Julien BriseBois: “Our coaches are better”

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Julien BriseBois: “Our coaches are better”
Credit: source : YouTube

Two weeks ago, Julien BriseBois (the Lightning's general manager) gave a lecture at HEC.

At that point, the Canadiens weren't yet guaranteed to face the Lightning in the playoffs, but we knew there was a chance it could happen as early as the first round.

That has since been confirmed.

But during his visit to Montreal, BriseBois—surely without intending to criticize the Canadiens' approach—praised the way his coaching staff was assembled.

And as we can read in an article by Simon Drouin of La Presse, this is the opposite of what the Habs did.

“All our coaches, including the assistants, have been former head coaches in the American Hockey League or assistants in the National Hockey League. They cost more, but they're better.

And we think it's worth it.” – Julien BriseBois

The Lightning, who aren't doing too badly, have reached four Stanley Cup Finals with Jon Cooper. And often, his assistants are in demand when another club wants to change head coaches.

It's easy to see why the Lightning, which has made a lot of money from the playoffs over the past decade, thinks it's worth continuing this way: the formula works.

Of course, with the Habs, it's the opposite. Martin St-Louis (who, incidentally, knew Julien BriseBois in Tampa Bay), Stéphane Robidas, and Trevor Letowski had never coached at the pro level before making the jump to the Montreal Canadiens.

That didn't stop St-Louis from outshining Cooper on Sunday, though.

The Canadiens thought outside the box when it came time to hire Kent Hughes, who in turn chose to think outside the box by hiring Martin St-Louis.

The club is proving that there isn't just one way to do things. And in a few years, that could pay off big time.

But it's true that experience matters. It could end up making the difference in the series, since I'm not ready to underestimate Jon Cooper.

That doesn't mean the Habs won't win the series, obviously. But both on the ice and behind the bench, the Lightning's experience could make the difference.


In a nutshell

– Oh boy.

– Jon Cooper is pleased with Scott Sabourin. [JdeM]

– Charle-Édouard D'Astous made the trip to Montreal. [JdeM]

– Flyers: a tight-knit group.

– He continues to learn.

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