Canadiens' Dominique Ducharme Reportedly Isolating for 14 Days After Positive Test

Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme must isolate for 14 days after testing positive for COVID-19, per Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.

He will not be eligible to rejoin his team, which currently leads the Vegas Golden Knights two games to one in the Stanley Cup Semifinals, until after the isolation period ends.

Ducharme was sent home after COVID-19 testing Friday returned a positive result. He had received his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine June 9.

The NHL confirmed the results via an official statement:

Ducharme is feeling well, per general manager Marc Bergevin.

Luke Richardson served as the Canadiens' interim head coach in lieu of Ducharme on Friday. The Canadiens defeated the Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Ducharme's isolation period will force him to miss the remainder of the semifinal series. Game 7 (if necessary) will take place Saturday, June 26, which is eight days after Ducharme was initially sent home.

The dates and times for the Stanley Cup Final are to be determined, but if Montreal reaches that round, Ducharme would likely be forced to miss the beginning of the series at a minimum.

Ducharme, 48, took over midseason after former head coach Claude Julien was fired. This is his first head coaching stint in the NHL, but he has seven years of experience as a head coach in junior hockey (QMJHL).

Montreal is currently in the middle of a fantastic playoff run after finishing just 24-21-11 in the regular season.

The Canadiens, who had the worst regular-season record of any playoff participant, beat the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to three before sweeping the Winnipeg Jets to advance to the Stanley Cup Semifinals.

Montreal is now two wins away from its first Stanley Cup appearance since 1993.