Montreal Canadiens fire head coach Dominique Ducharme, name Martin St. Louis as interim coach

Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme has been relieved of his duties amid a disastrous season so far for the team, with Martin St. Louis taking over as interim coach.

The Habs made the official announcement Wednesday afternoon.

Team general manager Kent Hughes confirmed the news of Ducharme's firing after the coach was officially told earlier Wednesday, according to a statement from the NHL.

A few hours later, the team announced that Martin St. Louis, who won the Stanley Cup during an exceptional playing career with the Tampa Bay Lightning, has been named to take over in Ducharme's stead for now.

In another follow-up tweet, the Habs thanked Ducharme for leading the team to its first playoff final in nearly three decades.

In a statement, Hughes also thanked the outgoing coach, simply saying a change is needed.

"We would like to sincerely thank Dominique for his work and contributions to the Montreal Canadiens organization. At this point in the season, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to make a change," said Hughes, according to the NHL release.

For now, the rest of the team's coaching roster remains in place, the statement said.

"The status of assistant coaches Alex Burrows, Éric Gravel, Mario Leblanc, Trevor Letowski, Éric Raymond and Luke Richardson remains unchanged."

Ducharme, 48, was named interim head coach a year ago, in February 2021, after previous head coach Claude Julien was also shown the door.

In his year at the helm, the league wrote, "Ducharme registered a 23-46-14 record in 83 regular season games at the helm of the Canadiens. In the playoffs, he posted a 13-6 record in 19 games."

DOGGED BY ABSENCES, LAST IN THE LEAGUE

In the playoff run this summer, of course, the team managed its first appearance in the Stanley Cup final since 1993.

However, this season things haven't gone nearly so well. The team has had a very rough few months, hampered in part by recurring and long-term player absences for COVID-19 and other reasons, including star goalie Carey Price taking several months off for health concerns.

Montreal is currently last in the league, posting a dismal 8-30-7 record so far, for 23 points.

The Habs lost 7-1 to New Jersey on Tuesday and have given up 33 goals in losing their last five games. They have lost seven straight, including two in overtime, and 13 of their last 14 (with four OT losses).

"Nobody likes to lose," Ducharme said after the Tuesday game. "Guys' intentions are there. Within the game, there are moments where you need to bounce back and we need to do a better job of that."

Despite the heights it reached just months before, the team entered this season with a watered-down roster that had lost centres Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Philip Danault in free agency, along with the absence of Price.

Captain Shea Weber, who is on the long-term injury reserve list with a foot/ankle injury, is also away from the ice and not expected to return.

Since then, Ducharme hasn't been able to get enough out of his team.

Notably, Nick Suzuki, who signed an eight-year contract extension worth US$63 million before the season, has 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) through 45 games.

Cole Caufield, who impressed tremendously when called up as a rookie last season, has just eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 30 appearances.

Ducharme isn't the first team leader to pay the price for the awful season. The Habs opened the season with five straight losses, and GM Marc Bergevin was fired Nov. 28 with the team struggling at 6-15-2.

Ducharme became the permanent head coach just seven months ago, after being interim coach through the end of last season. He agreed to an extension through the 2023-24 season on July 13. 

Originally from Joliette, he served as the Habs' assistant coach for two seasons before being named head coach. He first joined the coaching roster in spring 2018, according to the NHL's official biography for him.

Before that, he spent 10 years coaching in the QMJHL junior league, much of it with the Halifax Mooseheads during a historic winning streak for that team.

He spent 15 years as a player in Quebec and France.

ST. LOUIS A 'PROVEN WINNER,' SAYS HUGHES

New interim coach St. Louis, age 46 and originally from Laval, is a Hall of Famer who spent a decade and a half with the Lightning, serving as its captain in 2013-2014 and winning the Cup in 2004.

He's scheduled to speak to media on Thursday morning about his plans for the Habs.

"We are very happy to welcome Martin to the Canadiens organization," said Hughes in a statement.

"Not only are we adding an excellent hockey man, but with Martin we are bringing in a proven winner and a man whose competitive qualities are recognized by all who have crossed his path."

St. Louis scored 391 goals and added 642 assists for a total of 1,033 points in 1,134 games in his 16 years in the league.

He played with the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the New York Rangers. 

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 12, 2018.

--With files from The Canadian Press