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MONTREAL – With only 38 games to play in the regular season and his hockey club falling short of expectations, general manager Marc Bergevin felt compelled to change things.
It was by no means an easy decision to part ways with Claude Julien and Kirk Muller, but Bergevin was adamant that it was necessary to get the Canadiens back on track before losing more ground in the standings of the North division.
Enter interim head coach Dominique Ducharme and Alex Burrows, who are tasked with helping turn around the ship of a team that has not won in three in a row and has only won two in their last eight outings.
“The effort was still there. It goes to show that Claude didn’t lose his locker room, but I saw a team that was lost, that lacked a sense of direction, ”Bergevin said via Zoom Wednesday afternoon from Winnipeg. “These things happen in professional sports. The coaches continue to give instructions, but after a while the message does not get through. From what I saw last week and what happened last year, in a short season, I made the decision to make a change. “
Video: Marc Bergevin on the changes of the technical staff
There were several specific shortcomings in the overall Canadiens game that prompted Bergevin to act without further delay.
The power play and penalty, which rank 20th and 22nd respectively in the NHL, are the main concerns, as is the team’s lower 3-5-0 record at the Bell Center.
The fact that his players racked up the League’s third penalty minutes behind Vancouver and Ottawa doesn’t suit him either.
But the bottom line is that Bergevin no longer recognized the team that burst out of the gates in mid-January, blitzed their opponents, scored at will and strung seven wins in their first 10 games.
“When we play at the top of our game, we kill games, we move the puck, we support the puck, we cross the neutral zone with speed. This is when our team is at our best, and that was not happening at the moment, ”said Bergevin. “The hard thing to watch is the swing of being a really good hockey team that played with the rhythm, was engaged and played its identity, which is speed, and then going the other way around where we were a team. who was looking. We were chasing our tails, we were chasing the puck, we weren’t in sync. It was frustrating for me. Sometimes you could blame the injuries, but we didn’t have any. “
Keep in mind that the 55-year-old former defender set the bar very high for this group when training camp started, especially with the off-season attacking additions. Tyler toffoli, Josh Anderson and Corey perry, defender Joel edmundsonand goalkeeper Jake allen share the workload with Carey Award.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that Bergevin addressed the team privately after Julien and Muller were relieved of their duties, and he essentially asked them to get back into shape under Ducharme’s leadership.
“I was clear. The bar is high. I have confidence in them, but all the players who wear the uniform of the Montreal Canadiens must give more,” insisted Bergevin. “I said everyone here, to a man, has to be better, has to improve their game, every guy. That was my message. That’s the right thing to do.”
Why Ducharme?
When Bergevin considered installing a new bench boss, it was immediately sold on Ducharme.
Citing Joliette, 47, his modern approach and full resume, Bergevin saw him as the ideal candidate to take the helm before an important two-game game against the Jets.
“40s or not 40s, Dom has been my guy since the moment I made my decision. The reason is that he is a new role model, the young coach who has come a long way. Success at the Junior level, had success at the World Junior level, “said Bergevin.” I feel the new voice is what this team needs, and he’s a good communicator as well. A lot of times that’s what players, I feel, from what I’ve seen, that’s what they’re looking for. “
Video: Dominique Ducharme on his new role
Hired as an assistant coach in Montreal in April 2018, Ducharme certainly has a good idea of where his troops are going right now, so he’ll be running out into the field in training Thursday morning.
No doubt familiarity will dramatically speed up the adjustment process, which will hopefully bring out the best of Canadians at Bell MTS Place and beyond.
Bergevin is counting on it.
“I have a lot of confidence in Dominique and what he will bring to the team,” said Bergevin, who confirmed that Ducharme would be in charge until the end of the season before a decision on his status was made. is officially taken. “I think he can take our players to where they were before, where we can be more consistent in the way we work.”
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