Reports say Julien is Bruins' choice
Yesterday afternoon, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said he had four coaching prospects in mind, with one candidate leading the pack.
"I think I've got a guy in mind," said Chiarelli. "I'll probably talk to them again, but we've done our homework."
Last night, Chiarelli apparently made up his mind. According to Canadian hockey website The Fourth Period, Claude Julien will be hired as the 28th coach of the Bruins, succeeding Dave Lewis.
Efforts to reach Chiarelli after the report was posted were unsuccessful, but team spokesman Matt Chmura said, "The official word from the team is no comment -- and we have no plans for an announcement [today]."
Later in the evening, TSN.ca and sportsnet.ca also reported that Julien has been given the job and would be named today.
Chiarelli and Julien have a relationship that dates back to the Boston GM's days at Harvard. Chiarelli, an Ottawa native, returned to his hometown during the summer and skated with a group of pros that included Julien. When Chiarelli became an Ottawa-based agent, he sent clients to conditioning clinics that Julien held in the area.
The 47-year-old Julien was most recently coach of the New Jersey Devils, failing to last a full season. He was hired on June 13, 2006, but fired by GM Lou Lamoriello April 2, 2007, with three regular-season games remaining. The Devils were 47-24-8 at the time and atop the Atlantic Division.
Julien was fired a day after the Devils scored a 3-1 win over the Bruins at
"Great profession, isn't it?" said Lewis at the time.
Before working for the Devils, Julien coached the Montreal Canadiens . He was hired by Montreal on Jan. 17, 2003, to replace Michel Therrien. The Canadiens went 12-21-3 under Julien that season.
In 2003-04, the Julien-coached Canadiens bounced the Bruins, who won the Northeast Division that year, in the first round of the playoffs. In 2005-06, after 41 games, Julien (19-16-6 at the time) was fired by Canadiens GM Bob Gainey.
Prior to his time in the NHL, Julien coached the Hamilton Bulldogs, Montreal's AHL affiliate, for two-plus seasons. His AHL clubs included several current Canadiens, including forwards Michael Ryder and Tomas Plekanec and defenseman Mike Komisarek.
Yesterday, Chiarelli emphasized that success in player development was a crucial component of his next coach's résumé. The Bruins have a number of returning youngsters -- Phil Kessel, Brandon Bochenski, Chuck Kobasew, Stanislav Chistov, Andrew Alberts, Dennis Wideman -- who are being counted on to increase their production.
"That's important. That's important," Chiarelli said of his hire having development experience. "We do have existing young players and some players in Providence that are close. That's important. There has to be a track record there."
Julien, who coached Patrice Bergeron during the 2006 World Championship, would take over a club that battled inconsistency under Lewis in his one year here. While Chiarelli wanted an aggressive approach, starting with the team's forecheck, the team often sat back and played a conservative style.
In New Jersey, Julien orchestrated the Devils' signature trap, keeping a leash on his forwards. The Devils averaged only 2.51 goals per game, a lower output than even the goal-starved Bruins (2.56).
However, the Devils, in large part because of Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Martin Brodeur, allowed 2.40 goals, the fourth-lowest average in the NHL. Conversely, the Bruins gave up 3.48 goals per game. Since the end of the season, Chiarelli has preached the importance of lowering the team's goals-against average. He has also emphasized the need for a coach who will hold players accountable.
"I need a guy who is going to make sure that the players execute fully their tasks on the ice -- through defensive and offensive systems, specialty teams," Chiarelli said. "And a guy who's going to make them accountable. It's a hard task to balance. You have to make someone accountable, but you still have to go to the rink every day with them."
By hiring Julien, Chiarelli will bypass ex-Bruin Mike Milbury as well as Scott Gordon, who's under contract for two more years (plus a club option) in Providence. Yesterday, Gordon said he hadn't had any contact with Chiarelli since Lewis's firing Friday. Gordon, however, may be under consideration for the Boston assistant position left vacant after the firing of Marc Habscheid.
Julien's hiring may have been accelerated by the upheaval in Ottawa. The Senators fired GM John Muckler yesterday and promoted coach Bryan Murray to the front office, leaving a vacancy behind the bench. Julien was born in Orleans, Ontario, (just east of Ottawa) and makes his offseason home in nearby Kanata, and could have been on the Senators' wish list.
Asked yesterday afternoon if Ottawa's search could affect Boston's, Chiarelli said, "Sure, that could be the case."
One of Chiarelli's goals was to hire a coach by July 1, the opening of free agency.
Yesterday, executive vice president Charlie Jacobs emphasized that hiring the coach was strictly Chiarelli's decision.
"I know it will work," Jacobs said. "I have faith that Peter will make it work."
Kevin Paul Dupont of the Globe staff contributed to this report. 