Toronto, ON – The Vancouver Canucks have reportedly fired head coach Alain Vigneault along with his entire coaching staff, in the wake of a disappointing first-round playoff exit.
TSN of Canada was first with the news on Wednesday.
Vigneault had been at the helm since June of 2006, taking over for Marc Crawford. Despite leading Vancouver to 30-or-more wins in six straight seasons and guiding the club to a club-record 54 wins and a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2011, the Canucks faltered in the opening round of the postseason the last two years, losing a five-round decision to the Kings last year and being swept by San Jose earlier this month.
The 52-year-old native of Quebec departs the franchise with a 313-170-57 regular-season record and 33-31 postseason mark. He won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach in 2007 after helping the Canucks to 49 wins and a playoff series victory and was a finalist two other times.
Assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Brown were also given their walking papers. Bowness, a former head coach for Winnipeg, Boston, Ottawa, Phoenix and the New York Islanders, had been on Vigneault's staff since 2007.
Brown joined the staff in August of 2010, after five seasons as an assistant with the Anaheim Ducks.
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