The Montreal Canadiens’ farm team, the Laval Rocket, held its post-mortem earlier this week following its elimination in the Eastern Conference final of the Calder Cup by the Charlotte Checkers. While the Rocket was swept in that series, it had a very successful season with Pascal Vincent at the helm, and at least for now, the bench boss is going nowhere.
The winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the coach of the year in the AHL explained to the media that it would take an offer he couldn’t resist to leave the organization of his youth.
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There were plenty of coaching vacancies in the NHL following the end of the regular season, and many wondered if Vincent might have another chance at being a bench boss in the big league. However, the vacancies all filled up one after the other while he was focusing on coaching the Rocket in the postseason.
Speaking to the press, it didn’t look like he felt he missed out on an opportunity. Vince is proud of what he has accomplished with a young Rocket side this season, and he is looking forward to what they’ll be able to achieve in a second season.
The 53-year-old coach has extensive experience behind the bench, both in the AHL, where he served as the head coach of the Manitoba Moose for five seasons, and in the NHL, where he was an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets for five years before returning to the AHL to coach the Moose. He left the Jets’ organization at the end of the 2020-21 season to join the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In Ohio, he served as an assistant coach for two seasons before being appointed the top job at the start of the 2023-24 season, following Mike Babcock’s resignation two and a half months after his appointment, despite not having coached a game. Under his leadership, the Jackets maintained a 27-43-12 record, earning 66 points in the standings and a .402 winning percentage.
Vincent has the skills to coach in the NHL, but the way he spoke yesterday, he may wait for a big-league opportunity with the team he cheered for as a kid.
Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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