Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean talk to media following practice during an off day in first round NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. The Senators lead the series 3-1 against the Montreal Canadiens.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The Ottawa Senators have locked up the NHL's coach of the year.
The team signed head coach Paul MacLean to a three-year contract extension Thursday.
MacLean won the 2013 Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach after leading the injury-riddled Senators to a 25-17-6 record.
The team missed star forward Jason Spezza and Norris Trophy-winning defenceman Erik Karlsson for most of the season.
The Senators eliminated the favoured Montreal Canadiens in five games in the first round of the post-season before losing to Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
"I thought the commitment that we made to go three more years is really a confidence thing," MacLean said Thursday. "At the same time, I was prepared to just do my job, but this is what I wanted and we're really excited about it."
In two years with the Senators, MacLean has compiled a 66-48-16 record in 130 regular-season games.
Prior to joining Ottawa, MacLean spent six seasons as an assistant coach to Mike Babcock with the Detroit Red Wings.
Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Senators GM Bryan Murray said the two sides felt they were able to come to an agreement on what was fair.
MacLean says he's already looking forward to next season.
"We're going to work to get better again," said MacLean. "We're going to work every day to get better and if we do that we're going to like where we are at the end."