Habs fire Therrien, name Julien head coach
TSN.ca Staff
Claude Julien - Canadiens, Getty Images
For the second time in franchise history, the Montreal Canadiens have fired Michel Therrien as head coach and replaced him with Claude Julien.
Therrien was in the fifth season of his second go-around with the club.
The Canadiens own a 31-19-8 record this season but have lost their last two and are seeing their Atlantic Division lead diminish as they head into their ‘bye week.’
Julien was fired by the Bruins February 7 this year. He coached the Canadiens for parts of three seasons from 2002-2006, compiling a 72-62-10-15 record.
After his first stint with the Habs, Julien coached the New Jersey Devils before being hired by the Bruins in 2007. He was in his tenth season behind the bench for the Bruins.
The 56-year-old led the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup Championship since 1972 when they captured the league crown in seven games over the Vancouver Canucks in 2011.
They made an unsuccessful return to the Final in 2013, falling in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Julien won the Jack Adams Trophy as the league’s best coach in 2008-09 when the Bruins posted a 53-19-10 record and in 2013-14, he helped them win the Presidents’ Trophy as the best regular season team with 117 points.
While Julien’s tenure was highlighted by multiple playoff runs and a championship, the Bruins have missed the playoffs in the last two seasons, the only times they’ve done that since he succeeded Dave Lewis behind the bench.
Therrien led the team to Atlantic Division titles in 2013 and 2015 and an Eastern Conference Final appearance in 2014.
Last season, the Canadiens posted a 38-38-6 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since Therrien rejoined the team.
Therrien concludes his second stint with a 194-121-37 record. His combined 271 wins are the fourth most in Canadiens’ history behind Toe Blake, Dick Irvin and Scotty Bowman.
He spent four seasons as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins in between his stints in Montreal.