Montreal Canadiens executive vice president and general manager Marc Bergevin announced Wednesday the appointment of Donald Dufresne as assistant coach and Vincent Riendeau as goaltending consultant with the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs.
A native of Quebec City, Dufresne, 45, played 11 professional seasons from 1987-98, including time in the AHL with the Sherbrooke Canadiens, Fredericton Canadiens and Worcester IceCats. He played 268 career NHL games with Montreal, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay, St. Louis and Edmonton, and won a Stanley Cup as a member of the 1993 Canadiens.
Dufresne, who was most recently assistant coach and assistant GM of Rimouski (QMJHL), previously served as an AHL assistant coach with the Quebec Citadelles in 2001-02.
Riendeau, 46, played his first two professional seasons with the Sherbrooke Canadiens (1986-88) and both years was awarded the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award as his team allowed the fewest goals in the AHL. Riendeau, who also played for the Adirondack Red Wings and Providence Bruins in the AHL, appeared in 184 career NHL contests with Montreal, St. Louis, Detroit and Boston.
Since 2005, Riendeau has been working with various European league teams on a consulting basis, most recently in Hamburg.
