Ex-Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme hired by Golden Knights as assistant

The Vegas Golden Knights hired Dominique Ducharme and Joel Ward as assistant coaches on Wednesday.

Ducharme joins the Golden Knights after serving as the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens from February 2021 to February 2022. In 2021, he led the Canadiens to their first appearance in the Stanley Cup final since 1993.

The Canadiens hired Ducharme as an assistant coach in April 2018. Prior to that, he coached the Drummondville Voltigeurs and the Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

In 2013, Ducharme won the President's Cup and the Memorial Cup with the Mooseheads. He also won a silver medal in 2017 and gold medal in 2018 as head coach of Canada's world junior team.

He played 11 seasons in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks.

"We are extremely pleased with the additions of Dominique and Joel to our coaching staff here in Vegas," said Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon in a statement.

"Dominique brings a wealth of coaching experience into our organization and has proven to be a successful leader at multiple levels. Joel has excelled in Henderson during the first three years of his promising career as a coach and we're excited for him to be taking his next step with us."