Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien looks towards the ice as his team takes on the Ottawa Senators during second period NHL action in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Montreal Canadiens fire head coach Claude Julien

The Montreal Canadiens have fired head coach Claude Julien and assistant coach Kirk Muller, the team’s general manager, Marc Bergevin, announced on Wednesday.

Dominique Ducharme, 47, has been promoted as interim head coach in addition to the appointment of Alex Burrows to the Canadiens’ coaching staff, Bergevin said. Luke Richardson and Stéphane Waite retain their respective duties within the coaching group.

“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,” Bergevin said in a terse statement. “In Dominique Ducharme, we see a very promising coach who will bring new life and new energy to our group.”

Bergevin said “the time had come for a change.”

The once mighty Canadiens missed the playoffs twice and lost in the first round the other two years. The Canadiens were the lowest-ranked NHL team to qualify for the 24-team post-season last year and then upset the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round. They then lost in six games to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.

The Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup a record 24 times since 1915. However, their most recent title came way back in the 1992-93 season.

With files from CBC Sports

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