Jean Perron (born October 5, 1946) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and sports commentator, best known for being the 16th head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, serving from 1985 to 1988. Perron has more recently served as the head coach for Israel's men's national teams.
Coaching career Perron was born in Saint-Isidore-d'Auckland, now called Saint-Isidore-de-Clifton, Quebec. He was an assistant coach with the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens under Jacques Lemaire for one season before being named head coach in 1985. Perron and the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in his first season in charge, with rookie goaltender Patrick Roy winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. After two more successful seasons that included a Prince of Wales Conference Final appearance and an Adams Division title, Perron resigned from the Canadiens on May 17, 1988, with team GM Serge Savard saying Perron told him the pressures of the job were "quite difficult" for his family. The next year, he was hired by the Quebec Nordiques in December 1988 as a temporary midseason replacement after Ron Lapointe was fired.Canadiens 6, Nordiques 4 He also served as an assistant coach for Canada at the 1987 Canada Cup.
In 1995, Perron became the head coach and general manager of the International Hockey League's San Francisco Spiders for their only season of existence, followed by a 50-game stint with the Manitoba Moose during the 1996-97 season.Perron recalls horrorThe Instigator: How Gary Bettman Remade the League and Changed the Game ForeverWAY TO GO, WINNIPEG Perseverance paysWhen Bruce Boudreau worked for Jean PerronJust Plain Goofy
Perron's tough, authoritarian coaching style resulted in tumultuous relationships with several of his players and staff, including a long-standing public feud with former Canadiens player Chris Nilan.
Post career After his professional coaching career, Perron became a hockey analyst for different media outlets in Quebec and has appeared regularly on TQS's sports talk show 110%. His usage of strange idioms was noted in the media, once being quoted as saying, “We’re finally starting to see the train at the end of the tunnel."
In 2004, Perron was named the coach of the Israel's Under-18 and senior men's national teams. He led both teams to new heights with Israel being promoted to Division I for one year. He left after two seasons but returned in 2011 and led the Under-18 team to an IIHF World U-18 Division II Group B championship in 2013.Israel moves up to Division IIA
Coaching record NHL Team Year Regular season Postseason G W L T Pts Finish W L Win % ResultMTL1985–868040337872nd in Adams15 5 Won Stanley Cup (CGY)MTL1986–8780412910922nd in Adams10 7 Lost in Conference Final (PHI)MTL1987–88804522131031st in Adams5 6 Lost in Division finals (BOS)QUE1988–894616255375th in Adams— — — Did not qualifyMTL total1985–198824012684302821 division title 30 18 3 playoff appearances 1 Stanley Cup titleQUE total1988–19894616255370 division titles — — — — NHL totals1985–1989286142109353191 division title 30 18 3 playoff appearances 1 Stanley Cup title
IHL Team Year Regular season Postseason G W L OTL Pts Finish ResultSan Francisco Spiders1995–9682403210903rd in SouthLost in conference quarter-finals (1-3 vs. CHI)Manitoba Moose1996–975016268405th in MidwestFired during seasonSF totals1995–19968240328880 division titles 1-3 (0.250)MB totals1996–19975016268400 division titles 0-0 (0.000)IHL totals1995–19971325658161280 division titles 1-3 (0.250)
References
External links
Montreal Canadiens profile