Dominique Ducharme still believes he’ll be an NHL head coach again

Dominique Ducharme’s time at the helm of the Habs was brief. In less than a year, he replaced Claude Julien, led the Habs to the Stanley Cup Final… and was fired.

All this at a time when COVID-19 was making things more complex for the NHL.

He was fired shortly after the new management arrived in town, but almost exactly a year ago, he was able to get back on his feet in Vegas, when Bruce Cassidy hired him as an assistant.

It was great news to see him get a new position on the Bettman circuit. That said, we suspected he’d eventually like to be a head coach again…

And today, speaking to RDS at his golf tournament, Ducharme admitted he still believes he’ll be an NHL head coach again.

He’s not necessarily in a hurry to do so, considering how well he’s doing in his current situation and doesn’t want to rush things, but he remains confident that he’ll have the chance to lead an NHL team again in the future.

Clearly, he’s not one of those coaches who has no intention of becoming a head coach again: the flame still seems to burn within him.

Ducharme also had a word to say about the hiring of Pascal Vincent, a guy who “suffered the same fate as he did”. Both were fired with the arrival of a new administration, but at least both were able to bounce back, whether as NHL assistants for Ducharme or as AHL head coaches for Vincent.

And in both cases, the timing was not unbelievable at the time of dismissal. We know that Ducharme was fired in the middle of the season, while Vincent was fired when the other 31 NHL teams had a coach in place for the coming season. Difficult to get back on your feet at the time, but he found an opportunity nonetheless.

We’ll see if a team offers Ducharme a job in the years to come, but remember that his name hasn’t exactly been circulating in recent months for the various positions to be filled.

Perhaps his candidacy could gain in popularity if his Golden Knights were to have a big 2024-25 season, though.

Overtime

– Michael Hage, a “surprisingly good” player.

What can #GoHabsGo fans expect from Michael Hage?@CraigJButton joins @TonyMarinaro to discuss the Montreal Canadiens’ 21st overall pick in this year’s draft

Full pod
Watch: https://t.co/MZiBnBFOXg
Listen: https://t.co/83NRsPK5cm#thesickpodcast pic.twitter.com/mHdMmYEE9q

– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) July 18, 2024

– Indeed.

Alex Ovechkin since the all-star break:

– 22g | 12a | 36pts in 35 games
– 121 shots (18.2 shooting %)
– 72 hits (73rd in NHL)
– +4 net penalties
– more takeaways than giveaways
– 5th in NHL in goals

He’s still one of the best goal-scorers in the sport at 38 years old. pic.twitter.com/owIZND1zXj

– Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) July 18, 2024