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Canadiens hire Team Canada Mgr and Jr Coaching Star, Joel Bouchard |
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Marc Bergevin continues to work to right the wrongs with the Canadiens system. Gone are the AHL coaching staff and long time Habs assistants Daigneault and Lacroix. Brought in was Jr Star Coach D Ducharme to replace Lacroix and now Blainville-Boisbriand Armada coach Joel Bouchard to run the bench for the Laval Rocket. Assistants for the AHL will be hired by Bouchard at a later date.
To land both of the Junior ranks top coaches, and Team Canada coaches, is a major win for Bergevin and the Canadiens. The Habs now have a coach for the farm that has a history of success in development in todays hockey world, which is key. Bouchard’s success is recent as well leading the Armada to two straight President’s Cup appearances and their franchise best record this past season (50-11-7).
The Armada lost to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan this year in the Pres. Cup Final and shortly after digesting the loss, Bouchard came to terms with Marc Bergevin to become the Rocket’s new bench boss.
In a article from the Montreal Canadiens official site there were some high quality quotes from the new coach that give an insight as to how he will try to work in Laval.
“Coaching is coaching… but I have to keep being Joël Bouchard. The second I try to be a different kind of coach, I'll be in trouble. It's about being who you are, respecting the players, being fair to them. I’m tough with my players, and I will continue to be tough with them, but I think the players buy into that. We all want the same thing: to get results. There will be an adjustment, but it will come naturally.”
"Don't forget that as much as we're working on development, we're working on winning. As long as there's a scoreboard, I will coach to win."
Old school is not how you would describe Bouchard. He is a coach that works hard to communicate with his players to ensure nobody feels left out but he will work to make sure players feel they belong and are being heard.
"My work is to surround them, to give them all the tools to become the best hockey players they can be so Marc can call them up and give them a job, maybe trade some of them. They all have different realities and challenges. There isn't one guy who will be able to sit down in front of me and say - 'You don't understand my situation' - because I've been in his situation. I lived it all. I'll be able to use that to build a partnership with them.”
Bouchard doesn’t sound like a my way or the highway type of coach that we know still exists in all levels of hockey. He seems like a coach that knows the key to todays players is communication and respect. Give both and you likely get both.
Also, Bouchard was the coach of recently signed Jr Star A Alain and helped him achieve new heights this season as well. Montreal likely has Alain, Verbeek, Evans, Poehling, and others joining the AHL squad this year and next so landing a coach of this pedigree is an absolute grand slam of a move as Montreal brings in the next wave of prospects to system.
The upgrade of Bouchard from Lefebvre at the AHL is monumental. To have top young talent able to step in due to injury or play and contribute is key to the success of NHL squads. With Lefebvre at the helm I think we all felt the Canadiens prospects weren’t developing properly and entered the league looking lost. That should change as of today.
Bouchard’s goal will be to develop, prepare, and win and I believe he can accomplish those goals. For him to be in place right before Montreal’s best crop of prospects in a long time are about hit the Professional ranks should excite most Habs fans. Add to that Montreal’s draft next month likely yielding some more exciting prospects you understand that the Habs have made a cornerstone change to the franchise at the best possible time.
I am more than thrilled with the moves by Bergevin and Co. this offseason and you should be too, if you’re a true Montreal Canadiens fan.
Go Habs Go!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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