The Vancouver Canucks have fired the most successful coach in their history, who just two years ago led them to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Alain Vigneault was fired Wednesday alongside assistant coaches Rick Bowness and Newell Brown, in what is sure to be the first of many changes that Canucks GM Mike Gillis has promised this offseason.
"We're in a results-oriented business and if you look at the last two playoffs we've been in, we were the higher-seeded team but lost the first two games at home," Canucks president and general manager Mike Gillis said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"We lost consecutive games in the last two playoff years, and there comes a point in time where the message has to change and we have to be better. And we simply didn't get the result we expected," he said.
TVA's Louis Jean first tweeted the news Wednesday morning, adding that assistant coach Darryl Williams and goaltending coach Roland Melanson are safe in their jobs for now.
In his time with the Canucks, Vigneault has amassed a 313-170-57 record, winning the Jack Adams Trophy for coach of the year in 2007 and becoming a finalist for the award on two other occasions, TSN reported.
He has led the Canucks to two President's Trophy-winning seasons, six Northwest Division titles (the last five consecutively), three appearances in the second round of the NHL playoffs and the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, falling 4-0 to the Boston Bruins in the final game.
Gillis did not reveal names of prospective coaches who might replace Vigneault. He remained optimistic about the team's ability to attract suitable candidates.
"I think it would be a very attractive place for a coach to come and coach," Gillis said.
With files from The Canadian Press
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