Julien Enjoying Cup Through Players
BOSTON (CBS) – As the Boston Bruins celebrated their Stanley Cup Championship in the locker room, head coach Claude Julien stood in the corner with his five-year-old daughter, Katryna, in his arms, soaking it all in.
"They deserve it. I just want to enjoy the moment through their eyes," Julien told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche. "It's so deserving, I'm happy for that crew. What we've been through, you know you grow through different types of situations. We persevered. Right now, it's great to see those guys."
In just his fourth season in Boston, Julien led the Bruins to the top of the hockey world.
"For me, it's just about being able to fulfill a lot of peoples dream to be able to have this happen to them," the humble coach said. "The fans in Boston have seen a lot of championship teams; they haven't seen one in Hockey in a long time. We represent Boston, and we're proud to represent them and we're proud to bring the Stanley Cup back."
Claude Julien In Bruins Locker Room After Game 7 Win
Julien has made the playoffs in each of his four seasons with the Bruins, but the first three ended in disappointment. He often heard critisim and was to blame for nearly all of the Bruins deficiencies on the ice.
Claude heard the critics, but shook them off. It never mattered to the 51-year-old, and never will. What matters are what his players think.
Photos: Bruins With The Cup
"As a coach you're going to be subject to criticism, but the most important thing is what's going on inside that dressing room," Julien said at the podium after the win. "There wasn't a guy that didn't believe in what we were doing. So it's easy to stay the course, and you got to stay the course. Today you're rewarded for it. Had I worried about that other stuff, I probably wouldn't be standing here today."
Read/Watch:Young and Old, Bruins Celebrate Cup In Vancouver
After an incredible ride that saw the Bruins go 16-9 in the postseason, Julien now boasts a 36-30 career record in the playoffs. They came back from 0-2 deficits against both the Montreal Canadiens and Canucks.
But Julien never let his team get rattled, instead just looking ahead to the next game.
"I think it was great the way our team just looked at the small picture. Every game, all we talked about was going out there and earning it. It wasn't ours to have, it was ours to earn."
