{"id":1955,"date":"2026-06-04T19:04:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955"},"modified":"2026-06-04T19:04:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:04:17","slug":"new-coach-francois-methot-makes-himself-clear-at-introduction-we-want-to-bring-a-championship-to-the-fleet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955","title":{"rendered":"New coach Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot makes himself clear at introduction: \u2018We want to bring a championship to the Fleet\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

WELLESLEY \u2014 Having hired a head coach three times in the past four years, Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer feels like she has a pretty good handle on the process. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Senate rejects first Democratic effort to bar Trump from creating $1.8B settlement fund<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s part of the reason why just eight days passed between the announcement of Kris Sparre\u2019s departure and the arrival of new bench boss Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot. <\/span><\/p>\n

The other reason the process was so swift, Marmer said, was because she was \u201cblown away\u201d by M\u00e9thot.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

M\u00e9thot, 48, has spent the last decade with the Rochester Jr. Americans organization, including the past three seasons as the coach and GM of the Americans\u2019 junior team, which competes in the NAHL. He has previously trained NHL and PWHL players, including Fleet defender Haley Winn, through the Rochester Ice Center Academy, which he runs. <\/span><\/p>\n

The new coach has no plans to make drastic changes after the Fleet finished the regular season tied for first place with a record 62 points. <\/span><\/p>\n

The players raved at the Fleet\u2019s breakup day in May about the team\u2019s culture, and every player made available to the media said she would want to remain in Boston if given the chance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe foundation is there, the culture is there,\u201d M\u00e9thot said. \u201cIt would be foolish for me to come in and say, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re going to change everything and do it my way.\u2019 \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

M\u00e9thot, who said he watched \u201ca good amount of games every week\u201d this past season, was complimentary of the job Sparre did during his season at the helm and hopes to replicate some aspects of the 2025-26 team\u2019s on-ice identity.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Fleet became known as a difficult team to play against, one that ground down opponents with an aggressive style and a relentless forecheck. M\u00e9thot, who played 17 years of professional hockey, said that\u2019s a similar style to how he played and how he coaches.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m about an aggressive style \u2014 fast, physical, connected,\u201d M\u00e9thot said. \u201cI like puck possession and creativity, so there\u2019s a blend of both. The end goal is for the other team to circle the days they\u2019re going to play Boston, because it\u2019s going to be a hard night.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Marmer said she sought out candidates who would be able to build on the foundation Sparre set, and the GM was drawn to that aspect of M\u00e9thot\u2019s approach during the interview process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, the team will likely look drastically different next season as the PWHL expands by four teams. The Fleet on Wednesday announced their first three protections from the expansion process \u2014 Winn, Megan Keller, and Aerin Frankel \u2014 but beyond that group, much of the roster is in limbo. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Trump expected to announce $700 million in new support for struggling coal industry<\/a><\/p>\n

Marmer had made her protection decisions prior to hiring M\u00e9thot, but she asked him during the interview process who he would protect, and he came to the same conclusion she did. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of uncertainty, but I really believe in building from the back end,\u201d M\u00e9thot said. \u201cThe core of potential returners is a really good group to build on, because they have the culture down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The brass\u2019s next task will be to shore up the offense with elite scorers. Marmer opted to preserve her defensive core rather than protecting Alina M\u00fcller, Boston\u2019s first pick (third overall) in the inaugural PWHL Draft who totaled a career-high 21 points on four goals and 17 assists this past season. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Fleet also could face the departure of top-scoring pending free agents Jessie Eldridge (14-9\u201323) and Susanna Tapani (9-9\u201318) during the expansion process.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDanielle has a plan, and we\u2019re going over it, and obviously it\u2019s going to be about bringing goals, scoring goals,\u201d M\u00e9thot said.<\/span><\/p>\n

M\u00e9thot was part of a short list of candidates that included third-year Fleet assistant Stefanie McKeough, who also was in the running for the top job last offseason. Marmer said M\u00e9thot\u2019s experience playing professional hockey and his history of working in development were among the deciding factors. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStef is a phenomenal coach and absolutely ready to be head coach in this league,\u201d Marmer said. \u201cBut I wanted somebody who had some years of experience developing a lot of different types of players, and so that ultimately came down to the decision.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether M\u00e9thot plans to retain all or some of the assistants from this past is to be announced. <\/span><\/p>\n

The roster won\u2019t be finalized until late June after the conclusion of the expansion process, the entry draft (June 17), and free agency (which opens June 19), but M\u00e9thot intends to hit the ground running. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur messaging right off the bat is going to be very clear and consistent,\u201d M\u00e9thot said. \u201cWe have a clear path. We have a clear goal. Danielle and I, we want to bring a championship to the Fleet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Some Republican governors are rebranding June with conservative alternatives to Pride<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

M\u00e9thot was complimentary of the job Kris Sparre did during his single season at the helm and hopes to replicate some aspects of the 2025-26 team\u2019s on-ice identity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nNew coach Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot makes himself clear at introduction: \u2018We want to bring a championship to the Fleet\u2019 - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New coach Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot makes himself clear at introduction: \u2018We want to bring a championship to the Fleet\u2019 - Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"M\u00e9thot was complimentary of the job Kris Sparre did during his single season at the helm and hopes to replicate some aspects of the 2025-26 team\u2019s on-ice identity.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-04T19:04:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\"},\"headline\":\"New coach Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot makes himself clear at introduction: \u2018We want to bring a championship to the Fleet\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-04T19:04:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955\"},\"wordCount\":868,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a7a83163f19e14689def1aa5414d103a.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955\",\"name\":\"New coach Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot makes himself clear at introduction: \u2018We want to bring a championship to the Fleet\u2019 - Boston Relocation Insider\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a7a83163f19e14689def1aa5414d103a.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-04T19:04:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a7a83163f19e14689def1aa5414d103a.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a7a83163f19e14689def1aa5414d103a.avif\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":960},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=1955#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"New coach Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot makes himself clear at introduction: \u2018We want to bring a championship to the Fleet\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Boston Relocation Insider\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New coach Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot makes himself clear at introduction: \u2018We want to bring a championship to the Fleet\u2019 - Boston Relocation Insider","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"New coach Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot makes himself clear at introduction: \u2018We want to bring a championship to the Fleet\u2019 - Boston Relocation Insider","og_description":"M\u00e9thot was complimentary of the job Kris Sparre did during his single season at the helm and hopes to replicate some aspects of the 2025-26 team\u2019s on-ice identity.","og_url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955","og_site_name":"Boston Relocation Insider","article_published_time":"2026-06-04T19:04:17+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e"},"headline":"New coach Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot makes himself clear at introduction: \u2018We want to bring a championship to the Fleet\u2019","datePublished":"2026-06-04T19:04:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955"},"wordCount":868,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a7a83163f19e14689def1aa5414d103a.avif","articleSection":["Sport"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955","name":"New coach Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot makes himself clear at introduction: \u2018We want to bring a championship to the Fleet\u2019 - Boston Relocation Insider","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a7a83163f19e14689def1aa5414d103a.avif","datePublished":"2026-06-04T19:04:17+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a7a83163f19e14689def1aa5414d103a.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a7a83163f19e14689def1aa5414d103a.avif","width":1440,"height":960},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1955#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"New coach Fran\u00e7ois M\u00e9thot makes himself clear at introduction: \u2018We want to bring a championship to the Fleet\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/","name":"Boston Relocation Insider","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com"],"url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}