MONTREAL, June 1 (UPI) -- Jacques Martin has left his position as Florida Panthers general manager to become head coach of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens.
Martin is the 26th head coach in the Canadiens' storied history but Montreal hasn't won the Stanley Cup since 1993. The 16-year championship drought is the longest for the team, which marked its 100th season in 2008-09.
Montreal is coming off a 41-30-11 season in which the Canadiens were swept from the playoffs in the first round. The team was 35-24-11 when Coach Guy Carbonneau was fired March 9. Carbonneau was 124-93-23 as the Montreal coach.
Martin, 56, will be entering his 15th season as an NHL head coach. He previously led St. Louis, Ottawa and Florida, and has a 517-406-119 record. He's never taken a team further than the conference finals.
The Canadiens have won 24 NHL titles, including at least one each decade of the NHL's existence, until 2000-09.