by Dakota Antelman
Late Sunday night the Bruins came to a contractual agreement with their head coach, Claude Julian. The deal will keep the long tenured Boston boss with the team for at least the next three seasons.
In eight seasons with the team, Julian has gone 310 and 163. He has led Boston to seven straight playoff berths and two Stanley Cup Final appearances. Furthermore, his leading the team to their 2011 Stanley Cup victory was the first time such a thing had happened in Boston for 39 years.
As a result of the success his team has had under his rule, Julian has earned team wide respect and loyalty.
"We have worked at this for a few months, but there was never any doubt in my mind that this would get done," Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said in a statement today. "Claude is one of the top coaches in the NHL and has consistently shown a passion for winning through his coaching.”
Julian has developed a “pass-first” mantra that he has in turn passed onto his players. Under him, the Bruins have consistently been one of the NHL’s top 10 teams in terms of goal scoring. Furthermore, the team has balanced their offensive abilities with defensive prowess. The latter is reflected by two the Norris trophy nominations for Bruins captain Zdeno Chara as well as the pair of Selke Trophy wins for defensive forward Patrice Bergeron.
“Coaching is a difficult profession at the best of times and what Claude does in implementing structure in his systems, and having a solid defensive foundation while allowing freedom in offensive play is no easy task,” Chiarelli said later in his statement.
This extension is Julian’s third in the Bruins organization. As with the other two extensions, Jullian’s actual salary has not and will not be disclosed.
Needless to say, the Bruins are willing to keep their coach at any cost. Up and down the lineup and beyond, his work is recognized.
"He's a great coach, obviously," said Bruins forward Brad Marchand. "His record shows it, and he really makes it easy out there.”
Marchand has improved statistically in each new season under Julian and is now among the Bruins top goal scorers. He is one of the biggest stories of Julian managed player development.
“He's always working with guys and trying to improve players' game,” Marchand said. “I get along with him really well, and we have a good working and personal relationship, so it's been great."
The Bruins are appreciative of how Julian has managed their team’s day to day proceedings. They understand what good things he has brought to Boston, both material and conceptual, and are a big reason why Julian has since climbed close to the likes of Mike Babcock for the title of longest tenured coach in hockey.
“We've had success, and it didn't take too long to get his system going, and it's paid off over the years,” said Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask. “If that's the case, that's he's going to be here longer, it's good for the Bruins."
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