Canadiens fire coach Claude Julien amid losing stretch
The struggling Montreal Canadiens fired head coach Claude Julien and associate coach Kirk Muller on Wednesday following a three-game skid.
Assistant coach Dominique Ducharme was appointed interim coach, and Alex Burrows was added to the Canadiens’ coaching staff.
After a one-week break in their schedule, the Canadiens have lost three in a row. They’ve lost five of six and six of eight since a strong start.
A 5-4 shootout loss in Ottawa against the Senators on Tuesday night marked the end of the line for Julien, who returned for his second go-round as Montreal’s coach midway through the 2016-17 season.
The Canadiens were battling the Toronto Maple Leafs for top spot in the North Division earlier in the season but have since dropped into fourth.
Julien had to leave the team during the first round of the playoffs last year in Toronto when he had a stent installed in a coronary artery. Muller took over the head coaching duties and the Habs extended the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers to six games before bowing out.
The Habs were the lowest-ranked team to qualify for the 24-team postseason last year and then upset the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round.
Ducharme joined the Canadiens’ coaching staff in April 2018 after 10 seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He won the Memorial Cup with Halifax in 2012-13 and has twice been Canada’s head coach at the world junior championship, winning silver in 2017 and gold in 2018.
Burrows has been a member of the coaching staff for the team’s AHL affiliate in Laval, Quebec, the past two seasons.
“I would like to sincerely thank Claude and Kirk for their contributions to our team over the past five years during which we worked together. I have great respect for these two men whom I hold in high regard,” Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said in a statement.
“In Dominique Ducharme, we see a very promising coach who will bring new life and new energy to our group. We feel that our team can achieve high standards and the time had come for a change.”
Dear Doctor: My husband is 68 years old and recently had an episode of memory loss. He suddenly didn’t know where he was. It lasted for about two hours and was very scary. Our son, who is a nurse, says maybe it was transient global amnesia. Can you please tell us something about that?
Dear Reader: Transient global amnesia refers to a sudden episode of temporary memory loss that is sometimes accompanied by confusion. It occurs separately from a condition that could commonly trigger it, such as a head injury, tumor or stroke. The causes aren’t yet understood, but it’s sometimes compared to the brief and specific bouts of amnesia that can arise after drinking too much, or from drug use.
Someone who is experiencing transient global amnesia, or TGA, is suddenly unable to recall recent events. They can, however, remember who they are, remember the names of familiar objects and recognize family members and people who have a regular part in their lives.
Although an episode of TGA can last up to 24 hours, it is usually much shorter. The average episode lasts about six hours. During the course of an episode of TGA, the individual is unable to either make or store new memories. They often repeatedly ask the same questions, because they are unable to retain the information in the answers that were given. These episodes typically occur in middle-aged and older adults.
While the onset of an episode of TGA is sudden, the recovery is usually gradual. As time passes, the individual will have increasing recall of places and events, until they feel completely oriented again. Once it’s over, most people won’t be able to recall anything that occurred during the episode. The causes of the condition are not known. A link between migraine and TGA is suspected, but it has not yet been proven. Possible triggers of the condition include physical or emotional stress, physical exertion, pain, sudden immersion in cold or hot water and medical procedures.
Because other serious conditions can share some of the symptoms of an episode of TGA, it’s important to seek medical attention. Even though your husband has recovered from his bout of memory loss, it would be wise for him to be evaluated by his health care provider. They will take a medical history and ask for a detailed description of the event. Since this isn’t something your husband can provide, you or someone else who was present will be asked for the narrative. It is likely that a neurological exam will take place. This will check sensory function, reflexes, gait, balance and coordination. Tests to assess memory and recall also will be performed. Depending on the findings, additional scans, such as magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalogram or computerized tomography -- an MRI, EEG or CT scan -will be used to detect any abnormalities in the brain’s blood flow or electrical function. Although alarming, an episode of TGA is not considered to be dangerous. For most people, it’s a unique event and is not repeated.
Eve Glazier, M.D., MBA, is an internist and associate professor of medicine at UCLA Health. Elizabeth Ko, M.D., is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health.
Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Kelly at ekelly@amuniversal. com.