The Canadian announced Thursday morning the appointment of former defender Stéphane Robidas as assistant coach.
Posted at 8:13 a.m.
Updated at 8:25 a.m.
He takes the place of Luke Richardson, appointed head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks last month.
Robidas, 45, spent the last season with the Cantonniers de Magog at the U18 AAA level, where he won the Jimmy-Ferrari Cup in addition to being named a finalist for the title of coach of the year in his first season. in the league. He was named assistant coach of the Sherbrooke Phoenix on June 15 before accepting the offer from the Canadiens.
Before starting his coaching career, the Sherbrooke native successively held the positions of assistant manager and director of player development with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 2015 and 2021. He also worked on the coaching staff. of their subsidiary team in ECHL.
“I consider ourselves very lucky to be able to add a candidate of Stéphane’s caliber to our group of coaches. His experience as a player in the National League and the extent of his experience in hockey will prove to be assets for the development of our players,” said Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis in a press release.
“Stéphane corresponds exactly to the profile we were looking for. He is a very good communicator, and I believe that many players will recognize themselves in him because of his great experience,” added St-Louis.
Seventh-round pick, 164e in total, from the Canadiens in 1995, Robidas played 937 NHL games with the Canadiens, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks and Maple Leafs. He had 57 goals and 201 assists.