Montreal Canadiens fire Michel Therrien, hire Claude Julien
By Josh Hill
The Montreal Canadiens have fired head coach Michel Therrien and replaced him with recently fired Bruins coach Claude Julien.
In a rather surprising move — though one that hockey fans in Montreal will appreciate — Michel Therrien has been removed from his post as head coach. The firing comes alongside news that the Canadiens have hired recently fired Bruins head coach Claude Julien.
Julien’s dismissal from Boston was one that many thought should have happened in the offseason and not months into the new year. It’s possible that Montreal was waiting for that move back in July while Therrien’s job was also on thin ice.
No matter the span of time, the move has finally become official.
Montreal is currently the fifth best team in the entire league and are leading the Atlantic Division by six-points. It’s not common for a winning team to up and fire their head coach, but the Habs apparently believe that Julien can be the guy to get them where Therrien could never reach — the Stanley Cup.
In a statement to the press, the Habs thanked Therrien for his years of service while also ushering in a head coach they believe will finally take them to the next level.
"“I would like to sincerely thank Michel for his relentless work with the Montreal Canadiens over his eight seasons behind the bench, including the last five seasons when we worked together. The decision to remove Michel from his coaching duties was a difficult one because I have lots of respect for him. I came to the conclusion that our team needed a new energy, a new voice, a new direction. Claude Julien is an experienced and well respected coach with a good knowledge of the Montreal market. Claude has been very successful as an NHL coach and he won the Stanley Cup. Today we hired the best available coach, and one of the league’s best. I am convinced that he has the capabilities to get our team back on the winning track,” said Canadiens general manager, Marc Bergevin."
It’s a stunning move only in that it happened. Therrien has been on the outskirts of the front office for a while now and the terms between the two have not been peachy. Nothing better highlights that then the fact that a guy who coached in the All-Star game just a few weeks ago is now out of a job.