VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – The Vancouver Canucks have appointed veteran Bruce Boudreau to coach following a leadership purge late Sunday night in which three executives and head coach Travis Green were fired.
The Canucks, in a statement, said general manager Jim Benning was fired and assistant manager Jim Weisbrod, Green and assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner were also relieved of their duties.
The Canucks said the search for new leadership in hockey operations “has begun.”
Boudreau, former coach of the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild, is the 20th head coach in Canucks history. Scott Walker has been appointed assistant coach of Boudreau.
“I am delighted to add Bruce Boudreau as a new head coach and Scott as an assistant,” Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini said in a statement. “Bruce is one of the most seasoned coaches in the NHL, with nearly 1,000 games behind the bench and a successful track record of working with some of the best talent in the game. Scott is a young coach with excellent talent. reputation that will fit very well into our group.
The changes follow a dismal performance on Saturday in which the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Canucks 4-1 in Vancouver, prompting boos and chants of “the late Benning!” The Canucks host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.
Benning, 58, was known for his solid draft picks and questionable free agent signings during his eight seasons as general manager.
Vancouver is off to a rough start this year, dropping to last place in the Pacific Division with an 8-15-2 record.
Several of Vancouver’s stars struggled offensively and the club’s special teams failed. The team have the worst penalty in the league (64.6%) and have capitalized on 17.4% of their power play chances.
“These are tough decisions, but we thought we would have a competitive squad this year,” said Aquilini. “Therefore, I am extremely disappointed with the performance of the team so far. I’m making these changes because we want to build a team that competes for the championships and it’s time for new leaders to help us get there.
The 66-year-old Boudreau has a career coaching record of 567-302-115 and won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach in 2007-08 while with the Capitals. He was fired by the Wild in February 2020, in his 13th season as an NHL coach. During Boudreau’s tenure as coach, his teams made the playoffs in 10 of 12 full seasons.
Walker, 49, spent four seasons playing for the Canucks right wing from 1994 to 1998. Previously, he coached the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League and served as president of the Storm’s hockey operations .
The 50-year-old green was in his fifth season behind the bench. He led Vancouver to the playoffs once during his tenure.
Green admitted his team’s dismal start was “breathless” and said it can be frustrating not getting results when you feel like you are playing well in certain parts of your game.
“You bang your head against the wall, you get up the next day and try to pick up your team a bit. Also be tough on them in the areas where you need to be tough and make amends, ”he said in mid-November. “From a coaching standpoint, you need to make sure you’re in control of your emotions and getting the right message across to your group. “
Green signed a two-year extension in May after Vancouver finished the 2020-21 campaign last in the all-Canadian seven-team North Division with a 23-29-4 record.
The 2020-21 season has been tough for Green and the Canucks, both on and off the ice. Vancouver won just two games in February and suffered the NHL’s worst COVID-19 outbreak in late March.
Twenty-one players and four coaches – including Green – have tested positive for the virus and Canucks games have been suspended for more than two weeks.
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