Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones has been diagnosed with the neurological condition ALS. “Bob and his family are taking the bold steps of publicizing his condition to raise awareness of ALS as he battles this disease,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion on Tuesday.
Jones will continue his coaching duties and “he has the full support of the organization to take any time away from the club during the season that he needs to focus on his health and family,” said Dorion.
“The thoughts and wishes of the entire National Hockey League family are with Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones and his family,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “We admire the courage to go public with his battle with ALS and we will support him and his family in this fight.”
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to loss of muscle control.
DJ Smith informed the squad regarding the coach’s illness two weeks ago. “The guys were very emotional, especially the young guys that were with him all the time, Timmy, Brady, Drake, Chabby, Norris. All those guys were with him from the start,” Smith explains. “There’s a different bond between assistant coaches and players than there is between head coaches and players. He has a bond with every single one of these guys. They’ve been working together for four years. When you hear news like this regarding someone like him, it’s worrying. “
Brady Tkachukthe Ottawa winger, says: “We often think that a loss or a bad game is the end of the world. But there are people in life who go through much tougher things. The fact that he’s here every step of the way wants to be and wants to work with the team to achieve our goals and dreams says a lot regarding who he is and how much he cares regarding this team and the players in the dressing room.”
Jones is not the first NHL protagonist to be affected by ALS. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Borje Salming died on November 24, 2022 at the age of 71 following a brief battle with ALS. He played 17 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, recording 787 points (150 goals, 637 assists) in 1,148 regular season games and 49 points (12 goals, 37 assists) in 81 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Chris Snow, assistant general manager of the Calgary Flames, has been battling ALS for three years. He and his family created the Weak Side Strong Challenge to raise money for ALS research and treatment. Snow, along with his family, presented the Norris Trophy, awarded to the best NHL defenseman, at the 2022 NHL Awards to raise awareness of the progressive neuromuscular disease.
Jones is in his fourth season as the Senators’ assistant coach following joining DJ Smith’s coaching staff on July 5, 2019. The 53-year-old also coached for more than 20 years in the American Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League. He worked with Smith under coach Bob Boughner as Windsor won back-to-back OHL championships and the Memorial Cup in 2009 and 2010.
As a player, Jones was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the 9th round (#179) of the 1989 NHL Draft. As a defenseman, he played for over six years with Adirondack of the AHL, San Diego and Fort Wayne of the International Hockey League, and Muskegon and Saginaw of the Colonial Hockey League.
