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An NHL Coach from Last Year Hired as Laval Rocket Head Coach

There’s news out of Montreal today as the Canadiens AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, have hired Pascal Vincent as their head coach. This will mark his second tenure as an AHL head coach. He previously spent five seasons at the helm of the Winnipeg Jets AHL team, the Manitoba Moose. Hiring Vincent into this role is a sign of a confidence for the man who was thrust into his NHL head coaching debut gig.

The Montreal Canadiens AHL Team the Laval Rocket Hire Pascal Vincent as Head Coach

You may recall the Columbus Blue Jackets had hired Mike Babcock last summer only to not have him coach a game. Vincent took over a young Blue Jacket group with not a lot of time to prepare, and the club’s 2023-24 record showed it. He finished the campaign with a .402 winning percentage. Since the end of last year, now former General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen has been replaced. The Don Waddell era is firmly underway in Columbus.

What Does Vincent Bring to the Table

The hiring of coach Pascal Vincent by the Montreal Canadiens larger organization shows the culture shift. Vincent is a highly respected coach in the Quebec hockey ranks. Moreover, he will be a great fit as someone to mentor players before he sends them off to Martin St. Louis with the Habs.

A look over Vincent’s coaching resume speaks to that thought process. Vincent had played briefly in the ECHL after junior, but didn’t continue his pursuit as a professional hockey player. Then, in 2000, he got the gig as head coach of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. In case you are wondering, yes, Marc-Andre Fleury’s first year in the QMJHL. Back to Vincent, and he would stay on as coach in Cape Breton for eight seasons total. He then went on to coach the Montreal team for a further three years. In all 11 seasons, his team qualified for the post-season.

Furthermore, he then was promoted to the NHL ranks as assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets for five seasons. All told, he has spent 13 seasons in either the AHL or NHL as an assistant or head coach. Combined with his junior experience, it is easy to see why he would be a perfect person for the role to develop players from the farm to the show in Canada’s second most populous city.

Main photo credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Levi Pike, Editor

Levi Pike, Editor

Levi Pike is an editor and writer here at Last Word on Hockey. He has lived all over Canada but grew up in Nanaimo, BC. Currently, he lives with his loving wife, three kids, and dog in the capital of the Easterly most province of Canada, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. He’s passionate about hockey, in particular, the Ottawa Senators and statistics. He received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Statistics at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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