Avs fire coach Sacco after last-place finish in West
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The Colorado Avalanche missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season, leading to the dismissal of head coach Joe Sacco on Sunday.
The Avalanche finished the truncated campaign at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 16-25-7 record. Only the Florida Panthers (36) had fewer points the Colorado's 39.
"The organization believes a change of leadership behind the bench is needed going forward," said Avalanche general manager/executive vice president Greg Sherman. "Joe has worked for this franchise for eight seasons and he is a dedicated and hard-working coach. We appreciate all he has done and wish him the best in the future."
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Sacco coached Colorado's American Hockey League club, the Lake Erie Monsters, for two years before being given his first NHL head coaching gig prior to the 2009-10 season.
The Avalanche enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in Sacco's first year behind the bench, going from last in the conference to eighth with a roster full of young talent.
However, the club saw its win total drop from 43 to 30 in 2010-11.
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Last season, the Avalanche won 41 games and a late-season surge nearly resulted in them making the playoffs again.
Believing Sacco had the club moving in the right direction, management signed him to a two-year contract extension last April.
The team, however, regressed badly, and will own a top pick in the draft for the second time in three years.
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Sacco finished with a 130-134-30 record.