Paul MacLean, ex-Senators coach, quotes Taylor Swift after firing
Sens fired MacLean on Monday; he just entered first year of his three-year contract extension
Former Ottawa Senators head coach Paul MacLean, fired on Monday, says he has no regrets about his three-plus years with the team in an entertaining post-firing news conference.
MacLean spoke to the media at the Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday afternoon. He said the team did not win enough games, but he also said he had an open-door policy — downplaying any communication issues.
The news conference was entertaining as MacLean quoted Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off," which his daughter had relayed to him after his firing.
A woman, who later identified herself as Andrea Ingham, also barged into the news conference to scream her support for MacLean.
MacLean, 56, had just entered his fourth season behind the Senators' bench when he was fired on Monday. The team had earned a record of 11-11-5 so far this year, but general manager Bryan Murray decided the team needed to move in a different direction.
MacLean just began contract extension
The Antigonish, N.S., native won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach in 2013, his second season with the Senators, and took an injury-riddled team to the second round of the playoffs that year.
The team then rewarded him with a three-year contract extension through 2016-17, which only kicked in at the beginning of this season.
The first NHL head coach to be fired this season, MacLean finishes his Senators tenure with a regular-season record of 114-90-35.
Also on Monday, Murray announced assistant coach Dave Cameron would take over as head coach for the foreseeable future. Cameron held his first news conference after practice on Tuesday, which extended beyond the 20-minute mark.
The Sens' next game is on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Canadian Tire Centre where they will take on the L.A. Kings.
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