“Bonjour mes amis, je suis contente de revenir avec les Canadiens” – Kirk Muller starts his press conference with French.
— Sean Coleman (@SColemanCTV) June 3, 2016
It turns out that it was Michel Therrien who first reached out to Kirk Muller, which can only be seen as an encouraging move by the head coach.
“I had plenty of teams call. Then I got a call from Michel. We had a really long chat. He excited me about what was going on.” – Muller
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) June 3, 2016
“I am such a better coach right now than when I left Montreal” – Kirk Muller
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 3, 2016
“I just coached under one of the best coaches in the history of the NHL” – Kirk Muller
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 3, 2016
Therrien says he spoke to Muller yesterday morning, then told Bergevin “Make sure you close the deal.” Was done the same afternoon.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 3, 2016
Muller on leadership: “It’s not about one person anymore. What you see if a bond among real guys. It’s about the strength of the room”
— Sean Coleman (@SColemanCTV) June 3, 2016
Therrien told assistants about Muller hire yesterday and will meet with them next week to discuss changes in responsibilities.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 3, 2016
Muller said he had some head coach opportunities. Didn’t pursue them because he wanted to come to Montreal.
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) June 3, 2016
“I’m very comfortable right now with not being the head coach” – Kirk Muller
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 3, 2016
“He’s a great communicator and a leader. The fact that he had success here in the past helps too.” – Therrien on why they hired Muller
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) June 3, 2016
“I was never a free agent as a hockey player on July 1. Now I know what they go through.” – Kirk Muller #GoHabsGo
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 3, 2016
“Working with Michel and the staff, working with the PP, and the forwards fulfills me right now.I’m excited about it” Kirk Muller #GoHabsGo
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 3, 2016
Subban already called Muller to welcome him back to Montreal
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 3, 2016
“P.K. is a great player. I see a player with the capabilities to be one of the top defenceman in the game. P.K. is in that group” – Muller
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) June 3, 2016
Therrien : “Je ne voulais pas ajouter quelqu’un juste pour ajouter, mais quand Kirk est devenu disponible, nous voulions l’avoir”
— Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) June 3, 2016
#Habs: ” Quand j’ai vu l’occasion d’attirer un Kirk Muller, je voulais être en avant de la parade, pas en arrière. ” – Michel Therrien
— J-F Chaumont (@JFChaumontJDM) June 3, 2016
Kirk Muller says he began learning French when he was Habs captain. “The problem was I got traded.”
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 3, 2016
Muller says the powerplay needs more east-west passing, and creativity.
A man after my own heart!
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) June 3, 2016
Muller says the hire was very much positioned as bringing him in to work as a team. They want to change. This just gets more encouraging
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) June 3, 2016
No matter how you slice it, this is a very encouraging hire for the Canadiens. Michel Therrien identified weaknesses in his coaching, and asked for help.
There’s no guarantee that Muller will right the ship, but this is a great first step. The team needed a power play specialist, new blood on the coaching staff, and a good communicator. Muller checks all those very important boxes.
