For the fifth straight season, there will be a new bench boss behind the
bench of the Hamilton Bulldogs. On Wednesday, the team named former Hab
Sylvain Lefebvre the new coach of the team, replacing Clement Jodoin who may be
heading to take over as one of Michel Therrien’s assistants. The Habs also
announced some more front office hirings confirming the reports that both Martin
Lapointe and Patrice Brisebois are joining the club in player development roles.
This is Lefebvre’s first foray into head coaching duties. He spent two
seasons as an assistant in Lake Erie, affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche before
serving in that same capacity with Colorado for the past three years. He
started out his playing career with the Canadiens organization, joining the team
out of junior. He spent two years with the Sherbrooke Canadiens before
playing three with the big club. In 200 games with the Tricolore, he had
53 points, 182 PIMS, and a +16 rating.
Lapointe comes to Montreal after spending time with Chicago in their pro
scouting department. He takes on the position of Director of Player
Development, a role that Trevor Timmins has been filling over the past several
years. Brisebois, who had two stints with the Canadiens as a player, has
been named Player Development Coach, a new role in the organization.
Interestingly enough, all three hires spent time with the same QMJHL
organization, the Laval Titan which also happens to be where Therrien started
his coaching career.