The Boston Bruins on Tuesday relieved head coach, Claude Julien
of his duties behind the bench.
The 56-year-old coach had been the longest tenured bench
boss in the National Hockey League, with 10 seasons behind the bench. During
his time in Boston, he led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final twice, capturing
the prize in 2011.
Julien, won the Jack Adams Award as the Coach of the Year
following the 2008-2009 NHL season and led the Bruins to the 2014 President’s
Trophy, as the league’s top team during the regular season.
Bruins Chief Executive Officer, Charlie Jacobs said, “Claude Julien is the all-time winningest
coach in Boston Bruins history, and my family and I join Bruins fans in
thanking him for the many great memories that have come while he has been behind
the Bruins bench. As a management team, we set a high standard for ourselves,
and I believe our organization is moving in the right direction towards meeting
and exceeding those standards.”
Bruins owner, Jeremy Jacobs, expressed his confidence that general
manager Don Sweeney has the team headed in the right direction.
He said, “I want to
thank Claude for his service to the Boston Bruins, and wish him and his family
the best in the future. I am confident in the direction and vision that Don has
for our team, and look forward to seeing the results on the ice.”
Assistant coach, Bruce Cassidy will take over the reigns for
the Bruins. Cassidy had been elevated to the role of assistant coach, after
spending five seasons with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League.
Julien was hired by the Bruins on June 21, 2007 and led the club
to the playoffs seven times in his 10 years behind the bench. In 759 games, his
419-256-94 record make him Boston’s all-time put him first overall in victories
amongst Bruins coaches.
The Bruins recent play has put them on the decline, missing
the postseason the last two seasons. In 2015-2016, they lost on the final day
of the regular season to fall just short of a playoff bid and in 2014-2015,
they finished two points shy of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild
card spot.
Currently, the Bruins sit one point out of the last wild
card spot in the Eastern Conference, with 58 points in 55 games (26-23-6).
Bruins President, Cam Neely said, “These decisions are not easy, and Don has my full support. I believe
that we have a better team than our results to date show. I also recognize that
there are areas that we as a group need to improve on. This decision does not
in any way diminish Claude’s legacy as a Bruins coach. I would like to wish him
and his family all of the best moving forward.”
Cassidy, 51, served as a coach with the Washington Capitals
from 2002-2004, helping guide them to a playoff berth in the 2002-2003 season. He
also served as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks, under Trent Yawney, in
2005-2006.
In five seasons with the PBruins, he put up a 207-128-5
record, making the Calder Cup Playoffs all five years. He will make his debut
on Thursday night when the Bruins host the San Jose Sharks at the TD Garden.
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