Early Tuesday, the Boston Bruins told head coach Claude Julien he was being relieved of his coaching duties.
Julien served as the Bruins’ bench boss for 10 seasons. He led the Bruins to seven playoff appearances, two Stanley Cup Finals and one Cup championship. However, the team has missed the playoffs for the last two seasons. By the same token, the team has lost its aggressive mentality and edge, struggling to win hockey games.
With his firing, Bruce Cassidy will serve as Boston’s interim coach. The Bruins will hope to climb the standings and improve in all aspects of their game. The team is currently struggling greatly on the backend, and the Bruins’ .886 team save percentage is the fourth-worst in the NHL.
Many fans were shocked, but others couldn’t believe the timing. The firing was made on the same day as the Patriots’ Super Bowl parade.
Let me get this straight, the Bruins 1) fired Claude Julien and 2) did it on the same day as the Patriots Super Bowl parade? Holy crap.
— NATO Stan *🆓* 🇺🇦 🇹🇼 (@NATOKeepsUsSafe) February 7, 2017
While some fans are understanding of the firing, other fans are not thrilled with the transaction. For instance, there are some Boston supporters who believe the team’s success has nothing to do with Julien.
The Boston Bruins just fired Claude Julien. They traded great defensemen and now wonder why they're losing. Not Claude's fault!
— Bob Marley (@bobmarleycomedy) February 7, 2017
While some were quick to defend Julien, not blaming him for the team’s troubles over time, others believe that his time had come to an end. Additionally, the firing was something that had to happen for the sake of the team.
No matter what side fans took, they all agreed on something: it wouldn’t take long for Julien to find another job. In fact, other NHL coaches, including the Washington Capitals’ Barry Trotz, chimed in on the matter.
Trotz said he's talked to Julien. Told him he'd be out of a job for all of five minutes. Assumes he has offers already.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) February 7, 2017
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It is always tough to see a coach go, but it was something that had to be done for the sake of the franchise. They will see this as a wake-up call and hopefully step up to the task to make sure their next coach doesn’t see the same fate.