Canadiens' Julien taken to hospital with chest pains, Muller to coach rest of series

Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien was taken to hospital after experiencing chest pains and is expected to miss the remainder of the club's first-round series, general manager Marc Bergevin announced Thursday, according to Arpon Basu of The Athletic.

Julien was behind the bench for Game 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday and is undergoing tests to determine his condition. Assistant coach Kirk Muller will assume head coaching duties in his absence.

Bergevin confirmed Julien's condition isn't related to COVID-19, adding that initial results seem promising.

"There was some positive news. Hopefully, he can be ready shortly and go back home," Bergevin said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.

Julien, 60, has been an NHL head coach since 2002-03 and began his second stint with the Canadiens during the 2016-17 season. He's also coached the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins, winning the Stanley Cup with the latter in 2011.

The Canadiens finished the 2019-20 campaign as the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference but advanced to the round of 16 with an upset victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round.

Montreal trails Philadelphia 1-0 in their current series, with Game 2 scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. ET.

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