A look back at Julien's first go-round with the Habs

Claude Julien hopes his second tour in Montreal lasts longer than his first.

The veteran bench boss called the shots for the Canadiens from 2002-06, a tenure that included one full season, two partial campaigns, and another lost to the 2004-05 lockout. This came after Julien spent part of three seasons as the head coach of the Canadiens' then-AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Promoted to the big club during for the final 36 games of the 2002-03 season, the Canadiens missed the playoffs in Julien's first year. However, they qualified for the postseason in the following campaign. Julien led his club to a 41-30-11 mark, good for 93 points and the Canadiens' best finish since 1993-94.

That squad was highlighted by the likes of rookie Michael Ryder, who finished his freshman campaign with 25 goals and 38 assists, and leaders like Saku Koivu and netminder Jose Theodore, stable pillars and veteran voices for the Canadiens.

In the playoffs, Montreal pushed past the Boston Bruins in an exciting seven-game series, sealing the closing contest with a 2-0 victory in Boston. But Montreal's playoff success was short-lived: The Canadiens were swept aside by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the following round.

In the next season - Julien's final one in Montreal - he lasted until the midway mark with a 19-16-6 showing before then-general manager Bob Gainey made a change to his coaching ranks.

Eleven years later, Julien gets the opportunity to build on his record with the Canadiens, which sits at 72-62-25 and ranks 15th all time in franchise history.