The Boston Bruins held a press conference today to discuss their disappointing 2015-16 season. For the second straight year, the Bruins were the last team to be eliminated from the postseason. Heads were going to roll, and many people thought that Head Coach Claude Julien would be on the hot seat.
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
This was not to be the case. Claude Julien’s presence with Bruins general manager Don Sweeney seemed to nix rumors that the Bruins were looking for a head coach. Sweeney ardently defended Boston’s all-time coaching win leader before the media earlier today.
I believe in Claude as a coach,” said Sweeney. “I think our core principles align very well from the defensive structure of the team, as well as what we see in individual players.”
“He’s never, ever wavered in the fact that this is the place he wants to be, and he’s ridden us up to the good time, and now we’re at a lower point, and we want to go back to the point where he knows he can get us,” Sweeney continued. “And I think that speaks volumes about him as a person, first of all, and my confidence in him as a coach.”
So Julien was safe. But someone was going to take the fall for the Bruins rough season. That person was assistant coach Doug Houda. It was announced earlier in the day that Houda was relieved of his coaching duties. Houda worked with the blueliners, and it was the gaps in the blueline that turned out to be the B’s Achilles heel.
So in essence the Bruins assistant coach that worked largely with the defensemen (Doug Houda) is taking the fall here in getting fired.
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) April 14, 2016
Houda spent ten years with the Bruins organization. Here is the rest of his resume’ courtesy of the Boston Bruins home site.
He came to the Bruins following three seasons as an assistant coach with the Rochester Americans, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The Amerks had a 125-86-16-13 record over his three seasons as an assistant coach, including a 51-19-4-6 record and a franchise-record of 112 points in 2004-05, which was the top record in the AHL that season.
The Alberta native was drafted by Detroit as their second pick, 28th overall, in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft and the defenseman enjoyed a 15-year career in the National Hockey League. He had 19-63=82 totals and 1,104 PIM in 561 career NHL games with Buffalo, Detroit, Hartford, NY Islanders, Los Angeles and Anaheim.
He also played over 500 games at the AHL level over his 17-year professional playing career. He joined the Amerks’ coaching staff upon his retirement as a player in 2003, spending his final playing season as the Rochester captain.
Claude Julien dodged a bullet this time. Don Sweeney told the media that this season’s failures were all on him. Now the Bruins need to focus on finding competent defenseman for their team.