The Montreal Canadiens announced on Tuesday afternoon that they’ve signed Head Coach Dominque Ducharme to remain as bench boss on a three-year contract extension. Earning $1.7 million annually, Ducharme becomes the first interim head coach to later be named to the team’s full-time position.
Ducharme Becomes 31st Head Coach Of The Canadiens
This is the right move for the Montreal Canadiens moving forward for many reasons. His resume includes prior head coaching experience, as he spent 10 years in the QMJHL between the Halifax Mooseheads and Drummondville Voltigeurs. In 2013, Ducharme, while guiding the Mooseheads, won both the President’s Cup and a Memorial Cup championship. He was also named as the league’s Coach of the Year. A native of Joliette, Quebec, he also spent two years coaching Canada U-18 team, as he led them to a silver medal in 2017 and a gold medal in 2018. Prior to being named interim head coach, he spent two years as assistant in Montreal under Claude Julien.
Ducharme took over the team on February 24th and earned a 15-16-7 record in the final 38 games, which was good enough to sneak the Canadiens into the postseason. The Habs would then find their way into the Stanley Cup Finals, however, he tested positive for COVID-19 in the Western Conference Finals and wouldn’t return until Game 3 of the finals. Despite falling to Tampa Bay in five games, Montreal has a bright future ahead of them, and with Ducharme named the guy to lead the way, I expect nothing but high expectations for this team moving forward.