Montreal — The Montreal Canadiens fired coach Dominique Ducharme on Wednesday and made Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis the interim coach of the team with the NHL's worst record.
Ducharme was dismissed after Montreal began its season with a dismal 8-30-7 record for a league-worst 23 points. The 48-year-old's last game was a 7-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, Montreal's seventh straight defeat. The team has yet to post back-to-back wins this season.
The Canadiens went 23-46-14 in 83 regular-season games under Ducharme and 13-6 in postseason play, making the Stanley Cup Final last season for the first time since winning their 24th and last Stanley Cup in 1993.