Montreal Canadiens' General Manager, Bob Gainey, Monday announced that he is taking over as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens from Guy Carbonneau effective immediately. Associate coach Doug Jarvis, assistant coaches Kirk Muller and Roland Melanson will be staying on the coaching staff.

Bob Gainey became the 15th General Manager in the history of the Montreal Canadiens on June 2, 2003. Gainey, 55, spent his entire NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens from 1973 to 1989, playing 1,160 games winning five Stanley Cup championships (1975 to 1979 and 1985-86).

Gainey's career as an NHL head coach started in Minnesota when he assumed the coaching duties of the North Stars back in 1990. One year later, he led that team to the Stanley Cup finals. He was the Stars' Head Coach and General Manager from 1992 to 1996 and looked over the franchise's transfer from Minnesota to Dallas.

With Minnesota and later with Dallas, Gainey coached a total of 415 regular season games. With the Canadiens, after taking over the team on an interim basis on January 14, 2006 for the remainder of the 2005-06 season, he maintained a record of 23 wins, 15 losses and 3 OTL in 41 games. In the 2006 playoffs, the Canadiens fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals.

Bob Gainey will conduct his first team practice Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Bell Sports Complex, in Brossard and coach his first game that same night when the Edmonton Oilers will be at the Bell Centre to face the Canadiens.