Montreal Canadiens bring Michel Therrien on board as head coach for second time -NHL Update
While fans were hoping for a new and energetic face to lead the struggling Montreal club, Canadiens management hired ex-coach Michel Therrien to the same position he was before getting fired back in the 2002-2003 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.
For some, it is definitely a disappointment, but for those who really know Therrien, it is time to start fresh and turn around his image in the city by making Montreal a better team.
Therrien joined the Montreal Canadiens club back in November of 2000 in place of Alain Vigneault, the current Vancouver Canucks coach. He had a satisfactory performance for the first two seasons but was let go just 46 games into 2002-2003.
The new coach also has experience with Pittsburgh Penguins and players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He was currently a television analyst for RDS.
"To coach in the NHL is a privilege," Therrien said on Tuesday, June 5, 2012, after the Montreal Canadiens announced the decision officially. "But to coach the Canadiens is an honour."
Landing in the position the first time was too sudden according to Therrien, as he terms his initial job with Montreal was right after his coaching tenure in the minor leagues including the American Hockey League (AHL). Now he wishes to use that experience
to be a better coach and eventually make Montreal Canadiens a playoff contending team again.
"When I got here I was 38 years old, I came through junior and the American Hockey League and then, from one day to the next, I found myself behind the bench of the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL. It seemed to go too quickly," Therrien said. "So I was trying
to coach the team based on the experience I had at the time. But I obviously feel far better prepared today than I did when I was 38."
His contract is believed to be a three-year one dealt by newly appointed general manager, Marc Bergevin. The GM certainly believes in Therrien and that he has learned from his previous mistakes and that the upcoming hockey season should be one that fans
will always remember.
Tags: