Three-season contract extension for Alex Burrows

MONTREAL – Club de hockey Canadien general manager Marc Bergevin announced on Wednesday that he had agreed to the terms of a three-season contract extension with assistant coach Alex Burrows (2021-2022 to 2023-2024).

The 40-year-old Burrows joined the Canadiens coaching staff on February 24, when Dominique Ducharme was appointed to the helm, replacing Claude Julien. Focusing primarily on forwards and the power play, he was instrumental in the success of the team that qualified for the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993.

Under his rule, the power play has returned 19.8% and the offense has scored 97 goals in 38 regular season games (2.55 goals / game). In the playoffs, the team posted an 18.9% (10/53) save percentage in power play and the offense generated 51 goals in 22 games (2.32 goals / game).

Prior to joining the Canadiens coaching staff, Burrows held a similar role with the Laval Rocket in the American League. In his first season behind the bench for a professional team in 2018-19, the Rocket’s power play was ranked 18th in the AHL with a save efficiency rate of 17.9%. That performance climbed to 19.7% in 2019-20, his second season behind the bench, good for eighth in the American League.

Burrows enjoyed a distinguished 13-season career as a player in the National Hockey League. He played with the Ottawa Senators for two seasons, as well as with the Vancouver Canucks for almost a decade. In his career on the Bettman Tour, Burrows recorded 409 points (205 goals, 204 assists) in addition to serving 1,134 penalty minutes in 913 regular season games. He has had four consecutive seasons of over 25 goals in the NHL, including three over 50 points.

Burrows has added 19 goals and 20 assists in 85 career playoff games. He was an important cog in his teams, helping the Canucks to reach the Stanley Cup final at the end of the 2010-2011 season with a harvest of 17 points (9 goals, 8 assists) in 25 playoff games. .

Originally from Pincourt, a suburb of Montreal, Burrows made the leap to the professional scene after a two-season internship in the QMJHL with the Shawinigan Cataractes in 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. During his time in the Courteau circuit, Burrows collected 100 points (51 goals, 49 assists) and 289 penalty minutes in 127 games. He also had 11 goals and 12 assists in 22 playoff games with the Cataractes.