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Michel Therrien on end of his ‘thankless task’ in Montreal

Greg Wyshynski

Michel Therrien has collected himself after being fired by the Montreal Canadiens, to the point where he could release his first statement on the matter.

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Here’s Therrien, on being replaced by Claude Julien this week:

I would first like to thank the Montreal Canadiens organization, especially Geoff Molson and Marc Bergevin, for the experience of five remarkable years. The Montreal Canadiens have always been a great organization, and recent events in no way change my perception of the team and its management.

Being an NHL coach is a tough job: it is gratifying on many levels but it can also quickly become a thankless task. When a team is experiencing difficulties, any head coach knows his job is on the line. I understand and accept this reality.

I would like to thank fans in Montreal and across Quebec, as well as members of the media. I also salute the coaches and staff I have worked with over the years and, above all, the many players whom I had the privilege of coaching.

I leave with my head held high: I am very proud of the work accomplished over the past five years. The current team can aspire to great honours, and I wish my colleague Claude Julien every success in the future.

Very classy, very dignified, and no doubt very difficult for a coach whom his general manager said was fighting to keep his job until the very end.

It’ll be interesting to see what his next steps are. Therrien has some stellar points on his résumé: 406-303-82 with 23 ties, and six playoff rounds won in his last four playoff appearances with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Canadiens.

Now granted, give any coach what he had in Pittsburgh and they can win – hell, that’s pretty much what happened with Dan Bylsma. And give any coach an in-his-prime Carey Price, and they do the same in Montreal – and look what happened last year when Therrien didn’t have him.

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He feels like a coach with another stop in him, even if his next gig won’t have the same foot-in-the-door opportunity that being a bilingual former Habs coach gave him in Montreal when he was hired for a second stint.

Please recall after he was fired in Pittsburgh, Therrien scouted for the Minnesota Wild and did some television work.

Maybe that’s the path again, until someone needs a coach with his gravitas, demeanor and regular-season results.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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