The coaches.

I'd rather see Gallant get the gig there over Babcock... I'm a fan of one and not the other.

 

Claude Julien said he intends to coach the Montreal Canadiens next season after having a heart procedure that caused him to leave the Stanley Cup Playoffs before they were eliminated.

"I've recovered well, to the point that if we won Game 6 on Friday, I would've headed back to the bubble in Toronto on Saturday," Julien said Wednesday. "I feel good. I had a scare that turned out well in the end. I'm ready to come back at 100 percent."

Julien was hospitalized because of chest pains experienced after a 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round on Aug. 12. He returned to Montreal after having a stent procedure in Toronto, the Eastern hub city. The Canadiens were eliminated in six games under associate coach Kirk Muller.

"I was encouraged to go to the hospital," Julien told Sportsnet of the events in Toronto. "So it was a decision I made and one I'm extremely happy I made, but I'm also happy that I had people around me who really encouraged me to go. You never realize to what end it can be dangerous and never envision yourself in that situation."

Julien would be returning for the fifth season of his second stint as Canadiens coach; he also coached them from 2002-06. In seven seasons with Montreal, he is 192-170-46 with 10 ties.

"Health and family are always the priority," the 60-year-old said. "But I'm very comfortable with my return, and my family is too. My health is 100 percent; there's no reason why I couldn't be back behind the bench or be afraid of anything."

The NHL has not announced a starting date for next season.

"I think there's probably a bigger risk for my health if I had to step back, because when you're prevented from what you love doing, there's a mental impact on you," Julien said. "And right now I still feel energetic. I still feel like I've got a lot to offer, and if that was taken away from me, there's no doubt it would have a huge impact on me."

In 17 seasons as an NHL coach with the Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins, Julien is 658-440-148 with 10 ties. He's 13th in NHL history in wins, and his 1,256 games coached are 18th. He coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 2011 and won the Jack Adams Award voted as the NHL coach of the year in 2009.

"I really appreciated all the support; it helped me recover," Julien said. "Whether it was from the coaches, people from the League, or elsewhere, it was incredible. I'd like to thank everyone for helping me get through this."

NHL.com
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Great news!

 

Capitals hire Peter Laviolette as new head coach

Peter Laviolette will be the next head coach of the Capitals, the team announced on Tuesday.

According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, it’s a three-year deal that will come in at just under $14 million total.

“Peter is a successful NHL head coach who has won a Stanley Cup and brings a wealth of experience to our team,” said GM Brian MacLellan. “We feel he is a great communicator who will motivate our players to play with passion, structure and discipline, while helping our young players reach their potential. In addition, he is a high-character individual who is highly respected for his coaching pedigree, all of which make him the ideal person to lead our team to compete for the Stanley Cup.”

Todd Reirden, who Laviolette is replacing, was fired last month after two seasons and has since joined the Penguins as an assistant.

In his career, Laviolette has a 637 wins in 1,210 NHL games coached with four different franchises. He won a Stanley Cup in three trips to the Cup Final.

Laviolette was fired by the Predators in January after five and a half seasons in Nashville. There he led them to the postseason five times, which included a trip to the 2017 Cup Final. He was set to run the bench of the U.S. entry into the 2020 IIHF World Championship, but the global COVID-19 pandemic forced the tournament to be canceled.

This is only the second coach who Alex Ovechkin will play for who isn’t in their first NHL gig. Another former Predators coach, Barry Trotz, was the only non-first timer the the Russian superstar has played under. With an aging Capitals’ core, the Cup window remains open. This was not a time to gamble on another rookie.

Gerald Gallant and Mike Babcock were reportedly also in the running.

“We have an experienced group,” MacLellan said after Reirden’s firing. “We need someone to come in and push some buttons on some players — some good players. I think one thing that happened for us in the bubble is our structure didn’t seem to be there. We couldn’t find team structure. I know individuals were working hard individually, but as a team, a team structure, resulted or was a big cause of our performance in Toronto. We’re going to need someone that can come in and establish that as a big part of our identity.”

NBC

 

great hire by the Craps. Nashville must be happy theyre now off the hook financially for Lavi's owed compensation.

 

Bob Boughner will return as coach of the San Jose Sharks.

Boughner, an assistant, took over as coach after Peter DeBoer was fired Dec. 11. San Jose was 14-20-3 under Boughner and did not qualify for the NHL postseason. The Sharks were 29-36-5 (.450 points percentage), last in the Western Conference, when the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to return to the San Jose Sharks organization as head coach," Boughner said Tuesday. "I want to thank (owner) Hasso Plattner and (general manager) Doug Wilson for their trust in me. Last year was a difficult season for everyone but I think we learned a lot about ourselves as a group and we made some positive strides over the second half of the year. I've been in contact with many of our players over the break and, as a coaching staff, we are going to make it clear that our team is going compete every night, play hard and be a tight group on and off the ice."

 

Paul MacLean was hired as an assistant coach by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday.

The 62-year-old was Ottawa Senators coach from 2011-15, going 114-90-35 and winning the Jack Adams Award voted as the top coach in the NHL in 2013. He won the Stanley Cup as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008.

"Over nearly two decades as an NHL coach, Paul has filled every role on a coaching staff, winning a Stanley Cup and Jack Adams trophy along the way," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "Adding someone of Paul's expertise and character to advise and assist our staff is something that we felt was very important as we seek to make tangible steps next season."

The Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 5 of their Stanley Cup Qualifier series after losing in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs the prior three seasons.

MacLean was also an assistant for the Anaheim Ducks (2002-04 and 2015-17) and Red Wings (2005-11). He made two other appearances in the Stanley Cup Final (Ducks, 2003; Red Wings, 2009).

NHL.com

 

Bowness agrees to two-year contract to return as Stars coach
Guided Dallas to Stanley Cup Final after replacing Montgomery in December

 

Canadiens can Claude; Muller too.

 

Canadiens can Claude; Muller too.


Why now.......and will they hire another French Canadian Coach ???

 

Marc Bergevin still killing that org.

And thats ok by me, lol.

 

Per usual the Habs expectations are not in line with reality. Anyone that thought they were a Cup contender is delusional. They are a decent team, at best, without stars playing in an awful division.

Remember when the Habs faithful voted in Price, Markov, Kovalev and Komisarek to be starters in the all star game they hosted ruined?
Stay your course Montreal and you can keep on telling everyone how great your granddaddy’s Habs were once upon a time.

 

I think that, if they weren't in such a bad division, their mediocrity would be more apparent to them. And that's probably true for a couple teams in the league. No doubt some owners / GM's love the old adage of, "Once you're in the playoffs, anything can happen", and see an easier path to the playoffs than in a normal year...

 

Stay your course Montreal and you can keep on telling everyone how great your granddaddy’s Habs were once upon a time.


Matty.........do you remember MERC from CBS days.....OMG he would be furious with you right now for that post.....lol

This surprises me but the North division is proving to be a strong one.......the Habs are only two Points behind the EAST 1st place Bruins.

BUT sadly the Leafs are in 1st place OVERALL in the NHL.........Blow Leafs Blow.

My Canucks Suck and they need to make a trade for a D-Man.

 

Larry, when the schedule allows only divisional foes, then nothing significant can be inferred by comparing the standings for teams in different divisions.

The Habs’ point total relative to the hockey team from Boston’s point total proves. ... absolutely nothing.

 

The Habs’ point total relative to the hockey team from Boston’s point total proves. ... absolutely nothing.


Who Cares Dan ???

 

I think a few people do. You commented on it twice, and so did I. What’s your point?

 

I remember Merc, good poster I think he even came in over here for a spell.
Gotta say though that I don’t really care if I offend a fan of <insert team here> if I’m simply giving my opinion. I don’t think Merc would care one bit.
The media and fan base in Montreal are so out of whack and the results continually prove it.

The north division is the worst in the league. Best team in that division would be lucky to finish third in what would be their actual division this year.

 

Dan....I asked Matty if he remembered MERC ?

Just in case you did not know this.....the Montreal Canadians # 1 Rivalry is the Boston Bruins.....they Hate each other.

And they could meet in the Stanley Cup /21 ......the last time they met in the SC was 1978 .

Over the years they have battled and had some Classic Hockey Games.

We know what the Division's are for the NHL Season/21...but we don't know what the "Bubble Cities" are going to be for the Playoff's.

The Bruins and the Habs are TWO evenly matched teams in 2021 SO FAR......they are close in the Standings...G/GF/PTS

My Point Dan.......they could meet for the "Cup" 2021....I would love too see the series go 7.

 

The north division is the worst in the league. Best team in that division would be lucky to finish third in what would be their actual division this year.


As I said Matty.......the North Division is surprising me........I would not say it's the worst look at GF and PTS...the Leafs and Oiler's are leading.

The problem is the teams in the North play each other 10 times.....which sucks at the end of the season....Teams from Central, East and West travel over the US and play each other.......in the North you get Teams like the Canucks and Senators and you got a win.

Yes Merc is a good guy and it is why I added an LOL.......he loved his Habs.

 

All the teams in the league only play other teams within their division. Straight record doesnt tell much of anything in terms of strength of division. you can look at teams in the AHL and compare them to the NHL and its just as useless.

Canadian Division
Leafs are pretty good, and only pretty good.
midrange sandwich at best - Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, Vancouver. Realistically theres a minimal chance any of these teams compete for the Cup.
Ottawa.