San Francisco (AFP) - Bob Boughner was fired on Friday as coach of the San Jose Sharks along with three of his assistants after the team missed the National Hockey League playoffs.
The 51-year-old Canadian went 67-85 with 23 overtime losses after being promoted from assistant coach in December 2020 when the Sharks fired Peter DeBoer.
The Sharks, also seeking a new general manager, had not missed the playoffs in three consecutive campaigns since the team took the ice in 1991.
"As we progress through our search for the next general manager of the Sharks ...it has become apparent that the organization is in the process of an evolution," Sharks assistant general manager Joe Will said.
"The bottom line is we have missed the playoffs for the past three seasons, which isn't acceptable to our owner, our organization, or to our fans.
"As part of this evolution and evaluation, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to allow the next Sharks general manager to have full autonomy related to the make-up of the on-ice coaching staff moving ahead."
The firing leaves two NHL coaching vacancies after the Boston Bruins hired Jim Montgomery on Friday, leaving only the Sharks and Winnipeg Jets in search of head coaches ahead of Thursday's NHL Draft in Montreal.
The Sharks went 32-37-13 this season, finishing 20 points behind the Nashville Predators for the last Western Conference playoff berth.
Boughner is 147-147-45 overall as an NHL coach having had a two-season stint with the Florida Panthers from 2017-2019.
Bruins ink Montgomery
Montgomery, 53, replaces Bruce Cassidy, who was fired June 7 after six seasons with the Bruins.Boston went 51-26-5 this season and qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of Cassidy's six seasons.
The Bruins haven't gotten past the second round since reaching the 2019 final, where they lost to St.Louis.
"Jim has a winning history and throughout the interview process he conveyed his ability to connect with all types of players while also demanding that his teams play with structure," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said.
Montgomery spent the past two seasons as an assistant for the Blues, including helping them advance to the Western Conference second round this season, when they lost in six games to the eventual champion Colorado Avalanche.
Montgomery coached the Dallas Stars for two seasons, going 61-43-10, before being fired in 2019 and later checking himself into an alcohol abuse recovery program.
