Two subpar seasons won’t cost Claude Julien his job.
The Boston Bruins announced Thursday that the winningest coach in franchise history will be back behind the bench next season.
There were rumblings the 55-year-old Julien was in jeopardy of losing his job after a late-season spiral prevented Boston from making the playoffs.
“I emphatically believe that Claude can take us through what has been a bumpy transition period,” general manager Don Sweeney said at a press conference. “I have work to do.”
Julien has a 393-223-88 record in nine seasons with the Bruins. The highlight of his tenure is winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.
Boston went 42-31-9 this season and appeared en route to grabbing the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. But the Bruins lost nine of their 12 games and missed the final spot because the Detroit Red Wings held a tiebreaker edge.
Julien said he did a deep self-evaluation process after the season. He analyzed whether or not he still had the passion to continue as Boston coach.
Once he realized he did, he met with Sweeney and the general manager had no issues bringing him back as coach.
“I want to bring this team back to where we once had it,” Julien said at the press conference. “There’s a lot of people here, including players, that have helped me become the coach that I am.
“And I don’t want to be that guy that bails just because all of a sudden you hit a bump in the road. I want to be that guy that perseveres.”
Julien admitted that it would have been easier to leave and start fresh with another organization. But there were too many emotions tugging at him to let him know Boston was still the place to be.
“This organization has been good to me and it’s been loyal to me,” Julien said. “I love this city. I love our fans. You want to be somewhere where people are passionate about this game.”
With Julien’s status cleared up, the focus turns to what the Bruins need to do to return to playoff form.
“I don’t think we need a major overhaul. I believe we need to continue to forge depth in the organization,” Sweeney said. “When you go through these times where you have injuries and you have players that are able to step in, you have to have a plan that allows players to develop at the right time that they’re supposed to rather than force a player.”