When Claude Julien was hired last February, many long-suffering Montreal Canadiens fans released years of pent-up angst. To them, Julien’s arrival (and the departure of Michel Therrien) meant freedom from “off-the-glass-and-out”; from dump-and-chase hockey; from “we’re a grinding team, just accept it!”
After all, Julien’s Boston Bruins were known for combining size and skill during the better part of a decade spent near the top of the former Northeast Division. They may have never been mistaken for having flair, but the Big Bad Bruins had efficiency and structure; something sorely lacking in Therrien’s Canadiens.