In 69 games, Martin went 31-38 in the playoffs.

Under Martin, the Senators won multiple division titles and captured the Presidents’ Trophy in 2002-03, finishing first overall in the NHL standings that season.

“It’s a real pleasure to be recognized today,” Martin says. “But it’s not really me being recognized – a lot of people played a big role in what we were able to achieve.”

A native of Rockland, Ontario, Martin is now joining the late Bryan Murray, defenceman Wade Redden, and longtime team doctor Don Chow in the Ring of Honour. His impact, however, extends well beyond the rink.

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe declared January 24, 2026, as Jacques Martin Day in the city.

“He’s from the Ottawa area, he went to school here, he coached here. He’s a member of our community,” Sutcliffe says. “To have the opportunity to honour Jacques today is really special.”

Martin continues to serve the Senators organization in a senior advisor role, and his influence is still felt by the current roster and coaching staff.“He was a big part of the culture we’ve had here for a long time,” says Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. “It’s a well-deserved honour.”

Head coach Travis Green echoing that sentiment, calling Martin one of the most respected figures in the game.

“Everyone in the hockey world knows him and knows what a great hockey man he is,” Green says. “He’s a great person as well – not just a great coach.”

In total Martin has spent 35 years coaching at the NHL level, including time as an associate coach for the 2002 and 2006 Canadian Olympic teams.

He won back-to-back Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh as an assistant coach in 2016 and 2017.

Despite his success across the league, he says Ottawa remains the team that meant the most to him.

“To come back and be a part of this organization again at the end of my career, and to see the potential in this team – I think we’re really close,” he says.

With his induction into the Ring of Honour, Martin’s legacy is now permanently cemented, not just in Senators history, but in the fabric of the city he helped put on the hockey map.