Senators fire Guy Boucher, name Marc Crawford interim coach

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The NHL-worst Senators have fired coach Guy Boucher and named assistant Marc Crawford as the interim replacement.

General manager Pierre Dorion says Ottawa needs “a different set of coaching and leadership skills to guide our team through this rebuild.”

Boucher coached the Senators to within one victory of the Stanley Cup Final in 2017 in his first season behind the bench. He previously got the Tampa Bay Lightning to within one victory of the final in 2011.

The Senators missed the playoffs last year and this season are 22-37-5 and are in last place among the league’s 31 teams. Boucher is the seventh coach to be fired this season.

Crawford coached the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in 1996. The 58-year-old was an associate coach on Boucher’s staff. Dorion says the Senators will search for a new full-time coach after the season.