The Montreal Canadiens have fired head coach Claude Julien. The news was officially confirmed by the team’s general manager Marc Bergevin on Wednesday. According to Bergevin, the Canadiens also said goodbye to assistant Kirk Muller.
“I would like to sincerely thank Claude and Kirk for their contributions to our team over the past five years during which we worked together. I have great respect for these two men whom I hold in high regard,” said Bergevin announcing the decision.
Following Julien’s departure, assistant Dominique Ducharme was named the Canadiens’ interim head coach. The longtime Vancouver Canucks winger Alex Burrows is expected to join Ducharme’s staff.
Montreal’s decision to fire Claude Julien comes after a series of poor results.
The Canadiens opened the 2020-21 NHL season with a 7-3 record but then went on to win just two of the next eight games. It is believed that Julien’s fate was sealed after consecutive losses to the Ottawa Senators on Sunday and Tuesday.
Julien spent the previous four and a half years with Canadiens, leading the franchise to two postseason appearances during that period. Before that, he was the head coach of the Boston Bruins for 10 years and has a Stanley Cup win with the organization from the 2010-11 season.
