Jean Perron

Jean Perron (born October 5, 1946) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and sports commentator, best known for being the 16th head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, serving from 1985 to 1988. Perron has more recently served as the head coach for Israel's men's national teams.

Coaching career Perron was born in Saint-Isidore-d'Auckland, now called Saint-Isidore-de-Clifton, Quebec. He was an assistant coach with the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens under Jacques Lemaire for one season before being named head coach in 1985. Perron and the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in his first season in charge, with rookie goaltender Patrick Roy winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. After two more successful seasons that included a Prince of Wales Conference Final appearance and an Adams Division title, Perron resigned from the Canadiens on May 17, 1988, with team GM Serge Savard saying Perron told him the pressures of the job were "quite difficult" for his family. The next year, he was hired by the Quebec Nordiques in December 1988 as a temporary midseason replacement after Ron Lapointe was fired. He also served as an assistant coach for Canada at the 1987 Canada Cup.

In 1995, Perron became the head coach and general manager of the International Hockey League's San Francisco Spiders for their only season of existence, followed by a 50-game stint with the Manitoba Moose during the 1996-97 season.

Perron's tough, authoritarian coaching style resulted in tumultuous relationships with several of his players and staff, including a long-standing public feud with former Canadiens player Chris Nilan. His usage of strange idioms was noted in the media, once being quoted as saying, “We’re finally starting to see the train at the end of the tunnel."

In 2004, Perron was named the coach of the Israel's Under-18 and senior men's national teams. He led both teams to new heights with Israel being promoted to Division I for one year. He left after two seasons but returned in 2011 and led the Under-18 team to an IIHF World U-18 Division II Group B championship in 2013.

Coaching record NHL

IHL