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Claude Julien still not worried about Bruins firing him

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Getty Images

The most interesting Claude Julien has been as head coach of the Boston Bruins might be in his last moments as head coach of the Boston Bruins.

Julien’s been forthright and introspective in recent days, as the latest round of rumors circulate that the end is bear for the veteran head coach. He’s been on the chopping block roughly a dozen times in the past seven years. He’s there again as the Bruins take on the Pittsburgh Penguins this Sunday afternoon.

We had his comments about “shock journalism” and the coverage of his job status. Julien continued to opine about it this weekend. There was this:

And then more from the Boston Herald:

“At this stage, we’re not viewed as a high-skilled team. So we’ve got to be willing to grind it out — we’ve got to be willing to do it the dirty way. The dirty way means getting some net-front presence and grinding it out in that area. My job every day is to come in and try to fix things. Until I’m told otherwise, that’s what I’m going to keep doing. I (was) mentally prepared to go through those struggles with these guys this year and work through it.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” he added. “Every day if you don’t bring positive feedback or feeling, all they’re going to do is disintegrate. So I try to create some every day. Keep these guys motivated and not let them get down.”

The two things that seem entrenched about the Julien situation now are seemingly inevitability about his firing emanating from the Boston media and an even louder declaration from the hockey world that this situation isn’t his fault, or that firing him wouldn’t make it better.

It’s like conventional wisdom is at war with itself: The logical time to fire a head coach vs. the undeniable notion that it would be a decision with little impact on this season. And the only ones that can tip the scales are the Bruins players.

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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