Rarely out of work for longer than it takes to wipe a whiteboard clean during his quarter-century of coaching, former Bruins bench boss Claude Julien has a new and different gig these days as head coach of the Zurich Lions in Switzerland’s top pro league.
Entering weekend play, the Lions were atop the National League with a perfect 7-0-0 mark, and the home rink (Swiss Life Arena) typically topped to capacity with upward of 12,000 singing, drum-beating, bugle-blowing, flag-waving fans.
“They’re loud and boisterous, with all the flags and everything else they’ve got going on,” said an amused Julien, connected by phone last week while at his apartment in downtown Zurich. “It’s a little different than North America, and because the country’s so small, and all the games are close, the fans follow their team from rink to rink.
“It’s a different hockey culture and it’s pretty neat.”
So life is good for Julien, 66, who stands as the lone coach to lead the Bruins to a Stanley Cup title (2011) in the last 54 years. After being let go last spring as one of the Blues’ assistant coaches, he now has an extended stay in mind for the Land of Chocolate.
Plans are in place for his wife and two school-aged children, all of them currently back home in Ottawa, to join him in Zurich for the 2027-28 season — and perhaps beyond.
“I think it will be a great experience for the kids to see another country, and to experience how people live here,” said Julien, who grew up outside Ottawa and lived in Lexington for most of his years as Bruins coach. “My wife’s already visited the international schools here, so everything’s set and under control. We’re all looking forward to it.”
Among the many things that has impressed Julien in his first months in Zurich, a city of some 500,000, is the profound sense of safety he has felt.
“Just living here, I’ve found they’re easygoing people,” he said. “They’re all nice, polite. And the young kids, I’m talking about kids in Grades 1 and 2, they take the public transit for school and make their way alone, just young, little kids. It’s one of those countries where everyone feels safe.”
Julien has embraced his new hockey life, with lighter game and practice schedules and two days off nearly each week (perfect for his love of hiking and bicycling). A bus ride, never more than four hours, brings the Lions back to Zurich after every away game, guaranteeing that none of them has to check into a hotel room on the road for their night’s sleep.
The style of the Swiss game, said Julien, is mainly the same as in North America, albeit spread out on a bigger, Olympic-sized ice sheet (width expanded from 85 to 100 feet). Nearly four years ago, between his NHL coaching gigs, Julien was hired by Ambri-Piotta, one of the 14 NL teams, as a consultant. It provided him with a firm understanding of the game he’d see upon taking over the Zurich bench.
“What impressed me was, for the most part, they play a more North-American-type game,” he said. “It’s a very aggressive forecheck, so not a league with guys, you know, just sitting back in the neutral zone. And as a country, on the national level, the game’s improved a lot. It’s good hockey.”
The Swiss made it to the IIHF Worlds finals in 2024, ‘25, and ‘26, losing the gold medal to Czechia, the United States, and Finland, respectively.
“So for me, I like the aggressiveness, the way they play here,” added Julien. “I can’t say I had to make a big adjustment in how I coach or how I want us to play. Some of that is because I’ve been in these kinds of rinks when coaching with Team Canada and we didn’t change our style even if the ice was bigger. It’s only about where the dots are on the ice, and for most teams, that means they’re going to protect the inside ice — same as in North America. The only difference is you’ve got a little more room on the outside, but that doesn’t mean that it gives you more scoring opportunities.”
The Zurich roster does not include many names familiar to casual NHL watchers. Yannick Weber (D), age 38 , Mikko Lehtonen (D), 32, and Sven Andrighetto (F), 33, all had varying tenures in the NHL. Simon Knak, a 24-year-old forward, is a Nashville draft pick (No. 179, 2021) and one day could make his way to the NHL. Jesper Froden (F), 32, played seven games with the Bruins in 2021-22. Swiss-born center Denis Malgin played for three NHL teams — Florida, Toronto, and Colorado — and logged 257 games. Malgin entered weekend play as Zurich’s top point producer (3-7–10).
“For the older guys,” mused Julien, “I’m not going to say that content is the right word, but they’ve accepted the fact that their opportunity in the NHL is gone. Then there’s some younger players who are hoping to get recognized by North America. Knak, for example. … His rights are still with Nashville. If one day he’s a free agent, he’s a young guy that some NHL teams could be looking at.”
Jonah Neuenschwander, a 17-year-old forward with Biel-Bienne, is among the NL’s top young talents. Eligible for next year’s NHL entry draft in June for the first time, he is widely expected to be selected in the top 10, then possibly come directly to North America. A 6-foot-3-inch winger, it’s his third NL season.
Nashville defenseman Roman Josi, born in Bern, Switzerland, is perhaps the best Swiss player to make it to the NHL. Drafted No. 38 in 2008, he stepped full-time into the Predators backline in 2011 and remains among the game’s elite blueliners at age 36.
Early in his run of nine-plus seasons behind the Boston bench, Julien made a strong impact on Patrice Bergeron’s career, helping the one day Hall of Famer to focus on his complete, 200-foot game. Bergeron, a minus-28 in the season before Julien took over in the summer of 2007, never logged a minus season again and logged four of his record six Selke Trophies under Julien’s guidance.
Julien will be back in Boston on Dec. 1, at Bergeron’s invite, to witness the legendary center’s No. 37 getting hoisted to the Garden rafters.
“He texted and asked if I could come,” noted a sincerely appreciative Julien. “So I checked our schedule, we actually don’t play that week. That’s a Tuesday, and we don’t play here until Saturday, Just super classy of Bergy to ask. I’m thrilled I’ll have the opportunity to be there.”
It’s a whole new world for Julien, hockey still at the center of it all, but with a schedule that allows more into his life. Maybe another NHL offer comes his way some day. Who knows?
“If it did, I guess I’d have to consider it, but it doesn’t mean I’d take it,” he said. “I would say, right now, I am happy here, you know … a 52-game schedule, sleep in your own bed every night, and it’s really gold hockey. It’s fun, and I’m enjoying the hockey as much as the lifestyle.”
UTAH REUNION
Peterka to face former Mammoth team
JJ Peterka will go up against a number of his old Mammoth pals Thursday night when Utah makes its lone visit to Causeway Street. The rematch is Jan. 23 in Salt Lake City.
Peterka potted his first goal in a Bruins uniform in Tuesday’s 3-0 season-opening blanking of the Rangers. The Bruins acquired the speedy German winger in June from Utah for a pair of Round 1 draft picks, the first of which the Mammoth wheeled immediately to the Red Wings in order to acquire Sebastian Cossa, the top goalie chosen (No. 15 overall) in the 2021 draft.
After toiling four years in the minors, the 6-6 Cossa finally has secured a roster spot in the show, backing up Mammoth No. 1 Karel Vejmelka, who was a workhorse 38-20-3 last season with Vitek Vanceck his backup. If Cossa meets projections, Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny should be able to lighten his No. 1’s load.
The Red Wings, with that Bruins pick (No. 23) in hand via the Cossa deal, selected high-scoring Kamloops Blazer J.P. Hurlbert (42-55–97), who is in Ann Arbor for his freshman season at the University of Michigan. The Mammoth will receive their second first-rounder from the Bruins in the 2028 entry draft.
ETC.
Hanson’s Sweezey wears ‘C’ for Providence
The Providence Bruins, with newly named captain Billy Sweezey (from Hanson) in charge of the backline, absorbed a 2-1 loss Friday in their season opener at home against Utica. They’re back at it at the Amica Mutual Pavilion Sunday with Springfield in town for a matinee (3 p.m.).
Sweezey, 30, finished up at Yale in the spring of 2020 with a degree in biomedical engineering: not the conventional path to captaincy of an AHL team — or any team in any sport. He is the 28th captain in the club’s history — matching David Pastrnak as the 28th captain of the Causeway varsity.
After bidding farewell to forwards Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov, considered Boston’s top prospects in recent years, it’s a much different look and feel in Providence. Up front, young prospects Ivan Ivan, Attilio Biasca, Dans Locmelis and others now frame a new generation of Bruins hopefuls.
Quiz: Over their century-plus, the Bruins have had two Ivans (albeit first names only) on their Boston roster. Name them.
Jersey connection
Bruins backliner Connor Clifton has high praise for forward Tom Zocco, the Staten Island kid who impressed as a Bruins invitee at last month’s brief rookie tourney in Buffalo. The two practice at the same rink in New Jersey each offseason, where Clifton grew up, and Zocco, playing this season with the OHL’s London Knights, intends next fall to be a freshman at Quinnipiac. Clifton played for four seasons for the Bobcats prior to turning pro with AHL Providence in 2017.
“Great kid, great family, and a really nice player,” said Clifton, praising Zocco’s game, “He can fire the puck, has all the tools … a player to watch, for certain.”
Clifton and Zocco’s brother, Luke, also a defenseman, played together as teenagers on the New Jersey Hitmen backline.
Tom Zocco next season will be under the tutelage of the Bobcats’ Rand Pecknold, the same bench boss Clifton had in his years there.
“Rand and our [defense] coach, Reid Cashman, who’s at Dartmouth now, they were both instrumental in my development,” said Clifton. “I was there four years, and I needed it.”
Tom Zocco, a 20-year-old winger, remains a free agent, a status he’ll maintain when he enters school. He went unclaimed in the NHL entry drafts of 2024, ’25 and ’26. Unless he were to turn pro after his junior year playing for Dale Hunter, he would not be eligible for next year’s rookie tourney because it will be late September and he really should be back at school (apologies, coach Stewart).
Entering weekend play, Zocco was 2-2–4 in his three OHL games.
Loose pucks
The Ducks on Thursday rolled out mindboggling bucks (six years/$43.2 million) — the same $7.2 million average the Bruins handed Fraser Minten — for top blue line prospect Tristan Luneau, who entered the new season with all of 14 games on his NHL resume. Minten signed after 107 games. As general manager Pat Verbeek’s payroll currently stands, he has committed to paying eight players, Luneau included, an aggregate $75.4 million next season. The others: Leo Carlsson ($18 million), Cutter Gauthier ($13.5 million), Mikael Granlund ($7 million), Troy Terry ($7 million), Jackson LaCombe ($9 million), Pavel Mintyukov ($7.2 million), and Lukas Dostal ($6.5 million). It leaves Verbeek with some $38 million to dole out to 15 others, or approximately two-thirds of the 23-man Ducks roster. It’s the payroll model many, if not most, clubs will adopt — with then top one-third of the workers eating up roughly two-thirds of the payroll … Peter Laviolette’s debut as Kings coach Wednesday night was a dud, an 8-4 pasting in Denver. Laviolette, then 41, guided Carolina to its first Stanley Cup in 2006. He is one of eight bench bosses on the job this season to own at least one ring. The others: Joel Quenneville (Ducks, three); Mike Sullivan (Rangers, two); Jon Cooper (Lightning, two); Paul Maurice (Panthers, two); and Jared Bednar (Avalanche), Rod Brind’Amour (Hurricanes), and Mike Babcock (Oilers) one each … Bednar, his contract with the Avalanche just extended through 2030-31, is the lone coach in hockey history to win a title in the ECHL (South Carolina, 2009), the AHL (Lake Erie, 2016) and the NHL (2022) … Lysell and Merkulov signed with Colorado in the offseason. Lysell was assigned out of camp to AHL Colorado Eagles. Merkulov remains in the big camp, but on injured reserve … Former Bruin Ryan Spooner, noted here a couple of weeks ago, signed this season to play in Slovakia, in Zdeno Chara’s hometown of Trencin. On Thursday, after a 1-3–4 start with Dukla, he announced his retirement at age 34. Early in his days with the Bruins, “Spoons” envisioned one day returning to his hometown and joining the Ottawa Police Department. Worth noting: that was well before the Rangers in 2018 signed him to a two-year contract extension for an average $4 million per season … In their back-to-backs to open the season, the Canucks and Oilers amassed a combined 27 goals. Vancouver took the opener, 6-5, in overtime, and the Oilers two nights later prevailed, 9-7. More, please. Messy? Absolutely. But loads of fun. Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard rolled up a 3-2–5 in the opener. He was one of only six blue liners to connect for a hat trick all last season. Only three defensemen (Bouchard, Rasmus Dahlin, and Moritz Seider) tallied five points or more in a game last season … Quiz answer: Ivan Boldirev and Ivan Huml. Boldirev, who grew up in then Yugoslavia, was chosen at No. 11 in the 1969 draft — the same draft the Flyers scooped Flin Flon’s Bobby Clarke at No. 17. He suited up for only 17 games here, missing out on the 1972 Cup win, and was traded to the California Golden Seals for Chris Oddliefson and Rich Leduc. Huml, a Czech forward, was selected No. 59 in the 2000 draft. He played only 49 games here before returning home for a lengthy run in European leagues that lasted into his late 30s … The National League in Switzerland for nearly the past 20 years has presented its annual champion with its prized Twin Skate trophy, the shape and color (yellow) of which has led to it being dubbed the “Pee Pot.” We’ll spare you, dear readers, a greater explanation of its design. Now, for those of us who remember gas stations of our youth, the august Stanley Cup might remind some of the grimy, dented contraption that typically was wheeled under car lifts to aid in routine oil changes. Art. One man’s hallowed Cup is another man’s key to a smooth running Pontiac GTO.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com.