Montreal Canadiens fire goalie coach Eric Raymond

The Montreal Canadiens announced Wednesday that they have relieved goaltending coach Eric Raymond of his duties.

The decision comes 53 games into the season, despite Montreal currently holding the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Marco Marciano, who has served as the goaltending coach for the AHL’s Laval Rocket since 2013, has been promoted to fill the role on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.

Before joining the NHL ranks, Raymond spent the 2020-21 season with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, following a brief stint as a developmental consultant for the New York Rangers. Prior to that, he served as goaltending coach for the Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He was part of both the Mooseheads’ QMJHL and Memorial Cup championships in 2013.

Montreal ranks 28th in team save percentage with .884; those numbers have been most evident in incumbent starter Samuel Montembeault, whose numbers have dropped significantly. Just one year ago, Montembeault was heralded as one of the top three goaltenders in Canada, earning a spot on the nation’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster. However, his play in the 2025-26 season deteriorated to the point where the Canadiens took the drastic step of assigning him to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, for a conditioning stint in late December. 

Before joining the Canadiens as a video coach for their AHL team in 2013, Marciano served as a goalie coach for the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, the Drummondville Voltigeurs, the Montreal Junior and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.