MONTREAL -- Jacques Demers coached 1,107 NHL games for five teams in a span of 20 years. But nowhere was the spotlight brighter, the microscope finer, the second-guessing sharper and the criticism more stinging than during his 220 games behind the Montreal Canadiens bench during three-plus seasons from 1992-95.
So Demers, who last coached in the NHL in 1998-99 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, has good insight into the current world of Canadiens coach Michel Therrien, the lightning rod during a season that has lacked plenty of electricity.
The Canadiens entered Tuesday 34-36-6 in a season when goalie Carey Price, who won the Hart and Vezina trophies, has played 12 games because of injuries.
"This guy is suffering," Demers said. "I've been there. You get to the point where you're having sleepless nights, where you start questioning everything.
"Michel was caught in a situation. … Carey Price himself probably would have won 10 games. A great goalie does that. Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy did that. Jonathan Quick and Ben Bishop do that. These guys are so good that they win games by themselves because some nights you're just out of it.
"Michel Therrien lost the heart and soul of that team, which is Price."
Demers is the most recent Canadiens coach to win a Stanley Cup, in 1992-93, his first season behind the bench after having replaced Pat Burns.
The Canadiens were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs the following season, then missed the postseason in 1994-95 season. When the Canadiens lost their first four games of 1995-96 and were outscored 20-4, Demers was fired and replaced for one game by assistant coach Jacques Laperriere before Mario Tremblay took over the job.
Since Demers' dismissal the Canadiens have had nine coaches, 11 if you count two tours of duty for Therrien and Bob Gainey.
"One hundred points, 110 back-to-back?" Demers said of Therrien's 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. "I know for sure how Michel feels."
Demers is quick to point out how much Price's injury affected Montreal's season.
"I still maintain this, and I'm not saying this to please anybody: If Carey Price is there Montreal is not out of it now," he said. "That's how good Price is. You can't lose your top player. He's also a tremendous leader, a silent leader. He doesn't have to yell. It's the way he works, like Steve Yzerman when he was my captain in Detroit."
Demers said he believes the injuries that slammed the Canadiens this season make 2015-16 impossible to compare to 2014-15, when they went two rounds deep into the playoffs, or 2013-14, when they went to the Eastern Conference Final.
Demers said he believes Therrien will be back next season but predicts all eyes will be on the coach from the start of the season.
"Michel is going to have pressure next year," Demers said. "I don't know what's going to happen to Carey Price. I don't know if he's going to be the same goaltender again.
"Michel will be under tremendous pressure next year because everybody's going to watch.
"It hurt them to start 9-0 this year. People thought they were going to win the Stanley Cup. Michel may be forced to make a change at the assistant coaching level, he may want different assistants. But I think he'll survive and I hope he does."
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