The rumors have run rampant all season long as the Montreal Canadiens have piled on the losses but the inevitable has finally happened – Dominique Ducharme has been relieved from his duties as Head Coach.
The team has confirmed the news via Twitter.
Dominique Ducharme has been relieved of his head coaching duties.https://t.co/wSdkwrOMXC
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 9, 2022
General Manager Kent Hughes released the following statement via nhl.com
"“We would like to sincerely thank Dominique for his work and contributions to the Montreal Canadiens organization. At this point in the season, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to make a change.”"
Assistants Luke Richardson, Alex Borrows, Eric Gravel, Mario Leblanc, Trevor Letowski, and Eric Raymond all remain with the team.
Canadiens will announce a new head coach later in the day. Expect Luke Richardson to be named interim head coach for the rest of the season while a search for a new head coach for next season begins imminently.
Dominique Ducharme leaves with a 23-46-7 record in 83 games having reached the Stanley Cup Finals in his first year as Head Coach after taking over Claude Julien’s job in February 2021. The Canadiens are currently 8-30-7 in 45 games this season and sit last in the NHL standings.
Nous n’oublierons jamais le parcours de l’équipe jusqu’en finale de la coupe Stanley, à l’été 2021. Merci pour tout, Dominique, et bonne continuité.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 9, 2022
For giving us a summer to remember and for our deepest run since ‘93, thank you Dominique. pic.twitter.com/sUXWaWigJY