Guy Boucher’s tactics may have led to his dismissal by the Senators

After a few rumours sending him all over the world, Guy Boucher has finally found a job in the NHL, as assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He has coached twice in his NHL career, with the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2010 to 2012, and in Ottawa with the Senators from 2016 to 2019.

In his first season with both clubs, he saw his team eliminated in the conference finals, while in his second full year, he didn’t make the playoffs.

In the third year of each reign, that’s when he was fired.

He used a very special tactic, that of rest, and this is what led to his dismissal.

Guy Boucher coached with a very unique strategy: rest is a weapon.

That would have explained why the Senators were so surprising in the playoffs, despite Andrew Hammond guarding goals as if he were Martin Brodeur in his prime.

He gave only the bare minimum of training, so the players were in top form to surprise their opponents.

It seemed to work well for the 2017 playoffs, but the following season, Boucher would take his slogan a little too far.

According to The Athletic, during the 2017-2018 season, Guy Boucher’s team took part in just 49 training sessions over the course of the season, or less than two per week.

It just doesn’t make sense. I’m willing to believe that rest is important and that you shouldn’t burn out your players, but less than 50 training sessions in 185 days is borderline absurd.

The results weren’t coming, and general manager Pierre Dorion was no longer able to hear about the famous ” rest is a weapon “.

“If I hear one more time that rest is a weapon, I’m going to go crazy. – Pierre Dorion

March 1, 2019 marked the end of his time at the helm of the Ottawa Senators.

I hope for his sake that he has learned from his mistakes and won’t impose rest on Sheldon Keefe’s troupe. It could cost him his job… again.

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