DeBoer: disappointed but accepting
Fired head coach says, ‘I enjoyed a 4year ride’ with the Sharks
Peter DeBoer said Monday he enjoyed his time coaching in San Jose, and wishes only that he had more time with the Sharks.
“Nobody wants the nuclear option,” DeBoer said five days after his firing. “You hope there’s another answer somewhere out there without having to go there. But we don’t get to make those decisions.”
DeBoer and three assistants were dismissed Wednesday within hours of returning to the Bay Area from a 031 road trip that left the team 15162 and out of a playoff spot. Bob Boughner, the only assistant to survive the changes, was promoted to interim head coach.
“We know going in that’s a part of it,” DeBoer said. “When you look at the terms of pro coaches, NHL coaches are some of the shortest ones. We know that’s always on the table. It’s a part of the job we accept.
“But I prefer to remember the great fans here, the great ownership that I walked into, the great leadership that (general manager Doug Wilson’s) group provided, and the great memories I have with a special group of men here the last four years here.”
DeBoer, 51, was in his fifth season in San Jose. He was 19812934 with the Sharks — one of only four teams to have qualified for the postseason each of the past four years.
San Jose reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016 for the only time in franchise history under DeBoer, whose previous coaching stops were in New Jersey and Florida. Only Pittsburgh played more postseason games (65) than San Jose’s 60 in the past four years.
“Everyone told me when I took the job the window in San Jose was closed or closing,” DeBoer said. “We went on to play four seasons of great playoff hockey. It’s something I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
Wilson suggested during a news conference Wednesday to announce Boughner’s promotion that besides needing a new voice, the team needed a shot of energy it was missing.
“I didn’t feel that at my level,” DeBoer said. “I guess we’ll see here. If this team takes off with a burst of energy, then obviously that’s right.”
DeBoer was under contract to earn $3 million both this season and next. He certainly wasn’t on the hot seat going into the season, but problems started in camp. San Jose took a long look at a number of prospects hoping to fill roster spots opened by the departures of forwards Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Guy Nyquist and defenseman Justin Braun.
“I didn’t like our training camp,” DeBoer said. “It was out of necessity. We had to keep a big group together for a long time doing that.”
The only rookie to grab a job was defenseman Mario Ferraro. Rookie forwards Dylan Gambrell, Noah Gregor, Lean Bergmann, Danil Yurtaykin and Joachim Blichfeld have rotated the lines, but none has earned a fulltime role.
DeBoer pointed to Erik Karlsson’s offseason surgery, a seasonopening threegame suspension to Evander Kane and having to twice face an angry Vegas team eager for playoff payback contributing to an 04 start. After the Sharks rallied to win 11 of 13 games in November, they slipped again with the fivegame winless streak before DeBoer’s firing.
“We were up and down, so inconsistent for the first 2530 games, you knew that option was always there,” DeBoer said.
He also believes Wilson made the call, and that he wasn’t told to do it.
“What I learned, particularly in this stop, is it’s about the people,” DeBoer said. “I got very fortunate to walk into a dressing room here with some of the best men I’ve been around in pro sports. They showed up, they worked every day, they led by example, they had fun doing it. And I enjoyed a fouryear ride with that group, and versions of that group that I’ll never forget.
“It was the best dressing room I’ve been in — and maybe the best in pro sports — during the last four years . ... The Shark Tank and its fans ... I haven’t lived in a rabid hockey community like this in my other two stops.
“All those things with an unforgettable ride, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Ross McKeon is a freelance writer. Twitter: @rossmckeon