Canadiens Fire Carbonneau, Gainey Takes Over

The Montreal Canadiens shocked the hockey world on Monday by announcing that head coach Guy Carbonneau had been fired by the team. General manager Bob Gainey will take over the head coaching duties for the rest of the season. The team also announced that associate coach Doug Jarvis, as well as assistant coaches Kirk Muller and Roland Melanson will keep their jobs. This is the second time Gainey has taken over behind the Canadiens bench, with the first time during the 2005-06 season after Claude Julien was relieved of his coaching duties. Carbonneau was named head coach on May 5, 2006 and held the position for nearly three years. The Canadiens started the 2008-09 season, their 100th in the NHL, very strong, but have slipped through the standings in recent weeks and are barely hanging onto a playoff spot. The firing of Carbonneau comes as a bit of a shock since he was a Jack Adams Trophy finalist last season for coach-of-the-year. It's obvious that firing Carbonneau is the only option the Canadiens had at this time of year to shake up the team without trading away half the team. However, the team's woes can't be pinned solely on Carbonneau. Injuries to some of their top forwards, along with inconsistent play from some of their top forwards have kept the Canadiens from being at the top of the Northeast Division for most of the season. Hopefully Gainey can get the team back on track and keep them from missing the playoffs.