Martin arrived in Montreal in June 2009 known for a defense-first, structured system honed over prior head-coaching stops in Ottawa and Florida. In his first season he engineered a stunning first-round upset of the top-seeded Washington Capitals, then eliminated Pittsburgh before falling to Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference Final — a deep run fueled by Jaroslav Halak's goaltending. The 2010-11 season saw regular-season improvement to 96 points, though the Canadiens again lost a playoff series to archrival Boston. A sluggish start to 2011-12 led general manager Pierre Gauthier to fire Martin in December 2011, ending a tenure remembered more for that 2010 playoff run than for sustained regular-season success.