Carbonneau fired during disappointing season

By Lyle Richardson for Fox Sports, March 9, 2009

In what has to be considered perhaps a last gasp attempt by Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey to get his struggling club back on a winning track down the stretch, the club announced Monday that head coach Guy Carbonneau had been fired, with Gainey replacing him behind the bench for the rest of the season.

Assistant coaches Kirk Muller, Doug Jarvis and Roland Melanson have retained their jobs for the remainder of the season.

This is a move that had to pain Gainey greatly. He and Carbonneau have been friends since the early 1980s, playing together with the Canadiens until Gainey's retirement in 1989, then working together in Dallas with the Stars when Gainey was that club's general manager — up to Carbonneau's hiring by Gainey, first as an assistant coach in 2005-06 and then taking over as head coach in 2006-07.

Carbonneau would receive a nomination as NHL Coach of the Year, guiding the Habs to a first overall finish in the Eastern Conference in 2007-08.

Expectations were high for the Canadiens this season. The team was celebrating its centennial and many experts (including yours truly) not only saw the Canadiens as having the potential to finish atop the East again, but also as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.

Unfortunately, the season hasn't panned out as expected for the Canadiens and their demanding fan base. Following a strong start to the season in which the club was fourth overall in the conference by the All-Star break, the Canadiens have struggled through an 8-11-1 record in their last 20 games.