A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens: Five Potential Head Coach Replacements For Claude Julien

By Ken MacMillan

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 09: Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens Claude Julien looks on from behind the bench against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period at the Bell Centre on January 9, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 09: Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens Claude Julien looks on from behind the bench against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period at the Bell Centre on January 9, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – NOVEMBER 10: Guy Boucher, head coach of Ottawa Senators during the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series match between Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche at Ericsson Globe on November 10, 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Nils Petter Nilsson/Ombrello/Getty Images)
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – NOVEMBER 10: Guy Boucher, head coach of Ottawa Senators during the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series match between Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche at Ericsson Globe on November 10, 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Nils Petter Nilsson/Ombrello/Getty Images) /

2. Guy Boucher

It was not long ago that Guy Boucher was the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens AHL team and it looked inevitable that he would take over behind the Habs bench.

Boucher helped guide the Hamilton Bulldogs (then an AHL team) to a 52-17-11 record and a trip to the third round of the postseason. Though he was there just one year, young players like David Desharnais, P.K. Subban, Brock Trotter, Tom Pyatt, Sergei Kostitsyn, Max Pacioretty and Aaron Palushaj all played well under Boucher’s tutelage.

The Montreal Canadiens were being coached by Jacques Martin at the time, and also went to the third round of the playoffs, so it made no sense to make a switch then. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning decided to make a change after Rick Tocchet failed to make the playoffs.

In his first year with the Lightning, Boucher led them to the third round of the playoffs, where they lost 1-0 in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. Youngsters like Steven Stamkos, Teddy Purcell, Steve Downie and Victor Hedman all continued on an upward trajectory under Boucher.

Boucher was eventually fired when his goaltenders were Mathieu Garon and Anders Lindback but he was unable to get back to the playoffs. It’s strange how quickly the Lightning’s fortunes changed after they acquired Ben Bishop. However, that came at almost the same time Boucher was let go.

Boucher then went to Switzerland to coach for a few seasons before returning with the Ottawa Senators in 2016-17. The Sens had missed the playoffs two of the previous three years and had not won a playoff round since the 2013 postseason.

In Boucher’s first year there, they went to the third round where they lost in overtime of Game 7 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After that, Craig Anderson’s save percentage dropped under .900 over the next two years and that was enough to cost Boucher his job. It’s hard to win games when a goalie allows a goal every ten shots, but that somehow becomes the coaches fault in the NHL.

Of course, there were a lot of awful decisions and just odd things going on around the Senators organization at that time and they continue today.  Boucher was hardly given a chance to succeed in his last two seasons with the Senators. It does appear that he can get a team to go on quite a run if he has even decent goaltending.

I would like to see him behind the Habs bench, I just don’t look forward to losing in overtime in the Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final during his first year in town.

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