Montreal Canadiens Hire former NHL-veteran as an assistant coach
Montreal Canadiens GM announced on Thursday morning that the club has come to terms with former NHLer Stephane Robidas on a contract, he will serve as an assistant coach for the club.
"Stephane perfectly matches the profile we were looking for in a candidate. In addition to being an exceptional individual, he is a very good communicator, and I believe that players will relate to him because of that,» said Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis.
Robidas was selected in the seventh round of the 1995 NHL Draft, by the Montreal Canadiens at pick number 164. His career spanned 17 years, playing in 937 games; posting 57 goals, 201 assists and 258 points. The Sherbrooke, Quebec natives career is highlighted by his 2008-09 NHL All-Star game appearance and his honour of �Top-three players' on his team (Canada) at the 2013 World Championships - hosted in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden.
The Canadiens new management of Jeff Gorton - VP of Hockey operations, Kent Hughes - GM and Head coach Martin St. Louis are embarking on a rebuild, with many young players set to earn a role on the Canadiens 2022-23 opening night roster.
"We are very lucky to have someone of Stephane's caliber join our coaching staff. His recent experience as an NHL player, and his outstanding hockey background, will be excellent assets for the development of our players," explained St. Louis, of the Canadiens excitement to bring Robidas on with the organization.
The addition of Robidas, again lends a hand to promoting within from the NHL's former player pool.
Since retiring in 2014-15 with the Toronto Maple Leafs - Robidas has held roles as Franchise owner of the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Phoenix, from 2012-13 to 2017-18, Assistant coach of the Triolet Harfangs Bantam AAA team in the Quebec M15 AAA Releve, before accepting a role within the Toronto Maple Leaf's organization as Director of player development from 2017-18 to 2020-21, Robidas leaves behind his head coaching position with the Magog Cantonniers of the Ligue de developpement du hockey m18 AAA du Quebec, which he's held since 2021-22, for an assitant coaching position with the Canadiens.
