The waiting was the hardest part for Claude Julien.
The Boston Bruins head coach was left twisting in the wind following the promotion of Don Sweeney to general manager, with the latter taking some time to consider what was best for the club after missing the playoffs this past season.
Julien held court at the club's practice facility Wednesday, admitting the process - which ended with Sweeney's confirmation Julien would be back behind the bench - wasn't his preferred way of kicking off the summer.
Julien: Wasn't fun or easy to wait. But understood the need for Sweeney to take his time.
— Fluto Shinzawa (@GlobeFluto) June 10, 2015
Julien qualified that sentiment by adding he's confident he can work well with Sweeney, and he believes he has the support of team president Cam Neely, who had the power to let him go in the past.
Julien's vision is to help the team transition the puck with greater effectiveness, getting up the ice with relative ease and speed.
To that end, he endorsed restricted free agent Dougie Hamilton with a bit of a wink and nudge directed at the GM, saying the team missed the young defenseman dearly over the course of the final ten games of the season.
Julien will enter the 2015-16 season as the NHL's longest-tenured head coach, a position he admits is tenuous in the ever-changing business of hockey.
"(It) just means I'm next one to fall off the totem pole," he said. "I'm going try to make it last as long as I can."
CJ: speculations have been made about whether this is temporary, but we're committed to take this team & move fwd w/ it in right direction
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 10, 2015
Should he right the ship and get the team back into the playoffs, chances are he'll push his standing as Boston's head coach into year 10.
