Funny thing about contracts for coaches--they're always signed with the knowledge that the coach isn't likely to make it through the term of contract, and with the hope that they will.
Marc Bergevin mentioned the importance of stability in announcing Michel Therrien's four-year contract extension, and he undersold the meaning of this move--in terms of its timing and the commitment of support he's lending to Montreal's head coach.
Let's face it, the only surprising thing about this is that it wasn't done sooner.
Therrien, cold out of the lockout, with an abridged training camp in front of him--with a new system to implement, a new structure to impose, a new attitude to cultivate--took over the 15th-placed Montreal Canadiens and brought them to a division title in a shortened season. He brought them to second in the conference and extracted much more out of the team than anyone expected. They flamed out against the Ottawa Senators, and yes, he was out-coached, but he defiantly kept the Canadiens competitive for all of this season when it was expected he wouldn't. He out-coached Jon Cooper and Claude Julien in the playoffs before eventually being outdone by Alain Vigneault in the Eastern Conference Finals. Along the way, Therrien showed that the fiery temperament that had defined his career remained, rarely bubbling to the surface in a press conference, always simmering on the bench. He adapted from game to game, he used the depth of the team to his advantage, he used ice-time as motivation, and most importantly, he led decisively; confidently.
The easy criticism is that he changed a few too many things along the way, whether it was line combinations, or the puck possession style and aggressive forecheck the Canadiens rode to the playoffs in the lockout-shortened season. He sacrificed some style points along the way, no doubt. He needed the depth Bergevin picked up along the way to have his plan come to fruition, and the playoffs were proof that he was working towards the goal of having his team more prepared for that style of hockey.
It could've gone differently. They could've missed out on the playoffs altogether. That's the thing about a team. It's not just about a general manager making good moves, or a coach calling out the right numbers; it's also about the players taking matters into their own hands and the right environment being available to them to do so. Together Marc Bergevin, Michel Therrien and the coaching staff and the players of the Montreal Canadiens forged something worth admiring, and that stability that Bergevin speaks of is instrumental.
As for timing, this contract was probably in Bergevin's desk for most of the season, and if not, it was definitely there waiting as the team ventured through its impressive run in the playoffs. Finalizing and announcing it was done before anything was with Andrei Markov, or P.K. Subban, or anyone else.
To the fan that thinks: "I get the extension, I just don't know why it had to be for four years when he's already signed for one more..."
If you're going to hire someone, show them that you're 100% committed to them. The extra years on the contract only buy you the loyalty you don't have the luxury of showing when the going gets too tough to overcome.
The contract was signed with the hope it won't be cut short and the comfort that if it is, Therrien earned his severance in his first two seasons as coach of the Canadiens. Business is going very well at the Bell Centre, and Therrien has done more than what was expected of him to influence that.
The Habs have their coach. He will lead decisively and confidently knowing his decisions are supported. If that support runs out, the Canadiens will move on without blinking about paying out the remnants of the contract.