Wild fires Boudreau as coach
Assistant Evason to run team for rest of season
The Minnesota Wild fired coach Bruce Boudreau Friday with the goal of correcting some inconsistencies and making a late-season push for a playoff spot.
First-year general manager Bill Guerin said he felt the timing was right to move on from Boudreau and replace him with interim coach Dean Evason despite the Wild having won seven of its past 11 games. Boudreau was fired in the aftermath of a shootout loss against the New York Rangers.
“It’s not just one loss. It’s not one week. It’s a series of things,” Guerin said at a news conference in St. Paul, Minn. “We have shown that we can be [one of] the best teams in the league or the so-called best teams in the league. I think in some of the tighter game situations we could be a little bit better.”
This is the eighth coaching change in the NHL this season, and Boudreau is the sixth fired for team performance reasons. That matches the most for one season in NHL history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Minnesota is 27-23-7 and three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference with 25 games left. “This is all a matter of just winning games down the stretch,” Guerin said. “I expect this team to compete for a playoff spot.”
Boudreau, 65, was in his fourth season with the Wild and took Minnesota to the playoffs in his first two seasons.
Guerin took over last summer following the firing of Paul Fenton as general manager after one season. He said it was not his intent from the time he got the job to fire Boudreau, who was in his 13th season after previously coaching Washington and Anaheim. His teams made the playoffs in 10 of 12 full seasons.
Evason is in his second season with the Wild after coaching the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals for six years. Guerin said the front office will conduct a search for a fulltime coach once this season is over.
Blues
Jay Bouwmeester had surgery Friday to insert a defibrillator to restore his heart’s normal rhythm after the St. Louis defenseman collapsed on the bench during a game in Anaheim Tuesday. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said the procedure was performed in Anaheim. Bouwmeester, 36, will be monitored by a team of specialists at the hospital until he is cleared to return to St. Louis. After the collapse, he was unresponsive, and doctors quickly used a defibrillator to restore his heart beat.
Oilers
Edmonton forward Zack Kassian was suspended seven games by the NHL Friday for kicking an opponent in the chest. Kassian swung his right leg and kicked Tampa Bay forward Erik Cernak in the chest during a game Thursday night.