Former Toronto Maple Leafs Assistant Coach and Windsor native D.J. Smith has been named the new Head Coach of the Ottawa Senators.
The 42-year-old Smith has agreed to a three year deal with the team. For the past four years he's been on the bench beside Mike Babcock in Toronto, after leading the OHL's Oshawa Generals to a Memorial Cup Championship in 2015.
During his introduction Thursday, Smith thanked his former employers.
"I would like to thank the Windsor Spitfires who allowed me to be the assistant coach a long time ago when this journey started," says Smith. "The Oshawa Generals who trusted me to be the head coach. The Toronto Maple Leafs over the last four seasons who allowed me to be in the NHL and I look forward to meeting the players as soon as this process can start."
Smith says the Sens are going, “to play hard they're going to play fast and they're going to work on a nightly basis. I think anyone that's been around me knows that that's what I'm going to ask of them but I'm also going to give that from myself."
Coaching in the NHL after his playing career ended has been a goal for Smith.
"Unfortunately my career ended short with some concussion issues and I went right into coaching and from that moment, anyone that knows me, knows if I'm doing something, I'm doing it all in and it was goal from that moment on and here I am 15 years later,16 almost as a head coach of a NHL team," says Smith.