Claude Julien Looking Forward to Welcoming New Red Sox Skipper Bobby Valentine to Boston’s Coaching Fraternity

WILMINGTON, Mass. — Throughout his tenure in Boston, Bruins coach Claude Julien has enjoyed a strong relationship with the city’s other big league coaches.

Julien has forged a bond with his fellow Garden tenant Doc Rivers of the Celtics and has spoken frequently with Patriots boss Bill Belichick, who visited the Garden himself to cheer on the Bruins during their Stanley Cup run last spring.

So it should come as no surprise that Julien is hoping to build a similar relationship with new Rex Sox skipper Bobby Valentine, who was introduced as the club’s new manager on Thursday. 

“I’m not the rookie anymore,” Julien joked after practice Friday at Ristuccia Arena.

With Valentine having been in Boston less than a day, Julien hasn’t had a chance to speak with him yet, but was looking forward to doing so.

“I’m a big Sox fan anyway, so I’m sure at some point I’m going to end up reaching out to him and hopefully we can have the same kind of relationship that we have with the other two guys that have been really good to me,” Julien said, referring to Rivers and Belichick. “Hopefully I can be part of that group that can welcome him and make him feel a part of our group.”

That group of Boston coaches is a pretty exclusive fraternity. Julien became the last of the four to win a championship last spring, joining Belichick (Super Bowl titles in 2001, 2003, 2004), Rivers (NBA championship in 2008) and Valentine’s predecessor Terry Francona (World Series titles in 2004, 2007). Valentine has won a title in Japan and reached the World Series with the Mets in 2000, but will need to take that final step to a championship to match his fellow Boston coaches.

Julien has been a longtime baseball aficionado, and while he’ll be happy to help Valentine get acclimated to Boston, don’t expect the Bruins coach to be giving any lineup advice.  

“That’s something you should learn,” Julien chastened one reporter who suggested Julien could give Valentine some tips. “When you’re not coaching that team, you shouldn’t always have the answers.”