Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Former Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones has passed away after battling ALS, the team announced Friday.
Jones, who was 54, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (formerly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) in December 2022. He was in his fourth season on the Senators’ staff at the time.
“The entire Senators’ organization is thinking of Bob’s loved ones and sending our sincere condolences to his family,” Senators owner Michael Andlauer said in a news release. “For both our current players and for the members of our staff who had the privilege of working with Bob, his loss brings considerable sorrow.
“Bob will be fondly remembered for having a true joy for life and for his determined commitment to routinely help better individual players and all hockey organizations for which he worked.”
We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Assistant Coach Bob Jones after his battle with ALS.
Our condolences to his wife Paige, children Blake and Brianna as well as all those he influenced across his nearly 30 year coaching career.
Nous sommes tristes d’apprendre le… pic.twitter.com/ZQyDMgSXHD
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) July 26, 2024
ALS affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, which control breathing and voluntary muscle movement. The disease is progressive, which worsens symptoms over time and leads to increased loss of muscle control. Calgary Flames assistant GM Chris Snow and Hockey Hall of Famer Borje Salming have also passed away following battles with ALS in the past two years.
Despite all this, Jones continued to work with the Senators through the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign and into 2023-24. He also made his diagnosis public in January 2023 and became a vocal advocate for ALS research awareness.
At the time of his diagnosis, the Jones family encouraged those considering contributions to donate to the ALS Society of Canada and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
In August 2023, coaches and players who play or played for the Senators and OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, whom Jones won the Memorial Cup with in 2008-09 and 2009-10, held an ALS fundraiser game to honor him. Players and coaches at the “All in 4 ALS: Jonesy’s Game” in Windsor included Adam Henrique, D.J. Smith, Pete DeBoer, Will Cuylle, Brady Tkachuk, Taylor Hall and more. All proceeds from the event benefitted the ALS clinic at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.
Jones, who was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., coached in the OHL from 1995 to 2018 for the Soo Greyhounds, Brampton Battalion, Toronto St. Michael’s Majors, Sudbury Wolves, Spitfires and Oshawa Generals. He was then an assistant coach for the AHL’s Texas Stars in 2018-19 before joining D.J. Smith’s staff in Ottawa between 2019-20 and 2023-24. Jones was also a head coach of Ontario’s U-17 team at the World Hockey Challenge in 2003-04.
Before his coaching career, Jones played five seasons for his hometown Greyhounds from 1985 to 1990 before playing in the former IHL, AHL, former Central Ontario Hockey League and in the United Kingdom.
Jones is survived by his wife, Paige, and children, Blake and Brianna.
News Summary:
- Former Ottawa Senators Assistant Coach Bob Jones Dies After Battle with ALS
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