Ottawa Senators fire goaltending coach, name Zac Bierk replacement

Apr 6, 2021, 15:00 EDT

Ottawa Senators fire goaltending coach, name Zac Bierk replacement

Credit: Marc DesRosiers

Feb 23, 2021; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators goalie Matt Murray (30) follows the puck after making a save in the first period against the Montreal Canadiens at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

The Ottawa Senators made a coaching change Tuesday morning firing goaltending coach Pierre Groulx and naming Zac Bierk as his replacement.

Groulx takes the fall for the struggles the Sens have faced in net this year with Matt Murray posting a meagre .880 save percentage.

“Unfortunately, a number of our goaltending performances this season have been underwhelming,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a statment. “I think very highly of Pierre Groulx, he’s as dedicated and tireless a worker as anyone in the organization, but we recently reached a point where we thought a fresh outlook could help return some stability to our crease.”

Groulx joined the organization in 2016 as the club’s goaltending coach and will now work with the organization in a scouting and development role. Bierk, meanwhile, has been with the Arizona Coyotes since 2018 working as a goaltending development coach.

Bierk worked with Senators bench boss D.J. Smith while the two were with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.