Montreal Canadiens fired coach Claude Julien on Wednesday.
Dominique Ducharme was appointed the interim coach, and the team added longtime NHL winger Alex Burrows to the coaching staff. The Canadiens also fired assistant coach Kirk Muller, who served as interim coach in the 2020 playoffs after Julien was hospitalized with chest pain and underwent a cardiac procedure.
The Canadiens were one of the hottest NHL teams to start the season and appeared to be serious opponents for the Northern Division. However, the Habs have won just two of their last eight games and have been demoralized by losing consecutive penalty shootouts to the Ottawa Senators.
Montreal is 9-5-4; although the Canadiens are eight points behind division leader Toronto Maple Leafs, they are still comfortably in fourth place, which would qualify for the playoffs.
Expectations have soared this season, after general manager Marc Bergevin was extremely active in the off-season. Bergevin updated in all positions, bringing in veteran reserve goalkeeper Jake Allen, exchanging for defender Joel Edmundson and bringing in several new strikers, including Tyler Toffoli (team leader 12 goals) and Josh Anderson (fourth in the team with 12 points).
Julien, 60, was one of the NHL’s highest-paid coaches, earning $ 5 million a season. His contract lasted throughout the 2021-22 season.
Julien took Boston to the Stanley Cup in 2011 and ranks 13th in NHL history, with 667 career wins.
“I would like to sincerely thank Claude and Kirk for their contributions to our team over the past five years, during which we have worked together,” said Bergevin in a statement. “I have great respect for these two men that I hold in high regard. In Dominique Ducharme, we see a very promising coach who will bring new life and energy to our group. We feel that our team can reach high standards and time has come for a change. “
Ducharme, 47, has been a Montreal technical assistant for two seasons.