Coach Therrien four wins from Stanley Cup

Twenty questions with Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien, who not so many years ago was changing lines for a telephone company, not a National Hockey League franchise:

• 1. In your eyes, who's the greatest NHL coach of all time?

"Scotty Bowman. Everything he's done, the Stanley Cups he's won ... it's just phenomenal that he's still able to coach these days, with all the changes in the mentality of players. He's an inspiration for young coaches. I'd like to add, it's not easy for francophone coaches to make it to the NHL. Jacques Demers did a great job, winning a Stanley Cup, and Michel Bergeron was there for a long time."

• 2. Your boss, general manager André Savard, has just told you he'll get you any six players of your choosing for a single shift. Who are your six?

"From a coaching point of view, let me choose a mix of talent, not necessarily the best player at every position. At centre is Mario Lemieux, for his skills and what he can do on the ice. What he did last year, coming back from retirement, I can't describe it. On the wings: Jaromir Jagr is so huge, such a great skater, so good in different situation. And I'd like the competitiveness of Peter Forsberg. On defence: Chris Pronger, who plays hard and is good both ways, and Scott Stevens, whose character and physical play I like. In goal: Patrick Roy. He always shows up for the big moments."

• 3. You must evacuate your house immediately and may take with you only one item, regardless of its size. What is it?

"The plaque the Canadiens gave me for my first NHL win, 6-0 over Atlanta (last Nov. 23). It's hanging in my living room."

• 4. Is that your favourite room?

"Yes. I'm a guy who likes to watch TV a lot, and I've got a big-screen TV with a satellite. In the winter, when I'm home, I'll relax on my couch and watch four or five hockey games a night. In the summer, I watch a lot of movies."

• 5. So how many times have you seen the Paul Newman movie Slap Shot, and who's your favourite character in it?

"Probably 20-30 times, because when you coach in junior and the American League, you spend a lot of time on buses. I love the Hanson brothers, the way they prepare their hands for their first game (by taping aluminum foil on their knuckles). That movie's a classic."

• 6. Would you like to have the Hanson brothers on this season's Canadiens?

(Laughs, then stickhandles around a direct reply) "I've got some tough guys now. I've coached my share of them."

• 7. Most embarrassing moment for you coaching in Montreal?

"Last season we played New Jersey here and after 10 minutes it was 3-0 for the Devils. It was a long night. A coach always wants his team to be prepared, and that night we were dominated."

• 8. What's your philosophy of life?

"Have no fear. When I started coaching junior, I told people my goal was to win the Memorial Cup. For a Quebec team then, you didn't do that (but he did in 1996, with Granby, the first club from this province to win since the 1971 Quebec Remparts). I've never been afraid to tell people my goals. I always set the standards very high for myself and my teams. To achieve those standards, you've got to work and believe in what you're doing. I'll do anything to get the most out of everyone."

• 9. Who's had the greatest influence in helping you develop this philosophy?

"Two people. My dad, Gerry: the education he gave me is very important. We weren't a big or rich family, growing up in the east end, but I never lacked anything. He was always there to support me. He's had three strokes, so physically it's very tough for him now; he's an inspiration for me. The other: Jean-Claude Morrissette, who owned the Laval Titan and Granby Predateurs (the junior franchises Therrien coached). The Morrissette family taught me so much - they are 15 brothers and sisters, so I learned what a big family is. I learned about work ethic. If not for Jean-Claude Morrissette, I wouldn't be here."

• 10. Most decadent food pleasure?

"Chocolate mousse, at Gibby's."

• 11. What was your very first job, and how much were you paid?

"When I was 14 or 15, I was a parks monitor in St. Léonard and I coached baseball, working with kids age 9 or 10. I was paid about $100 a week."

• 12. A few dollars less than you're earning in this Molson Centre office. Speaking of which, what single thing in your office means the most to you?

"That picture (he points to a joyful photo taken of himself with Jean-Claude and Georges Morrissette, celebrating their 1996 Memorial Cup win). It's followed me to all of my offices - to Fredericton, to Quebec, to the Molson Centre. That was the first thing I put up in this office. All I've changed here is the paint this summer (from white to a cream). I needed a change (laughs) and I hope it changes the luck."

• 13. What do you miss most about coaching junior hockey - apart from your career .712 winning percentage?

"Not the buses. Seriously, coaching kids age 16, 17 or 18, you feel that parents are giving you their son. Sometimes you're replacing their dads. For many it's the first time they're leaving home. It's pretty special. It's different with these (Canadiens) guys, obviously. They're different customers, but there's good in every situation. It's fun to sit with Brian Savage or Jeff Hackett to talk about our families, or Jose Theodore, who's just starting his life."

• 14. Who are the favourite Canadiens of your son, Charles (age 7), and daughter, Elizabeth (age 9)?

"Saku Koivu. Charles has Saku's (game-worn) sweater in his room. He's so proud of it. Every time his friends come over he shows it off. (laughs) And Theodore, especially for Elizabeth."

• 15. What was the first hockey player's autograph you got as a boy?

"I got into the Canadiens dressing room at the Forum when I was 8 or 9 and got Guy Lafleur's autograph on a picture postcard."

• 16. Golfing is a new passion for you - what's the worst club in your bag?

"My driver. When it doesn't work, I go to the 3-wood. This summer, I benched the driver. A lot."

• 17. What's been the biggest change in your life since you took this job?

"Being recognized everywhere. Before I could do my groceries without shaving and with my hair like this (his fingers point straight up), but now I have to be more careful. Still, my lifestyle hasn't changed much."

• 18. So, in other words, you still have to clean out the basement. When's the last time you did that?

"Maybe a month ago. My kids had a garage sale and took everything outside. But no one passed, so they went knocking on doors, saying: 'Do you want this?' (laughs) They made about 40 bucks."

• 19. Where would you be today if you hadn't become a hockey coach?

"I stopped playing hockey with a knee injury and worked about four years as a technician for Bell Canada, climbing telephone poles and installing lines. I was doing this as I began coaching as an assistant in Laval. I didn't have a vacation in four years, taking my time off to go and coach in the Maritimes, but it was a sacrifice I had to make. Bell wasn't my dream job, but if I hadn't become a coach, I'd probably still be climbing poles today."

• 20. OK, so you're here - but we both know you're only one of thousands of Canadiens coaches in this city. What's the unkindest thing another "coach" has said to you since you took this job?

"To be quite sincere, people have been very, very nice. They're supportive, they appreciate the job I'm trying to do with this team. They've all been fantastic. I haven't heard any bad stuff - so far. (laughs) Ask me again in a year."

Coach Michel Therrien and forward Doug Gilmour react to a penalty call during the 2001-02 playoffs. You'll spot current Habs coach Guy Carbonneau, then an assistant, at left.
John Mahoney, Gazette