Keefe named replacement for Toronto, which is 0-5-1 in its past six games
Mike Babcock was fired as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Sheldon Keefe, who was coach of the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, was named his replacement.
"Today, we made the decision to relieve Mike Babcock of his coaching duties and named Sheldon Keefe our new head coach," Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said. "Over parts of the last five seasons, Mike has played an integral role in changing the direction of our franchise.
"Mike's commitment and tireless work ethic has put our organization in a better place and we are extremely grateful and appreciative of the foundation he has helped us build here."
Bruins' bench boss quickly earned the respect of players, staff
BOSTON - Bruce Cassidy knew he had something special from the day he took over as head coach of the Boston Bruins.
When Cassidy was named as the Black & Gold's bench boss in February 2017, the first two players he talked to were Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron - the team's longest-tenured members and the unquestioned leaders of the club.
"[They were] terrific," said Cassidy. "I remember to this day, Bergy said, 'Listen, you're my coach. Whatever you need, I'll do'. I thought that was, for a guy in my position - that right away it's like, 'OK, let's go'. Make sure you're ready and direct and assertive in your approach and we were."
It was the ability of that championship-tested core to embrace the new man in charge - after nearly a decade with Cup-winning coach Claude Julien at the helm - that helped the Bruins ease into a new chapter.
"I'm not in every locker room, but I have to believe that we have the best veteran group in the league in terms of being able to sit down and talk about hockey, and having an opportunity to earn their respect and vice versa," said Cassidy.
That respect translated quickly into success for Cassidy and the Bruins, who on Wednesday morning announced that they had inked their head coach to a multi-year contract extension as he gets set to kick off his third full campaign behind the bench on Thursday morning.
"It's a privilege and an honor," said Cassidy, who had one year remaining on the contract he signed when the interim tag was removed following the 2016-17 season. "I'm happy to be sticking around for a while…it's where I wanted to be."
Gets potential head start on next career as volunteer while recovering from hip surgery
Eddie Lack is potentially getting a head start on his next career while not giving up on playing again in the NHL.
Needing more time to recover from December surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, the 31-year-old goalie has joined Arizona State University's hockey team as a volunteer goalie coach.
"I'm still very young, so I haven't thought about it too much. But it's a fun experience to try coaching," Lack said Thursday. "There's a few other things that I want to try to see and we're going to see where I end up, but this is definitely something that I'm interested in."
Hamilton, ON – The Hamilton Bulldogs have announced Vince Laise as head coach for the 2019-20 season. Laise, 36, a native of Brampton, has been in the role of associate coach to the Bulldogs since 2016 and helped lead the team to winning the OHL J. Ross Robertson Cup in 2018.
“Vince’s determination, passion and work ethic has prepared him for this position as head coach,” said Bulldogs President and General Manager Steve Staios. “He is on an incredible trajectory and has a progressive mind for the game with a focus on developing the athlete. We are incredibly excited to have Vince lead our hockey club.”
Laise spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League. Laise has also been an assistant coach with the Oakville Blades (OJHL) and Brampton Bombers (GOJHL). Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Laise spent four years with the University of Maine Black Bears playing in two NCAA Frozen Four Tournaments. After his collegiate career, Laise suited up in two professional games with the Fort Wayne Komets of the IHL.
Also returning to the coach’s bench will be Dave Matsos as associate coach, and assistant coaches Ron Wilson and Patrick Jarrett.
Head coach has led Colorado to back-to-back playoff appearances
The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the organization has signed head coach Jared Bednar to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2021-22 season.
Bednar completed his third season as Colorado's head coach in 2018-19, leading the Avalanche to its second straight playoff berth, the first Avs team to make back-to-back postseason appearances in 13 years. The Avalanche defeated Calgary-the Western Conference's top team during the regular season-in five games during the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the club's first postseason series win since 2008.
"Jared has done a tremendous job behind the bench and has earned the opportunity to continue leading this team," said Avalanche Executive Vice President / General Manager Joe Sakic. "He is an outstanding coach who has the full trust of his players, coaches and staff. He has guided this franchise to two straight playoff appearances and we are excited with what this group can do moving forward."
Led St. Louis to first Stanley Cup title in its history
Craig Berube signed a three-year contract to remain coach of the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
Berube, who led the Blues to their first Stanley Cup championship this season, went 38-19-6 in 63 games after taking over for Mike Yeo who was fired on Nov. 19. The Blues defeated the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins to win the Cup.
"This is a proud day for me and my family," Berube said. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for this team and this organization and the city of St. Louis has embraced me as one of their own. This past season was the experience of a lifetime and I'm anxious to get started on our title defense."
Berube, 53, was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year after guiding the Blues to the playoffs and a 30-10-5 record following them being in last place in the NHL standings on Jan. 3. The award was won by New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz.
The New York Rangers announced today that the team has named Kris Knoblauch head coach of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
Knoblauch is the seventh head coach in Wolf Pack history.
Knoblauch, 40, joins the Rangers organization with 13 seasons of coaching experience, including parts of seven seasons as a head coach. Most recently, he served as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2017-19.
Prior to joining the Flyers, Knoblauch spent seven seasons as a head coach in the Canadian Hockey League, with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice (2010-12) and the OHL’s Erie Otters (2012-17). His teams posted a combined record of 298-130-16-13 (.684), including a CHL-record four consecutive 50-win seasons with Erie, and Knoblauch was at the helm for a WHL championship in 2011 and an OHL title in 2017.
A native of Imperial, Sask., Knobluach served as an assistant coach with Prince Albert (2006-07) and Kootenay (2007-10) in the WHL before becoming a head coach. He has also coached internationally, most notably helping Canada to a silver medal as an assistant at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Knoblauch was drafted by the New York Islanders in 1997 and spent three seasons playing in the WHL with Red Deer, Edmonton/Kootenay and Lethbridge. He later spent five seasons at the University of Alberta, winning a national championship in 2000.
Dave Hakstol was hired as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to join the Maple Leafs coaching staff," said Hakstol, who will work under coach Mike Babcock. "I look forward to building relationships with the players and getting to work with the entire group."
The 50-year-old spent the past four seasons as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. He went 134-101-42 in 277 regular-season games and 4-8 in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Hakstol was fired by the Flyers on Dec. 17, 2018, and replaced by Scott Gordon after starting the season 12-15-4. Gordon was replaced by Alain Vigneault, who was hired as Flyers coach April 15.
Prior to being hired by Philadelphia, Hakstol coached 11 seasons at the University of North Dakota, where he had a 289-143-43 record and advanced to the Frozen Four seven times, the most of any program during that span. He was an eight-time finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award as the NCAA Division I men's hockey coach of the year.
The Toronto assistant position became available after Jim Hiller left to become an assistant with the New York Islanders on June 19.
The Maple Leafs (46-28-8) finished third in the Atlantic Division this season and were defeated by the Boston Bruins in seven games in the Eastern Conference First Round.
