Former Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien is back in National Hockey League (NHL) circles, as he will act as an associate instructor with the St. Louis Blues, they confirmed Thursday.
The 64-year-old will return to service after being sacked by the Habs in February 2021. The Franco-Ontarian has a long track record in the Bettman circuit, having led the Montreal team during two separate stays. He was also at the helm of the New Jersey Devils and the Boston Bruins, whom he led to the Stanley Cup in 2010-2011.
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Holder of a Jack-Adams trophy and having totaled 1,274 season games as an NHL driver, Julien will support driver Drew Bannister and his team. In addition, the Blues also promoted Steve Ott, who played briefly under Julien in 2017, to the position of associate coach.
In Missouri, the group of instructors in place will try to bring the club back to the playoffs. In 2023-24, the Blues missed the playoffs, finishing ninth in the Western Conference with 92 points. The campaign was rather turbulent, as Craig Berube lost his job mid-campaign, with Bannister initially replacing him on an interim basis. On May 8, general manager Doug Armstrong awarded a two-year contract to his current right-hand man behind the bench.
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