Michel Therrien has been hired as the next head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, a move rumored Monday evening and announced by general manager Marc Bergevin Tuesday morning. Therrien, 48, has coached 499 games as a head coach and assistant at the NHL level, most of them coming with the Habs from 1997 to 2003.
Michel Therrien Officially Named Montreal Canadiens Head Coach; Habs Fans Unhappy
He took the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008, a series the club lost in seven games. He was fired the following season after a red-hot start turned into an abysmal first half of the regular season. Dan Bylsma replaced Therrien, and the Penguins went on to earn a rematch with the Red Wings in the Finals, which they won in seven games.
Habs fans at Canadiens blog Eyes On The Prize are unhappy with the move. Therrien is one of the worst coaches in recent franchise history, only better than former Anglophone scapegoat Randy Cunneyworth. To say they would have preferred a fresh face instead of Therrien is an understatement.
Is this really the best that Marc Bergevin can offer us with a month long coaching search? This is what’s offered as the new face of the Canadiens? There is no coach available anywhere in the world that Bergevin sees as a long term solution for the Habs? I call BS on it. This is a decision made by an organization afraid of risk, but they’ll get no reward from it.
Stick with our StoryStream for more on the Habs’ hiring of Michel Therrien. For more on the Canadiens, be sure to check in with Habs Eyes On The Prize.
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