One guy who knows quite a bit about new-old Montreal head coach Michel Therrien is Predators defenseman Francis Bouillon.
Bouillon played for Therrien in junior hockey in Granby as well as for the Canadiens during Therrien’s first stint in Montreal. He tells Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette just what the current iteration of Canadiens can expect from Therrien as a coach.
“It’s going to be team first,” he said. “He’s going to give a lot to the guys who work their ass off. He doesn’t like the lazy guys or the guys who think they have good skills and they don’t have to work. He likes the rough game, and if you don’t play rough or don’t show up and want to win, he’s going to play somebody else.
“He’s pretty intense in everything he does ... he wants to win,” Bouillon added. “He was my pick (for Canadiens coach). He’s got character, and I think right now what they need to bring that team back on the right track is a coach who has character and who’s going to put all the boys together and believe in his team.”
What’s the French word for “slacker?” You get a picture of Therrien being like Mr. Strickland in “Back To The Future” with that kind of toughness. With that sort of intensity you can understand why things went the way they did for him in Pittsburgh and why Montreal could prove to be a fascinating team to watch next season.