Isles tell Jack to hit the road
THE Islanders have heeded their fans' calls to “Fire Cappy.”
The Isles announced Tuesday that they have fired coach Jack Capuano and have replaced him with assistant general manager Doug Weight on an interim basis.
“Obviously we’re not in a position where we want to be standing-wise,” GM Garth Snow said. “At the end of the day organizationally I don’t think Jack was probably going to be a coach that we were going to bring back.”
Capuano, 50, has had a frustrating season after leading the Islanders to the franchise’s first playoff series victory since 1993. The team has been at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division for most of this season, registering a 17-17-8 record (42 points) over 42 games.
The decision to fire Capuano comes two months after Snow said he had no plans to dismiss the coach, who had been hearing chants of “Fire Cappy” during home games.
Capuano, who played in six NHL games as a defenseman between 1989-92, took over as Islanders coach during the 2010-11 season after the firing of Scott Gordon. He finishes with a 227-192-64 record.
The Islanders are eight points back of the final playoff spot after beating the Bruins, 4-0, on Monday. Snow said the halfway point of the season played a role in the timing of the firing.
“I don’t know that Jack fell short of expectations,” Snow said. “I think when you’re a coach in this league sometimes you’re a victim of different circumstances.”
Snow signed Andrew Ladd to a $38.5 million, seven-year contract in July and the winger has been a disappointment with 12 points in 41 games. The Islanders have also dealt with some injuries and waived veteran goaltender Jaroslav Halak to send him to the minors.
The team is under new ownership with Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin, and that group is expected to consider major organizational changes this offseason. Snow said he takes “100 percent” responsibility for the underachievement but that he doesn’t worry about his own job security.
“I don’t think there’s a player on our roster who I haven’t had a hand in either drafting, picking up off waivers, a trade, a free-agent signing,” Snow said. “Same with the staff, whether it’s trainers, coaches, scouts. Obviously not hiding from the fact that it starts with me.”
Capuano’s 482 games and 227 wins rank second in franchise history behind four-time Stanley Cup-winning Hall of Fame coach Al Arbour. — with AP GETTY