Breaking: Claude Julien is back in the NHL!

This just in, former NHL head coach Claude Julien is back in the big leagues!

The St. Louis blues have announced that Julien has joined the team's coaching staff and will serve as an assistant coach under the newly hired Drew Bannister.

From Blues insider Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic:

The St. Louis Blues have added veteran NHL coach Claude Julien to their coaching staff and promoted Steve Ott to associate head coach, the team announced Thursday.

Julien, 64, who last coached in the NHL in 2021 with the Montreal Canadiens, will be an assistant under Drew Bannister.

Julien has previously served only as a head coach in the league, doing so for 19 seasons. He began his career with the Canadiens for three seasons (2002 to ’06), then coached the New Jersey Devils for one season (2006-07) before a 10-year run with the Boston Bruins (2007 to ’17), winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.

His second stint with the Canadiens (2016 to ’21) lasted parts of four seasons, but after Montreal opened the 2020-21 season with a record of 9-5-4, he was fired on Feb. 24 and replaced by Dominique Ducharme.

Julien has not been behind an NHL bench for three seasons but coached internationally with Team Canada at the 2022 Olympics (which the NHL did not attend) and the 2022 IIHF World Championship.

Julien has an established relationship with Blues general manager Doug Armstrong and coaching adviser Ken Hitchcock, and last season he got back into the league as a pro scout with the club.

- Jeremy Rutherford

Like Rutherford says, Julien has been out of the NHL since 2021 when he was fired by the Montreal Canadiens. He, of course, is most remembered for his 10 year stint with the Boston Bruins that culminated with a Stanley Cup championship in 2011.