Hired in May 1997 to replace Mario Tremblay, Vigneault's Montreal appointment marked his first NHL head-coaching job, launching a career that would later include stints in Vancouver, New York and Philadelphia. His debut 1997-98 season was his best in Montreal, posting a 37-32-13 record and a second-round playoff appearance before being swept by Buffalo. The following seasons brought decline, and with the team off to a poor start in 2000-01, Vigneault was fired in November 2000 and replaced by Michel Therrien — closing out a tenure that nonetheless served as the proving ground for one of the more durable coaching careers of his generation.