Senators Fire Head Coach Guy Boucher, Name Marc Crawford as Interim

Boucher spent three seasons in Ottawa.

The Ottawa Senators fired coach Guy Boucher, the team announced on Friday.

According to general manager Pierre Dorion, Boucher was relieved of his duties and associate coach Marc Crawford has been named the team's interim head coach, effective immediately.

The news comes less than 24 hours after Dorion told the Ottawa Sun that a decision on Boucher's future would not be made until after the season.

Boucher spent three seasons behind the Senators' bench and tallied 94 wins in that stretch.

"I want to thank Guy for his three years of service," Dorion said in a statement. "He is a good person and has been an excellent representative of the Senators. At this point, however, we need a different set of coaching and leadership skills to guide our team through this rebuild. In the interim, Marc will bring a different perspective along with a wealth of head coaching experience."

The Senators will be conducting a search for a new head coach at the season's end and will be looking for one who is "a teacher," "a listener," "a communicator" and "a tactician."

Ottawa currently sits in last place in the Atlantic Division with just 49 points and a -48 goal differential.