Montreal Canadiens Media Release
MONTREAL – Montreal Canadiens executive vice president and general manager, Marc Bergevin, announced Thursday the return of Sylvain Lefebvre as head coach of the Club’s affiliate team in the American Hockey League. He becomes the first head coach of the Laval Rocket. The Canadiens also announced the appointment of Larry Carrière as general manager of the team. The Laval Rocket will begin play at the new Place Bell in 2017-2018.
Sylvain Lefebvre will begin his sixth season as the club’s head coach in the AHL after spending the last five seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs (2012-15) and the St. John’s IceCaps (2015-17).
Sylvain Lefebvre began his coaching career with the Montreal Canadiens’ organization in June 2012 when he was appointed head coach of the club’s AHL affiliate, then in Hamilton. As the bench boss of both the Bulldogs and the IceCaps, Lefebvre coached 380 regular season games, compiling a record of 164-168-48 and leading his team to the AHL playoffs in 2017. Before becoming a head coach in the AHL, Lefebvre worked as an assistant coach in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche for three seasons (2009 to 2012).
Lefebvre played 14 seasons in the NHL, including three as a member of the Canadiens’ defense corps between 1989 and 1992. In 945 career NHL regular season games, he registered 184 points (30 goals, 154 assists) and etched his name on the Stanley Cup in 1996 with the Colorado Avalanche.
A resident of Saint-Sauveur, Carrière will also act as special advisor to the Club’s hockey operations department. Carrière first joined the Montreal Canadiens’ organization back in July 2010 as assistant general manager. In a pro hockey career that spans over 45 years, Carrière has been involved in virtually every aspect of the game, first as a player and then as part of team management. A wealth of knowledge when it comes to the business side of hockey, Carrière started in scouting before moving on to player development and ultimately assistant general manager ahead of taking on the position of general manager of the Laval Rocket. Carrière holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Major in Business Administration from Loyola College in Montreal. He also graduated from the University of Michigan with a certificate in Business Management. During his tenure in the Washington Capitals’ organization, he played a key role in the club’s main affiliate team in Hershey (AHL) winning three Calder Cup championships (2006, 2009 and 2010).