Claude Julien (ice hockey)
Claude Julien | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 23, 1960 Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player (former), coach |
| Years active | 1984–1986 (player), 1997–present (coach) |
| Known for | NHL head coach, Stanley Cup champion coach with Boston Bruins (2011) |
Claude Julien (born April 23, 1960) is a Canadian former ice hockey player and current professional coach, serving as an assistant coach for the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League (NHL). Before his 2017 departure from the Boston Bruins, he held the distinction of being the NHL's longest-standing head coach. Julien's coaching career also includes leading the New Jersey Devils in the NHL and the Hamilton Bulldogs in the American Hockey League (AHL). He directed the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, capturing the franchise’s sixth championship by defeating the Vancouver Canucks in a seven-game series. In 2013, he once again brought Boston to the Finals, where they were defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.
In addition to his club coaching roles, Julien has worked as both an assistant and head coach for Team Canada.
Playing career
As a youth, Julien took part in the 1972 and 1973 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments representing a minor hockey team from Gloucester, Ontario.
He played as a defenseman in the NHL for the Quebec Nordiques during the 1984–85 and 1985–86 seasons.
Prior to reaching the NHL level, Julien spent six seasons competing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Oshawa Generals and Windsor Spitfires. His professional playing tenure also featured time in various leagues: in the Central Hockey League (CHL) with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles; in the International Hockey League (IHL) with Kansas City Blades and Milwaukee Admirals; and within the AHL for Fredericton Express, Baltimore Skipjacks, Halifax Citadels, and Moncton Hawks.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1977–78 | Newmarket Flyers | OPJHL | 45 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 137 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Oshawa Generals | OMJHL | 11 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1978–79 | Oshawa Generals | OMJHL | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Windsor Spitfires | OMJHL | 40 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Windsor Spitfires | OMJHL | 68 | 14 | 37 | 51 | 148 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 23 | ||
| 1980–81 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Port Huron Flags | IHL | 77 | 15 | 40 | 55 | 153 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1981–82 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 70 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 134 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 76 | 14 | 47 | 61 | 176 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | |||
| 1983–84 IHL season | Milwaukee Admirals | IHL | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Fredericton Express | American Hockey League (AHL) | 57 | 7 | 22 | 29 | 58 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | |||
| 1984–85 NHL season | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| IHL totals !136 !22 !59 !81 !198 !4 !1 !1 !2 !4 | ||||||||||||||
| CHL totals !148 !18 !65 !83 !310 !11 !4 !7 !11 !16 | ||||||||||||||
| AHL totals !469 !40 !206 !246 !472 !44 !9 !14 !23 !83 | ||||||||||||||
| NHL totals !14 !0 !1 !1 !25 !— !— !— !— !— | ||||||||||||||
QMJHL coaching career
Julien launched his coaching profession in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Hull Olympiques, capturing the Memorial Cup in 1997. Between 2000 and 2003, he served as head coach for the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs, the primary minor league affiliate of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens.
In 2000, Julien guided the Canadian junior team to a bronze medal as their head coach and later assisted Marc Habscheid during the 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.
Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils
On January 17, 2003, Julien was appointed head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. During the 2003–04 campaign, he led Montreal to accumulate 93 points (41–30–7–4) and advance to the second round of the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs. His tenure concluded on January 14, 2006, when GM Bob Gainey replaced him; his overall record over three seasons stood at 72–62–10–15.
Julien took over as head coach of the New Jersey Devils on June 13, 2006, becoming their fifteenth in franchise history. He secured a win in his inaugural game on October 6, 2006, with a 4–0 triumph over reigning champions Carolina Hurricanes. On November 4, he returned to Montreal and led the Devils to a 2–1 victory. Despite posting an impressive 47–24–8 record that topped the Atlantic Division and tied for second in the Eastern Conference, GM Lou Lamoriello dismissed him abruptly on April 2, 2007, with only three games left. Lamoriello cited doubts about the team's playoff preparedness despite near-record performance and assumed interim coaching duties for the remainder of the season. The Devils were subsequently eliminated by the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Boston Bruins
On June 22, 2007, Julien was named as the Boston Bruins’ 28th head coach. In his debut season with Boston, he steered the team back into playoff contention despite injuries sidelining key players such as forward Patrice Bergeron and goaltender Manny Fernandez. The Bruins exited in seven games during the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against Montreal.
Julien reached his milestone 200th NHL coaching victory on February 17, 2009, following a commanding 5–1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. He was honored with the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year after the 2008–09 season.
During the 2010 postseason, Boston became only the third NHL franchise to lose a best-of-seven series after holding a 3–0 lead, falling to the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games. The absence of crucial players including David Krejčí, Marco Sturm, and goaltender Tim Thomas played a significant role in this result.
In the 2010–11 season, Julien guided Boston to secure third place and achieve a first-round playoff victory over Montreal in a seven-game series. They then swept Philadelphia in the Conference Semifinals and defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games to reach their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1990. Facing top-seeded Vancouver Canucks, Boston lost Games 1 and 2 but responded with dominant performances including an 8–1 rout and a shutout win of 4–0. Ultimately, they claimed their sixth Stanley Cup championship by winning Game 7 with a score of 4–0 on June 15, 2011.
Prior to the 2011 playoffs, Julien’s record in Game 7 situations was one win against three losses; by winning three Game 7s that year, he improved his tally to four wins and three losses. Additionally, he surpassed former coach Don Cherry for most playoff victories by a Bruins coach with a total of 33 wins.
In the course of the 2011–12 regular season, Julien achieved key milestones including his 200th regular-season win as Boston’s head coach. He also led Team Chara to triumph in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game and reached his 400th game behind Boston’s bench with an emphatic 8–0 victory over Toronto.
However, during the 2012 postseason, Boston was eliminated early after losing a seven-game series to the Washington Capitals, bringing Julien’s Game 7 record to an even four wins and four losses. Despite this setback, he secured a multi-year contract extension.
In the lockout-shortened 2012–13 campaign, Julien steered Boston to their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance within three years. The Bruins overcame a historic comeback by Toronto in an overtime Game 7 before dispatching New York and sweeping Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference Finals. Ultimately, they fell to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.
During the 2013–14 regular season, Julien’s Bruins earned the prestigious Presidents' Trophy awarded for having the best regular-season record.
The following year, in the 2014–15 season, marked Boston’s first failure to reach playoffs under Julien’s leadership. Nevertheless, newly appointed GM Don Sweeney confirmed that Julien would continue as head coach for the subsequent season.
On February 13, 2016, Julien celebrated his milestone of achieving his 500th NHL win while coaching Boston. Just weeks later on March 3, he equaled franchise coaching wins leader Art Ross with his 387th victory and surpassed Ross four days thereafter with his 388th win—making him Boston’s all-time leader in coaching victories.
Julien’s tenure concluded on February 7, 2017, when he was relieved from coaching duties after compiling a total of 419 regular-season wins as Bruins head coach.
Return to Montreal
On February 14, 2017, Julien was appointed as the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, marking his second tenure with the franchise and succeeding Michel Therrien.
Julien reached a milestone by achieving his 100th victory as Canadiens coach on November 30, 2017, when Montreal defeated the Detroit Red Wings 6–3.
During the 2020 Eastern Conference First Round, after a defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers, Julien was hospitalized due to chest pains unrelated to COVID-19. Associate head coach Kirk Muller assumed coaching responsibilities for the remainder of the playoff series. On August 13, Julien underwent a coronary stent implantation and subsequently returned to Montreal to recuperate; General Manager Marc Bergevin indicated that Julien’s return before the conclusion of the series was unlikely.
On February 6, 2021, Julien secured his 200th win as head coach of the Canadiens with a 2–1 triumph over the Ottawa Senators.
Both Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller were dismissed from their coaching positions by Montreal on February 24, 2021.
St. Louis Blues
On June 27, 2024, Doug Armstrong, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the St. Louis Blues, announced that Julien would join the team as an assistant coach for the 2024-2025 season.
Team Canada
Julien contributed as an assistant coach for the Canada men's national ice hockey team during the 2014 Winter Olympics, playing a role in securing the gold medal. He continued in this capacity at the 2016 World Cup, assisting Canada in winning the tournament.
Initially designated as head coach for Team Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Julien suffered fractured ribs in January 2022 during training in Switzerland. Jeremy Colliton took over coaching duties for the opening game until Julien was able to return.
Personal life
Julien and his wife Karen have one daughter and currently reside in Ottawa, Ontario. Their previous residences include Red Bank, New Jersey and Lexington, Massachusetts. Raised in Ottawa's Orléans suburb, Julien is fluent in both French and English.
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | W | L | Win% | Result | |||
| MTL | 2002–03 | 36 | 12 | 16 | 3 | 5 | (77) | 4th in Northeast | — | — | — | Missed playoffs | |
| MTL | 2003–04 | 82 | 41 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 93 | 4th in Northeast | 4 | 7 | Template:Winpct | Lost in Conference semifinals (TBL) | |
| MTL | 2005–06 | 41 | 19 | 16 | — | 6 | (93) | (fired) | — | — | — | — | |
| MTL total | 159 | 72 | 62 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 7 | Template:Winpct | |||||
| NJD | 2006–07 | 79 | 49 | 24 | — | 9 | (107) | (fired) | — | — | — | — | |
| NJD total | 79 | 49 | 24 | — | 9 | — | — | — | |||||
| BOS | 2007–08 | 82 | 41 | 29 | — | 12 | 94 | 3rd in Northeast | 3 | 4 | Template:Winpct | Lost in Conference quarterfinals (MTL) | |
| BOS | 2008–09 | 82 | 53 | 19 | — | 10 | 116 | 1st in Northeast | 7 | 4 | Template:Winpct | Lost in Conference semifinals (CAR) | |
| BOS | 2009–10 | 82 | 39 | 30 | — | 13 | 91 | 3rd in Northeast | 7 | 6 | Template:Winpct | Lost in Conference semifinals (PHI) | |
| BOS | 2010–11 | 82 | 46 | 25 | — | 11 | 103 | 1st in Northeast | 16 | 9 | Template:Winpct | Won Stanley Cup (VAN) | |
| BOS | 2011–12 | 82 | 49 | 29 | — | 4 | 102 | 1st in Northeast | 3 | 4 | Template:Winpct | Lost in Conference quarterfinals (WSH) | |
| BOS | 2012–13 | 48 | 28 | 14 | — | 6 | 62 | 2nd in Northeast | 14 | 8 | Template:Winpct | Lost in Stanley Cup Finals (CHI) | |
| BOS | 2013–14 | 82 | 54 | 19 | —9 | 117 | 1st in Atlantic | 7 | 5 | Template:Winpct | Lost in second round (MTL) | ||
| 82 | 41 | 27 | — | 14 | 96 | 5th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed playoffs | |||
| 82 | 42 | 31 | — | 9 | 93 | 4th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed playoffs | |||
| 55 | 26 | 23 | — | 6 | (58) | (fired) | — | — | — | — | |||
| MTL | 2016–17 | 24 | 16 | 7 | — | 1 | (33) | 1st in Atlantic | 2 | 4 | Template:Winpct | Lost first round (NYR) | |
| 82 | 29 | 40 | — | 13 | 71 | 6th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed playoffs | |||
| 82 | 44 | 30 | — | 8 | 96 | 4th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed playoffs | |||
| MTL | 2019–20 | 71 | 31 | 31 | — | 9 | 71 | 5th in Atlantic | 5 | 5 | Template:Winpct | Lost first round (PHI) | |
| 18 | 9 | 5 | — | 4 | (22) | (fired) | — | — | — | ||||
See also
External links
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- 1960 births
- Living people
- Baltimore Skipjacks players
- Boston Bruins coaches
- Canada men's national ice hockey team coaches
- Canadian emigrants to the United States
- Canadian ice hockey coaches
- Canadian ice hockey defencemen
- Franco-Ontarian people
- Fredericton Express players
- Halifax Citadels players
- Hull Olympiques coaches
- Ice hockey coaches at the 2022 Winter Olympics
- Ice hockey people from Middlesex County, Massachusetts
- Ice hockey people from Ontario
- Jack Adams Award winners
- Moncton Hawks players
- Montreal Canadiens coaches
- New Jersey Devils coaches
- Oshawa Generals players
- People from Algoma District
- Port Huron Flags (IHL) players
- Quebec Nordiques players
- 20th-century Canadian sportsmen
- Stanley Cup champions
- Stanley Cup championship–winning head coaches
- Undrafted National Hockey League players
- Windsor Spitfires players