Senators fire Jacques Martin

CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Jacques Martin's nine-year tenure as head coach of the Ottawa Senators is over.

The Senators fired their long-time bench boss Thursday, three days after the Sens made a first-round playoff exit, losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games.

It marked the fourth time in five seasons the Sens have been eliminated by their Ontario rivals.

"We're announcing today we're replacing Jacques Martin as head coach of the team," Senators general manager John Muckler told a news conference at the Corel Centre in Ottawa.

Assistant coach Don Jackson and goaltending coach Phil Myre were also fired. Perry Pearn, another assistant, was not let go. He is still under contract, but Muckler said he will not be a candidate for the head coaching job.

"In order to take the next step, towards winning a Stanley Cup, we must select a new face, a new voice with a fresh approach and with new ideas," Muckler said.

The Ottawa GM said he would begin the search for a replacement immediately, but that the Sens were in rush to name Martin's successor.

Muckler said he wants to find the best candidate and one who will "fix" the culture in the Sens dressing room and find and develop more leadership.

Martin was the NHL's coach of the year in 1998-99 and was a finalist for the award three other times.

He was given a two-year contract extension in January with a club option for a third in case of a lockout next season.

Though Martin helped Ottawa become one of the NHL's top teams, the Sens managed to win just four of 12 playoff series during his tenure.

The Sens won the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top team in the regular season in 2002-03 and reached the conference final for the first time in team history where they lost to eventual Stanley Cup winners New Jersey in seven games.

After the success of last season, expectations for the Senators were high this year. The team had new ownership under businessman Eugene Melnyk. Team captain Daniel Alfredsson even guaranteed the team would win the Stanley Cup.

But things soured in this year's playoffs.