Habs name Cunneyworth as coach in Hamilton

Shortly after the Tampa announcement When it came time to fill those jobs again this summer, general industries manager Pierre Gauthier did an about-face and hired a couple of unilingual anglophones with tons of experience.

The changing of the guard was completed Tuesday when Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Guy Boucher announced he was reuniting his Hamilton staff, with Martin Raymond and Dan Lacroix getting an opportunity to realize the Canadian dream of spending winters in Florida.

Shortly after the Tampa announcement, the Canadiens issued a release saying Randy Cunneyworth had been hired as head coach in Hamilton and Randy Ladouceur will serve as his assistant.

“I was pleased to get the phone call,” Cunneyworth said in a conference call from Hamilton. “I met with Pierre and (Canadiens head coach Jacques) Martin and I’m happy to be going to such a storied organization.”

Cunneyworth, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Thrashers, said the fact he shares a history with Gauthier and Martin made him feel comfortable in their negotiations.