Pressure Too Much, Canadiens’ Perron Resigns

Jean Perron, who led the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup in his first year as coach in 1986, resigned Monday.

Perron’s coaching decisions had been openly questioned by many players this season, including veteran defenseman Larry Robinson.

“Definitely, we had a major problem in the organization,” General Manager Serge Savard said at a news conference not attended by Perron. “This problem was too large to handle so he felt he had to resign.”

Savard said Perron planned to continue his career elsewhere.

Perron was deemed a hero in Montreal when the Canadiens swept through the playoffs in 1986, defeating Calgary in the finals. But, in 1987, they were eliminated by Philadelphia in the conference finals. When they lost the division finals this season to Boston, public pressure to dump Perron grew.