hired four games into the 1995–96 season as head coach of the Canadiens although he had no previous coaching experience. Tremblay had a long running dispute with star goaltender Patrick Roy, which started from their days as teammates, and not long after Tremblay became coach this eventually led to Roy's departure from Montreal. The two had almost come to blows in a Long Island coffee shop before Tremblay was announced as coach, and Roy snickered when Tremblay arrived in the dressing room for the first time. They almost fought a second time after Tremblay fired a shot at Roy's throat during practice. Tremblay kept Roy in net during a December 2, 1995, game versus the Detroit Red Wings, in which the Wings scored nine goals on Roy, who was jeered by the Montreal fans. Roy stormed off the ice and told team president Ronald Corey that he would never play for the Canadiens again. Four days later, Roy was traded to Colorado with captain Mike Keane for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky and Andrei Kovalenko. Roy went on to lead the Avalanche to two Stanley Cups before retiring. The rivalry would continue into the coaching ranks, as Roy would later (on October 15, 2013) tie Tremblay's record for longest winning streak (six games) to begin an NHL coaching career. Nearly a year after Roy left the Canadiens, Tremblay also had a heated verbal exchange with Habs enforcer Donald Brashear during a team practice prior to a game against the Avalanche in Denver. Brashear was later traded to the Vancouver Canucks. As a head coach for Montreal, Tremblay coached 159 games, with 71 wins, 63 losses and 25 ties across two years with the team. Minnesota Wild and New Jersey Devils In 2001, Tremblay became an assistant coach for the Minnesota Wild under head coach Jacques Lemaire. He remained there for seven seasons, through 2008–09. In 2009, he followed Lemaire to the New Jersey Devils where he remained an assistant coach under Lemaire. Lemaire retired in 2010 after one season in New Jersey and Tremblay was not retained as assistant coach. He then joined the Quebec sport network RDS as a hockey analyst for the Montreal Canadiens games. Personal life Mario is the uncle of the professional hockey player, Pascal Trépanier. Career statistics Coaching record References Molson Cup winner : http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/player/Mario-Tremblay External links http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1974/74012.html 1956 births Living people Canadian ice hockey coaches