Ducharme signs 3-year extension, officially becomes Canadiens head coach

The Montreal Canadiens officially named Dominique Ducharme the 31st head coach in the team's history Tuesday after signing him to a three-year contract extension.

Montreal promoted Ducharme from assistant coach to interim bench boss in February after relieving Claude Julien from his duties. The 48-year-old compiled a 15-16-7 record during the regular season before guiding the Habs to the Stanley Cup Final.

"Dominique has managed to set his system in place and establish himself as a head coach in a very unusual season with challenging circumstances," general manager Marc Bergevin said. "While our team has gone through its fair share of adversity, he has shown a lot of control over the situation as well as showing calm and great leadership. These are important qualities that we look for in a head coach, and he fully deserves the chance to lead our team and take it to the next level."

Ducharme coached Canada's world junior team for two years, winning gold in 2018 before joining Montreal as an assistant.