MONTREAL -- Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced on Thursday that Stephane Robidas has been appointed as the team's new assistant coach.
"We are very lucky to have someone of Stephane's caliber join our coaching staff. His recent experience as an NHL player, and his outstanding hockey background, will be excellent assets for the development of our players," said Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis. "Stephane perfectly matches the profile we were looking for in a candidate. In addition to being an exceptional individual, he is a very good communicator, and I believe that players will relate to him because of that."
Robidas, 45, spent last season as head coach of the Magog Cantonniers in the Quebec U18 AAA Development Hockey League. He led the team to the Jimmy Ferrari Cup and was named a finalist for Coach of the Year. Robidas was previously named an assistant coach with the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Phoenix on June 15, 2022 prior to accepting the offer from the Canadiens. Before embarking on his coaching career, the Sherbrooke, QC native successively held the positions of Assistant Director of Player Development and Director of Player Development with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 2015 and 2021. He also joined their ECHL coaching staff for part of the season.
A seventh-round selection of the Canadiens (164th overall) in 1995, Robidas registered 23 points (7 goals, 16 assists) in 122 regular-season games with Montreal between 1999 and 2002. The former defenseman appeared in 937 regular-season games over the course of his NHL career with the Canadiens, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and the Maple Leafs, and amassed 258 points (57 goals, 201 assists).
Inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame in 2020, Robidas turned pro after four seasons with the Shawinigan Cataractes. His 245 points with the Cataractes still stands as a franchise record among defensemen.
