From Seth Rorabaugh of Empty Netters:
The Penguins signed a three-year extension with head coach Michel Therrien. The deal will keep him behind the Penguin’s bench until the 2010-11 season.
EN Says: We love this signing. Therrien inherited a mess from Ed Olczyk during the 2005-06 season and the franchise has done nothing but improve since that point. Granted, Therrien has had a roster of talent to deal with that could rival some international teams, but several coaches have failed when put in similar circumstances.
Read the entire post here.
Therien has always been a media target for criticism, mainly because of his temper, but he has done a terrific job in Pittsburgh. While you can argue the Penguins had the most talented team in the Eastern Conference last season, that doesn’t always translate into strong defensive play. Nonetheless, the Penguins successfully shutdown the Senators/Rangers/Flyers without much difficulty and demonstrated a strong killer instinct in each series.
Therien’s job will almost certainly be more difficult next season, with the loss of Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone, but he definitely earned this extension.
