In 1998-99, Chiarelli's latest hire -- the third coach of the GM's tenure, following the firings of Dave Lewis and Mike Sullivan -- led the Hull Olympiques and current NHL forwards Michael Ryder (Canadiens) and Radim Vrbata (Blackhawks) to the QMJHL finals.
The Olympiques lost the President's Cup to Acadie-Bathurst, which was backstopped by All-Star goalie Roberto Luongo. But Chiarelli noted that Julien pulled together an overachieving roster that asked much of its young players, taking them farther than expected -- the monster task he'll be asked to complete in 2007-08 with the Bruins, the third NHL club he'll command.
"This team has a lot of potential," said the 47-year-old Julien, who will take over a team that went 35-41-6 last season, the worst record in the Northeast Division. "We've got some great players. We all know what this team has. I want to come in here, as I've done with many teams in the past, and be a team that's well-structured and work together as a group in the same direction. I want to be a harder team to play against. Defensively, we have to cut down on goals against, limit scoring chances, and be harder to play against."
Julien takes over for Lewis, who was fired last Friday. In 2006-07, Julien coached the Devils until April 2, then was fired by GM Lou Lamoriello with three games remaining in the regular season. Lamoriello granted Chiarelli permission to pursue Julien, and the Bruins do not owe compensation to the Devils for hiring him. Chiarelli declined to disclose the length of Julien's contract.
Chiarelli, whose ties with Julien (he's a resident of Kanata, Ontario, during the offseason) trace to both of their playing days, said Julien had the inside edge throughout the search. Chiarelli and Julien will work together in hiring an assistant coach to replace Marc Habscheid.
"We're going to act at reasonable speed," said Chiarelli. "We're going to work on it together and do it in due course."
Julien, who went 47-24-8 in New Jersey, did not offer insight on why he was fired by Lamoriello. But Julien hinted he was not the primary proponent of the trap the Devils have featured.
