General Manager Jim Rutherford said today that the Pittsburgh Penguins are working on a contract extension for assistant coach Jacques Martin.
#penguins Jim Rutherford says he offered a contract extension to Jacques Martin. Confident it will get done. #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) June 21, 2016
Martin, 63, has enjoyed an extensive career coaching at the NHL level, beginning in 1986 when he took over as head coach for the St. Louis Blues. Prior to joining the Penguins, Martin’s last stint as head coach was in Montreal from 2009-2011. He led the Canadiens to a 96-75-25 regular season record and one Conference Finals appearance before being fired on December 17, 2011.
He has a total of 17 seasons under his belt as a head coach, 12 of which resulted in a postseason berth.
Martin joined the Penguins as an assistant coach to Dan Bylsma in 2013. When Bylsma was relieved of his duties, Martin was promoted to Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations. He then joined the coaching staff again this past season when Mike Sullivan took over, with the defensive group as his primary responsibility.
Martin was quoted recently saying that he hasn’t ruled out the idea of being a head coach in the NHL again at some point. However, it seems that at least for the moment, he’s content assuming his role as an assistant to Sullivan for the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins.
