Dominique Ducharme Fired as Canadiens HC; Martin St. Louis Named Interim Coach

The Montreal Canadiens announced Wednesday they have fired head coach Dominique Ducharme, with Martin St.Louis—Tampa Bay Lightning legend and Hockey Hall of Famer—taking over as interim coach.

"We would like to sincerely thank Dominique for his work and contributions to the Montreal Canadiens organization. At this point in the season, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to make a change," general manager Kent Hughes said in a statement.

The Canadiens made a surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final last season before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games. The squad hasn't been able to replicate its success in 2021-22, however, producing an 8-30-7 record through 45 games.

The squad's 23 points are the fewest in the NHL entering Wednesday.

With a league-worst minus-79 goal differential and seven straight losses, there was seemingly little hope of a turnaround. Montreal has just one win since the start of January.

Ducharme took over as an interim coach in Feb. 2021 after replacing Claude Julien. The squad did enough to earn a playoff spot in the North division—comprised exclusively of Canadian teams because of COVID-19 restrictions—before a dramatic run in the postseason with series wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights.

It was enough for Ducharme to earn a three-year deal as the team's permanent coach, although there was some criticism about the move:

Ducharme now finishes his tenure with just a .361 points percentage in 83 regular-season games.

The 48-year-old still has loads of professional hockey experience, including more than two years as an assistant on the Canadiens staff before becoming the interim coach. He also spent 10 years coaching in the QMJHL.