Former Columbus Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent returns home with AHL's Laval Rocket
The Blue Jackets are continuing their search for a head coach, even as the team's former coach has landed a new job.
Pascal Vincent, whom Columbus dismissed on June 17 after one season at the helm of the Jackets, has been hired by the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League.
The Montreal Canadiens affiliate went 33-31-8 last season and finished in the basement of the North Division, prompting the team to part ways with Jean-François Houle. Houle subsequently returned to his alma mater as head coach of Clarkson University’s men’s hockey team.
In Vincent, the Rocket have appointed someone who not only went 155-139-31 in his previous stint as an AHL coach with the Manitoba Moose from 2016-2021, but is also a Naval native who grew up "10 minutes from" the club's Place Bell Arena.
"It’s been a long time since I left home. So, to come back to Montreal, to come back to Laval, it’s a privilege,” the 52-year-old said during his introductory press conference.
Vincent coached the Blue Jackets to a 27-43-12 record and a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference this past season. He had joined Columbus in 2021 as then-coach Brad Larsen's top assistant.
"What happened in Columbus, you know what I can tell is that I learned a ton," Vincent said. "Did I make any mistakes? Of course I did. I've made some mistakes. But I'm learning. I'm growing. ... And I'm really happy that I'm going to bring those experiences with me to Laval and share it with the staff and the players."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Former Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent hired by AHL's Laval Rocket
