Julien took advantage of the opportunity to express his empathy for the former bench boss.

#Habs Julien starts his conference call by expressing empathy for Michel Therrien having been fired and praising his predecessor. — John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) February 15, 2017

"Mike [Therrien] is a good coach, he’s not an easy coach to try to match lines with. I want to wish him the best of luck."- C.Julien — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 15, 2017

He’s excited about the new challenge.

"I'm very happy to be back in a market like Montreal." - C. Julien — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 15, 2017

"J'aime la direction dans laquelle l'équipe se dirige" Claude Julien #tvasports — Louis Jean (@LouisJean_TVA) February 15, 2017

“I like the direction this team is headed.” explains Julien.

#Habs Julien: "We're gonna try to play with some pace, and we're certainly gonna try to bring pride to our game." — Chantal (@pucksnlife) February 15, 2017

"I'll continue the rivalry with the Bruins, but only on the ice. I have a lot of respect for the players." - Julien — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 15, 2017

It also seems like Bergevin pressed the issue.

Claude Julien said he wanted to wait until sping before making a decision on his future. It changed when Marc Bergevin called. #tvasports — Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) February 15, 2017

His contract will last 5 years beyond this season (2021-2022)

Le contrat de Claude Julien est de 5 ans en plus de cette saison. — Marc Antoine Godin (@MAGodin) February 15, 2017

Claude Julien says all assistant coaches are staying on board through the rest of the season. His deal goes for 5 years after this season. — Eric Engels (@EricEngels) February 15, 2017

#Habs Julien: "Sometimes little adjustments make a big difference, and that's what we'll try to do." — Chantal (@pucksnlife) February 15, 2017

As for style of play, there’s some good news in that department

"I want the puck. If you watch the Bruins we also recovered pucks, but I want both. I want a good statistic for puck possession." - Julien — Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) February 15, 2017

#Habs Julien: "This was the perfect opportunity for me. There were others, but this was the ideal situation for me." — Chantal (@pucksnlife) February 15, 2017

“I’m taking over a team that’s in first place. We can’t forget the good things the team did at the start of the year.” – C. Julien — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 15, 2017

"Having the chance to coach my 1,000th NHL game with the Canadiens will be special. It’s a team I’ve loved since I was a kid." - C. Julien — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 15, 2017

Julien : "C'est une équipe qui compte le meilleur gardien au monde, des défenseurs qui bougent bien la rondelle et de bons avants" #CH #RDS — Patrick Friolet (@PFrioletRDS) February 15, 2017

“This team has the best goaltender in the world, defenders that can move the puck well, and good forwards.”

#Habs Julien talked with Geoff Molson after the deal was done with Marc. "This is a class organization with class ownership." — Chantal (@pucksnlife) February 15, 2017

"My kids are still in school, so they'll stay in Boston for now. When you're a coach, you have to make some tough decisions." - C. Julien — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 15, 2017