DeBoer out as Sharks coach
DeBoer was coach for more than 4 seasons, made Stanley Cup in 2016
SAN JOSE >> Pete DeBoer, the only coach to take the Sharks to a Stanley Cup Final, has been fired by the team, multiple sources confirmed.
An official announcement from the Sharks was expected late Wednesday.
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Bob Boughner is taking over as DeBoer’s replacement. Assistant coaches Steve Spott and Johan Hedberg
have also reportedly been let go by the team, although that information could not be immediately confirmed.
DeBoer, 51, had a record of 198129-34 in 361 games over fourplus seasons with the Sharks, who made the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. The Sharks, though, have lost five straight games and have a 15-16-2 record going into Thursday’s home game against the New York Rangers.
The Sharks flew back to San Jose on Wednesday after they finished a four-game road trip at 0-3-1, capped by a 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. The Sharks entered Wednesday in sixth place in the Pacific Division, five points out of a playoff spot.
Per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, the Sharks decision to fire DeBoer was solely hockeyrelated. DeBoer had this year and next year left on his contract at a salary of $3 million per season.
The Sharks made the playoffs in each of DeBoer’s four seasons, as the team also advanced to the
Western Conference Final last season before they lost to eventual Cup champion St. Louis in six games.
Boughner spent the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons as DeBoer’s assistant before he was hired as the Florida Panthers’ head coach in 2017. Boughner was brought back to be an
assistant with DeBoer in May after he was fired by the Panthers in April.
The Sharks were expected to be a playoff contender again this season after the team signed Erik Karlsson to a eight-year, $92 million contract extension in June, making the two-time Norris Trophy winner the highest paid defenseman in the NHL. But the team, which got off to an 0-4-0 start to the season, has struggled in several
areas.
After 33 games, the Sharks have scored an average of 2.64 goals per game, 24th-best in the 31team NHL, and ranked 21st in the league in 5-on-5 scoring.
On special teams, the Sharks ranked first in the NHL on the penalty kill but had fallen to 23rd in the league on the power play at just 16.0 percent.
After starting the season with four straight losses, and falling at one point to 4-10-1 by late October, the Sharks rebounded with six straight victories and won 11 of 15 games in November.
This month, though, began with a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. The Sharks started the road trip with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Carolina Panthers last Thursday, but were then smoked 7-1 by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and 5-1 by the Panthers on Sunday.
DeBoer was first hired by the Sharks on May 28, 2015. He took over as coach roughly a month after the Sharks and Todd McLellan parted ways after the team missed the playoffs that spring.
DeBoer previously coached the New Jersey Devils for three-plus seasons from 2011-2014, helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 before losing to the Los Angeles Kings. He also coached the Panthers for three seasons from 20082011. In 855 NHL regular season games coached, DeBoer has a career record of 415-329-111.
Buffalo (7-5) vs. Charlotte (7-5), 2 p.m (ESPN)
FRISCO (TEXAS) BOWL
Utah State (7-5) vs. Kent State (6-6), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Saturday, Dec. 21
CELEBRATION BOWL
At Atlanta
NC A&T (8-3) vs. Alcorn State (9-3), 9 a.m. (ABC)
NEW MEXICO BOWL
Albuquerque
Central Michigan (8-5) vs. San Diego State (9-3), 11 a.m. (ESPN)
CURE BOWL
Orlando, Fla.
Liberty (7-5) vs. Georgia Southern (7-5), 11:30 a.m. (CBSSN)
BOCA RATON (FLA.) BOWL
SMU (10-2) vs. FAU (10-3), 12:30 p.m. (ABC)
CAMELLIA BOWL
Montgomery, Ala.
FIU (6-6) vs. Arkansas State (7-5), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
LAS VEGAS BOWL
Boise State (12-1) vs. Washington (7-5), 4:30 p.m. (ABC)
NEW ORLEANS BOWL
UAB (9-4) vs. Appalachian State (12-1), 6 p.m. (ESPN)
Monday, Dec. 23
GASPARILLA BOWL
At Tampa, Fla.
UCF (9-3) vs. Marshall (8-4), 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
Tuesday, Dec. 24
HAWAII BOWL
Honolulu
BYU (7-5) vs. Hawaii (9-5), 5 p.m. (ESPN)
Thursday, Dec. 26
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
Shreveport, La.
Miami (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (9-3), 1
Harden, HOU 23 Akounmpo, MIL 24 Doncic, DAL 23 Young, ATL 23 Davis, LAL 23 Beal, WAS 23 Lillard, POR 23 Towns, MIN 21 James, LAL 24 Booker, PHX 23 Leonard, LAC 18 Ingram, NOR 20 Mitchell, UTA 24 Siakam, TOR 23 Wiggins, MIN 19 Westbrook, HOU21 LaVine, CHI 25 Embiid, PHL 20 Walker, BOS 21 McCollum, POR 25 238 275 222 215 222 218 191 189 239 207 161 179 217 211 174 175 189 141 150 217 290 153 175 145 167 137 159 96 91 118 99 94 104 90 76 96 104 136 83 43 873 741 689 654 636 631 618 549 621 586 451 498 592 564 465 471 556 439 458 541 38.0 30.9 30.0 28.4 27.7 27.4 26.9 26.1 25.9 25.5 25.1 24.9 24.7 24.5 24.5 22.4 22.2 22.0 21.8 21.6
1. Louisville (9-1) lost to Texas Tech 70-57.
2. Kansas (8-1) beat Milwaukee 95-68.
3. Ohio State (9-0) did not play.
4. Maryland (10-1) lost to Penn State 76-69.
5. Michigan (8-1) did not play.
6. Gonzaga (10-1) did not play.
7. Duke (9-1) did not play.
8. Kentucky (7-1) did not play.
9. Virginia (8-1) did not play.
10. Oregon (7-2) did not play.
11. Baylor (8-1) beat No. 18 Butler 53-52.
12. Auburn (8-0) did not play.
13. Memphis (8-1) did not play.
14. Dayton (7-1) did not play.
15. Arizona (9-1) did not play.
16. Michigan State ( 6-3) did not play.
17. North Carolina ( 6-3) did not play.
18. Butler (9-1) lost to No. 11 Baylor 53-52.
19. Tennessee (7-1) did not play.
20. Villanova (7-2) did not play.
21. Florida State (8-2) did not play.
22. Seton Hall (6-3) did not play.
23. Xavier (9-1) did not play.
24. Colorado (7-2) lost to Northern Iowa 79-76.
25. San Diego State (10-0) did not play.
Connor McDavid, EDM 33 Leon Draisaitl, EDM 33 Nathan MacKinnon, COL30 Brad Marchand, BOS 31 David Pastrnak, BOS 31 Jack Eichel, BUF 32 John Carlson, WAS 32 Artemi Panarin, NYR 30 Jon. Huberdeau, FLA 30 Patrick Kane, CHI 31 Aleksander Barkov, FLA30 Auston Matthews, TOR 32 Andrei Svechnikov, CAR31 Alex Ovechkin, WAS 32 Elias Pettersson, VAN 31 1 tied with 32 pts.
Navy
Friday
Bahamas Bowl at Nassau, Bahamas
Buffalo
Frisco Bowl at Frisco, TX
Utah St. Saturday
Nc A&T
San Diego St. Michigan
Cure Bowl at Orlando, Fla.
Ga. Southern
SMU
Arkansas St.
Las Vegas Bowl at Las Vegas
Washington
Appalachian St.
Thursday
Favorite
61⁄2 (571⁄2)
61⁄2 (65)
Celebration Bowl at Atlanta
3 (511⁄2)
New Mexico Bowl at Albuquerque, N.M.
31⁄2 (411⁄2)
41⁄2 (581⁄2)
Boca Raton Bowl at Boca Raton, Fla.
31⁄2 (701⁄2)
Camellia Bowl at Montgomery, Ala.
21⁄2 (62)
31⁄2 (50)
New Orleans Bowl at New Orleans
17 (48) 19 19 19 18 25 20 11 15 11 14 10 19 13 21 12 36 35 28 28 20 24 32 22 26 22 26 15 21 12 21 55 54 47 46 45 44 43 37 37 36 36 34 34 33 33
College basketball
Odds
Charlotte
Kent St.
Alcorn State
Cent.
Liberty
at FAU
Boise St.