Canadiens fire goalie coach Eric Raymond

The Montreal Canadiens announced Wednesday they have fired goaltending coach Eric Raymond.

The team says Marco Marciano will take over Raymond’s duties on an interim basis.

Raymond has served as the Canadiens’ goalie coach since 2021-22. Before then, he spent one season with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, as well as a six-year stint with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL. He was part of both the Mooseheads’ QMJHL and Memorial Cup championships in 2013.

The news comes after a 2025-26 campaign that’s seen both of Montreal’s primary netminders struggle. Jakub Dobes is 16-5-3 with an .890 save percentage (SV%) and a -0.3 5v5 goals saved above expected (GSAx), while Samuel Montembeault is 9-8-2 with an .868 SV% and -10.2 5v5 GSAx.

Montembeault, who was part of Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster last season, struggled so much that he was briefly sent down to the club’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

Jacob Fowler, who had a 10-game stay with the Canadiens after starting the year with Laval, went 4-4-2 with a .902 SV% and 3.3 5v5 GSAx. He was sent back down to the AHL earlier this month.

Going into Wednesday, Montreal has a 29-17-7 record, fourth in the Atlantic Division and currently holding on to the No. 1 Wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

However, the Canadiens’ goaltending woes have had a major impact on their performance. The team has a plus-three goal differential — the worst among the top-10 teams in the league points-wise — and their 177 goals against are the sixth-most in the NHL.

Marciano joined the Canadiens in 2013 when he was hired as a video coach for their AHL team. He previously served as a goalie coach for the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, the Drummondville Voltigeurs, the Montreal Junior and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

He also was part of the Canadian National Women’s Team winning gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancover.