Casually, former Montreal Canadiens pilot Claude Julien will work behind the bench for a fifth time as part of an outdoor National Hockey League (NHL) game on Tuesday, and he will once again appreciate this unique type of experience.
• Also read: Jonathan Toews does not close the door to a return to play
• Also read: Winter classic: memories of Quebec for Bedard
Today assistant to the head coach of the St. Louis Blues, Jim Montgomery, the 64-year-old Franco-Ontarian has a long track record that attests to his long career in various respects. He led outdoor matches on four occasions, including the precursor match to these duels presented in the cold of winter: on November 22, 2003, Julien led the Habs to a 4-3 victory against the Oilers during the Heritage Classic. held at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.
The instructor also led the Boston Bruins to victory at Fenway Park against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010, but suffered defeat at the hands of CH six years later at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Then, in his second stay at the helm of the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge, he saw it lose to the Ottawa Senators at TD Place during the NHL 100 Classic.
In short, the veteran will find himself in familiar territory when the Blues face the Chicago Blackhawks at the legendary Wrigley Field, on TVA Sports, from 5 p.m.
“This is a unique situation, but first and foremost, we should consider ourselves privileged. Not everyone has the opportunity to play an away game, in such symbolic baseball stadiums, he told the NHL website. [Je suis] privileged, lucky and grateful.”
Memories
Admitting to having preferred the 2010 game in Boston among his four previous games of the genre, Julien intends to accumulate the memories.
“I’ll be curious. I would like to watch everything. It’s the experience of a lifetime. Who knows if I’ll ever come back there? Maybe yes, but maybe no. So, you have to seize the opportunity when it presents itself. This is important, especially in this context. I will take photos, that’s for sure,” he admitted.
For his part, Montgomery did not expect to find himself at the home of the Cubs at the end of December, since he was at the helm of the Bruins at the start of the season; they fired him in November, and the Blues hired him shortly after.
“I’ll touch the ivy if they’re there,” said the man who attended four Cardinals-Cubs games at this location. I will remember Andre Dawson’s circuits on Waveland Avenue when I look at these apartment buildings that have their own popular stands [sur le toit].»
