Paul MacLean enters his second season as Senators head coach in 2012-13 after being named to the position on June 14, 2011. In his first season with the club, MacLean led the Senators to a 41-31-6-4 (.561) record and a return to NHL post-season play, where the team was defeated in seven games by the No. 1 seed New York Rangers in their Eastern Conference quarter-final series. MacLean made his NHL head coaching debut on Oct. 7, 2011, in Detroit and won his first game as a head coach in the Senators' home opening-victory against Minnesota on Oct. 11. Through only one season behind the club's bench, MacLean currently ranks fourth among all-time Senators head coaches with 41 wins. On April 30, 2012, he was named a finalist for the NHL's Jack Adams Award, which is presented annually to the league's coach of the year.

Prior to arriving in Ottawa, MacLean spent the previous six seasons as an assistant coach to Mike Babcock with the Detroit Red Wings. During his tenure there, the Red Wings finished first in the Central Division five times and made two appearances in the Stanley Cup final, winning in six games over the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 and losing in seven games to Pittsburgh in 2009. During his six seasons with Detroit, the team posted a 304-126-62 record in 492 regular-season games (.681 winning percentage).

Before joining the Red Wings, MacLean spent two seasons with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, where he was hired by Bryan Murray, who was then Anaheim's general manager, ahead of the 2002-03 campaign. While with the Mighty Ducks, he coached alongside Babcock, who was Anaheim's head coach. In his first season in Anaheim, the club made its first Stanley Cup final appearance and posted a 69-62-19-14 record (.521) over his two-season tenure behind the club's bench. In his last nine seasons of coaching, MacLean has been part of teams that reached the Stanley Cup final on three occasions.

Ahead of his arrival in Anaheim, MacLean, who was born in Grostenquin, France, but grew up in Antigonish, N.S., served as head coach of the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League (UHL) from 2000-02. While with Quad City, he led the Mallards to a record of 112-27-9 (.787) over two seasons and the 2001 Colonial Cup championship.

MacLean was the head coach of the International Hockey League's (IHL) Kansas City Blades from 1997- 2000. He spent one season as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes (1996-97) and also served as head coach of the IHL's Peoria Rivermen from 1993-96. While with Peoria, MacLean was named the Hockey News minor league coach of the year in 1994 after leading his team to a 51-24-6 mark and a division title. He was also a scout with the St. Louis Blues for two seasons, from 1991-93.

MacLean spent 11 seasons in the National Hockey League as a forward with St. Louis, the Winnipeg Jets and Detroit from 1980-81 to 1990-91. He played in 719 NHL regular season games, scoring 324 goals and adding 349 assists for 673 points. He recorded eight seasons of scoring 30 or more goals. He also appeared in 53 playoff games, scoring 21 goals and 35 points. MacLean set career highs in goals (41) and points (101) during the 1984-85 season with Winnipeg and was named to the Campbell Conference all-star team. MacLean also represented Canada internationally at the 1980 Winter Olympics, held in Lake Placid, N.Y.

MacLean spends the off-season in Nova Scotia with his wife, Sharon. They have two sons, A.J. & David, and a daughter, Erin.