NHL: Therrien A Risky Pick To Repeat As Canadiens Coach

Who says you can’t go home again? Actually, that was the title of a Thomas Wolfe novel, but this isn’t about dead American writers; this is about a live hockey coach, Michel Therrien, who gets another chance to lead his hometown team, the storied Montreal Canadiens.

The first big decision made by new general manager Marc Bergevin was to give Therrien a three-year contract, and his hiring has drawn some early criticism. For good or ill, the die is cast. The next decision is to determine which players to keep and which should go.

“Les Glorieux” have not looked all that glorious recently, and hit their low point this season by finishing dead last in the Eastern Conference, even below the lowly New York Islanders. Worse, the Habs don’t have a forward as valuable as John Tavares to build around.

That’s not to say the cupboard is bare. On paper at least, this team doesn’t look like they should have ended up at the bottom of the barrel. A core composed of goaltender Carey Price, defensemen P.K. Subban and Josh Gorges, skilled center Tomas Plekanec and gritty forward Travis Moen seems like a reasonably solid foundation.

They didn’t do themselves any favors with their on-ice behavior, though: Subban could be counted on to deliver at least one boneheaded play and one undisciplined penalty per game. There is no real leader here either. That’s the first big decision the team — not Therrien — must make: who is the leader of the players?

Brian Gionta should be prepared to hand over the C to someone like Gorges, whose nickname is “The Boss” and does the dirty work, blocking shots and breaking up fights at practice. After going undrafted and being criticized for his size and strength, Gorges has worked himself into NHL shape and earned the respect of the fans.

Back to Therrien: There’s no doubt he is fiery, and his passion has led him to throw his players under the team bus before. In Pittsburgh, he infamously declared in a media scrum that he thought his Penguins wanted to be the “worst defensive squad in the league.”

For his part, Therrien says he is a better coach now and has learned his lessons, but Habs management has to be aware this is a high-risk strategy which may not necessarily yield a high reward. Therrien has to work hard to gain the trust and support of his players. Being an effective leader and building a positive chemistry within a team is always easier said than done.

Nonetheless, the club needs a coach, and the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge has made its decision: it will be Mike Therrien, Mark 2. It shouldn’t take long to figure out if, with this choice, the franchise has gone back to the future… or forward into the past.