Nov 29, 2021; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme during a press conference before the game against Vancouver Canucks at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
The Montreal Canadiens fired head coach Dominique Ducharme on Wednesday afternoon.
He led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final last season, but Montreal has the NHL’s worst record this season.
Ducharme, 48, leaves with a 23-46-14 record that includes an 8-30-7 mark in 2021-22. The Canadiens’ 7-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night was their seventh straight and 13th in their last 14 games.
“We would like to sincerely thank Dominique for his work and contributions to the Montreal Canadiens organization,” general manager Kent Hughes said. “At this point in the season, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to make a change.”
Ducharme took over as interim coach after the firing of Claude Julien last February and was formally named the head coach in July.
During its 2021 playoff run, Montreal knocked off the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights to capture the Eastern Conference title and reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993. The Canadiens lost in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Canadiens plan to announce their next head coach later Wednesday.
The team said its assistant coaches would remain with the club. That group includes Alex Burrows, Eric Gravel, Mario Leblanc, Trevor Letowski, Eric Raymond and Luke Richardson.
–Field Level Media