In a stunning move, the Boston Bruins have fired head coach Claude Julien on Tuesday morning after more than a decade behind the B’s bench.
#NHLBruins relieve Claude Julien of coaching duties: https://t.co/t6zczxyE0X
— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 7, 2017
In his 10th season with the Bruins, Julien is widely-regarded as one of the best coaches in the NHL. The 56-year-old has never had a losing season during his tenure, guiding Boston to a Stanley Cup win in 2010-2011 and another finals appearance in 2012-13. He’s done nothing but win and make his team competitive.
Boston decided to move on from Julien after struggling to rise above the .500 mark, winning just 26 of their first 55 games, placing them in the thick of battle for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The move is, unfortunately, reactionary by general manager Don Sweeney. The Bruins have struggled, but by no means was it Julien’s fault. In fact, he was maximizing the Bruins effort and giving them a chance to win every night.
Under Julien’s guidance, the Bruins have posted a league-best 55.8 percent Corsi, which measures shot attempts at even strength. Boston consistently outshot their opponents five-on-five, with an absurd +7.5 shots per sixty minutes. The Bruins’ downfall wasn’t poor coaching, but bad luck. With that kind of differential, you’d expect goals by the bunches. But, an onslaught of shots didn’t turn into goals. The Bruins sit dead last in the NHL with a six percent even-strength shooting percentage. The Bruins are also last with a 96.7 PDO, which is a good indicator of luck. Bruins goaltending has also nose-dived, which also isn’t necessarily Julien’s fault.
Teams that often shoot such a low even-strength shooting percentage often see the number uptick eventually. Shooting six percent over a full season is damn near impossible. It wasn’t a matter of if the Bruins were going to score, but when. Julien did everything right to prepare his team to win. The Bruins outplayed opponents on a regular basis. They just didn’t reap the rewards of doing so.
Boston is undoubtedly a talented team who should be higher in the standings. The fact they’re not there is not due to Julien’s lack of trying. He made the Bruins a competitive, well-coached team each and every game. Regardless of the result, Boston was always tough to play against. Sweeney is panicking and decided to make Julien a scapegoat. It’s a bad decision. There’s no replacing Julien. Interim head coach Butch Cassidy will have a tough job replicating his predecessor’s success.
Julien, meanwhile, will be out of coaching for as long as he wants to be. He’s one of the best, if not the best, in the league. He won’t be unemployed long. The Bruins will regret the decision.
