The Montreal Canadiens have made a change behind the bench, relieving head coach Claude Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller of their duties. Dominique Ducharme, who had been serving as an assistant, will serve as interim head coach, while Alexandre Burrows has joined the coaching staff. Luke Richardson and Stephane Waite will retain their respective duties with the staff.
GM Marc Bergevin released a statement:
I would like to sincerely thank Claude and Kirk for their contributions to our team over the past five years during which we worked together. I have great respect for these two men whom I hold in high regard. In Dominique Ducharme, we see a very promising coach who will bring new life and new energy to our group. We feel that our team can achieve high standards and the time had come for a change.
Earlier in the season, the Canadiens appeared ready to challenge for the top spot in the North Division, with a high-powered offense led by newcomers Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson. Unfortunately, some of that offense has dried up and the team has come apart at the seams, losing back-to-back games against the Ottawa Senators. Those two losses certainly punctuate a drop in play, but it was obvious for some time that the Canadiens weren’t as good as their early-season results.
They had the Vancouver Canucks number especially, but against non-Vancouver teams, the Canadiens had just a 5-5-3 record on the year. Recently, the coach had made drastic moves to try and spark the team like scratching Tomas Tatar, the team’s 2019-20 scoring leader. When that didn’t work, the hammer had to come down on someone and it turned out to be Julien.
It’s not like Ducharme has no experience running a bench though. The interim coach was an incredibly successful junior coach, winning the CHL Coach of the Year award in 2013. He has been the head coach of Canada’s World Junior team twice, winning gold in 2018. This will be, however, his first time as a head coach in the NHL. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that there is not another change expected before the end of the season.
For Julien, the term “relieved of duties” was used because he has one more year on his contract at $5MM, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. That means any team hoping to hire Julien will need to approach the Canadiens and negotiate a deal to pay at least some of that remaining salary. Otherwise, Montreal will pay him to stay at home for the next year.
If the old hockey adage of “show me a good coach and I’ll show you a good goalie” is true, perhaps it is the opposite that has cost Julien his job. Although Carey Price has looked rejuvenated at times this season, the simple fact is that he’s not stopping the puck enough for the Canadiens to contend each night. Price has just an .893 save percentage on the season and though some of that can be attributed to the play in front of him, his numbers have been trending down for several seasons now—not to mention Jake Allen’s .932 behind the same team. If Ducharme is to turn the Canadiens around this season (or in any of the next five), that performance has to improve.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
I like Julien, but it was time to go…I was hoping for a short term shot of energy with a hiring of Patrick Roy
Any team losing two in a row to the Senators this year should ask for resignations from any of its coaches.
And I don’t think there is a red enough carpet nor a celebration big enough to convince Roy to stroll into town. Maybe later, when they can assemble an orchestra and crowds to fete him like the demi-deity he expects to be treated as.
Next Rangers head coach
I could see Roy as the GM someday – not sure about coaching though…not that I think he would be a bad coach but I think he needs to be in complete control.
Member that time 2 weeks ago where Canadians fans thought they were better than the leafs. I member
Literally mentioned that to my buddy. all it takes is 3 losses and the walls start caving in.
Not sure keeping the coach internal will do anything
I literally cannot remember the last time a Leafs team advanced in the playoffs
2004.
Not a Canadiens fan but I don’t think Leaf fans can brag about tempering their expectations for their team. There’s always some abandonment of perspective to fandom, but in ranking teams whose fans have a good grip on reality? There’s a pretty steep slope to stare down.
All the Canadian teams have been equally inept in the last three decades.
The last time the leafs won the cup, leaded gasoline was still the primary source of fuel in automobiles….
… Alex Burrows who ?
Former Canucks player I think
yeah played mostly with Vancouver. retired a few years back.
The dude who got shown up by brad Marchand and the bruins when he played for the team with two twins, no cup
You mean got a shown up by Tim Thomas and Krejci Not Bradley
Tim Thomas I’d agree, Krejci on the other hand had 6 points in the Stanley Cup. where Marchand had 7.. 5 of those being goals…
WOW!!! Does Ducharme help MONTREAL???
Me thinks a good Duch is always clensing…
Those hot takes saying they’re a top team certainly didn’t age well. While it was probably time to move on, it’s hard to blame the coach when the 10.5 million dollar goalie is rocking a .893 save percentage. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bergevin is on the hot seat as well.
this team is a good team. Still has room to grow, but isnt championship ready yet.
I smell turkey in montreal..Turk Gallant might on a short list if he wants to back to montreal. Not french enough though…
Follow hard ass coach with players coach. Gallant not that.
What are the odds Montreal shoot themselves in the foot finding a new head coach as they always do?
The Canadiens have only three head coaches in their history who weren’t fluent in french. Two of those were interm coaches who didn’t coach a full season but the third coach, Bob Berry could speak a little french and lasted 3 seasons.
Dec 17th, 2012 Jacques Martin was fired and replaced with the last anglophone coach the Canadiens have employed, Randy Cunneyworth. Two days later Canadiens owner Geoff Molson had this to say… “Although our main priority remains to win hockey games and to keep improving as a team, it is obvious that the ability for the head coach to express himself in both French and English will be a very important factor in the selection of the permanent head coach”
A head coach should be hired to win hockey games but the Canadiens have historically been more concerned with appeasing the prejudicial media and fans than winning. If Geoff Molson and Marc Bergevin were serious about winning they would hire the best available coach and a translator to deal with the media. But they won’t.
They should hire Therrien for a third time.
And replace him with Julien for a third time
Patrick Roy !
So here is a french coach for you all Ben Groulx very good coach …he needs his chance bit I still am on the best coach out there …Turk…..
Perhaps Molson should look at Bergavin as well. He told Claude what to do and no discussion, Claudes hands were tied.