Senators’ “Eye in the Sky” Bob Jones: Mentor, Confidant, Friend

Tuesday morning, Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion announced in a team release, “A devoted member of our family, Bob Jones, has been diagnosed with ALS. Bob and his family’s wishes are to take the courageous step of making his condition public in an effort to drive ALS awareness as he fights this disease.”

“We have been working internally with Bob and his family as he takes on this challenge; while Bob will continue with his coaching duties, he has the full support of the organization to take any time he needs away from the club during the season to concentrate on his health and his family.”

When the email landed in my inbox, like others I was shocked and saddened by this news. Then I thought, during Jones’ four seasons as the club’s “eye in the sky,” I knew very little about the man who I passed most evenings in the press box hallway or spent a few seconds with on the postgame elevator ride down to the dressing room.

As a media member, other than polite chat, it’s rare that one converses with an assistant coach. So when Senators’ players and head coach D.J. Smith spoke about Bob Jones Tuesday, we learned a lot about the person who’s a confidant and mentor to the players, and a life-long friend to Smith.

Jones served 23 years as a coach in the Ontario Hockey League, including four as a head coach. Jones and Smith were paired as assistants on a strong Windsor Spitfire team that won Memorial Cups in back-to-back campaigns,  2009 and 2010.

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Jones also replaced Smith as head coach of the Oshawa Generals in 2015-16 when he left to join the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant to Mike Babcock.

Smith said of his friend and colleague post-practice, “It’s tough. I coached with him for a few years in Windsor. I’ve known him for a long time. Players love him…He’s just a guy that’s cared about players for decades. I was talking to him today about some of the players today he coached that are in the NHL, Brent Burns, (Marc) Staal, Joe Thornton, and all the way back to the guys that were in Windsor, (Taylor) Hall, (Ryan) Ellis, (Adam) Henrique, (Cam) Fowler – all those guys. And every guy when they come across him really likes him. He’s a funny guy, but really does care about the players.”

“Horrible news and he wants to be around, I think for his mental health, being around, joking with the guys. And just keeping his spirits up, rather than go home and deal with it there. He has the freedom to come and go. At this point, he’s at the rink. He’s dealing with it as best he can.”

Smith commented on the importance of Jones to the team and its players, “He’s the “eye in the sky” during games. He has been on the bench. He’s also subbed in for Jack (Capuano). He’s run the D for years in the OHL. But most importantly, he’s there mentally for the players. I don’t know how many times he’s come to me when a guy’s been scratched and says, “This guy’s ready.” He cares for them as people. The part that everyone misses when their done playing is the camaraderie, the joking around, those kind of things. And he’s able to do that with players in a non-stressful way that allows the guy to think outside the box and feel better, be able to get back to playing quicker.”

“People say that he’d tell me, he didn’t tell me (things). He has a bond with the players. What I don’t need to know. I don’t need to know. And I think with today’s player. it’s invaluable that you have someone that the players feel they can talk to about any situation rather than waiting 20 games and it affecting them mentally, health-wise, depression, anxiety, all those things. A guy like “Jonesie” was years ahead of his time when it comes to dealing with players.”

Senators’ forward Austin Watson played under Jones for two seasons with Spitfires and has known the Tecumseh, ON resident since he was 16 years old.

“It hits you pretty hard…I’ve known “Jonesie” for a long time. I met him when I was a kid, still maturing, trying to find who I was an adult, as a potential pro hockey player. “Jonesie” is always there for the players. No questions are out, thick and thin. He’s a guy, even in my time here, he’s a guy I go to when my game is not going good, when mentally you get in a rut. He has such a great outlook on life and the game. To have him have to bear something like that it hurts. You feel pretty shitty. For us as a group here, all we can do is be supportive, and try to bring a good attitude… At the same it makes you really appreciate what you are doing in life on a daily basis. You go through some tough stretches, especially in this industry, the doom and gloom. It’s so catastrophic when you lose two games in a row, but here’s “Jonesie” coming to work with what’s really a shitty situation – makes you think and hopefully perspective changes, everything in the way you look at it.”

“He’s charismatic. He’s humourous. He’s able to relate on whatever level. The people that are being supportive, that can lift other people up, can just relate. And “Jonesie” has been able to do that for as long as I have known him,” added Watson.

Per the Senators’ media release, Jones wanted to share his recent diagnosis publicly to raise awareness for ALS research and his family, wife, Paige and daughters, Blake and Brianna have asked: “that those considering contributions consider both the ALS Society of Canada and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.”

The Full Press Hockey family sends encouragement and positive thoughts to Bob Jones and his family in his brave fight ahead.