Bruins hire ex-Devils coach Julien, who promises physical style

BOSTON -- Claude Julien wants the Boston Bruins to play more aggressively. Maybe that will make his bosses less aggressive in changing coaches.

Sitting in the same room where Dave Lewis was introduced as coach less than a year earlier, Julien vowed Thursday to turn mild-mannered forwards into hard-hitting forecheckers for a team that hasn't won a playoff series in eight years.

"We want to be aggressive, a physical type of team," the Bruins' new coach said.

But what about the frequent turnover in the job? Julien is the Bruins third coach in the past year and 17th person to hold that job in the past 30.

"I didn't really look at that at all," said Julien, fired April 2 as coach of the New Jersey Devils, "because you just have to feel confident in your abilities to do the job and I do feel that."

Lewis, who took over last June 29 after Mike Sullivan was fired, was let go last Friday. Julien had "the inside edge" from the start among four candidates and his deal was finalized Monday, general manager Peter Chiarelli said. He and Julien wouldn't disclose the length or value of the contract.

Chiarelli wanted a coach who pushed his team to forecheck hard and held them accountable if they didn't. Lewis, who didn't do that, and Julien are both soft-spoken, pleasant men. But Chiarelli, hired May 29 last year after serving as Ottawa's assistant GM, was confident that Julien would keep after players.

Claude Julien hopes to hold this job longer than his previous one. (AP)

"He demands that his players do what he wants to do," Chiarelli said. "I know a lot of guys are looking for a screamer. He's not, but he's a very passionate guy and disciplined. He demands accountability. You may not see it in the media, but he demands it."

So do the fans, especially after the Bruins missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season and gave up 70 more goals than they scored, the second biggest differential in the NHL. They had the third worst record in the Eastern Conference despite adding high-profile free agents Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard.

Nevertheless, defenseman Aaron Ward, who played under Lewis in Detroit, said his departure was "a big shocker."

"But we all know this is a business and when a team doesn't achieve success someone has to bear the brunt of it. You feel sorry for any coach that's let go. As a player you feel responsible," Ward said.

The Bruins have plenty of young players, and more getting close to the NHL at their top minor league team in Providence. That was a major reason Chiarelli turned to Julien, a junior hockey coach for four seasons and an AHL coach for three.

"Claude has a track record of using these (young) guys and them prospering and developing," Chiarelli said. "That was one of the factors that weighed heavily in my decision."