Former Oshawa and Windsor coach and Ottawa Senators assistant Bob Jones dies after battle with ALS

OTTAWA — Former Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones has died, the team announced Friday.

He was 54.

The team didn’t provide a cause of death, but the Sault Ste. Marie product revealed in January 2023 he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Jones was hired by the Senators in July 2019 as a member of former head coach D.J. Smith’s staff.

He joined the club following a long career at other levels, including an Ontario Hockey League tenure that spanned more than 20 seasons, including stints as a head coach with both the Oshawa Generals and Windsor Spitfires.

He won back to back Memorial Cup titles as an associate coach with the Spitfires.

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Jones is survived by his wife, Paige, and their children, Blake and Brianna.

ALS is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing a loss of muscle control. It’s often called Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the Hall of Fame baseball player who was diagnosed in 1939.

Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow died last September at age 42. He was diagnosed with the disease in January 2020.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2024.

The Canadian Press