The New York Rangers introduced on Saturday, two days after their season ended, that they’ve fired head coach Peter Laviolette after he spent two seasons within the place. Laviolette mutually parted methods with the Washington Capitals two years in the past. Affiliate coach Phil Housley was additionally relieved of his duties.
At present I knowledgeable Peter Laviolette and Phil Housley that we’re making a training change,” mentioned New York GM Chris Drury in an announcement. “I wish to thank them each and need them and their households all the most effective going ahead. Peter is top quality all the way in which, each professionally and personally, and I’m actually grateful for his ardour and dedication to the Rangers in his time as head coach.
After ending with the most effective common season document within the NHL a yr in the past and making a visit to the Japanese Convention Last, we got here into this season with excessive expectations for ourselves. Fairly merely, we failed to satisfy these expectations. We should all do higher – myself included. As we head into subsequent season and past, I felt {that a} change was crucial in an effort to give us the most effective probability to realize our objectives as a corporation. Our seek for a brand new head coach will start instantly.”
After successful the Presidents’ Trophy and coming two wins shy of the Stanley Cup Last in Laviolette’s first season, New York missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs by six factors and completed with a 39-36-6 document (.518 factors proportion) this previous common season.
The Rangers completed twelfth with a 3.11 goals-per-game common, nineteenth with a 3.11 goals-against per sport common, twenty eighth with a .176 power-play effectivity, and eleventh with a .803 penalty-killing effectivity in a season the place they traded six starters from their opening night time roster, together with captain Jacob Trouba.
New York went an NHL-worst 5-16-0 (.238) from November 20-January 4, which included a 3-1 loss to the Twenty ninth-placed Philadelphia Flyers on November 29, 5-3 loss to the Twenty seventh-placed Seattle Kraken at residence regardless of main 3-1 on December 8, 2-1 loss to the Thirty first-placed Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Sq. Backyard the next day, and 2-0 loss to the Thirtieth-placed Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Area on December 17. Additionally they bought outscored 14-3 in two losses to the Twenty sixth-placed Buffalo Sabres and fell 3-2 at residence to the Twenty fourth-placed Pittsburgh Penguins on February 7 even supposing neither Sidney Crosby nor Evgeni Malkin suited up for Pittsburgh that night time.
In his two seasons behind the bench, Laviolette guided the Rangers to a 94-59-11 regular-season document (.607 factors proportion) and 10-6 postseason document (.625).
Laviolette and Washington parted methods in 2023 after the workforce went 35-37-10 (.488) and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the primary time since 2014 that yr.
The Capitals went 115-78-27 (.584) within the common season below Laviolette for 3 seasons from 2020-23. They fell within the first spherical, going 3-8 (.375), in each of his first two seasons as head coach.
In 1594 profession regular-season video games as an NHL head coach with New York, Washington, the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Nashville Predators, Laviolette’s groups are 846-562-161 (.589). They’re additionally 88-82 (.518) within the postseason. Laviolette led Carolina to their lone Stanley Cup Championship in 2006. He additionally took Philadelphia (2010) and Nashville (2017) to a Stanley Cup Last, shedding in six video games every time.
In 2006, Laviolette was named the pinnacle coach of the USA Males’s Olympic workforce, and in 2020, he was named the pinnacle coach for the USA through the Males’s World Championships.
The Anaheim Geese additionally fired head coach Greg Cronin on Saturday after the workforce did not make the postseason for the seventh consecutive season.
By Harrison Brown
