Jennifer B Cutler Montreal Canadiens Blogger • RSS
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Typically when an NHL head coach has been with a club for an extended period of time and is let go, it is a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ they will get another opportunity to get behind the bench once again. However, Michel Therrien is not your everyday coach. He has had to claw his way up and prove himself time and time again.
At 53 years old, Therrien is the veteran of 12, though not always full seasons as an NHL head coach, eight years split into two stints with the Montreal Canadiens and four with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His overall record stands at 814 games coached, 406 wins, 303 losses, 23 ties and 82 overtime losses. His full coaching statistics including playoffs are:
Yet, despite his winning record Therrien is far from popular. His brash style and vocal rants early in his coaching career turned many off of him.
Some Canadiens have been unable to forgive him for taking a penalty that many felt caused the team’s collapse against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the 2002 playoffs. The Canadiens were riding a high having upset the number one seeded Boston Bruins in the first round that year. They appeared to have firm control over the Hurricanes in that series, up two games to one and leading 3-0 in the third period of game four when Therrien lost control of his emotions when arguing a Stephane Quintal cross-checking penalty. Referee Kerry Fraser would not stand for Therrien’s antics (who was fined $30,000 for his disrespectful behavior) and assessed him a minor penalty giving the Hurricanes a five on three man advantage. The Hurricanes scored on that powerplay and eventually tied the game with 40 seconds left on the clock before prevailing in overtime. From that moment the tide of the series completely turned as the Hurricanes went on to win games five and six, embarrassing the Canadiens by outscoring them 5-1 and 8-2 respectively.
Perhaps some would not have held a grudge for so long had Therrien accepted responsibility for his actions. However, Therrien refused to be held accountable for the team’s playoff collapse.
"The Hurricanes made a spectacular comeback," Therrien said. "I don't think the fans will hold me responsible for losing the series."
"I still don't think I deserved the penalty."
Few thought that when Therrien was fired midway through the 2002-2003 season that he would ever coach in the NHL again. The fact that he brought the Canadiens back to the playoffs for the first time since 1998 was disregarded by many. Determined to get back into coaching, Therrien started from the ground up again by accepting the position of head coach of Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and led them to the Calder Cup final before eventually getting promoted to head coach of the big club in 2006.
He inherited an incredibly talented but very young team with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and shortly thereafter Kristopher Letang. He instilled discipline and a sense of accountability, responsibility. His infamous rant calling his players out earned him plenty of criticism but in the end it worked. In his second full season behind the bench of the Penguins he led the young stars to the Stanley Cup final.
Unfortunately, he and the Penguins were unable to replicate their success and faltered in the following season. In February of the 2008-2009 season Therrien was let go and replaced by Dan Bylsma who led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup victory that very year. When general manager at the time Ray Shero made the decision to dismiss Therrien, his comments were very similar to those that Marc Bergevin made just a day ago:
"I've watched for a number of weeks and, at the end of the day, the direction is not what I wanted to have here. I wasn't comfortable, and that's why the change was made."
Therrien would be out of the game for hockey for three more years. Were teams wary of his temper? That seemed to be the most likely answer as to why teams with head coaching vacancies stayed away. Rather than get back into coaching Therrien worked for RDS as an analyst and contributor on L’Antichambre. It was somewhat surprising that he was on the Canadiens and Bergevin’s shortlist in the Spring of 2012 considering that he had been out of hockey for so long. It was even more surprising when he got the job.
However, Therrien returned to Canadiens a different man. In his second stint he demonstrated a maturity that was previously lacking. He took a team that was at the bottom of the league and returned them to the playoffs in his first season back as head coach. Therrien brought together the previous members of the team and integrated role players such as Brandon Prust and Colby Armstrong. The exceeded expectations as they finished first in the Atlantic but fell to the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the playoffs. In his second season he coached the team to the Eastern Conference Final. In his third year the Canadiens once again finished first in the Atlantic and made it past the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year, the first time that had happened since the early 1990’s. After an incredibly hot start to the 2015-2016 season, the Canadiens would fall apart without the services of Carey Price and Brendan Gallagher for much of the season. Again this year the Canadiens would start strong but the team stopped playing consistently in January before heading into a tailspin in February.
Looking back on his body of work as a head coach in the NHL, Therrien’s strengths are bringing teams together, starting fresh and getting the most out of his depth players. He starts off with a strong game plan but unfortunately one of his greatest weaknesses is his inability to adapt in game. This is likely the reason why he is continually able to start each season strong but as opponents come up with game plans to counter his team’s, Therrien seems at a loss as to how to what adjustments are necessary to counter. Then, old habits such as relying too much on veterans creep in. Therrien seems to get to a point that he is simply unable to get over that hump, be it playoff success or overcoming injuries...
Over the course of years though, Crosby has spoken glowingly of his time under Therrien’s tutelage:
In 2013: “There were times he’d push you to get the best out of you and other times like that where he really showed he believed in you and gave you responsibility,” he said. “In my situation, I think I thrived with that responsibility and being held accountable. And I loved to learn, so that was a great time for me.”
In 2017: “I think for me (Therrien) put a lot of responsibility on my shoulders and created a lot of expectation even within our team or within myself,” Crosby said. “So I think that was important to have that confidence from your coach at a young age. He believed that you can do great things at a young age and be successful. To give you that vote of confidence I think is huge. I think that was really important as far as starting out in the NHL.”
Perhaps Alex Galchenyuk would disagree with Crosby’s assessment. Therrien’s use of Galchenyuk throughout his tenure has often been debated and criticized. While most agreed with him being shifted to the wing in his rookie year as an 18 year old, it took far too long for Galchenyuk to become an everyday NHL centerman. Young players such as Galchenyuk and Nathan Beaulieu were not allowed the luxury of making mistakes and learning through trial and error. The development of Jarred Tinordi was a complete disaster. The young players end up playing nervous and scared to make a mistake, knowing that they likely would be pinned to the bench should they make an error.
After five years though the players finally tuned Therrien out. No matter how much he had evolved as a coach, he no longer had solutions as to how to turn around the Canadiens fortunes and get them through their struggles. What is obvious though is that this time around, he is leaving with a greater amount of respect from around the league. Many Canadiens fans have been unhappy with him for quite some time but Therrien should be remembered for making the team respectful and relevant again. He brought them their greatest success in some 20-25 years. Even after the disaster of the 2015-2016 season, it was Therrien who reached out to Kirk Muller after the St. Louis Blues were eliminated from the playoffs in 2016. He recognized that he needed help. It takes a strong person to acknowledge their weaknesses and do something about that.
Therrien deserves another chance to coach again. He might have to prove some doubters first by accepting an assistant coach position first. Some are suggesting that he would fare well with an expansion team such as the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Perhaps he will be on the short list should Quebec get a franchise again. On Claude Julien’s conference call on Wednesday afternoon, he began by acknowledging Therrien’s contributions to the Canadiens. His words were heartfelt, as were Bergevin’s when talking about his good friend. It has taken twelve seasons of coaching, but therrien has finally earned respect around the National Hockey League. He has bounced back and reinvented himself before. If he wants, he will do so again.
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