‘It can become thankless,’ Michel Therrien on his time at Montreal Canadiens

Former Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien, fired after nearly five seasons with the team, reacted to his dismissal for the first time Thursday.

READ MORE: Claude Julien appointed head coach of Montreal Canadiens

In a statement, Therrien thanked the Canadiens organization, particularly president Geoff Molson and general manager Marc Bergevin.

WATCH: Global’s Kelly Greig walks us through the coaching changes the Habs have seen over the last 17 years.

1:10 Timeline: Montreal Canadiens coaches over the years

He also wrote of the pitfalls of coaching in the world’s top hockey league.

“The job of coaching in the NHL is a demanding job,” the statement reads.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The job of coaching in the NHL is a demanding job," the statement reads.

WATCH BELOW: Montreal Canadiens fire Michel Therrien, hire Claude Julien

3:26 Montreal Canadiens fire head coach Michel Therrien, hire Claude Julien

READ MORE: Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin speaks after firing Therrien, hiring Julien

Therrien also mentioned the positive side of the job.

“The Montreal Canadiens have always been a great organization and the events of recent days do not in any way change my feelings about this team and its management,” he wrote.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The Montreal Canadiens have always been a great organization and the events of recent days do not in any way change my feelings about this team and its management," he wrote.

WATCH BELOW: Bergevin on firing Therrien

1:34 Meeting with players was not about Michel Therrien: Habs GM Bergevin

• Meeting with players was not about Michel Therrien: Habs GM Bergevin
• Habs GM doesn’t think the Canadiens have leadership problems
• Habs GM Bergevin says he’s not willing to sacrifice top prospect in short term
• Habs GM believes they have a ‘superstar’ in Claude Julien

Previous Video

Next Video

Therrien ended his statement by saying he leaves the Canadiens “with my head held high, extremely proud of the work accomplished in the past five years.”

READ MORE: Montreal Canadiens most viewed NHL team on Twitter so far this season

He wished good luck to successor Claude Julien, who is replacing Therrien as Habs head coach for a second time.

WATCH BELOW: Montrealers react to new Habs coach

0:31 Montrealers react to the new Habs coach