Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green addressed the media after losing the series to the Maple Leafs in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal playoff series.
On his reaction to the series loss:
Much like our players, I am disappointed. That is the best way to say it.
I thought our guys played much like the whole series. It was another good game. It could’ve gone either way. It came down to a couple of plays here and there.
On what his team will learn from this experience:
They are going to take away a lot about what playoff hockey is like, how hard it is, and how razor-thin the margin is. Every shift and every battle matters, and the attention to detail.
I am proud of our group. Man, they played hard. That was about as close of a series as you are going to see, to be honest. Most people would agree that the series probably could’ve gone either way.
On the team making a valiant effort at a comeback from 3-0 down in the series:
Proud of our team. When you haven’t won or played in the playoffs, you kind of have to fast-track when you get there. They held their head above water. They didn’t get too down, much like the regular season when things weren’t going their way. They just stuck with it.
On the message to his team after the loss:
You are not usually prepared for what you are going to say after a loss in that manner. We battle back, and they get a late goal.
I was honest with them, as I have been all year. I told him I was very proud of them for the year they had. They have all come a long way.
In saying that, it is just one step. As coaches and as an organization, we are going to push them to be better and continue to take more than one step.
On his pride in how his team navigated the learning curve after starting the series in such a big hole:
It is not surprising. I have sat here many times this season and talked about how badly they want to win and also how coachable they are. They are very coachable; they want to learn and get better.
I thought it was evident as far as them learning and wanting to win in the playoffs.
On whether this experience will fuel the Senators for next season:
It will. It goes back to what I said. We have made a lot of strides from last year. But it is just part of the way. We are not here to just make the playoffs.
Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. Making the playoffs and losing the first round is not the ultimate goal. Again, that is up to our team, our players, and our coaches to keep pushing ourselves to be better.
It is not only on the players but on the staff. Where can we improve? Where can the players improve? That is what it takes to win. You have to keep improving.
On the atmosphere in the city during the series:
It was awesome. As disappointed as you are to lose for your players, you are disappointed for the fans, too. Just to see the building, in all three games, was great. You would like to have won the series for the city to see more playoff hockey.
On Brady Tkachuk’s series:
Excellent. He is a great player in the league. He wants to win badly. If you talk about a team that wants to win and get better, when your captain is at the top of the list of wanting to win and improve… It is not like he just wants to win. He wants to be a better player, too. He is very coachable that way.
When your captain has that approach, it makes it easier throughout your lineup.
On his standout memories from the Senators’ 2024-25 season as a whole:
It is fresh. I don’t know what I will remember about it, but they’ve taken a big step from the beginning of the year and from last season.
The coach in me says it is still one step. It is not easy to make the playoffs. It gets even harder after you do.
