Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin will reportedly have to look elsewhere for a new coach after a telephone conversation with Bob Hartley in Russia. Hartley, a former Stanley Cup champion and winner of the Jack Adams Trophy as Coach of the Year in the NHL, is staying put with Avangard Omsk in the KHL.
"He [Bergevin] called [Hartley], but they did not meet [in person]," President of the Omsk hockey club Maxim Sushinsky told Russian media. "Yes, the conversation was about possible work at Montreal. Bob said that he works at Vanguard and will not conduct any negotiations," Sushinsky said.
Bergevin is currently in Russian to meet with Alexander Romanov, a draft pick of the Canadiens that he is hoping to get to come to North America next season rather than re-signing in the KHL. It's also expected that he will meet with other pending unrestricted free agents from the Russian hockey league, namely Konstantin Okulov.
Former NHL enforcer and now sports radio host Georges Laraque first broke the news of Bergevin holding a conversation with Hartley while in Russia. While Hartley was born in Ontario, his first language is french, making him a potentially good fit to replace current Habs head coach Claude Julien. There has been rampant speculation on Julien's future as the Canadiens are in the midst of an eight game losing streak, their longest since the 1939-40 season.
Source: Tass.ru/sport
