MONTREAL -- The wild fans, the history and the weight of expectations make the Montreal Canadiens a demanding team for any hockey coach, especially those with no NHL experience. But three who were in that position in the late 1990s and early 2000s -- Alain Vigneault, Michel Therrien and Claude Julien -- have gone on to do some impressive things in the NHL. A victory in the Eastern Conference final between Vigneaults New York Rangers and Therrien, in his second stint with Montreal, will put one of them in a Stanley Cup final. Between the three men, they will have been to the final five times. In 2008, Therrien reached the final with the Pittsburgh Penguins, losing in six games to the Detroit Red Wings. In 2011, Juliens Boston Bruins defeated Vigneaults Vancouver Canucks to claim the Stanley Cup. And in 2013, Julien had the Bruins back in the final only to lose to the Chicago Blackhawks. All three have credited the chance they got to coach middling-to-weak Montreal teams with their later success, even if their head coaching prospects were in doubt when they were eventually let go by the Canadiens. "You never know about the future," said the 50-year-old Therrien, whose team is coming off a second-round win over Juliens Bruins. "We learned a lot when we were young and that goes with experience. "Having to deal a lot with you (reporters) is a big part of our job. But it goes through a process. It goes with experience. Myself, Alain, Claude, we were young coaches at the time and we learned a lot. We started in Montreal and, Alain and me, we almost took the same route. We went back to the minors and went back to junior and the American League. "So Im glad for the success (Vigneault) had in Vancouver and New York. That was a great learning experience as a young coach to start in Montreal." There were actually four inexperienced coaches in a row, as Mario Tremblay got it started when he replaced Jacques Demers in 1995. But while Tremblay later worked as an assistant, he never got another head coaching job. In 1997, Tremblay was replaced by Vigneault, a former Ottawa Senators assistant who had been coaching in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Vigneault was replaced midway through the 2000-01 campaign by Therrien, who in turn lost his job to Julien in 2003. Vigneault was out of coaching for two seasons but returned with the junior P.E.I. Rocket before being named head coach of the Manitoba Moose, the Canucks AHL affiliate at the time. He was promoted to the Vancouver job to start the 2006-07 season and promptly took the Canucks to a division title and got the Jack Adams Trophy as NHL coach of the year, beating out Therrien and Buffalos Lindy Ruff. The Quebec City natives Canucks finished first overall in the NHL twice. But a drop-off last season saw Vancouver opt for former Rangers coach John Tortorella while Vigneault signed a five-year deal with New York. Now Vigneaults looking for another trip to the final. "My first NHL gig as a head coach was in a beautiful place, a Canadian city where hockey is passionate, hockey is demanding," the 53-year-old said. "Expectations were always very high, so I learned a lot. "I worked with some great people. It took me six years to get another kick at the can and obviously when I got my other chance, I used my experience in Montreal and my experience of going back to junior and also going to the American League and tried to help my new NHL team the best way I could. Now, this year, the Rangers have given me another opportunity and thats what Im trying to do." When Therrien left Montreal, he got a job coaching the Penguins farm club in Wilkes-Barre and was promoted to the NHL club on Dec. 15, 2005. He was fired suddenly on Feb. 15, 2009, one season after going to the final, in favour of Dan Bylsma. The new coach got Pittsburgh back to the final and avenged the defeat of Therriens team the year before by beating the Red Wings for the Cup. Therrien worked in television while waiting for his next chance, which came when new general manager Marc Bergevin hired him to return to the Canadiens at the start of last season. After Montreal, Julien was hired by the New Jersey Devils, but he also fell victim to a surprise firing late in the 2006-07 season despite a 47-24-8 record. The Bruins snapped him up the following season. Custom Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys . has left the San Jose Sharks to become the Boston Bruins director of player personnel. Steven Stamkos Jersey . Calgarys Bo Levi Mitchell and Montreals Troy Smith will be the starting quarterbacks in a CFL season-opener for the first time in their careers. Both want to reinforce their No. 1 status. You can watch the game live in the first half of a doubleheader on TSN and TSN GO at 3:00pm et/Noon pt. http://www.hockeylightning.com/. The United States clinched the final berth into the Ford Worlds, March 28-April 6 at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, on Saturday in Blaine, Minn. Martin St. Louis Jersey . -- Jay Haas and Peter Jacobsen took the second-round lead Saturday in the Champions Tours Legends of Golf, teaming for a 6-under 48 in windy conditions on the par-3 Top of the Rock course. Ryan McDonagh Jersey . The 19-year-old Swiss centre back will initially have to impress in Uniteds reserve side to earn a spot in the first team. Veseli says "Manchester United has a long history of younger players coming through and hopefully I can follow and do the same.BOSTON -- It is Michel Therriens first Game 7 as an NHL coach, compared to No. 10 for Bostons Claude Julien. But as the Canadiens coach pointed out, he has been here before. "For us, Game 6 in Montreal was the same thing," Therrien said of the Habs 4-0 do-or-die win, which forced Game 7 Wednesday night at the TD Garden. "Its a matter of attitude and I believe we had the right frame of mind and right mindset for Game 6. The attitude was there. "And I saw a bunch of guys (Tuesday) with the same attitude. This morning again. So were all excited about that challenge. It was a huge challenge for us back home and its another huge challenge for us tonight." Julien, who ties Mike Keenan for the most Game 7s in NHL history among head coaches, was equally excited after the morning skate. "I was ready to play last night and I was excited watching the other games on TV," said the Bruins coach, who is 5-4 in his previous nine Games 7s. "I wish it was an afternoon game versus a night game. "Its the excitement of wanting to play those (games). It depends on how you approach it. Im excited about it. I dont know if having been through a lot of Game 7s is a compliment. But weve been through a lot of them and hopefully we can take advantage of it." The winner will host the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference final. Both the Bruins and Canadiens will be looking for a fast start. The team that scores first in Game 7 is 113-40 (.739) all-time, not to mention all six previous games in this series. Boston has a clear edge in Game 7 experience. The Bruins have played in a combined total of 89 Game 7s, compared to 38 for Montreal. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara will be appearing in his 11th Game 7, passing Martin Brodeur, Andrew Ference and Scott Gomez (10) for the most among active players "Asked about his favourite Game 7 memory, the 37-year-old Chara smiled and replied: "Every one that we win." Ask Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher about his last Game 7 and the 22-year-old forward reaches back to junior hockey for a double-overtime Vancouver Giannts win over the Spokane Chiefs.dddddddddddd The Habs will look to their leaders, with goalie Carey Price and defenceman P.K. Subban leading the way. "P.K. Subbans been phenomenal since the playoff started ... Hes a gamer," said Therrien. "Hes a guy that will bring his game to another level when the game counts. Hes been a leader on the ice definitely for our club." Prices record this year in elimination games is 4-0, counting Game 6 and three win-or-go-home games at the Sochi Olympics -- against Latvia, the U.S. and Sweden. The 26-year-old gave up just one goal in those games. "Hes calm and he makes our team play with confidence," said Therrien. "It goes with maturity. Hes a young veteran but this year his experience at the Olympics, I thought he was phenomenal. He was a true leader for that team and ended up winning the gold medal. Last game, it was the same thing. It was a huge game for us." All four of Prices post-season shutouts have come against the Bruins. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other goalie to earn his first four playoff shutouts against one team is Brodeur (also against Boston). The only other Habs goalie with four post-season shutouts against the Bruins is Jacques Plante (between 1954 and 1958). Boston is taking part in a Game 7 for the seventh consecutive season, setting an NHL record. The Bruins had been tied with the Avalanche, participants in six consecutive years from 1998 through 2003. There was no word on any lineup changes. Asked if defenceman Dennis Seidenberg might return from a knee injury layoff, Julien chose to be a bit fuzzy. "I dont think so," said Julien, who obviously knew the answer. "Id be very surprised." NOTES -- The Game 7 between the Bruins and Canadiens is the ninth between the two franchises, which is a record for two teams among all major sports. Montreal held a 5-3 advantage in the eight prior Game 7s, but the teams split six such games in Boston ... Thirty-eight of the 152 Game 7s in the NHL have required overtime, with a 19-19 split between home and road teams. 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