Giroux: D.J. Smith 'not going anywhere, we want to play for him'

Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux is clearly frustrated with the speculation about D.J. Smith's job security and some fans' desire to see the team replace the head coach.

"It's getting pretty old, the fans and the media talking about D.J.," Giroux told reporters Tuesday. "(It's) pretty frustrating, actually. He's our coach. He's not going anywhere. We want to play for him. It's just a distraction that we don't need right now, and I think we've done a pretty good job of not getting caught up into that."

Some Senators supporters chanted "Fire D.J." during Saturday's loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. After the game, Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk criticized the fans who chanted that and the ones who booed the team off the ice that same night.

On Tuesday, Tkachuk said he's trying to move forward and isn't fixating on the comments.

Giroux acknowledged he and his teammates felt bad when they heard the chanting but denied that it affected their play.

"In the room, guys care a lot, and I don't think we're a team that's going to quit or stop working hard," the Senators' oldest player said.

The loss dropped the Senators to 4-6-0 this season. They've lost four of their last five games and their last four on home ice.

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