Canadiens coach Claude Julien hospitalized with chest pains, will miss remainder of series
Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien was rushed out of the NHL bubble on Wednesday night after being hospitalized with chest pains following the club’s Game 1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, general manager Marc Bergevin confirmed Thursday.
Julien, 60, is under observation at a local hospital for what’s being reported as an issue not related to COVID-19. The Habs did not provide specifics on his condition, but did confirm the head coach will not return in the club’s Round 1 series versus the Philadelphia Flyers.
Associate coach Kirk Muller will take over at the controls in the immediate term.
The Canadiens upset the Pittsburgh Penguins in the five-game qualification round to advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs. They fell 2-1 to the top-seeded Flyers in the first game of the best-of-seven Round 1 series.
It’s a significant loss and certainly a distressing bit of news, but Bergevin does not it expect Julien’s absence to derail the Habs’ postseason run, saying this:
“We beat the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s not the coaches that beat them. It’s the players.”
– @CanadiensMTL GM Marc Bergevin on Claude Julien being hospitalized, and what it means for series vs. Flyers— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) August 13, 2020
More NHL coverage on Yahoo Sports
