Montreal Canadiens name Dominique Ducharme 31st head coach

Dominique Ducharme has been named the 31st head coach in Montreal Canadiens history, the club announced Tuesday.

Ducharme, 48, had been named interim head coach in February after Claude Julien was let go by the club.

Under Ducharme, the Canadiens secured a playoff spot and managed to force their way into the Stanley Cup Final.

“Dominique has managed to set his system in place and establish himself as a head coach in a very unusual season with challenging circumstances,” said GM Marc Bergevin. “While our team has gone through its fair share of adversity, he has shown a lot of control over the situation as well as showing calm and great leadership. These are important qualities that we look for in a head coach and he fully deserves the chance to lead our team and take it to the next level.”

The contract extension is three years in length and expires at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.