Claude Julien (ice hockey)

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Claude Julien (born April 23, 1960 in Blind River, Ontario, Canada) is the current head coach of the Boston Bruins as of June 19, 2007^[1]. He previously served as the head coach for the Montreal Canadiens and the New Jersey Devils. In the American Hockey League, he coached the Hamilton Bulldogs.

[edit] Playing career

Julien was a National Hockey League defenceman for the Quebec Nordiques in the 1984 and 1986 seasons^[2].

Julien had previously played in the Ontario Hockey League for the Oshawa Generals and Windsor Spitfires. In the Central Hockey League he played for the Salt Lake Golden Eagles. In the IHL, Julien played for the Milwaukee Admirals. In the AHL, he played for the Fredericton Express, Baltimore Skipjacks, Halifax Citadels and Moncton Hawks.

[edit] Coaching career

Julien began his professional coaching in the QMJHL for the Hull Olympiques, with whom he won the Memorial Cup in 1997. From 2000-2003 he served as head coach for the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs.

In 2000, Julien won a bronze medal as the head coach of Canada's national junior ice hockey team. He also served as an assistant coach to Marc Habscheid at the 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.

On January 17, 2003, Julien became head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. In 2004, his first full season as an NHL head coach, he led Montreal to a 93 point performance (41-30-7-4 record) and the second round of the playoffs. He was fired and replaced by GM Bob Gainey on January 14, 2006. Julien accumulated a win-loss-tie-OT loss record of 72-62-11-14 during his three seasons ^[3].

Julien was then announced as the head coach of the Devils on June 13, 2006. He was the 15th head coach in Devils history. On October 6, 2006, Julien won his first game as Devils head coach, a 4-0 win at the defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes. On November 4, 2006, Julien won his first return to Montreal as the Devils defeated the Canadiens 2-1. On April 2, 2007, the New Jersey Devils abruptly terminated Julien, despite his leading the Devils to a 102-point season (49-24-9 record) and the Atlantic Division championship with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello replaced Julien, the second straight season in which Lamoriello left the front office to coach the Devils at the end of the season. Lamoriello cited the team's lack of readiness to challenge for the Stanley Cup as his reasoning for firing Julien.^[4]

On June 19, 2007, it was reported by various sports websites that Julien has been named as the 28th head coach of the Boston Bruins. Three days later, this report was confirmed. In his first season as Boston coach, he led the team back to the playoffs. His team struggled with consistency over the course of the season but this was in large part due to the many injuries that plagued the Bruins throughout the 2007-2008 season. Most notably, winger Patrice Bergeron and goaltender Manny Fernandez missed almost the entire season. The Boston Bruins were defeated in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals by the Montreal Canadiens in seven games. Despite the loss, Claude Julien's coaching helped the team battle throughout it all in what was expected to be an easy playoff series for the Montreal Canadiens.

[edit] Coaching record

[edit] References

1. ^ TSN : NHL - Canada's Sports Leader
2. ^ Claude Julien's profile at hockeydb.com
3. ^ Claude Julien's profile at hockeydb.com
4. ^ canada.com | Article

[edit] See also

• List of NHL head coaches
• List of NHL players