Claude Julien Receives Contract Extension

This eventful offseason for the Boston Bruins could very well have culminated on Tuesday afternoon as General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced that they have signed Head Coach Claude Julien to a multi-year contract extension. 

"Technically, Claude is one of, if not, the best coaches in the NHL," said Chiarelli. "We have great plans in the future and we are happy to have him along for the ride."

Although the details of the contract were not released, having some stability behind the bench for the next few years is always a plus. The assistant coaches are likely to fall in line with extensions of their own. 
  
Julien was named the 28th head coach in Bruins history in 2007 and he led Boston to the club’s first Stanley Cup Championship in 39 years in 2011.

In five seasons with Boston, Julien has a record of 228-132-50. Currently, he is in third place in franchise history with 410 games coached and fourth in wins, trailing Art Ross (361), Milt Schmidt (245) and Don Cherry (231). Judging from those numbers, he will likely rise into second place by the end of the 2012-13 season.

Chiarelli also touched upon the statuses of several injured Bruins players during the press conference. He announced that Nathan Horton has been cleared for contact and should be ready for the start of training camp. Adam McQuaid, Tyler Seguin, and Anton Khudobin are all ahead of schedule as well.

The Bruins will likely carry their full compliment of players into training camp, but one should remain optimistic about the Bruins adding another key player by the end of the summer.