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Habs’ coach defends decision to cut Leblanc

Montreal Canadiens Introduce Michel Therrien As New Head Coach

BROSSARD, CANADA - JUNE 5: Michel Therrien speaks to members of the media after being introduced as the new Head Coach of the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell SportsPlex on June 5, 2012 in Brossard, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

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With all due respect to Louis Leblanc’s girlfriend, Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien had good reason to include Leblanc in the team’s first group of cuts.

“He came into camp with a good attitude and he was in better shape, but we know Louis Leblanc and we wanted to get to know some of the other players better,” Therrien said Wednesday, per the Montreal Gazette.

Leblanc’s girlfriend, Canadian tennis player Aleksandra Wozniak, was so upset her boyfriend was cut after such a short time that she took to Twitter to rip the organization. (She’s since deleted those tweets.)

Christian Thomas and Sebastien Collberg are two players Therrien wants to get a better look at, according to the Gazette.

Leblanc was the 18th overall pick in the 2009 draft. The 22-year-old will start the 2013-14 season in the AHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs, for whom he had just 18 points in 62 games last season.